elf/elve
Nov 26 2010, 11:01 PM EST
| Post edited: Nov 26 2010, 11:01 PM EST
An elf (plural elves) is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine or semi-divine beings (wights, vættir) endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind. In medieval Norse mythology, they appear to have been divided into light elves and dark elves, difficult to delineate from the Æsir (gods) on one hand and the dvergar (dwarves) on the other.
In early modern and modern folklore, they become associated with the fairies of Romance folklore and assume a diminutive size, often living underground in hills or rocks, or in wells and springs. 19th-century Romanticism attempted to restore them to full stature, often depicting them as very young, probably adolescent (lack of facial hair on male elves), men and women of great beauty. From their depiction in Romanticism, elves entered the 20th-century high fantasy genre in the wake of the publications of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially the posthumous publication of his Silmarillion where Tolkien's treatment of the relation of light elves, dark elves, black elves and dwarves in Norse mythology is made explicit.
The "Christmas elves" of contemporary pop culture were popularized during the 1870s in the United States, in publications such as Godey's Lady's Book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf
very important note!!!!!! elves with the spelling (elf or elfish) are the comon smaller house or wood dwellers; wile (elve or elven) refers to the of lord of the rings elves of rivindail.
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