![]() ![]() The earliest references come from Skaldic poetry, the Poetic Edda, and legendary sagas. ![]() The god Freyr, the lord of the light-elves ![]() While many of these depictions are considered purely fictional, creatures such as elves, somewhat like human beings but with abilities that transcend the physical realm, find correlates in the angels and demons of many religions. Generally they were long-lived, if not immortal. Some elves were small, fairy-like creatures, possibly invisible, whereas others appeared human-sized. They also had some power over time, in that they could entrap human beings with their music and dance. In early folklore, elves were generally possessed of supernatural abilities, often related to disease, which they could use for good (healing) or ill (sickening) depending on their relationship toward the person they were affecting. There is great diversity in how elves have been portrayed depending on the culture, elves can be depicted as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and other natural places, or small trickster creatures. Tolkien's epic work The Lord of the Rings, elves have become staple characters of modern fantasy tales. From Children of the Forest (1910) by Swedish author and illustrator Elsa Beskow.Īn elf is a mystical creature found in Norse mythology that still survives in northern European folklore. Little älvor (elves), playing with Tomtebobarnen (children of the forest). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |