In a brilliant move to show how silly superstition can have real, tangible impact on everyone, a prankster group calling themselves ‘Friends of Lava’ and posing as ‘Elf advocates’ prevented a highway project in Iceland. They successfully argued that the proposed highway would

disturb the elf habitat, including an elf church.

Sheer brilliance. Can you imagine a more absurd reason to prevent new infrastructure? And using Elves – nicely played! They have a big role every Christmas – as everyone knows they build the toys in Santa’s Workshop. But it’s the Elf Church that really sells it.

This article almost wrote itself, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself – until I found out that the Friends of Lava weren’t joking.