The landdísir are not recorded in Old Norse sources, but belief in them is assumed from the name landdísasteinar.
According to Simek, since the landdísir were believed to live in stones and were venerated there, the practice could represent a form of ancestor worship.
Simek notes that Icelandic folklore tells of other beings who live in stones and hills, such as dwarfs and elves.
[1] Gabriel Turville-Petre theorizes that "the female landdísir, dwelling in their rocks, were probably not far removed from the masculine elves."
Turville-Petre concludes that "the landdísir of the Ísafjörður were dead women ancestors of the people who lived there.