Elves

Despite their mysterious appearance, which is certainly associated with their great antiquity, alpha ( elves ) are an interesting subject for the study of historians of the ancient Germanic-Nordic religion. Great poems Eddy put them on a par with ases and the god Wayne Freyr, believed to inhabit their universe (Alfheim). Hence, they are certainly fundamental entities, if only because, more than any other, alphas have been victims of confusion (in particular, with dwarves, landvettirami or perfume- patrons land) and degradation that ultimately obscured their true identity.

The Alves could be collectively the forces of fertility-fertility or, perhaps the same thing, the spirits of the dead "inhabiting" the earth. It is for this reason that they were worshiped, well testified, and that solemn sacrifices were brought to them, in particular, during the winter solstice, false scavenger (sacrifice to alphas) ​​or well (modern Scandinavian Jul , our Christmas). With fertility-fertility, they could form emanations of the Sun, which is called Aluminum foil (Glory to the alphas); as the spirits of the dead, they would justify the cult, very lively, of the burial mounds in which they lived, recalls in this regard Snorri Sturluson in his " The Yngling saga ”., King Olaf of Geirstadir, who once died and is buried under the mound, was nicknamed Geirstadaalfr (Alpha Geirstadir). Alves possessed the power to heal or protect, as evidenced by numerous alfalfa stones or alfalian millstone ( river stones , river mills ) in Scandinavian folklore.

It seems that in later times, undoubtedly under the influence of the East, directly or through The bible , they at the same time took on a more human form (they took on a human form and can even give birth to children, queens in particular) and approached more or less angelic creatures. This is how Snorri will discern light elves (light alfes) and dark calves (dark alfes), some useful, others evil, the latter, in particular, possesses ability call illness and especially insanity. Even today alevscot means colic, urticaria alfarbrunni etc. in Old German, ALTH DETHRONED Mahre for a nightmare.

Undoubtedly, this is the beginning of a process of degradation, which will be exacerbated by Christianization. Alphas will become elves of popular songs or ballads ( folk songs ), whose romance will bring good luck: mocking elves, helping people, in particular, to facilitate childbearing for women, willingly moving around in groups, but always maintaining, despite everything, a strange closeness. with the dead and the afterlife. The poets secured themselves fame, in particular, the glory of the king of the Danish elves, the dwarf Andvari of the Scandinavian thanks, who is none other than Alberich in Middle High German Songs about the Nibelungs.that we made Aubrey, Oberon, Oberon. But it is noteworthy that where so many deities, much more important in appearance, completely disappeared, they managed to survive. If we needed proof of the deep antiquity of manism and the cult of fertility-fertility in the North, the alphas would be enough to provide them to us.