Through rocky dales and brumous veils
A thousand-spired fort
Where one can chance the maddening dance
Of the Elf-Queen and her court
– Epistle of Fredman No: 83 by Carl Michael Bellman
Stories of Älvhem, the ancient city of the elves, hidden from the eyes of men by mountains and mists, have been spread through Scandinavia since at least the 7th century AD. No evidence of the existence of such a city has been found, but Swedish mountaineer Algot Larsson claimed to have come upon it while climbing the Scandes of Norwegian Oppland. The picture above is based on his descriptions.
