[edit] Inspiration
[edit] Germanic influence
In
The Book of Lost Tales, a diminutive fairy-like race of elves had once been a great and mighty people who had "diminished" as Men took over the world.
[10][11][12] They were influenced by the
Elves of Northern European mythologies, especially the god-like and human-sized
Ljósálfar of Norse mythology,
[13] also appearing in medieval works such as
Sir Orfeo, the Welsh
Mabinogion,
Arthurian romances and the legends of the
Tuatha Dé Danann.
[14]
Terry Gunnell also claims that the relationship between beautiful ships and the Elves is reminiscent of Njörðr and Skíðblaðni, Freyr's ship.
[15]
[edit] Celtic influence
Tolkien expressed a dislike in Celtic legends and denied that his legendarium is "Celtic",
[16] however it is believed that Celtic Mythology had a great influence on Tolkien's writings on Elves
[17][15] and some of the stories Tolkien wrote as their 'legends' are directly influenced by it.
[12] For example, the
Noldor are based on the Tuatha Dé Danann in the
Lebor Gabála Érenn, and their migratory nature comes from early Irish/Celtic history.
[12] John Garth has also referenced the Tuatha Dé Danann in suggesting Tolkien was essentially rewriting Irish fairy traditions.
Tolkien also retains the usage of the Celtic and popular term 'fairy' for the same creatures.
[18] The Elves are also called fair folk (based on
Welsh Tylwyth teg 'the beautiful kindred' = fairies)
[19] although they are unrelated to fairies.
[edit] Eschatology
The larger Elves are also inspired by Tolkien's Christian theology — as representing the state of Men in Eden who have not yet "
fallen" — similar to humans but fairer and wiser, with greater spiritual powers, keener senses, and a closer empathy with nature, freed from human limitations, immortal, with wills directly effective for the achievement of imagination and desire.
[20]
[edit] Fairies
Traditional "Victorian" dancing
fairies and elves appear in Tolkien's early poetry,
[10] and have influence upon his later works
[21] in part due to the influence of a production of J.M. Barrie's
Peter Pan in
Birmingham in 1910
[20] and his familiarity with the work of Catholic mystic poet, Francis Thompson
[20] whose work Tolkien had acquired in 1914.
[10]
In
The Book of Lost Tales Tolkien includes both the more serious 'medieval' type of elves such as
Fëanor and
Turgon alongside the frivolous, "Jacobean-era" type of elves such as the
Solosimpi and
Tinúviel.
[14]
Tolkien also developed the idea of children visiting
Valinor in their sleep. Elves would also visit and comfort chided or upset children at night. This theme was largely abandoned.
[22]
However after the publication of
The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien repeatedly expressed his misgivings concerning the undesirable associations of the name "elf" like those of
A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Victorian notions of fairies or mischievous imps, the imaginations of Michael Drayton or the fanciful beings with butterfly wings.
He proposed that in
translations the "oldest available form of the name" be used for more elevated notions of beings "supposed to possess formidable magical powers in early Teutonic mythology" (
OED viz. the
Old English ælf, from Proto-Germanic
*albo-z). Tolkien warned against associations to the debased English notion of
elfin and suggested that Germans would not translate his Elves as
Elf, elfen, words which might retain the undesirable images.
He rather suggested words such as
Alp, Alb, historically the more normal form and true cognate of English
elf.
[23]
