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The History of the Elves

The history of the elves is a long and complicated one, with traditions being established in many different areas. Strangely though, these old traditions have almost nothing in common with the typical modern elf, which is often a small, mischievous humanoid who lives in trees and forests. Elves first appeared as a part of Norse (Viking) mythology. It is unclear exactly what role they played in Norse religion, but they appear to have been a race of lesser gods and goddesses inferior to the main pantheon that included Thor and Odin. The mostly male elves were tall and powerful, equal in stature to that of men, and very beautiful. They functioned as part of fertility rituals and the cult of the ancestors.

In Norse mythology, there were two types of elves: light-elves and dark-elves. The light-elves are the more “elvish” elves described above, while the term dark-elves was used to refer to dwarves. The light-elves lived in a dwelling called Alfheim, meaning ”Elf-home,” which was below the dwelling of the main gods. The dark-elves, or dwarves, on the other hand, lived under the ground and were talented in smithing and forging, similar to dwarves in other traditions. However, even the dark-elves were supposed to greatly resemble humans

In the myths and folklore of Scandinavia, elves were slightly closer to the modern ideas, at least in terms of mischievousness. The Scandinavian elves (i.e. those from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden) resulted from a blending of the Old Norse mythology and parts of the Christian belief system when Christianity reached Northern Europe around the end of the first millennium. The dark-elves became known as vetter, with very dwarfish qualities, while words related to elves were used to refer to beings more similar to the light-elves, at least in appearance. The Scandinavian elves lived for a very long time, and were generally good tempered, except when they were offended. Although their fair-hair and white dress implied innocence, they often betrayed their mischievous side by sending diseases onto people such as skin rashes.

In addition to burdening people with various maladies, the elves would dance in circles in meadows at night and on early foggy mornings. When they left, there would be a circle of mushrooms or flattened grass left behind as a sign that the elves had been there. If someone was unfortunate enough to spot an elf-dance, they would find that after a few hours seemed to have passed, in actuality a few years had passed in the real world. It was as if the elves lived partly in another world and, when they were visible in ours, they brought their time frame with them.

Elves entered into English folklore when the invading Anglo-Saxons brought them to Britain. The Anglo-Saxons were a Germanic people from Northern Europe, and they probably learned of elves via Norse mythology, since they lived in close proximity to the Norse and Scandinavian people. These early English elves were similar to Norse elves, in that they were supernatural beings, mostly male, and similar in size to humans. As time went on, the term elf began to generalize to other sorts of folkloric creatures, such as wights and fairies. By the time the Middle Ages ended, elves had become more similar to the form we think of today. The elves had become smaller, trickier, and more mischievous than their predecessors. They had also become almost indistinguishable from other creatures or spirits popular in folklore, such as Scottish brownies, hobgoblins, Pucks, etc. Shakespeare equated elves with fairies – an association apparent in his plays, especially A Midsummer Night's Dream. In his plays, elves were usually very small and particularly prone to playing pranks on larger humans. This image of elves became popular during the Victorian period, during which they were portrayed with pointed ears and stocking caps.

The modern conception of elves is largely influenced by the one made popular during the Victorian era. Some of the most popular modern elves are the ones who work in Santa Claus' shop in the North Pole. In the traditions of the USA, Canada, and Britain, Santa's workshop includes small green-clad elves who happily work year-round to make toys for all the good children of the world. Today, elves are known for their love of nature, and they are happiest (aside from Santa's elves) when they are playing among trees and flowers in a forest, somewhere peaceful away from lumbering humans.

Research taken from the following sources:

Wikipedia contributors, "Elves," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elves (accessed June 27, 2006).