However, the details of these beliefs have varied considerably over time and space and have flourished in both pre-Christian and Christian cultures.
In medieval Germanic-speaking cultures, elves generally seem to have been thought of as beings with magical powers and supernatural beauty, ambivalent towards everyday people and capable of either helping or hindering them. Ängsälvor (Swedish 'Meadow Elves') by Nils Blommér (1850)Īn elf (plural: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore (especially North Germanic mythology and folklore).
