the Elves - A History & Reference

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 92699

As long as we are on the subject of Elves and house-elves I thought I
would add some link to their history and background.

To my amazement, JKRowling's House-elves have become so significant
that they warranted an whole new entry into the Wikipedia.

Note: 
Wikipedia is a wiki-based free content encyclopedia which includes
almanac-like and gazetteer-like information. Free means free to use,
free to edit, and free to copy and redistribute. Wikipedia is
multilingual, and an open-content, collaboratively developed creation,
managed and operated by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation.

The Wikipedia is a general enclyclopedia and not related to Wicca.

The House-elf- (Rowling/HarryPotter)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House-elf

The Brownie Elf -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownie_(elf)
A brownie is a legendary kind of elf popular in folklore around
England and Scotland. He is the British counterpart of the
Scandinavian /tomte/ and the Russian /domovoi/.

The Tomte- (Finnish vesrion - Haltari)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomte
A tomte or nisse (brownie) is a mythical creature of Scandinavian
folklore, specifically part of a group of creatures called vetter
(elf), common in rural areas. There were two varieties of nisse or
tomte, one type that resided in the house (cf. the Russian domovoi)
and one that resided in the barn. He would take care of the homestead,
crops, house, and people while the human inhabitants slept.

The Puck-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puck
Puck is a mischievous pre-Christian nature spirit, a "woodwose" in the
archetype of the Horned God. The pagan trickster was reimagined in Old
English puca (cf. Old Norse puki "devil") as a kind of half-tamed
woodland sprite...

Hobgoblin (Fairy)-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobgoblin_(fairy)
Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to a friendly or
amusing goblin. 

Robin Goodfellow-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Goodfellow
Robin Goodfellow in English folklore is a euphemistic personification
of a half-tamed, troublesome elf or hob-goblin, a prankster who is the
domesticated aspect of Puck.

Russian Domovoi- 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domovoi
Domovoi is the Russian spirit of the homestead,...  He is not
considered a malicious presence, and might help with house chores or
even be treated as an unseen part of the family ...

Polish Domowije-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domowije
Domowije is the grandfather house spirit. He is responsible for
maintaining peace and order in the household.

Elf (General History)-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf
Elves are mythical creatures of Germanic mythology often now pictured
in folktales in diminished form as small people with mischievous
personalities.

We can see from these reference that many cultures included their own
variations of the domesticated Elf.

Just thought you might like to know.

bboy_mn