Erlking
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In European
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
and myth, the Erlking is a sinister
elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
who lingers in the woods. He stalks children who stay in the woods for too long, and kills them with a single touch. The name "Erlking" (; ) is a name used in
German Romanticism German Romanticism () was the dominant intellectual movement of German-speaking countries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, influencing philosophy, aesthetics, literature, and criticism. Compared to English Romanticism, the German vari ...
for the figure of a spirit or "king of the
fairies A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...
". It is usually assumed that the name is a derivation from the ''ellekonge'' (older ''elverkonge'', i.e. "
Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
-king") in Danish folklore. The name is first used by
Johann Gottfried Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( ; ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a Prussian philosopher, theologian, pastor, poet, and literary critic. Herder is associated with the Age of Enlightenment, ''Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. He wa ...
in his ballad "Erlkönigs Tochter" (1778), an adaptation of the Danish '' Hr. Oluf han rider'' (1739), and was taken up by
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
in his poem " Erlkönig" (1782), which was set to music by Schubert, among others. Goethe added a new meaning, as "Erl" does not mean "elf", but " black alder" – the poem about the ''Erlenkönig'' is set in the area of an alder quarry in the
Saale The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale ( ) and Thuringian Saale (), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the M ...
valley in
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
. In English translations of Goethe's poem, the name is sometimes rendered as ''Erl-king''.


Origin

According to early linguist
Jacob Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (4 January 1785 – 20 September 1863), also known as Ludwig Karl, was a German author, linguist, philologist, jurist, and folklorist. He formulated Grimm's law of linguistics, and was the co-author of the ''Deutsch ...
, the term originates with a Scandinavian (Danish) word, ''ellekonge'' "king of the
elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...
", or for a female spirit ''elverkongens datter'' "the elven king's daughter", who is responsible for ensnaring human beings to satisfy her desire, jealousy or lust for revenge.Lorraine Byrne, ''Schubert's Goethe Settings'', pp. 222-228. The '' New Oxford American Dictionary'' follows this explanation, describing the Erlking as "a bearded giant or goblin who lures little children to the land of death", mistranslated by Herder as ''Erlkönig'' in the late 18th century from ''ellerkonge''. The correct German word would have been or , afterwards used under the modified form of by
Christoph Martin Wieland Christoph Martin Wieland (; ; 5 September 1733 – 20 January 1813) was a German poet and writer, representative of literary Rococo. He is best-remembered for having written the first ''Bildungsroman'' (''Geschichte des Agathon''), as well as the ...
in his 1780 poem ''
Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairy, fairies in Middle Ages, medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania ...
''. Alternative suggestions have also been made; in 1836, Halling suggested a connection with a Turkic and Mongolian god of death or
psychopomp Psychopomps (from the Greek word , , literally meaning the 'guide of souls') are creatures, spirits, angels, demons, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife. Their role is ...
, known as Erlik Khan.


In German romantic literature


''The Erlking's Daughter''

Johann Gottfried von Herder introduced this character into German literature in "Erlkönigs Tochter", a ballad published in his 1778 volume ''Stimmen der Völker in Liedern''. It was based on the Danish folk ballad " Hr. Oluf han rider" "Sir Oluf he rides" published in the 1739 ''Danske Kæmpeviser''. Herder undertook a free translation where he translated the Danish ''elvermø'' ("elf maid") as ''Erlkönigs Tochter''; according to Danish legend old
burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
s are the residence of the ''elverkonge'', dialectically ''elle(r)konge'', the latter has later been misunderstood in Denmark by some antiquarians as "alder king", cf Danish ''elletræ'' "alder tree". It has generally been assumed that the mistranslation was the result of error, but it has also been suggested (Herder does actually also refer to elves in his translation) that he was imaginatively trying to identify the malevolent sprite of the original tale with a woodland old man (hence the alder king).John R. Williams, ''The Life of Goethe: A Critical Biography'', pp. 86-88. Blackwell Publishing, 2001. The story portrays Sir Oluf riding to his marriage but being entranced by the music of the elves. An elf maiden, in Herder's translation the Elverkonge's daughter, appears and invites him to dance with her. He refuses and spurns her offers of gifts and gold. Angered, she strikes him and sends him on his way, deathly pale. The following morning, on the day of his wedding, his bride finds him lying dead under his scarlet cloak.


Goethe's ''Erlkönig''

Although inspired by Herder's ballad, Goethe departed significantly from both Herder's rendering of the Erlking and the Scandinavian original. The antagonist in Goethe's " Der Erlkönig" is the Erlking himself rather than his daughter. The ''Erlkönig'' appears to a young boy seeing a spirit – his father, however, sees the apparition as a simple streak of fog. Goethe's Erlking differs in other ways as well: his version preys on children, rather than adults of the opposite sex, and the Erlking's motives are never made clear. Goethe's Erlking is much more akin to the Germanic portrayal of elves and
valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...
s – a force of death and a magical spirit. There is a modern misconception in which they say the boy is fevered, yet, there is no evidence to support this. The boy is capable of rational conversation with his father (as well as the Erlkönig himself), which someone in such a grave fever would not be capable of. Additionally, the so-called “hallucinations” are far too coherent for fevered hallucinations. Furthermore, The Erlkönig kills the boy suddenly and grievously. Fevers do not cause sudden death. Finally, German and other folklores often state that children are more attuned to the supernatural, which would explain why they boy sees it and the father does not.


Reception in English literature

In
Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...
's short story "The Erl-King", contained within the 1979 collection '' The Bloody Chamber'', the female protagonist encounters a male forest spirit. Though she becomes aware of his malicious intentions, she is torn between her desire for him and her desire for freedom. In the end, she forms a plan to kill him in order to escape his power. Charles Kinbote, the narrator of
Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov ( ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian and American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Rus ...
's 1962 novel, ''
Pale Fire ''Pale Fire'' is a 1962 novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is presented as a 999-line poem titled "Pale Fire", written by the fictional poet John Shade, with a foreword, lengthy commentary and index written by Shade's neighbor and academic co ...
'', alludes to "alderkings". One allusion is in his commentary to line 275 of fellow character John Shade's eponymous poem. In the case of this commentary, the word invokes homosexual ancestors of the last king of Zembla, Kinbote's ostensible homeland. The novel contains at least one other reference by Kinbote to alderkings. In
Jim Butcher Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary Fantasy literature, fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and ''Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, M ...
's ''
The Dresden Files ''The Dresden Files'' is a series of contemporary fantasy/Mystery fiction, mystery novels written by American author Jim Butcher. The first novel, ''Storm Front (The Dresden Files), Storm Front''—which was also Butcher's writing debut—was p ...
'', there is a character called the Erlking, modeled after the leader of the Wild Hunt, Herne the Hunter. In the author John Connolly's short story collection ''Nocturnes'' (2004), there is a character known as the Erlking who attempts to abduct the protagonist. J.K. Rowling's '' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' lists a creature named an Erkling, very similar to the Erlking, as one of the many that inhabit the Wizarding World. Erklings are also present in the videogame ''
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a wizard in his fourth year at Hogwar ...
'', set in the same universe. ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
''s "20 Under 40" issue of July 5, 2010 included the short story "The Erlking" by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum. A version of the Erl-King is mentioned in Zoe Gilbert's ''Mischief Acts'', implied to be a figure related to Herne the Hunter. In Andrzej Sapkowski's '' The Witcher'' saga, the highest leader of the Folk of the Alder elves, Auberon Muircetach, is also known as the Alder King. In the story, he maintains thematic ties to kidnapping: the Wild Hunt, known for abducting humans, is subordinate to him, and he orchestrates the imprisonment of Cirilla.


References


External links


Music by Schubert - free recording (complete) and free score

Danish text of ''Hr. Oluf han rider''
{{Authority control Germanic mythology Scandinavian folklore Mythic humanoids Elves Characters in poems German legendary creatures