Elf

Elves in the legends

Scandinavian mythology

The oldest description of the elves comes from the Scandinavian Mythologie. In the language Norrois E, they are called álfar (singular personal, álfr ). Although no old or modern description exists, the appearance of creature étymologiquement related to álfar in posterior varied folklores suggests strongly that the belief in the elves was common among the Germanic Peuples and not limited exclusively to the antiques Scandinavian people of .

The elves appear in various ways in Scandinavian mythology. They are generally described like semi-divine beings associated with the Fertilité and the worship of the ancestors. The concept of elf thus seems similar to the beliefs Animiste S in the Esprit S of nature and the spirits of deaths, beliefs common to all the old human cultures. One finds with identical in Scandinavian mythology, the belief of the fylgjur and the Vörðar (“totem spirit” and “protective spirit”). In the same way the elves are commonly compared with the Nymphe S of the Greek Mythologie and Roman, and with Vili and the Rusalki of the Slavic Mythologie.

The historian and Mythographe Icelandic Snorri Sturluson refers to the dwarf S Scandinavian as “dark elves” ( dökkálfar ) or “black elves” ( svartálfar ); but it is not certain that does not indicate a medieval Scandinavian belief later. It refers to the other elves like “luminous elves” ( ljósálfar ), who would be often associated with the etymology of Elf . Snorri describes their differences, according to the prose of the Edda ( Gylfaginning 17 ):

“ Staðr of einn of Sá heu þar, heu kallaðr heu Álfheimr. Þat of fólk to byggvir of Þar, heu heita of Ljósálfar, jörðu of í of niðri of búa of in Dökkálfar, reyndum correct of ólíkari of miklu of ok of sýnum of þeim to ólíkir to þeir of eru. Sýnum of sól of in fegri of eru of Ljósálfar, bik of in svartari of eru of in Dökkálfar. ”

“There is a place there the sky which is called the residence elf ( Álfheimr ). People who live there are called the luminous elves ( ljósálfar ). But the dark elves ( dökkálfar ) live below in the ground, and they have very an other appearance - and very different from them actually. The Luminous Elves are more luminous than the sun seemingly, but the Dark Elves are darker than…”

Other elements in connection with the elves in Scandinavian mythology come from the squaldic Poésie, poetic Edda and from the legendary Saga S. The elves are there related to the Æsir , in particular by the common expression “Æsir and the elves”, who probably means “all the gods”. Some academics compared elves with the Vanir (gods of fertility), but in Alvíssmál (“Dires de Sagesse”), the elves are distinguished from Vanir and of Æsir, as indicated by a series of comparative names in which Æsir, Vanir, elves have their own translations for various words - thus reflecting their racial preferences. It is possible that these words indicate a difference in the statute between the principal gods in fertility (Vanir) and the minor divinities (elves). Grímnismál reports that Freyr was the lord of the Álfheimr (“world-elf”), the residence of the luminous elves. Lokasenna reports that a large group of Æsir and elves had met in the court of Ægir for a banquet. Several minor, domestic beings of the gods, to the example of Byggvir and Beyla, are presented like pertaining to Freyr, lord of the elves, and those are probably them-also elves, since they were not counted among the gods. Two other servants mentioned are Fimafeng (assassinated by Loki) and Eldir.

Scandinavian folklore

In the Scandinavian folklore , which is a posterior mixture of Scandinavian and Christian mythology, an elf is named elver in Danish, alv in Norwegian, alv or älva in Swedish.

The Norwegian term seldom appears in the folklore, and when it is used, it is like synonym of huldrefolk (“hidden people”) or Vetter , kind of category of “imps” related to the ground, approaching more the dwarf of Scandinavian mythology, that elves.

With the Denmark and in Sweden, the elves appear distinct from the vetter , although the border between the two creatures is badly delimited. The small winged fairies of the folklore British ( Pixie ) are often indicated like älvor in modern Swedish or alfer in Danish, although the correct translation is feer . In a similar way, the elf of the Fairy tale S the Elf of the pink of the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen is so tiny that it can have a rosebud for house, and has the “wings which leave the shoulders to the feet”. However, Andersen also wrote about the elf, in the Hill of the elves . The elves of this history are more similar to those of the Danish traditional folklore: splendid females, alive in the hills and the rocks, able to make dance a man until death. As the will huldra in Norway and Sweden, they are illusions once seen of back. The elves of Scandinavian mythology thus seem to have survived in the folklore mainly like females, alive in the hills and monticules of the stones (see Tertre).

Ring elves

The elves could be considering dancing in the meadows, particularly the nights and the mornings of fogs. They leave species of circle to the site of their dance, which are called älvdanser (“dances of elves”) or älvringar (circle of elves). To urinate in one of these circles was supposed to cause venereal diseases. Typically, these circles had been traced by a multitude of small Champignon S, but it could be also traced by the grass drawing pressed against the ground.

Persistence of the beliefs

A majority of the Icelandic population believes in the existence of the elves, or at least does not refute their existence, thus Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (President of Iceland, of 1980 to 1996) into known as: " the existence of the elves, the phantoms, extraterrestrial or a life after forever proven death. It is similar with God, nobody proved if there exists or not . "

Germanic folklore

What remained of the elves in the German folklore, is their mischievous nature and malfaisante. They were considered able to cause diseases with the cattle and people. They also bring bad dreams to the sleepers. The German word for Nightmare, Albtraum , means “dream of elf literally”. Its antiquated form Albdruck means “pressure of elf”; the popular belief indicated the nightmares like the result of an elf sitting on the head of the sleeper. This aspect of the Germanic elfic belief corresponds mainly to the Scandinavian belief of the Mara . It is also similar to the legends concerning the Incube S and the Succube S.

A king elf appears from time to time in Denmark and in Sweden. In the medieval German epopee of the Nibelungenlied , an important character is a nibelung (dwarf) named Alberich. Alberich is translated literally like “sovereign elf”, another contribution to confusion between elf and dwarf, observed before in the Edda. This name entered the French literature then, like Obéron by the medieval chanson de geste Huon of Bordeaux .

Elves in the modern literature

They are generally described like intelligent, larger beings and more ends that the human S, although equipped with an exceptional longevity (virtually immortal). Their ears are supposed being pointed, which would make it possible to recognize them without ambiguity.

It should however be noted that the vision that J.R.R. Tolkien in its work gave some appreciably influenced their representation. It gave them their big size and their great beauty, just as leaning for the melancholy and nostalgia, this idea that their civilization is declining vis-a-vis that of the man. It also largely contributed to their association, not to say symbiosis, with nature. Since, this vision was taken again and largely conveyed in many literary works or roleplays.

The civilization of the elves is thus considered by the authors of the kind as being refined although in decline or fold of the world. The elves would be people of the forest, medium in which they would be more at ease because of their great love of nature.

The elves are often put in scene like eternal adversaries of the dwarf S, their two personalities being very different: first ends, relatively large and fragile, liking nature and big spaces, the seconds bourrus, small and resistant, adoring the deep forging mills and caves. It is the case for example in the world of Warhammer or that of the Donjon of Naheulbeuk , as it is not the case in the world of the forgotten Royaumes .

The elves are also, some times, represented in several different forms or races. Like the Elves of wood, Elves of the night or even sometimes Elves of water. These specifications are rather current in certain video games or plays of plate as referred to above and low… But one can let oneself say that the legends of the elves could rest on the old Greek myths, with for example the Dryades which were the spirits of the trees and wood. Or the Océanides.

Elves in Arda, the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

Elves in Keeps and dragons

Elves in the Palladium world

The elves are beings humanoïdes living on average 600 years (some rare elves live until: 1000 years). They are large (1,80 with 2,90 m), slender (45 with 112 kg) and elegant, with brown or black hair, dark eyes and pointed ears. They see in the black until approximately 20 m and have predispositions for the psychic capacities. They undoubtedly developed very powerful magic practices during the Age of the thousand magics (towards -: 70000 years) but this knowledge since were lost.

The elves belong to oldest creatures the, those which fought the Old ones at the time of the Age of chaos. They dominated the lasting world approximately: 10000 years (the Age of the elves, the New kingdom), but towards the end, they behaved in a tyrannical way towards the other people. This caused the nano-elfique War, approximately: 6000 years before the time of the play, war during which the elves destroyed almost the dwarf and the Kobold S, which is worth a deep hatred to them. The elves live in the human kingdoms, of which they are the allies; the Old kingdom (ex-New kingdom), devastated by the nano-elfique War, is now almost entirely occupied by monstrous people (goblin S, Orc S, kobolds…).

Elves in Annals of the Disc-world

In Nobliaux and witch , elves (or Nobliaux, Lords…) are beautiful (they are “glamors”), but especially malicious and cruel. They take all and offer in exchange only the fear. They live in a parallel Univers and try to be introduced into the world of human to dominate it. The elves are extremely afraid of the iron, which deprives them of their directions. They are directed by a queen who gives herself the appearance of a brown beautiful woman out of red dress. It often tries young girls having predispositions for sorcery and proposes to them to let it leave in exchange a great capacity.

Its " mari" , the king of the elves is one of the rare creatures to be able to be opposed to it. He resembles a satyr and lives in a kind of nauseous tent located under a hillock.

elves in the keep of Naheulbeuk

In the Earth of Fangh, the elves are humanoïdes, of great beauty, rather stupid and naive. They like nature, the ponies, shopping. They live in the forest and dances around a front light to sleep. They have a secular hatred towards the dwarves, whom they find ugly, puants, " chiants" , dirty and vulgar, and no occasion to spit to them above or their throw of the stones would miss. This hatred is obviously reciprocal, the dwarves finding the elves cretins, " emmerdants" and not virile enough with their taste.

Elves of Jean-Louis Fetjaine

In his Trilogie of the elves ( the Twilight of the elves , the Night of the elves and the Hour of the elves ) this French author briskly mixes the Légende arthurienne and the world of the play Donjons and dragons .

He creates people of beings éthérés, graciles, slender and impudic which incarnate the animal beauty towards which tighten the men.

In fact great persons humanoïdes and intelligent dedicate a hereditary hatred with the dwarves. Their culture is very close to that of the Druide S: they have knowledge of the trees, nature, the Rune S.

It y' has two types of elves in this trilogy:

- high-elves, representanté by Llandon and Llianne, which are beautiful and refined elves. They are peaceful and the reaction of the men déçoient them much.

- the elf of the marshes (gray elves), their king is Rassul, they is unforeseeable, aggressive, lives in group. These people are not loved other people, and are even regarded as animals.

Elves in Eragon

In this book the elves are the allies of the dwarf , human and the Vardens. They are called the beautiful people and can model the shape of their body as they wish it, thanks to the magic (they metamorphose their body).

The elves are very skilful and handle the arc and the sword with an incredible force. Their endurance, their speed, their physical capacities are unquestionably higher than those of human, the dwarves or other races. When they need something, they “sing” the trees and can create that which they need. The elves are not very fertile: a child means the true love. The elves are immortal, they can be killed only by iron, the poison, by magic or because of a too deep sorrow. The elves are splendid and very close to nature and are vegetarians.

More than these characteristic quasi physical, it should be noted that, in Eragon , Elves, if they are " The Peuple" Beautiful; could also be called " The Sage" People;. Indeed, they are described to us as agents of a wisdom centenary if it is not thousand-year-old.

It is them which provided the first Dragonniers, them still which, only, succeeded, thanks to their control of the gramarie (magic) to withdraw their world from the harmful influence of the perjury Galbatorix, and it is them finally with which it returns to perfect and complete the formation of Eragon, their wisdom and their control of the magic and nature being without equal.

Lastly, the Old Language, this language only able to describe the true nature of the things is in fact the language of the Gray People, now missing, conferring to the elves the greatest capacities…

Elves in Harry Potter

Elves in Warhammer

See High Elf (Warhammer), black Elf (Warhammer) and Elf Sylvain (Warhammer).

Elves in Artemis Fowl

In this novel, the elves are the nice ones and Artemis Fowl is the malicious one, but later, Artemis helps with plusiers taken again the elves. There saves our world by saving their world, which is located under the ground, while being very by means of computer advanced but while remaining very ecological.

Others

Magic Servant boy ( American Elf ), by James Kochalka, is a contemporary elf who allows his author to philosophize on the life and the feelings.

Elves in the video games

Elves in the series of the Final Fantasy

The elves appear as of the first opus of the series ( Final Fantasy I ) whose city of the play is called Elfland. She is inhabited by elves who are friendly people in communion with the forest which surrounds them. Their antagonist is the Black Elf, deeply malefic: in Final Fantasy I , one of the main characters is the black elf Astos.

The elves in Bruise Symphonia off

Whereas elves known as " purs" are very jalousés, the half-elves are victims of an abusive discrimination on behalf of the human ones. The half-elves live approximately thousand years and keep characteristics suitable for human like curiosity or cupidity. With the wire of the centuries, the pure elves cut off themselves in Heimdall, a hidden city, whereas the half-elves organized themselves in " Désians" to fight by oppression against the human ones.

Elves in Warcraft

See Elf of the night, Elf of blood.

References

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