Elves vs Fairies
Elves Vs. Fairies
by Elaina
Email: EIaina@aol.com
Elves and fairies throughout history generally compare them to be
creatures of the same stuff. The dictionary even gives the same general
meaning to both: small, human like magical creatures. Yet although
fundamentally wrong, the lack of a proper definition causes one to infer that
they are the same. They are not.
Elves resemble man and generally are seen as blondish haired people.
They have pointed ears, and are merry makers. Tolkien claims they like to
sing, and many children's authors, many anonymous, say that poetry is their
bread and butter. Fairies on the other hand, are small, usually between 10-15
inches, have wings, and are not known for their social skills, rather, more on
their lack of dealing with man.
Fairies in the latter part of the 17th century were put to more of a
cherubic type with butterfly wings and pretty things. Tinkerbell is a prime
example of this. She was a pretty thing with green clothes and pretty wings.
Before this trend they were more like moths, dull colored and not pretty at
all, but more of a demonic sort of thing, with a tendency towards mischief.
Elves were the idealistic form of man in the same part of the
literature history. The were glamorized and made to be better than mere
humans in their deeds. Yet it wasn't until the late 50's of this century that
they were no longer superior but merely a helping hand, and to me more of whom
they really were: a group of people, environmentalists by nature, that wanted
peace among themselves and their surroundings, and to be left alone.
This is merely a small part of the differences and similarities, and
mainly an overview of literature's works on them. Although many books that
deal with the fae are intended for children, there a just as many that are
not. Wisdom and the fae will not die as long as there are those who preserve
it.
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