Dobby

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 36764

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amanda" <editor at t...> wrote:
> I will not expound upon this, because it strayeth off topic, except 
for one
> clarification.
> 
> > > That's news to me. Who are those pre-short tall elves? In what
> > > mythology do they make an appearance?
> >
> > Norse mythology, and by derivation the little bit of English
> > mythology we have. In fact, these are the original elves, 
since "ylf"
> > is from the Norse.
> 
> Germanic. Norse is a subset thereof, but it is the Germanic mythos 
you seek.

There's some Finnish tradition, too - a creature called "tonttu" - a 
being that looked after things in a certain building. But they 
weren't nearly as nice as Rowling's house-elves - if humans offended 
them, they got angry and did something nasty to them... A bit like 
Peeves, I suppose. It was customary to thank them by leaving them a 
plateful of porridge every Yule -- so they were paid- sort of!

Shoue-maker and the elves... Yes, that's what I figured about elves 
leaving after getting clothes...