Tolkien's Elves or Santa's Elfs?

Question

I was trying to figure out if anyone knows which came first. Did Santa's elfs spring from the writings of Tolkien? Or did the Santa elfs come first.....Anyone know?

Yes, I know that Tolkien molded his elves from Norse mythology. I'm still trying to figure out, though, if anyone knows how i came down. Is Tolkien' view of elves the right and original view and are little elves a mockery of that?

Answer 1

Tolkien got the names for his dwarves from Dvergatal in the Poetic Edda, the names are also mentioned in Völuspá, stanzas 9-16.The names are as follows.

9.
Then gathered together the gods for council,
the holy hosts, and held converse:
who the deep-dwelling dwarfs was to make
of Brimir's blood and Blain's 1 bones.

10.
Mótsognir rose, mightest ruler
of the kin of dwarfs, but Durin next;
molded many manlike bodies
the dwarfs under erath, as Durin bade them.

11.
Nýi and Nithi, Northri and Suthri,
Austri and Vestri, Althjóf, Dvalin,
Nár and Náin, Níping, Dáin,
Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Nóri,
Án and Onar, Ái, Mjóthvitnir.

12.
Veig and Gandálf, Vindálf, Thráin,
Thekk and Thorin, Thrór, Vit, and Lit,
Nár and Regin, Nýráth and Ráthsvith;
now is reckoned the roster of dwarfs.

13.
Fíli, Kíli, Fundin, Náli,
Heptifíli, Hanar, Svíur,
Frár, Hornbori, Fræg and Lóni,
Aurvang, Jari, Eikinskjaldi.

14.
The dwarfs I tell now in Dvalin's host,
down to Lofar- for listening wights-
they who hied them from halls of stone
over sedgy shores to sandy plains.

15.
There was Draupnir and Dólgthrasir,
Hár and Haugspori, Hlévang, Gloi,
Skirvir, Virvir, Skafith, Ái,
Álf and Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi,

16.
Fjalar and Frosti, Finn and Ginnar.
Will ever be known, while earth doth last,
the line of dwarfs to Lofar down.

Answer 2

The elves (or possibly dwarfs) are from German or Norse mythology. Dwarfs were renowned for their crafts and made many powerful magic items. Other various fairy folk liked making shoes. Santa's elves were shaped by advertising agencies and really look more like cheerful obsessive pixies than anything else. Most of the Madison Ave Christmas stuff came after WWII and department stores managed to imprint us with Rudolph, Frosty. and vapid elves ever since.

Answer 3

Elves, fairies etc. have been around for at least as long as us. The original stories of elves depicted them like Tolkein did. Shakespeare and others then wrote of fairies and little people. Tolkein was upset about this because he thought they were the same beings. He set out to bring elves back to their original size which is slightly taller than humans. Fairies are different beings though, they have been described as varying in size from the size of a human to a tiny light. I know people who have communicated with fairies and they are intelligent rational people (Ireland still has fairies, we haven't paved over all of paradise, there could be hundreds of thousands of ancient sites still). I haven't heard of any sightings of elves lately, maybe they went extinct when they missed the ark when the unicorns did. I'd say Tolkeins elves and Santas elves both came from European legends.

Answer 4

Elves have been around a long time. I would guess, since I've never read anywhere saying either way, that Santa's elves came first and then Tolkien's.

Edited to add: this site says that Santa's elves did come first: http://www.didyouknow.cd/xmas/xmaselves.htm

Answer 5

Yeah, elves are from Germanic mythology. Since, Tolkien based his stories on Germanic myths, I would say that if his weren't first, they still get credit, since the inspiration was there thousands of years ago.

I don't know where the idea of Santa's elves came from.

Answer 6

I'm pretty sure that Santa's elves came from advertising campaigns done by department stores in the '50s (I know they made up all the names for the reindeer), so that would make Tolkein' s elves first.

Answer 7

assuming that Santa replaced into genuine, elves orgianlly began whilst Santa mandatory helpers in his production unit, he discovered an excellent village of migits, who had abnormally long ears, so as that they've been outcasted from something of the international, and no longer able to get artwork. SO Santa took them in, and that they began working for him. They made domicile interior the north pole, and repopulated and such. And that, expensive new child, is the place elves come from. Merry Christmas :)

Answer 8

interesting but odd question! if Santa is,as some believe, the folk memory of a mythical being or god(some kind of Wild Huntsman or Odin/Woden), then his elves would be first. However, their sugary appearance owes more to modern advertising & cutesy kiddie factor than to genuine myth.
BTW, it's ALWAYS spelt 'elves', whether you are talking about folklore or Tolkien!

Answer 9

Neither,

Elves go waaaay back into Germanic Mythology.

Answer 10

well santa is much older than tolik so santa must be first rite