The Elf Problem

[B Arrowsmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 67072

There have been so many posts over the past few weeks that I have to 
admit, to my shame, that I haven't had the time to read them all. So if 
I've nicked your arguments, sorry; it's through ignorance, not  bad 
manners.

Elves are a problem; at least they are since JKR threw a Jarvey amongst 
the Gnomes. Rights, wrongs and obligations flash across the message 
boards; sound and fury assault the senses. Principled stand vs Well, 
they're only fictional. Allegory vs morality. Hmm.

O.K. What is an Elf? Should be easy to answer, just look it up in 
Scamangers  FB&WTFT...... Oh, ah.
No mention. Not even in the "What is a Beast?" section. Centaurs, yes, 
Goblins, yes, Merpeople, yes, Elves, forget it - None, zero, zippo, 
zilch. Well, there is 'Erkling -  an elfish creature that likes eating 
children.'

We have three memorable, plot affecting characters with NO background, 
in a series renowned for its detailed documentation. Does no-one find 
this gaping chasm significant? We're missing something folks, something 
important.

If JKR tells us nothing, we're thrown back onto our own devices.
Elf. In traditional European Lore Elves were male. (Fairies were the 
female equivalent.) They do not have a good reputation - usually 
mischievous, often spiteful or malign. Most diseases of cattle were  
attributed  to beasts having been shot with an elf-arrow. 'Elf-marked' 
was used to describe birth defects. Not nice. The name itself comes 
from the Old Eng. aelf, Icelandic alft, German alp, meaning nightmare. 
So it was for a millennium or more.

Then, of course it all changes.

Along comes JRR Tolkien. Suddenly Elves are wonderful. Handsome, brave, 
cultured, intelligent, civilised and unremittingly good. Everything, in 
fact, that humans aspire to. To much so for some people. It's reported 
that at a gathering of what became the Inklings, JRRK was describing a 
new character and C.S. Lewis cried out "Oh God, no! Not another f*****g 
elf!"

Who can put their hand on their heart (or wallet) and declare that 
their conception of Elves has not been influenced by LotR? I'll bet 
damn few. Now if, instead of 'House Elf' they had been called say, 
'House Awks', (that spelling is deliberate) what would be the likely 
response to their situation? "Serve the little buggers right." Again, 
unconscious notions derived from LotR.

Without the documented background necessary to be able to view Elves 
objectively, we are in danger of perpetuating preconceptions formed 
elsewhere.

As an aside,  I've noticed that some identify Dumbledore with Gandalf. 
Another unwarranted  assumption, with only superficial evidence to 
support it - both male, white beard, good, wizard. Further parallels 
can be constructed, but I suspect that this  is because the constructee 
*wants* it to be that way. Dangerous to do before the tale is ended. 
You could end up feeling cheated, when you've cheated yourself. Me, I 
fancy a Merlin figure, but what do I know.

Back to the Elves.
Where do they come from? Anyone seen or heard of an Elf child? No, 
neither have I, though the Blacks seem to have had a succession of 
genetically similar Elves. In PoA Ron says of Dobby, "..he's bound to 
come from an old wizarding family. They'll be rich, too."  *Old* 
wizarding family? Are they an historical hold-over? How long do they 
live for anyway? And rich - why is it necessary to be rich? Are they 
bought? If so, where from? Maybe captured from the wild or bred on 
farms; or are they made like the Golem of Prague? Certainly they 
shouldn't be expensive to keep. If they are bought  then you wouldn't 
need to be rich to maintain one, so why a rich family? Could they be 
indentured servants?  And why should clothes set them free?

The three individual Elves encountered so far cannot be typical.
We make elves what they are says Dumbledore and what have we got?
Dobby - ex Malfoy household. Not exactly an environment of peace and 
understanding, conducive to waking in the morning with a song on your 
lips.
Keacher - ex Blacks. Same only more so.
Winky - ex Crouch. Call the Social Services, some-one.

By contrast, the Elves working at Hogwarts are happy, co-operative and 
contented. They refuse Hermiones gifts of clothing as an insult, as if 
it would be an affront to their dignity. They even stop cleaning 
Gryffindor Tower as a reprisal. What is going on?

Elves have significant natural magical powers that militate against the 
idea of coercion. Lucius Malfoy really did not fancy facing down a free 
House Elf; but he knew it to be ineffectual when part of the family. 
What constrains them? I'm willing to bet that there's a magical 
contract in there somewhere, one that the Elves enter into voluntarily. 
It's just their bad luck that some end up with a Black or a Malfoy.

We can dispute back and forth as long as we like - or at least until 
the next book, or the one after when JKR will fill in the gaps for us.

Meantime, if you feel really strongly about  forced Elvish labour, then 
come December, picket the bloke in the red suit. Santas' Elves don't 
get paid either.


Kneasy