Elves are EVERYWHERE!

Everyone knows that the minute Thanksgiving is over the Christmas season begins. It’s hard to contain my excitement and not start talking exclusively about Christmas to everyone that I pass on the street.  

Since it’s the most wonderful time of the year I thought I'd write a little bit about Santas helpers, the elves. 

Almost every culture on earth has an elf-like creature of some kind. The Norse have elves that are supposed to be heavenly beings, fairer than the sky. South America has stories of the Alux, a creepy elven creature. However, today we are going to be talking about Christmas elves and, personally, I can't think of any elves that represent the north pole dwellers better than the Icelandic elves. 

Iceland is notorious for their love of the fae. Anyone who has been in a small town there has probably noticed little fairy houses and statues of men with long beards and pointy ears. Interestingly enough, Iceland is where a lot of the lore for elves in the modern world comes from. People believe that the lore has its roots in Norse mythology. However, most Norse myths were wiped out a long time ago. So, they look to Iceland to find any connections they can to the old ways. 

Icelandic elves are said to embody the archetype of the trickster, knocking over machines that may cross their homeland or luring people into their homes and eating them. These are all very common fae behavior. So next time you think about leaving a cookie or two out for Santa, just remember that he employs human eaters.  

Although the modern-day view of elves is cheery and pink nosed little men who enjoy making toys, things used to be much darker two thousand years ago. Just like with most other myths, there is always a creepy twist to these things. Just enjoy that we don’t have to worry about being eaten by little bearded men these days and have a candy cane and some cocoa. 

Elves are very popular in today's culture, and you can find hundreds of different designs and versions. From Tolkien's all the way to The Mythic Legions Action Figures, elves are everywhere! 

Elves are Hella Dope, and you can't deny it! 

-Caleb Kozak