Old English names in elf- include the cognate of Alboin Ælfwine (literally "elf-friend", m.), Ælfric ("elf-powerful", m.), Ælfweard ("elf-guardian", m.), and Ælfwaru ("elf-care", f.). [56], While they may have been thought to cause diseases with magical weapons, elves are more clearly associated in Old English with a kind of magic denoted by Old English sīden and sīdsa, a cognate with the Old Norse seiðr, and also paralleled in the Old Irish Serglige Con Culainn. [113] Thus, some dwarves that appear in German heroic poetry have been seen as relating to elves. Good drow are exceptionally rare, but not unheard of. [29] However, it again seems unlikely that the origin of beliefs in elves itself is to be explained by people's encounters with objectively real people affected by disease. Goethe's poem then took on a life of its own, inspiring the Romantic concept of the Erlking, which was influential on literary images of elves from the nineteenth century on. Over time, people have attempted to demythologise or rationalise beliefs in elves in various ways. Elves had danced there. At best, elves who come from these courts typically go by their exact words, don’t care about the consequences of their actions, and delight in the mess they’re making of mortal lives. Air Elves are a sorcerous people, few in number. Tend to be more impulsive than the other elves, and dislike remaining in one place for any length of time. The avariel are winged elves. In his turn, J. R. R. Tolkien recommended using the older German form Elb in translations of his works, as recorded in his Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings (1967). Quendi: They tend to think in terms of predator and prey, and of life and death. The elves of Aerenal and Valenar have an isolationist and perhaps even xenophobic outlook, rarely interacting with other races and caring little for affairs outside their borders. However, the term Vanir is rare in Eddaic verse, very rare in Skaldic verse, and is not generally thought to appear in other Germanic languages. [127], The ballads are characterised by sexual encounters between everyday people and humanlike beings referred to in at least some variants as elves (the same characters also appear as mermen, dwarves, and other kinds of supernatural beings). [160], Khmer culture in Cambodia includes the Mrenh kongveal, elfish beings associated with guarding animals. [118], However, in Scotland and parts of northern England near the Scottish border, beliefs in elves remained prominent into the nineteenth century. We publish via DriveThruRPG and Kickstarter. [61] The term may not always have denoted an actual projectile: shot could mean "a sharp pain" as well as "projectile". [164], Supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore, This article is about the mythical creature. [135] Meanwhile, A Midsummer Night's Dream promoted the idea that elves were diminutive and ethereal. Alabaster is quite a character. Despite their views of outsiders The Valenar and Aerenal Elves are willing to trad… In the eighteenth century, German Romanticist writers were influenced by this notion of the elf, and reimported the English word elf into the German language. Most of them have Low German connections. These all come from an Indo-European root *h₂elbʰ-, and seem to be connected by the idea of whiteness. For the lightning-related phenomenon, see, Demythologising elves as indigenous peoples, Demythologising elves as people with illness or disability, In medieval texts and post-medieval folk belief, For discussion of a previous formulation of this sentence, see, "Naturgott oder -dämon, den Faunen der antiken Mythologie gleichgesetzt, In Lexer's Middle High German dictionary under, Tolkien, J. R. R., (1969) [1947], "On Fairy-Stories", in. They can be mischievous and cause unintentional harm to humans, but they can also deliberately cause illnesses and misfortunes when disrespected or angered. [79][80] The pairing is paralleled in the Old English poem Wið færstice[68] and in the Germanic personal name system;[67] moreover, in Skaldic verse the word elf is used in the same way as words for gods. [54][55] Throughout these sources, elves are sometimes associated with the succubus-like supernatural being called the mare. [154] In the Finnic-speaking world, the term usually thought most closely equivalent to elf is haltija (in Finnish) or haldaja (Estonian). 450-1100)-language text, Articles containing Old Norse-language text, Articles containing Old High German (ca. However, ever since J.R.R. [104] Accordingly, the German word Alpdruck (literally "elf-oppression") means "nightmare". Tribality Publishing is now producing titles so that you can use our ideas directly into your games. [136], Early modern English notions of elves became influential in eighteenth-century Germany. They have pale, often porcelain white skin, and white, black, brown, or speckled wings. Avariel spellcasting ability for it. "[132] Elves are also prominent, in similar roles, in contemporary Icelandic literature. That's just a preference thing with me - from listening to Critical Role, it's clear that some people are doing numbers with it. They tend to move and think slowly and with certainty. Greyhawk has six different ethnic groups of human, as well as six types of elves, four types of dwarf, two types of gnome, three of halflings, and a wide array of other … They left a circle where they had danced, which were called älvdanser (elf dances) or älvringar (elf circles), and to urinate in one was thought to cause venereal diseases. [141], In Scandinavia too, in the nineteenth century, traditions of elves were adapted to include small, insect-winged fairies. An elf (plural: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Blood Elves ; Dark Elves, Warhammer ; Drake Elves ; Drow Elf, Variant ; Elf, Asgardian ; Elf, Marsh ; Elf, Seelie ; Elf-Orc, Noble ; Elf-Orc, Variant ; Elf-Orc ; Elf Blooded Centaur Racial Class) Elves, Aether ; … Types of Elves Avariel, Moon, Sea, Snow, Sunrise, Wood, Wild, Nightwings (Drow have their own charter) Avariel Elves Avariel are exquisitely delicate elves, with tall and elegantly graceful bodies. They have pointed ears. The Imperial Elven Navy (IEN for short) is the dominant force in Known Space. [33] During the Old English period, separate forms were used for female elves (such as ælfen, putatively from Common Germanic *), but during the Middle English period the word elf came routinely to include female beings. … [65] Rather, recent scholarship suggests Anglo-Saxon elves, like elves in Scandinavia or the Irish Aos Sí, were regarded as people. [93], The appearance of elves in sagas is closely defined by genre. They look much like humans but have a few non-human traits. Mention of the land of Álfheimr is found in Heimskringla while Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar recounts a line of local kings who ruled over Álfheim, who since they had elven blood were said to be more beautiful than most men. The noun elf-shot is actually first attested in a Scots poem, "Rowlis Cursing", from around 1500, where "elf schot" is listed among a range of curses to be inflicted on some chicken thieves. They don’t worship fire itself as a god, but revere it as a holy emanation of creative force. [47], The earliest surviving manuscripts mentioning elves in any Germanic language are from Anglo-Saxon England. Skålgropar, a particular kind of petroglyph (pictogram on a rock) found in Scandinavia, were known in older times as älvkvarnar (elven mills), because it was believed elves had used them. In the Romance-speaking world, beings comparable to elves are widely known by words derived from Latin fata ('fate'), which came into English as fairy. [67] Just as álfar is associated with Æsir in Old Norse, the Old English Wið færstice associates elves with ēse; whatever this word meant by the tenth century, etymologically it denoted pagan gods. Despite his conversion to dark magic, Cronan Darkroot retains some limited earth powers. Closely resemble their land-dwelling kin, but have developed gills for breathing underwater, and webbed fingers and toes for swimming. They make the toys in a workshop located in the North Pole. They were round places where the grass had been flattened like a floor. - I didn't know Tasha's had psionic classes in it. Because of their small numbers, they tend to live in communal setups. The same idea is present in two post-classical Eddaic poems, which are also influenced by chivalric romance or Breton lais, Kötludraumur and Gullkársljóð. For example, there are prayers which invoke God's help against nocturnal attacks by Alpe. This fits well with the word ælfscȳne, which meant "elf-beautiful" and is attested describing the seductively beautiful Biblical heroines Sarah and Judith. For example, a number of early modern ballads in the British Isles and Scandinavia, originating in the medieval period, describe elves attempting to seduce or abduct human characters. This journey with the dropping off along the way is the major cause for the different types of elves; it is referred to in the Silmarillion as the Sundering of the Elves. High elves can be seen as emotional creatures, perceived by some as empathetic, as well as passionate about things they take liking to. Elb, Elben was consequently introduced in the 1972 German translation of The Lord of the Rings, repopularising the form in German. In particular, nineteenth-century scholars tended to think that the dwarf Alberich, whose name etymologically means "elf-powerful", was influenced by early traditions of elves. [69][70] As well as appearing in medical texts, the Old English word ælf and its feminine derivative ælbinne were used in glosses to translate Latin words for nymphs. [129] It existed in two shapes, one was a pentagram and it was still frequently used in early 20th-century Sweden as painted or carved onto doors, walls and household utensils in order to protect against elves. These literary elves were imagined as small, impish beings, with William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream being a key development of this idea. In height, they’re on par with both parents, though they’re neither as slender as elves nor as broad as humans. [158] Some of the comparisons are quite precise: for example, the root of the word jinn was used in medieval Arabic terms for madness and possession in similar ways to the Old English word ylfig,[159] which was derived from elf and also denoted prophetic states of mind implicitly associated with elfish possession. In The Queen of Elfland's Nourice, a woman is abducted to be a wet nurse to the elf-queen's baby, but promised that she may return home once the child is weaned. However, the characteristics and names of these beings have varied widely across time and space, and they cannot be neatly categorised. These seem to associate elves fairly consistently with woods and valleys. [106] The same pattern holds in Early Modern German. [28] Elves were certainly often seen as a cause of illness, and indeed the English word oaf seems to have originated as a form of elf: the word elf came to mean 'changeling left by an elf' and then, because changelings were noted for their failure to thrive, to its modern sense 'a fool, a stupid person; a large, clumsy man or boy'. However, from the early modern period onwards, elves started to be prominent in the literature and art of educated elites. Types of Elves. Medieval English evidence has, therefore, attracted quite extensive research and debate. The word elf is found throughout the Germanic languages and seems originally to have meant 'white being'. Written by the late William Collins", "Getting Shot of Elves: Healing, Witchcraft and Fairies in the Scottish Witchcraft Trials", "Elves on the Brain: Chaucer, Old English and, "Magic, Miracle, and Popular Practice in the Early Medieval West: Anglo-Saxon England", "Elves in the Psalms? Because they were learned by heart, they sometimes mention elves, even though that term had become archaic in everyday usage. [110], In later medieval prayers, Elves appear as a threatening, even demonic, force. Remember before, we did the elves, a very complex race to chart because of its diversity. [129], In Iceland, expression of belief in the huldufólk ("hidden people"), elves that dwell in rock formations, is still relatively common. Due to lack of culture, the elves are less inclined to follow a religion. There are 2 kinds of elves, light and dark. They also feel rushing a job or finishing a project with anything less than perfection is betraying the elven ideal. [94][95], The Kings' sagas include a rather elliptical but widely studied account of an early Swedish king being worshipped after his death and being called Ólafr Geirstaðaálfr ('Ólafr the elf of Geirstaðir'), and a demonic elf at the beginning of Norna-Gests þáttr. These associate elves variously with the gods of Norse mythology, with causing illness, with magic, and with beauty and seduction. In particular, Álfheimr (literally "elf-world") is mentioned as being given to Freyr in Grímnismál. You're just not blinded. I'm less than positively inclined toward no-effect-on-miss spells. [155] Meanwhile, an example of an equivalent in the Slavic-speaking world is the vila (plural vile) of Serbo-Croatian (and, partly, Slovene) folklore. [84], There are hints that the god Freyr was associated with elves. Unfortunately, their psychology counters such a life in that they are curious explorers who pursue new discoveries, live more for the moment than for the long term, and value things like laughter, song, and strong positive emotions more than humans do. [2] However, elves have in many times and places been believed to be real beings. All objects, animate or inanimate, has a spirit called anito. Like the huldra in Norway and Sweden, they are hollow when seen from the back. [130] A 2006 and 2007 study by the University of Iceland's Faculty of Social Sciences revealed that many would not rule out the existence of elves and ghosts, a result similar to a 1974 survey by Erlendur Haraldsson. [3] Accordingly, beliefs about elves and their social functions have varied over time and space.[4]. Elves remain a prominent feature of fantasy books and games nowadays. Like other elves, the drow are slightly shorter than humans, and more slender, with little physical difference between the genders. [30], The English word elf is from the Old English word most often attested as ælf (whose plural would have been *ælfe). The elves could be seen dancing over meadows, particularly at night and on misty mornings. Elves average 5 feet tall and typically weigh just over 100 pounds. In Scandinavia, the Romantic movement was also prominent, and literary writing was the main context for continued use of the word elf, except in fossilised words for illnesses. Humans being invited or lured to the elf dance is a common motif transferred from older Scandinavian ballads. Money means nothing, and marriage is a foreign concept. [48][49][50][51] In Old English, elves are most often mentioned in medical texts which attest to the belief that elves might afflict humans and livestock with illnesses: apparently mostly sharp, internal pains and mental disorders. [117] Other names also abound, however, such as the Sicilian Donas de fuera ('ladies from outside'),[153] or French bonnes dames ('good ladies'). [46], Elves appear in some place names, though it is difficult to be sure how many as a variety of other words, including personal names, can appear similar to elf. The elves of Greyhawk include the standard aquatic, dark (Drow), grey, high, and wood (sylvan) elves described in the core rule books of various editions of the game. Non-human anito are known as diwata, usually euphemistically referred to as dili ingon nato ('those unlike us'). Generally benign, mischievous, short of stature and attractively childlike. Elves live in places of ethereal beauty, in the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze. Great Dalmuti: Dungeons & Dragons Card Game. Even in the twenty-first century, fantasy stories about elves have been argued both to reflect and to shape their audiences' understanding of the real world,[5][6] and traditions about Santa Claus and his elves relate to Christmas. [85][86][87] However, this is not uniformly accepted. [151][152] The equivalent term in modern Welsh is Tylwyth Teg. Wind elves are residents of Elvendale who can control the element of air. [144][143] Thus in the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland, the modern children's folklore of Santa Claus typically includes small, nimble, green-clad elves with pointy ears, long noses, and pointy hats, as Santa's helpers. Viewing elves as being more or less like people, and more or less outside Christian cosmology. As you see there are a variety of elves that you can use in your games. They awoke at Cuiviénen, the Water of Awakening, in the far east of Middle-earth, in the starlight of the Sleep of Yavanna, as the Sun and Moon had yet to be created. The clearest English example is Elveden ("elves' hill", Suffolk); other examples may be Eldon Hill ("Elves' hill", Derbyshire); and Alden Valley ("elves' valley", Lancashire). I also am published at http://stuffershack.com/. It is defined by the Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch as a "nature-god or nature-demon, equated with the Fauns of Classical mythology ... regarded as eerie, ferocious beings ... As the mare he messes around with women". One type (which includes the gray elves and valley elves of Greyhawk, the Silvanesti of Dragonlance, and the sun elves of the Forgotten Realms) is haughty and reclusive, believing themselves to be superior to non-elves and even other elves. From Oxford no less. Even exceptionally strong high elves looked rather slim compared with other races, looking athletic rather than muscular. [45], In later Old Icelandic, alfr' ("elf") and the personal name which in Common Germanic had been *Aþa(l)wulfaz both coincidentally became álfr~Álfr. For example, because the cognates suggest matt white rather than shining white, and because in medieval Scandinavian texts whiteness is associated with beauty, Alaric Hall has suggested that elves may have been called "the white people" because whiteness was associated with (specifically feminine) beauty.
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