Are Elves Evil?
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The short answer of are elves evil? No. Without any explanation, context, or personal opinions. However, to conclude, you need to do a bit of research. But don’t worry! We’ve done it for you.
Here’s all the information you’ll need to come up with your own opinion of elves.
Nordic Elves
The oldest elven legend dates back to Norse mythology. In said mythology, elves appeared in pairs -- one light and one dark.
The light elves were befriended and trusted by Odin. These elves were said to be linked to the changing of the seasons and were nearly immortal.
The only way they could be killed was if their oak tree, which was sacred to them, was cut down, burnt, or otherwise demolished.
The dark elves were rumored to be quite ugly in both appearance and nature.
These elves were said to be truly evil, with no regard to human life or the life of other beings within their world. They enjoyed hunting for sport, scaring other creatures, and tricking man out of his money.
Ancient Elves
The original depiction of elves – aside from Nordic elves- was that they were truly evil beings. Elves were said to steal human children, place curses on people, and drive ill-minded humans mad.
These incidents were reported to happen frequently but were most common when a human interfered with their daily activities – mischief-making, pranks, and being nasty.
It was said that elves loved revenge – so much so that they delighted in it, becoming overjoyed when a creature would do them wrong just because it meant that they could exact some sort of revenge.
This revenge was feared by humans of all ages, as the wrath of an elf was said to be the wrath of the devil.
Modern Elves
Today, elves are painted in a very different light. There is still the occasional mention of light and dark elves or good and bad elves, but for the most part, elves are considered to be helpful and friendly.
For example, the legend of Santa Claus includes elves. Santa’s Helpers, who are elves, help him make toys for good little girls and boys to receive on Christmas day.
These elves wouldn’t dream of hurting a fly let alone stealing a child from their bed.
Another great example of modern elves comes from a movie. Elf is a comedy movie featuring another friendly elf from the North Pole.
This elf becomes trapped in a modern-day city and has to learn to navigate the world around him, completely unaware that people aren’t as nice as he has always believed they are.
One example of modern-day elves that aren’t as nice as they’re made out to be is that of the Elf on the Shelf.
A traditional Christmas toy for kids, the Elf on the Shelf has transformed from an innocent toy to a legend of evil on YouTube, a popular social media platform for content creators.
On the platform, creators make content in which the Elf on the Shelf has bad intentions, moves on its own, and is essentially possessed by something negative.
Neutral Elves
Some elves were said to be neutral. That is, they didn’t have an opinion of the human race and didn’t enjoy befriending them or harming them. They simply didn’t care.
These elves have no specific name and no specific date from which their legends stem but it’s thought that all cultures have some sort of “good or bad” elves.
The Story of Merlin and the Elven Maiden
In old Arthurian legends, everybody’s favorite wizard, Merlin, once fell in love with an elf-like maiden he stumbled upon in a forest.
This maiden used her magic and good looks to lure Merlin into her forest, where she then tried to trap him. It’s said that she intended to kill him, hurt him, or otherwise project her negative nature onto him.
Somehow, despite her best efforts, the wizard managed to escape with his life.
So, are elves evil? It’s hard to say for sure, but it’s a known fact that no, not all of them are. Hopefully, the information we’ve provided above can help you come to your conclusion surrounding the debate.
