Posted: May 23, 2000 at 02:08:10: by Jim Gregors
: 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...Tolkien's elves where probably inspired by the Light Elves and Dark Elves of Norse Mythology. Katharine Briggs in her Encyclopedia of Fairies mentions the following concerning Tolkien's sources: 'The folklore used was in the main Scandinavian in tone. The DRAGONS*, the GNOMES, the GOBLINS, the ELVES fit into the world of Scandanavian mythology. It was not of supreme importance what type of folklore was used so long as it was authentic and came
like native air to the mind of the writer.' *Capitals are given by Briggs in the original
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