These facts indicate that there may be some similarities (specifically in regards to beauty) between Norse and Old English Elf mythology. In relation to the beauty of the Norse elves, there are some Old English words such as ælfsciene ("elf-beautiful"). Elves have many forms some are tiny, some are tall and female elves often seem human, but some say they are empty from the back, like a hollow tree. They have been portrayed to be long-lived or immortal and they have magical powers attributed to them, especially powers related to nature.Įlves are often pictured as youthful-seeming men and women of great beauty living in forests and other natural places, underground or in wells and springs. These terms, like their relatives in other European languages, are no longer clearly distinguished in popular folklore. Over time, the word elf, as well as the literary term fairy, evolved to a general denotation of various nature spirits like Puck, hobgoblins, the English and Scots brownie, the Northumbrian English hob and so forth. Tolkein's fantasy novels which included elves became popular, elves have become more popular and tend to lean more towards the human-sized type. In early modern folklore, they were connected with fairies. They are supernatural beings in Germanic mythology and folklore, elves were first attested in Old English and Old Norse texts and are prominent in English and Scandinavian folklore.
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