Editing Elf (section)

=== Old Norse texts ===

==== Mythological texts ====

[[File:Semantic field diagram of words for sentient beings in Old Norse.gif|thumb|upright=1.75|One possible semantic field diagram of words for sentient beings in Old Norse, showing their relationships as an [[Euler diagram]]{{sfnp|Hall|2009|p=208, fig.{{nbsp}}1}}]]

Evidence for elf beliefs in medieval Scandinavia outside Iceland is sparse, but the Icelandic evidence is uniquely rich. For a long time, views about elves in Old Norse mythology were defined by Snorri Sturluson's ''[[Prose Edda]]'', which talks about ''[[svartálfar]]'', [[Dökkálfar and Ljósálfar|''dökkálfar'' and ''ljósálfar'']] ("black elves", "dark elves", and "light elves"). For example, Snorri recounts how the ''svartálfar'' create new blond hair for Thor's wife [[Sif]] after [[Loki]] had shorn off Sif's long hair.<ref name="Manea" /> However, these terms are attested only in the Prose Edda and texts based on it. It is now agreed that they reflect traditions of [[Dwarf (mythology)|dwarves]], [[demon]]s, and [[angel]]s, partly showing Snorri's "paganisation" of a Christian cosmology learned from the ''[[Elucidarius]]'', a popular digest of Christian thought.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

Scholars of Old Norse mythology now focus on references to elves in Old Norse poetry, particularly the [[Elder Edda]]. The only character explicitly identified as an elf in classical Eddaic poetry, if any, is [[Wayland the Smith|Völundr]], the protagonist of ''[[Völundarkviða]]''.{{sfnp|Dumézil|1973|p=3}} However, elves are frequently mentioned in the [[Alliteration|alliterating]] phrase ''Æsir ok Álfar'' ('Æsir and elves') and its variants. This was a well-established poetic [[Oral-formulaic composition|formula]], indicating a strong tradition of associating elves with the group of gods known as the [[Æsir]], or even suggesting that the elves and Æsir were one and the same.{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=34–39}}{{sfnp|Þorgeirsson|2011|pp=49–50}} The pairing is paralleled in the Old English poem ''[[Wið færstice]]''{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=35–63}} and in the Germanic personal name system;{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=55–62}} moreover, in [[Skaldic verse]] the word ''elf'' is used in the same way as words for gods.{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=28–32}} [[Sigvatr Þórðarson]]'s skaldic travelogue ''[[Austrfaravísur]]'', composed around 1020, mentions an ''[[álfablót]]'' ('elves' sacrifice') in Edskogen in what is now southern Sweden.{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=30–31}} There does not seem to have been any clear-cut distinction between humans and gods; like the Æsir, then, elves were presumably thought of as being humanlike and existing in opposition to the [[Jötunn|giants]].{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=31–34, 42, 47–53}} Many commentators have also (or instead) argued for conceptual overlap between elves and [[Dwarf (mythology)|dwarves]] in Old Norse mythology, which may fit with trends in the medieval German evidence.{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=32–33}}

There are hints that the god [[Freyr]] was associated with elves. In particular, ''[[Álfheimr]]'' (literally "elf-world") is mentioned as being given to [[Freyr]] in ''[[Grímnismál]]''. Snorri Sturluson identified Freyr as one of the [[Vanir]]. 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. Given the link between Freyr and the elves, it has therefore long been suspected that ''álfar'' and ''Vanir'' are, more or less, different words for the same group of beings.<ref name=simek2010/>{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=35–37}}<ref name=frog&roper/> However, this is not uniformly accepted.{{sfnp|Tolley|2009|loc=vol. I, pp. 210–217}}

A [[kenning]] (poetic metaphor) for the sun, ''[[álfröðull]]'' (literally "elf disc"), is of uncertain meaning but is to some suggestive of a close link between elves and the sun.<ref name=motz1973/>{{sfnp|Hall|2004|p=40}}

Although the relevant words are of slightly uncertain meaning, it seems fairly clear that Völundr is described as one of the elves in ''[[Völundarkviða]]''.<ref>{{harvp|Jakobsson|2006}}; {{harvp|Hall|2007|pp=39–47}}.</ref> As his most prominent deed in the poem is to rape [[Böðvildr]], the poem associates elves with being a sexual threat to maidens. The same idea is present in two post-classical Eddaic poems, which are also influenced by [[chivalric romance]] or [[Breton lai|Breton ''lais'']], ''Kötludraumur'' and ''[[Gullkársljóð]]''. The idea also occurs in later traditions in Scandinavia and beyond, so it may be an early attestation of a prominent tradition.{{sfnp|Þorgeirsson|2011|pp=50–52}} Elves also appear in a couple of verse spells, including the [[Bergen rune-charm]] from among the [[Bryggen inscriptions]].{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=133–34}}

==== Other sources ====

[[File:Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Kibble Palace. William Goscombe John - 'The Elf', 1899.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Glasgow Botanic Gardens]]. Kibble Palace. [[Goscombe John|William Goscombe John]], ''The Elf'', 1899.]]

The appearance of elves in sagas is closely defined by genre. The [[Sagas of Icelanders]], [[Bishops' saga]]s, and contemporary [[saga]]s, whose portrayal of the supernatural is generally restrained, rarely mention ''álfar'', and then only in passing.{{sfnp|Jakobsson|2006|p=231}} But although limited, these texts provide some of the best evidence for the presence of elves in everyday beliefs in medieval Scandinavia. They include a fleeting mention of elves seen out riding in 1168 (in ''[[Sturlunga saga]]''); mention of an ''álfablót'' ("elves' sacrifice") in ''[[Kormáks saga]]''; and the existence of the euphemism ''ganga álfrek'' ('go to drive away the elves') for "going to the toilet" in ''[[Eyrbyggja saga]]''.{{sfnp|Jakobsson|2006|p=231}}{{sfnp|Tolley|2009|loc=vol. I, pp. 217–218}}

The [[Kings' sagas]] include a rather elliptical but widely studied account of an early Swedish king being worshipped after his death and being called [[Olaf Geirstad-Alf|Ólafr Geirstaðaálfr]] ('Ólafr the elf of Geirstaðir'), and a demonic elf at the beginning of ''[[Norna-Gests þáttr]]''.<ref>{{harvp|Jakobsson|2006|pp=231–232}}; {{harvp|Hall|2007|pp=26–27}}; {{harvp|Tolley|2009|loc=vol. I, pp. 218–219}}.</ref>

The [[legendary saga]]s tend to focus on elves as legendary ancestors or on heroes' sexual relations with elf-women. Mention of the land of [[Álfheimr (region)|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.<ref>''[http://www.northvegr.org/lore/viking/001_02.php The Saga of Thorstein, Viking's Son] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050414154443/http://www.northvegr.org/lore/viking/001_02.php |date=14 April 2005 }}'' (Old Norse original: ''[http://www.snerpa.is/net/forn/thorstei.htm Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar]''). Chapter 1.</ref><ref name=ashman_rowe/> According to ''[[Hrólfs saga kraka]]'', [[Hrolf Kraki|Hrolfr Kraki]]'s half-sister [[Skuld (princess)|Skuld]] was the [[half-elf|half-elven]] child of King Helgi and an elf-woman (''álfkona''). Skuld was skilled in witchcraft (''seiðr''). Accounts of Skuld in earlier sources, however, do not include this material. The ''[[Þiðreks saga]]'' version of the [[Nibelung]]en (Niflungar) describes [[Hagen (legend)|Högni]] as the son of a human queen and an elf, but no such lineage is reported in the Eddas, ''[[Völsunga saga]]'', or the ''[[Nibelungenlied]]''.{{sfnp|Jakobsson|2006|p=232}} The relatively few mentions of elves in the [[chivalric sagas]] tend even to be whimsical.{{sfnp|Þorgeirsson|2011|pp=52–54}}

In his ''Rerum Danicarum fragmenta'' (1596) written mostly in Latin with some Old Danish and Old Icelandic passages, [[Arngrímur Jónsson]] explains the Scandinavian and Icelandic belief in elves (called ''Allffuafolch'').<ref name=skjold/>
Both Continental Scandinavia and Iceland have a scattering of mentions of elves in medical texts, sometimes in Latin and sometimes in the form of amulets, where elves are viewed as a possible cause of illness. Most of them have Low German connections.{{sfnp|Hall|2007|pp=132–33}}{{sfnp|Þorgeirsson|2011|pp=54–58}}<ref name=simek2011/>

Sometimes elves are, like [[Dwarf (folklore)|dwarves]], associated with craftsmanship. [[Wayland the Smith]] embodies this feature. He is known under many names, depending on the language in which the stories were distributed. The names include ''Völund'' in Old Norse, ''Wēland'' in Anglo-Saxon and ''Wieland'' in German. The story of Wayland is also to be found in the ''Prose Edda''.<ref name="Manea">{{cite web |last1=Manea |first1=Irina-Maria |date=2022-03-08 |title=Elves & Dwarves in Norse Mythology |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1695/elves--dwarves-in-norse-mythology |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=worldhistory.org |publisher=[[World History Encyclopedia]]}}</ref>