Elves
From mischief-makers to toy-makers? (The Bus 2.23)
Welcome aboard The Bus!
The Stop
Though originating in Germanic folklore and mythology as a ‘spirit of any kind,’ over time elves became specialised into ‘diminutive creature[s]’ - most often appearing in tiny human form with magical powers and supernatural beauty.1 Occasionally identified with other minuscule spirits such as brownies or sprites,2 elves are divided in the Prose Edda3 into two types: light (or ‘fair-skinned’) and dark (or ‘darker than pitch’). Though there doesn’t appear to be any further distinction between them - the light ones weren’t worse than the dark ones (or vice versa) - they certainly didn’t look like this guy:4
Elves were believed to be secretive, highly intelligent beings with two primary characteristics: ‘mischief and volatility.’ Thought to be the source of disease in both humans and cattle, they were blamed as the source of bad dreams,5 and were feared to occasionally steal human children and replace them with changelings. Elves were also known for their ambivalence towards everyday people, being as happy to help someone as to hinder them.6 Because of their association with illness, they were often mentioned in connection with witchcraft and sorcery - a connection believed to be proven by their production and use of ‘elf-bolts, elf-arrows, or elf-shot.’ Though these flint implements are now known to be prehistoric tools used by the ancient Irish and Scots, before the late Middle Ages they were identified as the weapons with which elves injured and diseased their human and animal victims.
The Christmas elf with its green clothes, pointy ears and pointy hat is a relatively recent creation with its popularity originating in the United States in the 19th century. In ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas,’7 Clement Clark Moore chose to describe Santa as a ‘right jolly old elf.’ This unusual use of the word in association with Santa proved to be an influential idea that became fully confirmed when the 1873 Christmas issue of Godey’s Lady’s Book8 illustrated its front cover with a drawing of Santa surrounded by toys and elves - and included a caption referencing their preparations to supply children with toys.9
From their earliest origins, elves were believed to live for hundreds or possibly thousands of years - a life-span befitting their ability and desire to create mischief and havoc and do the occasional good deed. However, today’s elf suffers as a result of this longevity: instead of running about freely, modernisation means they’ve become little more than indentured servants tasked with making phones, computers, tablets, jewellery, bath oils, televisions, gloves, puzzles, chocolates, stationery, yoga blocks, acrylic paints, best-selling novels and virtually every toy imaginable on an infinite cycle that pauses for a brief moment on the 24th as the last gift is loaded onto the sleigh … and begins again the next day.
Elves. They’ve come a long way.
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to a short (11:22) documentary explaining why the great French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)10 wrote a piano concerto played with only the left hand. It’s an amazing story with some remarkable excerpts from the concerto included. Until a few weeks ago, I’d never heard of this piece. And it's amazing.
Why Ravel Wrote a Concerto ... For Only One Hand??
The Recommendation
Today’s recommendation is, of course, Elf (2003). Directed by Jon Favreau11 and starring Will Farrell, Ed Asner, James Caan, Bob Newhart and Mary Steenburgen among many others,12 Elf is the story of Buddy, a human who is raised as an elf and, upon learning about his origins, heads to NYC to find his biological father. It’s a great Christmas film and one we watch every year on Christmas Eve while eating ‘Christmas Eve party food.’ It’s silly and obvious and won’t win any prizes for profundity - but it’s exactly what’s needed at this time of year. There’s a DVD (just next to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, as a matter of fact) in a stack in my study at the moment, but it also streams on multiple platforms (which is good, as I don’t think we have a DVD player anymore).
The Sounds
Today’s playlist contains five of my favourite Christmas tracks13 I never mind hearing when they appear:14 ‘Christmas in Hollis’ (Run-D.M.C., 1987), ‘One More Sleep’ (Leona Lewis, 2013), ‘Blue Christmas’ (Elvis, 1957), ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ (Ella Fitgerald & Louis Jordan, 1944) and ‘Santa Baby’ (Eartha Kitt, 1953).
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from the British singer, songwriter and actor David Bowie (1947-2016):15
‘Ageing is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next stop …
The word ‘elf’ is believed to be derived from the Norse álfar (also known as the huldufólk or ‘hidden folk’) and the Old English word ælf.
Brownies appear in English and Scottish folklore as small, industrious fairies or hobgoblins who inhabit houses and barns and do housework - occasionally mischievously - at night. Sprites were a type of small fairy or - to complicate things - elf.
This work, by the Icelandic ‘poet, historian, and chieftain’ Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), includes many Norse legends regarding elves, among other supernatural beings.
Finding good research sources for elves on relatively short notice (I only decided the topic on Friday - it’s a busy time of the year, after all) proved surprisingly difficult. Consequently, in addition to my usual Britannica resource, I found I had to - for the first time - use Wikipedia (though I did check the references of the material I used). Sources for this Stop include: Elf (Britannica), Elf (Wikipedia), Brownie (Britannica), Snorri Sturluson (Britannica), and Christmas Elf (Wikipedia).
These were accomplished by resting upon a sleeping person’s chest; the German word for nightmare is Alpdrücke - ‘elf-pressure.’
The Brothers Grimm’s ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’ is an example of the former quality. However, it’s important to note there are actually three tales in this set - all of which are much darker than the Disneyfied version which is what we all probably remember when we hear the title. They’ll be a future Bus Stop.
Now known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.’
Running from 1830-1898, this magazine was a pioneering publication focussing on women’s issues. See: Godey's Lady's Book.
Godey’s was a strong influence on the origin of American Christmas traditions, starting with the illustration of a Christmas tree on the cover of its 1850 Christmas issue - the first such illustration published.
Of Boléro fame.
Favreau first came to attention as Monica Geller’s rich boyfriend Peter ‘Pete’ Becker who wants to be a UFC champion in Season 3 of Friends, and has subsequently directed such films as Iron Man, The Lion King, The Jungle Book and Chef. He’s heavily involved in the Marvel universe of films and is the writer and executive producer of the Star Wars series The Mandalorian. I’d recommend his Netflix documentary The Chef Show in which he and his co-host Roy Choi (chef and technical advisor on the film Chef) visit various restaurants (mostly in LA or San Francisco) to meet the chefs and learn a few of their secrets.
Including an uncredited Peter Billingsley (from A Christmas Story) as the head elf in Santa’s workshop.
Arguably, ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ isn’t a Christmas song per se, but it’s really only played at this time of year - and it appears in a great scene in Elf. (‘Christmas in Hollis’ also appears in Die Hard, by the way). Regardless … anytime someone asks about my favourite Christmas song, I immediately answer ‘Santa Baby’ because - without question - there is nothing like this track: it’s clever, atmospheric, sexy (of which there are far too few examples in the Christmas canon), and - most importantly - it’s sung by my all-time favourite Cat Woman, Eartha Kitt.
Unlike others, which make me gag, e.g., ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ (Band Aid, 1985) or ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ (Slade, 1973), to name just two.
Bowie’s on the Bus Stop list, but in the meantime see: David Bowie (Britannica).
Well, the recent Santa Baby comment is now a bit embarrassing - glad you specified Eartha Kitt's version instead of the more recent knock-offs.
Peter Billingsley!