Interesting facts and folklore about Gimli:
-Manitoba has the largest community of Icelandic descendants outside of Iceland, many of them make their home in Gimli, which is located on the west shores of Lake Winnipeg, about an hour north of the city of Winnipeg.
-If you visit the town of Gimli during the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba (Íslendingadagurinn), you can watch costumed vikings battle on the green and observe the crowning The Fjallkona “Lady of the Mountain”, the female incarnation (national personification) of Iceland.
-During the Summer Solstice there is the Naked Dew Roll. The activity is believed to cure ailments and injuries, but only if you roll naked through a grassy meadow and allow the enchanted dew of the morning to do its thing.
-The name Gimli is from a Norse Legend, and described as the most beautiful place on earth.
-Huldufolk (Hidden People) or Alfar (Elves), small mischevious creatures who steal things and then give them back to their owners. So, if you have ever misplaced your keys to our house or car, and then they suddenly reappear, blame it on the elves.
Legend has it the Huldufolk hopped aboard with the first group of Icelandic settlers who arrived in Manitoba in 1875. At first, the elves lived on the top floor of the H.P. Tergesen store, then they moved to an elementary school which is now Gimli’s town hall.
When a brick fell from the exterior wall of the public school, just below the attic where the elves allegedly live, it was believed to have been dislodged by the elves. As a result of the falling brick the school was closed, but later used at the Town Hall. The fallen brick was not replaced leaving a constant reminder that the Huldufolk are there, even if you can’t see them.
The two elves living in the building go by the name of Snorri and Snaebjorn. Snorri being the one with the blue hat and the more mischevous of the two.
When people visit the attic in the town hall looking for the elves, they must climb the spiral staircase leading to the upper chamber, where there is message printed on a piece of glass warning: “Adults allowed to visit only if accompanied by children.”
The attic contains a gable-vaulted room with two identical elf-sized beds, chairs, a tiny bookcase that swings open to reveal a secret hiding place in the wall and a wooden trunk where children leave little letters addressed to the elves. Visitors can open the trunk to see and read the messages within. As in the tale of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, if you believe you will see the Huldufolk.
The coordinates for the final cache location are:
N 50 AB.CDE W 096 FG.HIJ
Icelandic Park - When was the first permanent Icelandic settlement established in Canada? A= the last digit from the Year minus 2.
Gimli Icelandic Pioneer Cemetary - B = The higher number that appears in both the years on the sign at the posted coordinates?
Gimli Pier - C = How many people are riding on the horse drawn wagon?
Tourist Center - D = How many bells are at this site?
Tergesen's - E = The number of handles and locks
Harbour Park Viking Ship - How many rocks make up the viking ship? F = the second digit
Airplane - G = Last number of the 3 digit number on the plane.
Viking Statue - H = Last digit of year the sculptor was born
Old School House - I = How many windows on the top floor of this building?
Goodman Cottage - J = Number of the letter "i" on both sides of the sign, minus 9