ELVES: Who are they?, meaning, their gifts and more

Elves, fascinating beings from Norse and Germanic mythology, who were originally considered symbols of fertility and could be represented either as men or women who were endowed with singular beauty, living in forests, caves or simply in springs; but they have been immortalized in renowned cinematographic reproductions. Don’t miss this article, it is full of interesting information for everyone.

Introduction

With the theme of Elves we enter the mythological world of Nordic culture, which is reflected in stories or legends that have been passed down from generation to generation, orally and which, in order to have written records, texts have been used. known as Eddas and those belonging to the Saga created by Snorri Sturluson.

The presence of the Elves within all mythological stories was frequent, being called Álfar there; Well, at that time they were conceived as strong beings or spirits, of unique beauty, that related to human beings. One of the known cases in this sense was that of the human queen, who joined an Elf and thus gave rise to the hero known as Hógni.

This is one of the stories that will be contemplated during the development of this topic, which will be revealed later in the points about Elves, supernatural creatures, endowed with a series of gifts and considered magical.

Which, despite being beings whose existence has not been scientifically proven, represent part of the myths and legends that accompany the entire culture of the Nordic peoples, and whose existence is considered the same as that of the gods; in a symbolic way, something that, although not visible, is also accepted by many people.

It has been established in some of the texts relating to the legendary sagas, from the Poetic Edda as well as within skaldic poetry, that the Elves are closely related to the main gods of the Norse Pantheon, and are often compared to the well-known characters. such as Vanir, or minor gods such as fertility or love.

But in general it is considered that the Elves are different from the gods or the Vanir, considering that they have their world, with their king and their own home where each of them is considered spirits of light, although there are also spirits of darkness. .

Taking all this as a preamble, we are going to develop for all our readers the topic about Elves, with the aim that by reading it, you can properly learn what type of mythological deity it is and that each one appreciates these fascinating ones. creatures as they should be, and draw conclusions for themselves regarding these beliefs. (We invite you to learn about the Nordic Symbols and their Meaning)

Who are the Elves?

The Elves are beautiful beings who, according to Norse mythological background, live in the kingdom of Alfheim, which is considered one of the nine worlds that are related to the Yggdrasil tree. Having the god Freyr as his ruler.

The Elves are considered minor gods, to whom powers have been associated with the dominion of nature, fertility, and it is even considered that they have in their hands the power to heal all human beings, since they They have magical gifts.

These elves are small beings that, when observed, look human, but shorter in stature, and usually have pointed ears, large eyes, and long, straight, beautiful hair. Its beauty is considered unmatched, with smooth skin, and a fragile and quite delicate appearance.

But this is only in terms of their appearance, since it is known that Elves are strong beings, and very agile. Based on ancient stories, it appears that they have existed even before man; for they were the first inhabitants of the earth. (You can also see Vegvisir)

Born in the forests, being completely surrounded by nature, under the light of the stars and the moon. It is for this reason that they have been designated to personify nature, and to be worthy representatives of the beautiful Nordic regions and landscapes.

Describing the personality of an Elf is difficult, since they can act in different ways depending on the life they lead or the community in which they operate, but one aspect is very clear about them and that is the fact that They are usually very collaborative, kind and excellent friends.

These little beings are quite reserved, and it is not easy to get them to trust people, so they must be treated with great tact, and what is certain is that once you have them as friends, they will never abandon you again.

They know how to move stealthily, they can move from one place to another and not be seen by the human eye, but when they want they can be seen, although they cannot be caught, because they are fast, and very good at climbing trees or climbing. the walls.

Although they are considered immortal creatures, some stories state that they can live for a few hundred years, but without a time that could be specified. Over time, they change their physical appearance and there comes a time when their skin darkens and they may present wrinkles, similar to those of human beings.

But they age and remain that way for many hundreds of years, which makes it difficult to calculate their age, just as it is evident that at some point they die, but it is not known exactly at what age they do so.

As for what many may be wondering; the offspring, well yes, in reality like any other living being, the Elves have offspring; Well, they generally form pairs between them, although there have been some specific cases in history where an Elf has fallen in love with a human and if they have offspring, they are called Half-Elf.

The only difference between these beings, children of humans, and Elves, is that they are larger in size than the common Elves and their lifespan is also usually shorter, since it is considered that it will be in the order of one hundred or one hundred and twenty years. ceasing to be immortal in this case, as happens with Elves in general.

Life of an Elf

Elves are creatures that generally live in places where nature is present and in perfect harmony with it, which is why their clothes are also in shades of green, brown and the colors that are generally present in a forest. They are immortal but suffer from diseases due to poor diet or the deterioration of the environment around them. Although they know how to create their own medicines, they have the ability to be healers.

They are music lovers and can also interpret melodies, with instruments made by them, guided in their songs by the sound of birds, streams, waves, rain or air. They also write and really like to create poetry, using their own language, which is unknown to humans.

But this does not prevent them from understanding humans, since they have the ability to quickly learn any language and know how to listen, as well as analyze people’s actions. Although they prefer to live away from humans, in the mountains or in forests that are difficult for people to reach, because there they feel safe.

Elves are generally vegetarians, they like honey and grains, they drink water from springs and that is also where they bathe. They can create special drinks with the juice of plants and some natural fruits. They never eat meat, as they respect living beings, including plants, being selective when it comes to eating them.

What is its meaning?

In general, it is considered that the name Elf itself refers to a fictitious creature, created based on the historical needs of the moment, in accordance with religious beliefs, with representation of spiritual entities of nature or simply as a character that intervenes in the life of human beings.

This arises from the fact that each Elf can have a different meaning, since this depends on the type of Elf in question and the environment in which it is developing.

Looking at it from this point of view, the Norse Elves are fictional mythological creatures, which are used as means for authors to narrate their fictional scripts. If you look for example in the case of the Harry Potter book, it is considered a House Elf, created by its author JK Rowling. (You are recommended to visit the article about Cassiel)

Dark Elves have been created like those in the Warcraft video games or Dungeons And Dragons; and so on. But in general it can be said that the Elf is considered a spirit of the air, of nature and, in a special way, of all the forests that exist in the world. There are even those who consider that humans, after their death, can become Elves.

The truth is that all this is difficult to prove, since many consider that there are several types of Elves, others that there is only one type of them. For those who claim that there are various Elves, they believe that there are wild, lunar, marine, golden, wild and many others.

Elves were generally considered to be beings that represented magical gifts, with which they could make their own enchanted elements, symbolic of which were the presence of fast boots, light, resistant ropes that bind alone, rings of great power and many others.

What was clear about them was that they could never fight for evil, although they could be deceitful. Their voice was clear and they knew when it was necessary to smile or fight. Being beings who knew how to properly control their impulses, as they were endowed with great wisdom.

The gifts they possess

The gifts that the Elves presented were considered supernatural powers, since they were fast, could climb easily, hide, see better than anyone in the darkness and communicate with all the animals present in nature.

They adequately controlled the elements present on earth, such as water, air or fire; and it is even considered that they were endowed with psychic powers with which they mastered the art of telepathy and telekinesis.

They could count on the power of divination or healing, as they were experts in preparing all types of magical potions, using elements that they took from nature itself. Being in some cases, creators of talismans and amulets, which were given to human beings as protection. (You may be interested in knowing the Fallen Angels)

But when they felt threatened, they could cause harm to their enemies, this being only as a personal defense, feeling that their life and freedom was at risk, since in general they are noble and good creatures.

It is said that human beings with their deforestation harm these creatures, and this causes the Elf’s own essence to change, since he considers that without a human it causes harm, others do too…