Posted: May 23, 2000 at 01:11:15: by Michael Martinez
: OK...I've forgotten. I'm aware Tolkien despised the little
: happy creatures popularized by the likes of Shakespeare as
: "elves," but where did he gets his precedent for the much more
: noble Elves of his own works? Are they from Scandinavian
: folklore/mythology - the Eddas, etc.? I should know this, but
: my mind's in a muddle lately...They are mostly an evolution away from the traditional sprites and fairies of folklore, but in the earliest mythology Tolkien was definitely giving a nod to Celtic mythology and folklore. Many people have mentioned the Sidhe through the years, and I think Tolkien mentioned them occasionally himself. But the Elves of the post-1937 writings are almost completely divorced from anything in European folklore and mythology.
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