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By Katie Silcox
Iceland, the land of fire and ice. And it is this unique combination that makes the country so truly spectacular; a place where landscapes seem mythical, and where myths come to life.
Traditionally a nation of story-tellers, Icelanders have a strong belief in folk law and the goblins and fairy-tales that make them. Perhaps it is as a form of entertainment through the long winter nights that so many literary legends have emerged from this nation, or perhaps, just possibly, the stories are true...
One such story depicts Iceland's volcanoes as the country's saviour when, in brief, a magician transformed himself into a whale in order to swim to Iceland and put the country under his spell. Luckily for Icelanders, he was scared by the fire sprayed from the volcanoes he believed the flames to be spirits.
Ice also plays a part in the islands mythology, many believing that the worn down rocks and ice, are in fact ice-trolls who stand proud with beyond human powers. And don't forget the ghosts and elves living in mountain caves and springs.
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