As promised, the invasion has begun! That’s right, there are elves here for Immortal Monday. I know, I know. I promised they’d come a few weeks ago. But I got distracted by the shiny bauble. What can I say? And what a pit of muck I got myself into looking for the answers to put this post together. Wow! 😀
Searching to fulfill an Immortal Monday promise, I sat staring at screen after screen as my coffee slowly got cold (Not a fan of cold coffee, unless I order it iced). I sat for hours crawling deeper into the web, page by page, searching out information on the Elven story. The answers had to be there! And they were… buried deep.
There’s a lot of inconsistency out there regarding what distinguishes the Elven from the Fae. I found several conflicting bits of information as I dug into the Sidhe. (Didn’t even touch the Tuatha, for those of you in the know. That’s a sticky bed) . But what I did find in the very end put mud on my face. Read on and I’ll tell you why.
Elves – a lot of it leads back to J.R.R. Tolkien and the Elves he created in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. But Tolkien actually did his homework and tried to keep many aspects true to the folklore and myths. But he did give them more height than they traditionally held – or so some think (We’ll get to that in a minute). He also created a full societal structure. Not only did he partially create a language for his elves, but he determined their mating habits and gestational period for new young, and so on. Most of this was based on his childhood experiences and belief system, or so it is thought.
When Tolkien set out to create his masterpiece, he had not yet determined what ancient being would assist the mortal men and hobbits in their quest. Even after his choice, it is said he still wavered, worried that maybe he should have gone with the other. But in the time that Tolkien wrote his novels it was suggested that he refrain from using the Fae, as “fairy” had become associated with a negative connotation. My, how times have changed! But that was then and let’s face it, his Elves rule literature as well as the big screen.
Setting his mind to Elves, he had no idea he was about to make history.
Now this might come as a surprise, but taking a cold hard look at the medieval and ancient texts, you might find that the little elves of folklore are not the Elves Tolkien tweaked to fit his story. Actually, he may not have had to do any tweaking of height with the race he chose. There are stories and documented names that predate our little happy elves. Stories of an ancient and respected race standing the height of man. As time went on many of them withdrew. In some cultures they became known as The Hidden Ones. But they existed and shared a similar name in elf.
Back then, if you were Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse – Icelandic, or Old, Middle or High German and had Elf, AElf, Alb or Alfr added to the beginning of your name, then you were being honored. The Elves of this time where tall, wise and highly respected.
The very first Elves here on Earth (there are schools that believe there are native Earth Elves and Space Elves) were The First born. They became known as Quendi, meaning speakers. Born beside a lake under the stars they came into life loving the sound of water and the sight of the stars. They had a kinship with nature and mother Earth.
Pale skin tone, their hair can come in many colors and it is believed they always wore it long (Didn’t believe in hair style changes? Send them over to Molly ;)). In almost every case, they are described as tall (average man height of today – remember men were shorter then), slim, wise, graceful, agile and always beautiful. They would mature at 50 (When Tolkien would have them betrothed) and are considered Immortal. Although, Tolkien called them embalmers. Stating that their long lives were a result of them cheating the natural course of things through magic and therefore they paid a price with their happiness, – ( becoming burdened with sadness and nostalgic with regret. – Tolkien)
The elves living among the light, singing amongst the trees and waters are known as light. The Dark Elves were those who choose not to cross the Great Sea when called to do so. Some say they lived in dark places such as caves and underground dwellings.
So this is where I’m going to eat my words from an earlier post. Are you writing this down? It only took me (looks at the clock – 1:14 a.m. , thinks about when I started – you don’t even want to know how long it took me to get to this point! 12+ hours. Ugh! See how dedicated I am to you? Oh… can you spell ulterior motive? Ha) too damn long!
How do the Fae and Elven race differ? As I pointed out above, the Elves were
The First Born. They were called this for being the first born of the earth. Surely that would make them the oldest living race – immortal to boot! Dang!
But the Fae are actually older than the Earth itself(Arda in Elf speak), making them even older than Elves. It is believed that Fae were left here as remnants of their past life disintegrated. What does that say to us? They are older and they are not from here. So clearly two separate people. Yet they communed and lived side by side in peace without mixing the races. That was a No NO.
How was an Elf distinguished from one of the Fae? Elves were wise, classic and beautiful. They dabbled in magic and created wondrous items that wielded great strength and ability.
There are many different classes of Fae, so it’s harder to classify them with general characteristics. But they were also beautiful and agile while harboring the need for constant action and activity. Focus was not their strong point.
If further history on Elves interest you, you might want to look into Tolkien’s theories of Atlantis, namely Atalantë (‘Quenya’ in ancient Elven language). The place of the Downfallen land and people – Elves?
* * *
Because the most recent post have not lent themselves to it, you ladies have missed out on some IM picture shows. You are overdue! Who’s your favorite Elf? What? I can’t hear you? LOL
I know he’s a hottie to most, but something about the Legolas look doesn’t work for me. I like Orlando best with his natural hair color.
And you know I have to do it – for those with a taste for serious badassness (and it gives me a chance to throw him up on the blog one more time!) – Prince Nuada.
And don’t worry guys. I didn’t forget about you. Hope you like Liv Taylor as Arwen. She is classic.
Hope you walked away with some new knowledge in your pocket. Until next time…
Quick answer, don’t think – my son wants us to cover Ghost Rider on Immortal Monday. Hmm. I’m putting it to a vote. Tell me, do you want to talk about the Devils bitch servant boy?
~oOo~
Ooooh, lots of Elvish stuff here, Debra. I think they came from space myself. In Scotland there are tons of ancient stories about Kelpies, Elves, Pixies, Fairies and Sealies and all sorts of beasties.And many ancient standing stones dotted all over the place. In Ireland the standing stones are called ‘dances’. Some believe these were portals or gateways. I suspect they might have something to do with the moon and the sun myself. But what do I know?
Great post.
I don’t know what I believe, but that is a very interesting theory Christine. It could fit into history. I saw the stones and listened to the legions. Some inspired possible future story ideas. The thought of them sure is rather romantic for some reason. I don’t know why that is, it just is. Thank you so much for your thought provoking comment. 😀
My younger daughter loves Legolas. Her sister bought her a poster for Christmas, and she immediately taped it to the ceiling over her bed. How do girls know to do that? Is it instinctive? *shrug* Legolas has a place of honor next to Will Turner who joined him on the ceiling the following Christmas. lol
That’s too funny. I don’t know how the girls know that. Have they seen it on a teen show? I keep waiting for my little Monkey to ask for Thor’s poster to go up over her bed. LOL The ceiling is the only place anything will fit. There has to be room for her boyfriend somewhere. I’ll give it time. She is only six. 🙂
Oh Thank You Debra… Love me some Liv!
The Legolas look never worked for me either, and I’m not a big Orlando fan either… I have trouble taking him seriously in his roles. Now, if I were a chick… I could get into Luke into a big way.
Hey, give the kid a break and let your son have some FaceTime on the next Immortal Monday. Thanks for the Elfin Education.
You are not alone. Glad you likey, likey. Now, Orlando, he has them flocking. Girls are swooning left and right for the guy. What can I say? But Luke! He is one serious dude. You don’t want to tangle with him. Stay on his good side or heaven help you. 😀
Luke = hot. 🙂
You are welcome on the Elfin Education. Maybe it will come in handy sometime. 😉 As for Ghost Rider. Looks like I may be adding him to the lineup. But there are a few posts in front of him. He’ll have to wait his turn. I know that’s hard for a demon to do, but he can try REAL HARD. LOL
Legalos all the way!
😀
Oh like the photo of Luke Goss!
Ghost Rider–sure why not? 🙂
Luke 😀
3 for Ghost Rider so far. My little gamer my be happy to see the guy added to our lineup. Thanks, Coleen.
Does Buddy from the movie “Elf” count??? 🙂 My pockets are now loaded up with magic fairy dust. Thanks, Debra!
LOL! Buddy did show up on my search.:D But not the kind of elf I had in mind. Silly Buddy. I love the mail room scene. Hope all the fairy dust filled your day with plenty of magic.
I like Orlando Bloom au natural! 🙂 Great post, Debra! I vote on you doing Ghost Ride.
I’m with you – Orlando au natural. Hmm, demons on Immortal Monday. Looks like it may happen. LOL
You can’t go wrong with a pic of Felicia Day to jump the thing off with hehe. I’ve always loved the lore surrounding fairies and elves. And thanks for the Legolas eye candy 😀
I’m sure my husband would agree with you. Go Felicia! Glad you liked the post and the eye candy Melinda. You know I aim to please. 😉
I love this post (since you’re in my crit group, I bet you can guess why – if you haven’t read my submission yet, then you’ll know soon).
Legolas never did it for me either. There’s something too effeminate about him. I think Orlando Bloom looks much better without the long, blond hair. *shrug* Personal preference I suppose 🙂
Does it help with your submission? I read yours first since I was away and it was the shortest. LOL Didn’t my comments show?
I’m with you on Orlando. But then, I’m generally not attracted to blondes. Funny, since I am one.
LOVE this post. I’m a big fan of elves. The Tolkien kind and the fairy tale kind. Awesome post and I adored all these cool pictures.
Welcome Ellie! So glad you loved the post! Elves rock! 🙂 Immortal Monday usually tries to bring some pleasing pictures if they can be applied. *snickers* It doesn’t always work out. If you like Fae and Elven lore you might find an older post from mid March on the incubus interesting. Thank you so much for stopping in and taking the time to comment.
Wonderful post about Elves. Like some others before me, I also like Orlando Bloom better with his natural hair colour. Thanks for showing the man behind Nuada and for featuring Liv Tyler. She was the perfect Arwen. And thumbs up for Ghost Rider from me.
Woo Hoo! Let’s hear it for our dark haired Orlando. Go baby! Liv was beautiful, wasn’t she? I think we automatically picture Elven types with thinner faces of which she has. At least, in Tolkien’s version we do. Thanks for popping in Reetta! 🙂
Elves? Fae? Fae? Elves? There’s just so much to remember. They all look and sound alike to me.
And, Orlando Bloom is just a hottie anyway you want to dress him up.
“Tell me, do you want to talk about the Devils servant boy?” Sure, why not! Look at all the things I now know about elves and fae. Might as well expand my knowledge to The devil’s servant boy too.
Patricia Rickode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
LOL. I know others that feel the same way. I think my husband finally stuck his fingers in his ears and starting chanting “Lalalala” so that he wouldn’t have to listen to me talk about it anymore. 😀 Anyway, who knows. Maybe you’ll decide to write fantasy someday. This information will come in handy then. Haha Thanks, Patricia!
Awesome post!
I’m a huge dork for all things elven. The fae come in at a close second.
Did you say “Elf Dork”? Then you are in the right place! You are in great company! We are all a little dorky here and most friendly! 😀 Love the Fae. May have to do something about that. Like I said in this post, I had an ulterior motive. Same goes for the Fae. The work would apply to more than just a post. Huzzah! Wonderful to meet you Rachel! Thanks so much for stopping in! – Ooh! Just clicked on your web page. Love that title! “Medieval Monday” Heading over now! That’s so perfect!
Great informative post. I did read or start to read the Tuatha interesting stuff there. Now I feel like I can explain the differences between elves and fae. 🙂
Thanks, Kourtney. This should be good info for you should the Fae or Elves ever decide to creep into any of your work. 😉 I’ll be looking deeper into the others, eventually.
If this shows up twice, I apologize. Yet another WP glitch. I was signed in…yet WP wanted me to…SIGN IN (be nice if they offered italics in the comments section).
Okay, I vote for Mr. Bloom. I don’t care for him as a blond but a ‘normal’ Orlando with dark hair. Yeah, works for me. My daughter loved him so much at one point that his face was the one she chose for her birthday cake. Two years in a row if I remember correctly. 🙂
As for fairies… Hmm. They’re cute and all of that, but I’d rather have a genie. They have the power to grant wishes. And as long as you’re the one who frees them from their bottle, they’re your servant forever (at least according ot old I Dream of Jeannie reruns, lol).
Yes, the more I think about it, the more I think you should devote a day to genies. But only after Ghost Rider gets his moment in the spotlight. 🙂
🙂 Just once, Kristy.
Genies. That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought of that. I might have to look into them. Thanks for the suggestion. You know I’m always open to anything. Of course images of Genie for Aladdin come to mind. Ha-ha. Big and blue. I’m sure I haven’t been influenced by my kids many viewings at all. Nope.
LOL…yeah, I know how that goes. If I never hear Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Dirty Dancing and more on the mile long list of things I’ve listened to too many times, thanks to the kiddos, it will be too soon.
Yes, do look into genies. Sexy male ones (are they called jins??? I can’t remember). And if you find out where I could get one, send me an email and I’ll go pick him right up. 🙂
Yes, Jin is correct. I will look into it for you. Can’t promise to find you one though. That would be a pretty awesome feat!
Okay…look quick though. And remember, I want a really sexy, scantily clad Jin. 🙂
LOL. I may look quickly, but he will still need to fall into the lineup. 🙁 My kid is all excited about Ghost Rider. Next week’s is already in the queue and the week after. See what happens when you actually get organized? Ha!
Becuase I’m such a geek, Fenris from Dragon Age. http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Fenris
No wait because his appeal is his voice, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQcGpeSyTGw
Merril is pretty awesome as well.
😀 “But your face might crack if you try so be careful.” LOL Love it! I’ve never played. They sure do look like fun though. Thanks for sharing Asrai.
I had no idea. I actually didn’t know there was a difference among elves, gnomes, and fairies. I have seen the Lord of the Rings, but I guess I didn’t pay enough attention. You really did your research! And it is fun to see that an ugly movie character can actually be a pretty good looking guy under the make-up. To me, super pastey just says vampire. I blame Twilight for that one. 🙂
They can hide some pretty amazing stuff under all that Hollywood makeup. Yummy is what I have to say. 🙂
I always thought of elves and fae as essentially synonymous. Learn something new everyday! Very cool post, Debra! Your dedication is much appreciated, 12 hours is amazing. Hope you got caught up on sleep after being up so late. 😉
Apparently you are not alone. A lot of people think the same thing. That’s why it took so long to research. There were too many conflicting answers. But I wanted the right ones for myself even more so than just the blog. 😉 As for sleep, I am always running behind. It’s an unfortunate side effect of having children. But they are worth it!
Aeeoiooooo! I had this super long, fabulous reply all typed out then my stupid internet went pffft. This was my treat today for getting my work done and it was SO worth it! What a fun, informative post.
Legolas!
So, yeah if you wanted to do a post on Nic Cage, that would be cool. Legolas!
I’m going to check out some of those links you have because I’ve never heard of the Tuatha and now I’m super interested. I can’t help it. If you tell me I shouldn’t then it just becomes more attractive.
Legolas!
So, yeah, um, I think I’d have to go for either Legolas! or Orlando Bloom as himself. They are both super hotties. If I was a guy, I’d be all over Arwen’s action. Liv Tyler is way too gorgeous. Legolas!
Thanks for the fun treat today. Love it!
Legolas!
So glad you liked it Tameri. I find it all very fascinating myself. Tuatha are old myths. Everyone seems to stand of a different side of the line as to whether they are Fae or Elven. It’s rather funny. Ugly funny when composing a post. LOL Hope you enjoyed your search.
Yay for Legolas!
Thanks for all the elf informaiton, Debra. another great post. and I love some of the eye candy. sighhh
Thanks, Louise. So glad I could deliver on the eye candy. It’s good to hear I have been of use in the information category. Entertain and learn. That’s what we should be doing, right?
Ha, Debra, you and I are complete opposites this time around. Orland usually does nothing for me unless he looks like Legolas!
Oh, and I vote yes to Ghost Rider. Not a great movie, but a good concept. It’d be interesting to see what you put together for him.
Still, I can explain the differences between elves and fae. By the way, you did a great job. It is such ana amazing write-up. Thanks and I am going to bookmark this for further assistance.
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