Elf- a supernatural being of Teutonic mythology; sometimes thought of as a mountain fay or, usually, a small sprite; mischievous elves are thought to bring evil, especially bad dreams. (Compton's Encyclopedia, 1984 edition)

Elf- a tiny, often mischievous fairy (Webster's New World Dictionary, 1995)

Elves of different languages (from http://home.inreach.com/teutonus/):

Old English: Aelf, elf, ylf, pl. ylfe.

Middle Low German: Alf.

Old High German: Alp, Elb, pl. Albe.

French: Aulfe:

Old French: Aufin.

Late Latin: Alfinus.

Arabic: Al-fin

Persian: Peri

Following are variations of the above spellings:

Aelb, Al, Ale, Alf, Alp, Alph, Alb, Elve, Olph, Orf. and Orph.

Elves and their like have "appeared in several famous works of literature (see bookstore for more examples), such as: Odyssey, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Grimm's Fairy Tales, and so on," according to Melf (http://www.rsbc.com/elves/history.htm). The stereotypical version of the elf brings up thoughts of Santa and Christmas, or perhaps tiny little men who sit on toadstools, granting wishes. The Elves of Spiritwood (http://www.sinbad.net/~avatar99/eos.html) say;

"So what does it mean to be elven? Cast aside your prejudices and look at the big picture. 'Elves hate the underground!' Tell that to the Blue Mountain folk of Elfquest. 'Elves don't have beards!' The elves of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards do. 'Elves don't kill, or start fights, or don't fight at all, and sit in mushroom groves and grant wishes to children, etc. etc.' The elves of Warhammer Fantasy would stick your head on a pike and spit on you if you tried to tell them that."

The 'Online Encyclopedia of Faeries' (http://matrix.crosswinds.net/~rlehmann/denizens/def.html) defines elves as being "the Scandinavian version of faeries, complete with two classes, light and dark, like the Seelie and Unseelie. The Danish elves are beautiful from the front, but hollow when seen from behind*. The Danish elves also like stealing dough [and] other human foods. In Scotland, elves were faeries of human size. England called 'trooping faeries' elves, especially small faerie boys."

*This relates to the Huldre Folk

The Unseelie and Seelie court are the two Scotland courts of the Fae. The Seelie were good and helpful. 'Seelie' means 'blessed' in Old Saxon. The Unseelie court "frighten and sometimes even destroy mortals," and they are also very easily offended, granting great punishments in return.

"According to Norse mythology, there were two types of elves: the Light Elves (Ljosalfar), who are are fairer to look upon than the sun and dwelt in the skies in Alfheim; and the Dark Elves (Dopkalfar), who, living in dark forests, underneath waves, or deep beneath the ground, are sometimes associated with Dwarves. These two types of elves correspond respectively to the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of Scottish folklore." (http://members.dencity.com/MythicalCreatures/noframes/e.html)

The Dark Elves corresponded with Dwarves, most likely in alliance against a common enemy; Trolls. The 'Elf-King' is normally considered to be a Dwarf, but as they are often associated with Dark Elves, it suits. The Elf-King is often said in German folklore to lure children into the forests where he kills them, but some accounts say he warns people of their deaths. This following poem is written by Goethen and translated into English by Sir Walter Scott, and it displays the first belief very well. The boy's voice is in green, the father in teal, and the Elf-King in blue.

O who rides by the night thro' the woodland so wild?

It is the fond father embracing his child;

And close the boy nestles within his loved arm,

To hold himself fast, and to keep himself warm.

 

"O father, see yonder! See yonder!" he says;

"My boy, upon what dost thou fearfully gaze?"

"O ,'tis the Elf-King with his crown and shroud."

"No, my son, it is but a dark wreath of the cloud."

 

"O come and go with me, thou loveliest child;

By many a gay sport shall thy time be guilded;

My mother keeps for thee a fine toy,

And many a flower shall she pick for my boy."

 

"O father, my father, and did you not hear

The Elf-King whisper so low in my ear?"

"Be still, my heart's darling- my child be at ease;

It was but the wild beast as it swung through the trees."

 

"O wilt thou go with me, thou loveliest boy?

My daughter shall tend thee with care and joy;

She shall bear thee so lightly thro' wet and thro' wild,

And press thee, and kiss thee, and sing to my child."

 

"O father, my father, and saw you not plain

The Elf-King's pale daughter glide past thro' the rain?"

"O yes, my loved treasure, I knew it full soon;

It was the gray willow that danced to the moon."

 

"O come and go with me, no longer delay,

Or else, silly child, I will drag thee away."

"O father! O father! Now, now keep thy hold,

The Elf-King has seized me-his grasp is so cold!"

 

Sore trembled the father; he spur'd thro' the wild,

Clasping to his boson his shuddering child;

He reaches his dwelling in doubt and in dread,

But, clasp'd to his boson, the infant was dead.

To Undarius (http://www.ziplink.net/~nastey/undarial/help-elves.htm), elves "are a race of forest dwelling people. They tend to be tall with a slim physical build. An elven face is characterized by its almond-shaped eyes and sharp features. Elves are known to be very agile, but their slim build makes them a frail race. Since elves are descendants of the faerie races, they are blessed with... sight in the dark. Elves tend to live to an older age than others and therefore live worry-less lives. The elves tend to be a haughty race, and view the others of the realms with tolerant attitude. A carefree and flighty race, the elves have a great love of nature, magic, and music."

In each part of the world, elves are different. In England, they are kind and friendly, and German elves can be mischievous and malicious. There are also the elves of Middle-Earth, described in thousands of ways by J.R.R. Tolkien and other lovers of fantasy.

The Elves

Elves are no smaller

than men, and walk

as men do, in this world,

but with more grace than most,

and are not immortal.

 

Their beauty sets them aside

from other men and from women

unless a woman has that cold fire in her

called poet: with that

 

she may see them and by its light

they know her and are not afraid

and silver tongues of love

flicker between them.

-Denise Levertov

Elves are generally one species of the Fae, often characterized as being either as tall as humans, or tiny little beings. One is a race, intelligent and often vain in nature, and the other are trickster faeries lacking wings. The latter is popular in cartoons, children's books and Disney movies. But concerning the wings, Wil Huygen's book, The Complete Gnomes (see bookstore) describes elves as "an airy spirit of nature, who loves carefree dancing and playing stringed instruments" and that "most of them have wings." He also says they live underground, in or on top of water (springs), in the air or branches of high trees. They can also "take on an animal image." Regarding the gender of an elf, he states that "there are male, female and sexless elves." For the avid readers of ElfQuest, this may remind them of the tiny, one-track minded Preservers, the faery-like creatures without gender. However, Huygen says in his book that their intelligence is "sharply focused, but high."

"Originally, they were small, mischievous beings that shot miniature arrows at humans, which didn't really hurt but were quite bothersome, prickling the feet of peasants as they walked across fields and pastures. They would also tie hairs of people and the tails of horses in knots as they slept." (http://members.dencity.com/MythicalCreatures/noframes/e.html)