Elf
- For other meanings, see Elf (disambiguation).
Elves are mythical creatures of Germanic mythology that have survived in northern European folklore, often pictured as small, youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and other natural places, underground, or in wells and springs. They have been imagined to be long-lived or immortal and magical powers have been attributed to them. Something associated with elves or the qualities of elves is described by the adjectives elfin, elven, elfish, or elvish. Elves are staple characters in modern fantasy.
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2 Elves in Victorian English literature 3 Santa Claus 4 Modern fantasy elves 5 See also |
Norse mythology knows of light-elves (LiosÃÂálfar) who dwell in the third space in heaven, dark-elves (DÃÂöckÃÂálfar) and black-elves (Svartalfar). The black-elves seem to be the same as with dwarves, though in general elves and dwarfs are distinguished in surviving Norse literature. But about elves (other than Svartalfar) little is said. They are often mentioned along with the gods (Vanir), apparently as lesser spirits of nature or minor gods.
Old Norse elves were probably of human size. In Rolf Krake's saga, the Danish king Helge, finds an elf-woman on an island and rapes her. In one case, the full-sized smith hero VÃÂölund (see Weyland) is called an elf.
The home of the light-elves is Alfheim (meaning elvenhome), which is ruled by the god Freyr. The dwarves and Svartalfar live in Svartalfheim.
In Scandinavian folklore, which is a later development from Norse mythology that blends in elements of Christian mythology, there are several groups of human-like nature spirits than are akin to "elves" in a modern sense, called tomtar, vittror, and älvor. These are all group under the general name of vättar (compare 'wights').
The elves of Norse mythology, have survived mainly as females. The älvor (Swedish, singul;ar älva) were stunningly beautiful girls who lived in the forest with an elven king. They were long-lived and light-hearted in nature. They could be seen at night dancing over meadows. The circles they left were called älvdanser (elf dances). If a human watched their dance, he would discover that even though only a few hours seemed to have passed, many years had passed in the real world (this time phenomenon is retold in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings when the fellowship of the ring discovers that time had run a different course in elven Lothlorien).
Elves were imported into Britain with the Anglo-Saxons.
English folktales of the early modern period, typically portray elves as small, elusive people with mischievous personalities (see illustration). They are not evil but might annoy humans interfere in their affairs. They are sometimes said to be invisible. In this tradition, elves became more or less synonymous with fairies, which originate from Celtic mythology.
Elf, fairy, and other terms for nature spirits like pwcca, hobgoblin, Robin Goodfellow, the Scots brownie, and so forth are no longer clearly distinguished in popular English folklore, nor are similar terms in other European languages.
Before they became diminutive and whimsical, elves were probably akin to powerful pre-Christian forest spirits like the woodwose, the Green Man, and the drusi in the mythology of the Gauls—beings to be respected and even feared. A trace of the former importance of elves in Germanic culture exists in names like Alfred (in Old English, Ælfræd, "elf-counsel") and Alvin (in Old English, Ælfwine, "elf-friend").
The term ælfsciene 'elf-shining' is used in the Old English poem Judith referring to elven beauty. On the other hand oaf is simply a variant of the word elf, presumably originally referring to a changeling or to someone stupified by elvish enchantment.
Unfortunately we have little documentation of English rustic beliefs and terminology before the nineteenth century, but it seems that the term elf was used, at least on some occasions or in some places, for various kinds of uncanny wights, either human-sized or smaller. But other terms were also used.
However, in Elizabethan England, Shakespeare imagined elves as little people. He apparently considered elves and fairies to be the same. In Henry IV, Part 1, i. 4, he has Falstaff call Prince Henry: "you starveling, you elfskin!" and in his Midsummer Night's Dream, his elves are almost as small as insects. On the other hand, Edmund Spenser applies elf to full-sized beings in Fairie Queene.
Elf-shot was the name use for found neolithic flint arrow-heads, imagined as created and used by the elvish folk and sudden paralysis was sometimes attributed to elf-stroke.
The influence of Shakespeare and Michael Drayton influenced the use of elf and fairy for very small beings to become the norm. In Victorian literature, elves usually appeared in illustrations as tiny men with pointed ears and stocking caps. There were exceptions, such as the full-sized elves who appear in Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter.
The modern children's folklore of Santa Claus (USA, Canada, and Britain) typically includes diminutive, green-clad elves as Santa's assistants. They wrap Christmas gifts and make toys in a workshop located in the arctic. In this portrayal, elves slightly resemble nimble and delicate versions of the dwarves of Norse mythology.
Modern fantasy literature has revived the elves as a distinct folk from fairies. Fantasy elves are different from Norse elves, but are more akin to that older mythology than to folktale elves.
In 1954, Poul Anderson introduced grim Norse-style elves in his fantasy novel The Broken Sword and made them full-sized.
The mid-twentieth-century philologist and fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien conceived a race of beings similar to humans but fairer, with greater spiritual powers, keener senses, and a closer linkage to nature. They are great smiths and fierce warriors on the side of good. Tolkien's Elves of Middle-earth (capitalized) are not deathless and can be killed by injury, but do not grow old and die of age like humans.
Tolkien had little use for Shakepearian fairy protrayals or for Victorian diminutive fairy prettiness and whimsy. He rather aligned his Elves with the Elves of Norse mythology, the ljosalfar, who were a race between men and gods. He revived the older and less-used elven rather than Edmund Spenser's invented elfin as the corresponding adjective. He probably preferred the word elf over fairy because elf is of Anglo-Saxon origin while fairy entered English from French.
Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, published in 1954, became astoundingly popular and was much imitated. In the 1960s and beyond, elves similar to those in Tolkien's novels became staple non-human characters in high fantasy works and in fantasy gaming.
Post-Tolkien literary elves tend to be human-sized or only slightly smaller than humans and capable warriors, especially skilled in archery. They are unlikely to sneak in at night and help a cobbler mend his shoes. Terms like hob or brownie or other genuine regional folklore terms are likely to be used of such creatures if they are written about. Tolkien's Elves were enemies of the Goblins/Orcs and had a longstanding quarrel with the Dwarves; these motifs also often reappear in Tolkien-inspired works..
There are also dark elves popularized by TSR as drow.
Wendy and Richard Pini's long-running comic book Elfquest attempts to avoid the usual Tolkienesque elven clichés by placing their elves in a setting inspired by Native American rather than European mythology. It later turns out that they are actually the descendants of a shape-shifting alien race rather than mythological beings.
The Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling features House-elves, which resemble brownies or goblins more than modern high-fantasy elves.
Towards the end of the 20th century, a number of people have begun to describe themselves as elves, usually more of the Tolkien than the Santa type. Many of these people can be found in the Otherkin subculture.
In Sweden, an "ÃÂälv" is a river, a word to be distinguished from "alv" (Elf), "alf" (Elf) and "ÃÂälva" (female Elf or fairy). They are etymologically related.Characteristics of mythological elves
Norse mythology
Scandinavian folklore
English folklore
Elves in Victorian English literature
Santa Claus
Modern fantasy elves