What you know about modern fantasy mythology is not wrong, but your knowledge is incomplete if you do not know about Germanic myths that tell stories about elves, dwarfs, and other fantastical creatures. If you want to learn more about the culture of Germanic tribes and discover the mythology behind elves that you see in modern movies, you need to bookmark this page right now!
Elves and Fantasy Mythology in Modern World
Mystical Fantasy Mythology from Germanic Folklore
Introduction to German Mythology
Germanic mythology is an ancient collection of stories that allowed our ancestors to better understand the world around. Legends told by Germanic gothi influenced many modern fiction works including epics by Tolkien. The Halls of the Dead is another massive mythology narrative that asks questions about afterlife and purpose of life.
People unfamiliar with folklore of different nations believe that the most influential mythology was produced by Ancient Greeks. However, Germanic mythology is also a great source of inspiration used by thousands of authors all over the world.
Captivating Elves
The word “elf” comes from Proto-Germanic albiz which means “fairy/elf.” In medieval times, the term evolved into “alfr” and soon became a synonym to something otherworldly and mystical. At some point, some Germanic chiefs and even kings took names with a prefix “alf.” For example, Aelfric means “powerful like elf” or “with powers coming from an elf.” This name belonged to Archbishop of York in 11th century as well as several bishops of Elmham.
Originally, people believed that elves were small demonic creatures that caused illness. In fact, there was a belief that elves were using magical bows to shoot invisible arrows that caused several types of diseases that medieval healers could not explain. By fantasy mythology of that time they were described as tiny, sometimes winged, creatures with magical abilities
The modern image of elves is heavily inspired by English and Swedish folklore. Fantasy mythology adopted the idea of beautiful, human-like creatures that lived in forests and protected nature from evil. In England, people believed that elves were female demons wandering in hilly regions. They picked up this belief from Nordic fantasy mythology.
In 18th century, the image of elves changed once again. The European culture started homogenizing creating legends and tales based on bits from different mythologies. Elves turned into human-like demons. At the same time, some deviations also occurred. For example, Nordic legends of that time describe them as little flying creatures that looked more like insects.
Elves are so popular that some of them are featured in the gambling culture. If you register in any online casino, you will be able to find games with elves. You can try them for free if you manage to get a nice casino bonus!
Elves in modern entertainment
The biggest change came in 1937 when Tolkien’s The Hobbit entered the culture. It was heavily inspired by some works of William Morris and encouraged by the success of another big fantasy book The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany. The latter was a fundamental literature work proving that fantasy was a separate genre capable of producing sophisticated narratives.
Tolkien based his lore on tales from Germanic mythology. Elves played a significant role in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This is where the idea of elves being beautiful humanoids with pointy ears became a staple of the fantasy genre.
Elves appear in different mediums. Modern fantasy mythology is an overly complicated domain. Fiction works about elves appear regularly. Fanfics, videogames, and comics also increase the number of mediums that continue expanding the fantasy mythology. Elves are common people in multiple franchises including War of Warcraft, Warhammer, The Witcher, and The Lord of the Rings.
You will find many examples of elves in the modern culture on Rialin. For example, elves appear in places where you would never expect them to be. If you played in any online casino, you’ve probably seen slots games with elves. In many casinos, you can get a big casino bonus and play games for free. Go to ratedusacasinos to get a casino bonus you can spend on playing games with elf themes on the best USA online casino site. Most games with a Christmas theme feature elves that where green outfits and make toys. This rendition is a result of Amercanization of the ancient mythos. You can find games with elves in any legal casino.
Elf cosplay ideas
The modern fantasy mythology is widely popular amongst many communities. Elves are characters of many games, anime, and films meaning that they have fans all across the globe. We have three main images that you can use for a cosplay costume:
- A Christmas elf. The traditional costume includes a green shirt and a pointy headgear crowned with a pompom. Pants with stripes are usually red and white.
- Elves from western works of art. Movies and games made in Europe and Americas feature elves wearing simple robes and having pointy ears usually hidden behind straight hair of a dark blonde color.
- Elves from eastern works of art. Korean and Chinese RPGs created a new image of an elf wearing bulky armor and having long pointy ears. Did you know that there are Chinese slots games that you can find in any Chinese casino that are based on characters from games like Black Desert or Lineage. These Asian casinos also offer a casino bonus to any player!. Slot games are also very popular in Indonesia. This game is also known as Slot Gacor.
Fans of fantasy mythology love dressing up as elves. Dwarves and other magical creatures are way less popular mostly due to the fact that elves are often described and portrayed as heavenly beautiful creatures with lean figures. People just love to look good and choose their cosplay costumes accordingly to this simple desire!