Posted: May 23, 2000 at 12:08:35: by Wibstap
: : : 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 : I'm no expert in old Norse mytholgy, but I'm from Norway so I guess I've piced up a bit.
: I've heard of Dragons, Goblins, Gnomes and Dwarfs, but I've never heard of Elves in Norse myths. Is this something I've missed, or what?
: Neithan if you're out there, you seem to know a lot about Norsemen, could you solve this riddle for me?
: Kano There were Elves, but they were either little fairies (Light Elves, Alf) or indistinguishable from Dwarfs (Dark Elves, Svirfneblin).
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