Looking at family dynamics in response to stress
Very little is known about the ancient Nordic-pagan elves, but the earliest evidence available to scholars suggests that they had little to do with the lives of humans. It wasn't until Christianity began to influence these old folktales that elves began to be seen as evil beings.
Elves are one of the most popular mythical beings in history. Cultures around the world have their own equivalents, but elves as we know them today originated in European folklore.
In many of the old Germanic languages that stemmed from the Proto-Indo-European family, the word elf, in the same form as it's written today, meant "light being."
From tall, beautiful beings of light, to horrifying cave dwellers, to tiny, illness-ridden tricksters, the depiction of elves has changed drastically over the centuries. Today, centuries after modernization has all but stamped out true belief in folklore, elves no longer pose a threat to societal institutions and are once again depicted as angelic, intelligent, and beautiful beings in media such as the 'Lord of the Rings' franchise.
The main interaction elves had with the world of humans throughout the Middle Ages was mostly painted as malicious. It was said that elves, now depicted as tiny humanoid creatures, ran around bestowing illnesses on innocent people.
Specifically, Norse mythology. While even then they were characters shrouded in mystery, they were considered very real. Described alternately as beautiful, angelic beings, or horrid and haggardly frights, there were originally two races of elves.
Many of the earliest descriptions of fairies describe them as mischievous, sometimes dangerous, little beings that looked like tiny humans. The original fairies, contrary to later Renaissance and modern depictions, didn't have wings, but flew through the power of magic alone.
Fairies, like elves, have been recorded across European cultures since the times of ancient pagans. They are not always depicted as the kindest creatures, though.
According to some accounts, elves transmitted these illnesses using "elfshot," arrowheads that couldn't be felt but could be found. In reality, these were most likely flint arrows used by ancient Indo-European hunter-gatherers, but in the Middle Ages and throughout the witch trials many people swore they were the weapons of the elves.
Fairies, like other mythical creatures, have been described and depicted in innumerable ways throughout the ages. Fairies have been as tall as humans, as tiny as butterflies, beautiful or horrifying, winged or otherwise.
One fascinating theory about fairies posits that they were once larger humanoid creatures, the progenitors of the human race, but for some reason went extinct. Once this lost race died off, their memories returned and materialized into tiny versions of themselves, giving the world fairies.
The races of elves were split into the good and the bad. The good elves, known as Ljósálfar, were described as "fairer than the sun to look at," and lived above ground. The dark elves, Dökkálfar, were horrifying to look at and lived underground.
Iceland stands out from the rest of the world as the nation that has held on to a strong belief in elves into the 21st century. In 2017, National Geographic stated in an article that 54% of Icelanders either believed in elves or believed in the possibility of elves. Icelandic elves are benevolent beings who grant blessings and good luck, are very low to the ground, and live in the beautiful rock formations that are scattered across the volcanic island nation.
Fairies were generally believed to be magical beings, benevolent or not. Besides their ability to fly, some strains of folklore insisted they could change their size at will, and chose to be tiny despite having the ability to be big.
There has also been much discourse as to whether fairies mean well or not. They're certainly mischievous—everyone agrees on that. The Church tried to paint them as demons, true malicious agents of the Devil, but others maintained that they were simply small little tricksters, who never did more than steal a minor item or tangle people's hair into "fairy-locks."
In the Renaissance, they were depicted as intensely shy creatures who meant no harm to anyone and lived underground in the gardens of humans.
Goblins, while not the cutest species of magical miniatures, are considered across European folklore of the Middle Ages to be generally harmless, with a few exceptions.
Goblins are known for living in the nooks and crannies of rural houses. Sometimes behind the stove, sometimes under the bed, they are rarely seen but can be heard scurrying about when the backs of the household are turned.
Whether one believed goblins to be good or bad, everyone in the Middle Ages knew they were fantastically magical beings. How else could they share small village cabins with full families without ever being seen? Most believed goblins to either be able to shapeshift or turn invisible, or both.
In most stories outside the reach of the Church, fairies never used their powers for anything very substantial one way or the other. They were not in the business of saving, nor ruining, lives, but simply enjoyed playing pranks on their mortal neighbors.
A continent away from Europe, wandering the border between the worlds of the spirits and the living, multitudes of yokai are said to be busy playing tricks on humans, giving them frights, and occasionally bestowing them with good fortune.
While numerous yokai directories have been written over the centuries, it's impossible to say just how many there are. They can come in almost any form imaginable, from broken paper lanterns to small, humanoid frog monsters, to sentient umbrellas.
Sources: (Folklore Thursday) (National Geographic) (Britannica)
See also: Silly and spooky mythical creatures of North America
Gnomes are one of the few creatures that made it through the rise of Christianity with their reputation unscathed, or rather, unnoticed. While there are mentions of small, underground-dwelling gnomes in ancient Swedish folklore, the characters don't turn up again in European text until the height of the Renaissance.
In Christian circles, the story was a little different. Fairies became notorious for stealing children out of their beds and cradles, and replacing them with another fairy, known as a "changeling."
Gnomes have survived into today's popular culture mostly through the garden gnome craze that took the Western world by storm during the 19th and 20th century. By the end of World War II, huge numbers of garden gnomes were being produced for commercial sale, and gnomes are now cemented in the heads of most people as jolly, red hat-wearing dwarves.
Japanese folklore has been pristinely preserved over the millennia. The first mention of yokai comes from court documents from the 8th century CE, which mention the yokai's frequent visits to the imperial court. From then on, yokai have featured frequently in historical accounts and popular fiction continuing into the 21st century.
After the advent of Christianity, elves in many regions became conflated with fallen or demoted angels. For centuries, elves were either thought of with disdain or ambivalence.
When gnomes were finally mentioned during the Renaissance, it was in a book by the avid alchemist Paracelsus, who believed gnomes to be one of four elusive creatures who represented the four elements. Gnomes, as one might guess, represented earth.
There are, however, a few deviations from this harmless description. In some stories, goblins are creatures of pure malice and greed. Redcap goblins, for example, from Anglo-Saxon lore, are violent, murderous goblins who dye their cloth hats red with the blood of their victims, before robbing the body of all its earthly possessions.
For thousands of years, ideas of small and mystical humanoid creatures that weave in and out of our world (and theirs) have been prominent in the mythos and folk religions of cultures around the world. Many of these creatures have gone through drastic evolutions and devolutions as the larger, centralized religions of the world have exercised their influence, either demonizing or glorifying these beings of folklore as they see fit. Seen sometimes as mischievous tricksters, benevolent helpers of humanity, or simply unconcerned with the world of the humans, many of these creatures have nonetheless endured throughout the centuries and remain prominent today in modern pop culture, storytelling, and superstition.
Intrigued? Read on to learn all about mystical tricksters, from elves to goblins.
Fairies, elves, gnomes, and goblins: Little tricksters from around the world
The little mystical creatures that might still be living among us...
LIFESTYLE Folklore
For thousands of years, ideas of small and mystical humanoid creatures that weave in and out of our world (and theirs) have been prominent in the mythos and folk religions of cultures around the world. Many of these creatures have gone through drastic evolutions and devolutions as the larger, centralized religions of the world have exercised their influence, either demonizing or glorifying these beings of folklore as they see fit. Seen sometimes as mischievous tricksters, benevolent helpers of humanity, or simply unconcerned with the world of the humans, many of these creatures have nonetheless endured throughout the centuries and remain prominent today in modern pop culture, storytelling, and superstition.
Intrigued? Read on to learn all about mystical tricksters, from elves to goblins.