Ängsälvor by Nils Blommér 1850
The earliest known reference to Elves, still in existance, comes from Norse Mythology. In Old Norse, the Elves were called álfar (singular = álfr).
In the Edda, Snorre makes the distinction between light-elves (Liosálfar), Dark-Elves (Döckálfar) and Black-Elves (Svartalfar). The Light Elves are supposedly fair to look upon, and they live in Alfheim. Alfheim was given to the god Freyr as a gift for his first tooth, and some see Freyr as their ruler. The Dark Elves live in the dark, and are slightly more mischievous. Later in the same book, Svartalfheim and Svartalfar are mentioned in a way which makes it probable that Snorre is talking about dwarves. This division of the Alfar may come from the Christian notion of good and evil. In Alvíssmál, the Elves are seen as separate from the Vanir and the Æsir.
The Elves could be seen at night dancing over meadows and marshes, and the circles they left behind are still to this day called ‘älvdanser’ (elf dances). These are now known to be caused by a fungus. The Elven folk are often pictured as living in forests and other natural places or underground or in wells and springs. The Elves are usually considered to be the height of humans or just above, and they were thought to be long-lived or immortal.
They are often mentioned along with the gods, apparently as lesser spirits of nature. These forest spirits were powerful beings who ought to be respected. They are quite powerful and have been known to aid both men and gods alike. They had close associations with the gods and seem to be creatures of light and good. They were connected to mystery and magic, and had a terrible temper if offended.
When they found neolithic flint arrowheads, they were called Elf Shots. They were imagined to have been created and used by the Elves, and sudden paralysis was sometimes attributed to elf-stroke. If one offended the Elves, this was a possible pay-back.
In the Norse lore, interbreading between the Alfar and humans was possible. The hero Hogne was the son of a queen and her Elven lover. Alver er nevnt i Heimskringla og i fornaldarsagaen Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar, eller Torstein Vikingssons saga, en redegjørelse om en slekt av lokale konger som hersket over Alvheim (Álfheim),
The poem Austrfaravísur by Sigvat Tordsson, written around 1020, speaks of a christian man being refused entry into a heathen Swedish home, because they were celebrating Álfablót. What this blót meant is uncertain, because there are no descriptions, but it’s assumed to be connected to the ancestral cult.
In a couple of sagas, men with high status got the name ‘alv’ after death. Because of this there has been speculations of ancestral cult surrounding the Elves. It’s been speculated that the Disir would be the femal ancestral spirits and the Alfar the male.
In Kormáks saga there’s a description of the fighter Torvard sustaining a wound which won’t heal, and his wife suggesting that he smear blood on a stone under which the Elves live.
The legends of the Elves, the Nisse and Huldr have been so popular in Northern Europe, that they’re still alive. this is most noticeable around Jul. The Icelanders either beleive in, or don’t want to deny the possibility that Elves exist. Some of this is maintained due to tourism, but many Icelandic people truly believe in the ‘huldufólk’, which are Elves living in mountains, hills and rocks.
In Denmark and Sweden, the Elves are separate from the wights, even if the boundaries are blurry. The fairies with insect wings in British folklore, are often called ‘älvor’ in modern Swedish, or ‘alfer’ in Danish, but the correct translation is ‘feer’.
In USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Irland modern fairy tales and stories for children avout Santa Claus, also include little Elves. They’re dressed in tight fitting green clothes, have pointy ears, sometimes long noses, and pointy hats, and are said to be Santa’s helpers or workers. THey make toys in a factory located at the North Pole. This version of small but handy Christmas Elves, have commercialized the modern perception of Elves, side by side with the Elves in fantasy literature. The Elves have visually become small children who never age, and thereby don’t reproduce either.
The decline of the Elves started with the introduction of the Christian faith, and by the 16th century, their popularity dwindled to their modern status as tiny, malicious spirits. The Romanticism of the 19th century tried to restore their size, especially in the Britich Isles. They were depicted as very beautiful young men and women in drawings and paintings. From this, the Elves entered the 20th century as a literary fantasy genre in the backwaters of J. R. R. Tolkien’s publications, especially the postumously published Silmarillion.
In early modern and modern folklore, they become associated with the fairies of Romanticism folklore and assume a diminutive size, often living mainly in forests but also underground in hills or rocks, or in wells and springs. 19th-century Romanticism attempted to restore them to full stature, making them men and women of great beauty, often depicted as very young.
From their depiction in Romanticism, Elves entered the 20th-century high fantasy genre in the wake of the published work of J. R. R. Tolkien (especially the posthumous publication of his Silmarillion where Tolkien’s treatment of the relation of light elves, dark elves and dwarves is made explicit).
The “Christmas elves” of contemporary popular culture were popularized during the 1870s in the United States, in publications such as Godey’s Lady’s Book.
They seem to have been very popular amongst the ancients, judging by the many names that bear the cognitive Alf or Elf. The term har been preserved and carried on in names like Alf (and Alv), Alfhild, Alvar (Halvard). Alf was a perticularly popular part of Anglo Saxon names, Ælfræd ‘Elf Counsel’ (Alfred), Ælfwine ‘Elf Friend’ (Alvin), Ælfric ‘Elf Ruler’ (Eldridge), and also in femal names like Ælfflæd ‘Elf Beauty’.
The word alfr comes from the Proto Germanic *albiz (or *alboz), a variation which gave the Old Norse álfr, which in turn was the source for the Anglo Saxon oaf and ælf (plural = ylfe). Some spectulate that the origin of the Proto Germanic word is Indo European *albho- meaning white.
This post is part of the Pagan Blog Project, created by Rowan Pendragon.
