Elves emerge when the world is young. Fleeting spirits, they develop with the fecundity of creation into nature entities found in almost any environment. Elves are connected to Earth energy and celestial bodies Sun, Moon and stars. The word Elf means 'being of light'.
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Elves vary in popular culture from little helpers at Santa's workshop to role playing stereotypes to workers of mystic magic. The term Elf is ambiguous. In early literature and lore it can refer to diverse magical nature entities such as Kobolds, Dwarfs and Fairies.
Elf means 'white being' or 'being of light', from the Proto Indo European language c. 4500 BCE, at the dawn of the first civilizations. Elves are used to describe spectral anomalies, illness, strange behavior and natural disasters.
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Visible Elves and Dwarfs are originally perceived as person sized and resemble ordinary people. Like nixies, who always show an aspect of themselves such as wet hems, elves can be recognized by their strange beauty and ethereal manifestations. They can see in the dark.
Among the Scandinavian myths are those of the Swedish älvor, beautiful young women who live in the forest with an Elf king. The elves can be seen dancing over meadows, especially at night and on misty mornings
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A common saying in German is 'Die Elben/der Alp treiget mich! (The elves/elf deceive/s me!)' The word Alp means Elf. The Alps in Bavaria, Tyrol, Switzerland and Austria are the domain of Elves and nature magic.
The Mare is a German spirit causing night terrors. According to the Old High German Dictionary of Saxony, the Mare is a
"nature-god or nature-demon, equated with Fauns of Classical myth ... regarded as eerie, ferocious beings ... As the mare he messes around with women."
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Alpdruck (elf oppression) or Alptraum (elf dream; pl. Albträume or elf dreams) mean nightmares in German. In this case the Alp or Elf is seen as a sinister character and incubus spirit.
The relation with Greco Roman nature spirits Fauns, who have horns and cloven hooves, associate Elves with the Christian Devil. The pentagram Drudenfuss (Drudenfuß) or Drude's foot is also called Alpfuß or Elf's foot, and considered to protect against evil elf magic.
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Elves are thought to take part in the Wild Hunt, a European supernatural phenomenon involving a raging host of spirits including Goddesses, Gods and epic heroes, witches and fauns, elves, dwarfs, six-legged horses, dragons, monsters and shape-shifting spirits.
Like nixies, elves are associated with seduction. These sensual spirits enchant a person to stray from the path and get lost in the forest. Elf activity can also create fairy rings. Time spent with elves seems short, but years can pass in the mortal world.
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In some areas the fairy lights of folklore, which try to lead a person astray, are known as Elfenlichter (elf lights). It's tempting to follow the lights, as they can reveal treasure, but are more likely to cause madness and mindless wandering.
Elves dislike caraway, and fruits of this plant are scattered to repel harmful magic including mold and mildew in grain. Caraway has known antifungal properties. In folklore chamomile is also planted to guard from malevolent magic in and around the home.
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Anti-witch superstitions, such as burying an iron knife at a threshold, or hanging an iron horseshoe, are also used against Elf powers. Mirrors, rowan wood and periwinkle are considered to have protective magic against supernatural forces.
Elves are once thought to walk invisibly among people, causing health problems, accidents and plagues. Founder of Lutheranism, Martin Luther (1483 - 1546), believes his mother to be afflicted by witches and Elf magic. His enemies call her a whore and bath room attendant.
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In Norse mythology Elves are once associated with the Æsir, the Nordic pantheon, and may have been among the deific number. In Nibelung of the Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction series, anti-hero Oberon is a fairy in the UK, elf in France and a dwarf in Germany.
Ambiguous in nature, the word Elf can apply to all three. It's used as a blanket term for creatures of general malevolence and evil. In Norse religion the Dwarf (Zwerge) is a predominant alpine nature spirit.
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In Norse mythology there are two types of elves, Dökkálfar (Dark Elves) and Ljósálfar (Light Elves). According to medieval lore, dark elves dwell within the earth and have a dark complexion, while the light elves live in Álfheimr, and are "fairer than the sun to look at".
In European lore the terms Dwarf and Elf are often interchangeable. In Northern literature more mention occurs of Dwarfs, who have the magic of Elves, including the Tarnkappe (cape or helmet of invisibility).
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As thieves or henchmen of wicked witches working against the protagonist, fictional elves come to represent anyone greedy, of low moral character, threatening or evil. In lore Elves include the Mare and goblin Schrat, both responsible for bad dreams.
The popular 1823 American poem 'A Visit from St Nicholas' (The Night Before Christmas) describes Santa as "a right jolly old Elf." Elves can also refer to White Ladies. Along with fairies and trolls, elves may be prone to stealing children and leaving changelings.
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In the time of the Witch Hunts elves and imps are commonly associated with alleged witches, who reportedly send them out to wreak destruction. Elves have the power to poison food, corrupt cows' milk and spread sickness or blight. They can cause mental derangement.
During the Renaissance, alchemist Paracelsus creates gnomes to explain strange earth shifts, tremors, avalanche or landslides in the Alps. The term Alp relates to wild nature Elves as well as those who may live among, help, torment or otherwise interact with mortals.
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Like Dwarfs, Elves have been downsized and pigeonholed over the centuries, becoming shallow stereotypes of their true nature. Part of the reason is fear of unknown magic. Diminutive size makes one appear harmless and an easy object of ridicule or comedy.
Elves include miniature domestics like Heinzelmännchen (brownies) in the region of Cologne, Germany; or Wichtelmänner (elf men or imps) in the 'Elves and the Shoemaker'.
Whatever size they are, shape-shifting powers are part of their repertoire.
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They can transform into animals, plants or geographic features, or create the illusion of transformation. Elves have a wild nature and can be helpful or harmful, mischievous or malevolent. Existing in parallel realms of Faerie they may have little interest in humans.
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