Elf

[sluggo]

• elf •

Pronunciation: elf • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A mythological fairy looking like a small person with pointy ears and a reputation for making mischief. We should not confuse elves with leprechauns and envision them in green suits like Will Ferrell in the movie Elf.

Notes: Much too rarely we meet a word in English that is spelled exactly as it is pronounced. Today's Good Word is among those rarities. Remember, more than one elf are elves, though someone like an elf is elfish who may behave elfishly. Elvish is a language invented by J. R. R. Tolkien for his imaginative novels, such as Lord of the Rings. There is no evidence that elves actually spoke this language.

In Play: Although mythical, elves come in very handy, especially to children: "No, mommy, it wasn't me. A mischievous little elf came into my bedroom while I was asleep and spilled the milk on the floor." Today, North Americans more and more think in terms of elves making toys for Santa Claus: "Daddy, why do elves make toys that run on batteries but don't put batteries in them?"

Word History: A few days back, we talked about the root alb- "white" that we find in Latin words like albino and albumin (egg white) in the Germanic languages. In English it became elf but in Old Norse it turned into alfr "elf", which English borrowed during one of the Norsemen's uninvited visits in the Middle Ages and converted to oaf. The plural elves was sometimes spelled elvis in the past, a word adopted by his parents for the name of that large singing and gyrating elf, Elvis Presley.

[sluggo]

... The plural elves was sometimes spelled elvis in the past, a word adopted by his parents for the name of that large singing and gyrating elf, Elvis Presley.

Seems a stretch to imagine that Vernon and Gladys had the mythological in mind...

Ailbhis - (AL-vis) 6th C. Irish saint; perhaps a also can be Ailbhe. Anglicized as Elvis.

Today, North Americans more and more think in terms of elves making toys for Santa Claus

All you need is elves
All you need is elves
All you need is elves, love
Elves are all you need

In any case a juicier read is the link Gailr hath posted under Oaf:
Centuries ago, in the pagan times, Scandinavian people believed that elves were house gnomes who guarded their homes against evil. If you were good, the elves were good to you, but if you were bad, the mischievous elves would play tricks on you. Although these gnomes mostly were benevolent, they could quickly turn nasty when not properly treated, so it is told. Some of the tricks they enjoyed playing were giving you nightmares by sitting on your head while you were dreaming, tangling your hair as you slept, making your milk turn sour and stealing your sausages.

[Perry]

They are welcome to sit on my head, but they would be hard-pressed to tangle my hair!