Iceland's Troll Whisperer: Brian Pilkington Explores Hidden Worlds

Brian Pilkington is a modern legend in Iceland. And, in a nation loaded with legends, that’s no small feat.

When he first drew the notorious Yule Lads, those mischievous and mysterious fellows who, just before Christmas (legend says), descend from the hills each winter to taunt the kind people of the city below, Brian put a face on a centuries-old story. He brought to life something Icelanders had only ever imagined but never actually visualized.

Adopted by Iceland

Brian Pilkington first came to Iceland in 1976 as a young Englishman struggling to find his way. The work situation back in Liverpool was dire. There were few opportunities at home. So, Brian saved up enough for a three-week trip to the tiny island nation and had such a great time on the trip that he made the momentous decision to stay in Iceland. He quickly picked up work as an illustrator for a local advertising agency in Reykjavík.

Bringing Iceland Trolls to Life

The thing about illustrating trolls, Brian says, is that the work is entirely imaginative – he’s literally creating images no one has ever seen before. There have been stories about trolls in Iceland for nearly ten centuries. But before Brian Pilkington, it was difficult to imagine what they looked like.

“It’s an open invitation to do what you want, basically,” he says, referring to the task at hand of illustrating trolls. “Because nobody really knows what a troll looks like. And nobody has really tried to illustrate one over 12 centuries of history."

Accuracy is fleeting. Brian says he doesn’t get too bogged down in research. And after all, no one has officially seen a troll in person, so it’s all a guessing game and a matter of interpretation. That’s where the fun is.

“If I had to research, it’d be like work,” he says with a wink.

His distinctive style makes Brian’s work instantly recognizable to Icelanders and immediately intriguing to visitors.

“They say my trolls are Icelandic trolls,” he says. “This is the way they look. They’ve become people’s visions of trolls.”

Meet SúVitra

For FlyOver Iceland, Brian has created a troll named SúVitra. He created her over the course of a few days in 2018. She'll be featured in the pre-shows that happen before visitors board the flight-ride. She's part of the Well of Time, which showcases the factors that lead to the creation of Iceland as a geological entity.