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Role-playing games 101: What is an elf?
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The Dictionary of Word Origins defines elf as a "race of powerful supernatural beings in Germanic folklore” (1990:197). "Ælf" is a possible origin, in turn derived from "albiz," possibly from "albho," meaning "white." The nearest cousin then is the "alp" or "alf," plural "alpar" or "alfar." It should be noted that the Alps mountain range has a common ancestry with the word, which would designate it as an elven home. The word "alp" means "nightmare," which denotes an unpleasant characteristic associated with the notion of elves, or at least their mountain ancestors.
In its German form, the alp has more attributes akin to a traditional vampire than elves. The alp was traditionally male, attacking female victims at night by sitting on her chest and causing horrible nightmares. Alp attacks were known as alpdrücke, which means "pressing," a possible explanation for sleep apnea, sleep paralysis, and night terrors. This form of night terror would find a manifestation in the night hag in Dungeons & Dragons, which performs much the same role but is considered a more Judeo-Christian demonic influence.
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Despite the negative connotations, alp had many fey-like qualities. They were known for this mischief antics, from souring milk to terrorizing animals. In addition to being a shapeshifter, the alp was never without his hat (tarnkappe), which provided invisibility, a precursor to Tolkien's elvish cloaks. Perhaps the most modern manifestation of an alp is Freddy Krueger, who is fond of torturing the young, known for his mischievous and deadly wit, and is never seen without his hat.
It was the Norse who divided elves into two different types: the light elves (Ljosalfar) and dark elves (Dopkalfar). Nordic myth neatly categorized races with their homes in the same way that Tolkien would place the races in his Middle-Earth. Ljosalfar lived in Alfheim, Dopkalfar lived in Svartalfheim. The Ljosalfar attributes are easily recognizable to modern readers: elves are about as tall as humans, beautiful, strong, fierce warriors, excel in the arts, dwell in places beyond human ken, possess their own distinct speech, and can mingle with humans to bear half-elven children (Korablev). Conversely, Dopkalfar have a lot more common with dwarves and trolls: black as pitch, ugly, and petrified by sunlight. These two sides of the elven character appear in other cultures as the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
Beings with these attributes are prominent in Tolkien's works, including the trolls that turn to stone in the Hobbit. Prior to Tolkien, the most modern depiction of elves that would influence the fantasy genre was Lord Dunsany's 1924 novel, The King of Elfland's Daughter. The novel firmly establishes that elves can breed with humans (more echoes of half-elves), that elves age slower than mortals, that they are inherently magical beings, and that they are supernaturally attractive. Dunsany's work established elven women in particular as something to be greatly desired by human men. If the sheer quantity of half-naked elven females in fantasy artwork and Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) is any judge, the desire for elven women continues even today.
The desire for elven women and the implication that a human/elf breeds true inevitably led to half-elves (or peredhil, in Tolkien's work), who were descended from an elvish line. Notable examples include the Danish princess Skuld of Hrólf Kraki's saga, the hero Högni of the Thidrekssaga, and the royal line of Alfheim of the Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar. Aragorn is a descendant of Elros Tar-Minyatur, Lord Elrond Half-elven's twin brother; Aragorn could thus be classified as half-elven, or at least elf-blooded. This attribute is significant in that Aragorn's lifespan is much longer than a normal human's.
No description of elves would be complete with reference to their ears. The pointed ears of elves is drawn from a comment by Tolkien about the term "las" in The Etymologies (Tolkien 1996:367), in which he describes Quendian ears as being "more pointed and leaf-shaped than humans." Thus, Legolas means "Greenleaf," and distinguishes elves from humans in a way that is easily recognizable to modern readers.
The association with bows harkens to times before Tolkien's Middle Earth, all the way back to the 16th-century with the term "elf-shot," a reference to Neolithic flint arrowheads. These arrowheads were associated in Scotland with elves and could often make a man ill simply by nicking him with one (Hall 2005).
By the time Tolkien put elves into their current form, the fantasy tropes had been well established. Magical and secretive, capable of mingling with humans yet clearly a distinct race, of a light, ethereal nature but capable warriors when roused, the elf has his place in any Fellowship as a member of the elite.
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