Elves were sometimes thought to be male faeries -- in England, this especially applied to small faery boys. In general, the term 'elf' in England referred to the smaller trooping faeries, although in Scotland, elves were human sized, and Faeryland was called 'Elfame.'
In Scandanavia, faeries were also called elves, and were either light elves or dark elves, similar to the Scottish Seelie and Unseelie Courts. The light elves were like England's trooping faeries, and in Christian times, Scandanavian elves (or huldre folk) destroyed cattle, stole humans away, and avenged any injuries done to them in the same way that the Scottish faeries did. Huldre maidens dressed in grey with white veils, and were beautiful but had long cows' tails. If a man was dancing with a huldre girl and noticed her tail, he must not betray her, but instead tactfully mention that she was losing her garter. He would then be rewarded by perpetual prosperity.
Danish elves loved to steal human food, such as dough. Though beautiful from the front, Danish elves or ellewomen were hollow from behind.
Publications such as Goedys' Lady's Book, published by Louis A Goedy, popularised the idea of the Christmas elf in the nineteenth century, and JRR Tolkien's famous The Hobbit brought elves into high fantasy in the twentieth century.
Bibliography: An Encyclopedia of Fairies, by Katharine Briggs.
Webography: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elves.
Picture courtesy of Google Images: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=600&q=elf&oq=elf&gs_l=img.3..0l10.1727.1949.0.2324.3.3.0.0.0.0.112.264.2j1.3.0....0...1ac.1.24.img..0.3.264.r2OyC5CcxgE.
Faery rings are toadstools growing in a circle. Step inside a faery ring, it is said, and you will travel to Faerie -- perhaps never to return. The rings are made by faeries or elves dancing in circles.
Stepping inside the ring compels a human to join the wild dance, which may seem to last minutes or a couple of hours or a whole night -- but in fact would last seven years or longer, and the victim may be forced to dance to the point of exhaustion, death, or madness. Some say anyone who steps into a faery ring will die at a young age.
Faery rings are also known as elf rings, faery circles, elf circles, or pixy rings. In the Welsh and Manx tradition, the faery rings grow overtop underground faery villages. One must not violate a faery ring by collecting dew from the grass or flowers growing there, else he risk misfortune. Destroying a faery ring is fruitless (it will only grow back) and also causes bad luck.
Humans who are held captive in a faery ring may be rescued by someone who follows the faery music but keeps one foot outside the ring and pulls the dancer out whilst others hold onto his (the rescuer's) coat-tails.
Other methods for rescuing someone trapped in a faery ring include tossing wild marjoram and thyme into the ring, thus confusing the faeries; touching the victim with iron; or a stick from a rowan tree may do the trick.
Bibliography: Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee
Webography: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_ring).
The above image was found on Google (https://www.google.com/#gs_rn=17&gs_ri=psy-ab&gs_mss=faery%20ri&tok=8idwsvsGPsHmvQCaqJX9gA&suggest=p&cp=11&gs_id=1e&xhr=t&q=fairy+rings&es_nrs=true&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=faery+rings&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48293060,d.eWU&fp=d0df36031120a59a&biw=1024&bih=600).
Wendy and Richard Pini's ElfQuest, which we got when we were in high school, is another favourite of ours. Rather than depicting elves as the ethereal sort found in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (another favourite) or going with the legendary, dual-natured type of fey, the Pinis took an altogether different route. They based the culture of their elves in American Indian tradition, giving them names like Dewshine, Cutter, and Skywise; the elves have a tribal culture, as well, and a deep connexion to nature.
That connexion is so deep that they are bonded to their riding animals, the wolves of the elfin Wolfrider 'pack.' Other tribes of elves, encountered later in the series, also have a connexion to animals; there are the deer-riding 'Go-backs' and the giant eagle-riding 'mountain folk.' However, the Wolfriders take it a step further; their culture is centered around the wolves (they refer to spouses as 'mates' and have a ritual wherein a young Wolfrider gets his or her first wolf). They would kill for their wolves. Only the Sunfolk don't have riding animals, nor is there any indication that they are particularly connected to nature at all.
The Wolfriders usually find mates through Recognition, during which the two mates-to-be learn each other's 'soul names' (names which describe all that they are) and become permanently bonded. All Wolfriders can 'send' thoughts to each other, and we learn that some elves can do even more.
This is a detailed series with complex characters and three-dimensional cultures. We're drawn to this version of elves because we relate to the Wolfriders' earthy quality and their passion for nature and freedom. The Wolfriders aren't as magical as legend maintains, but that doesn't matter. They also don't have quite the dualistic nature the legends portray, though the Pinis have hinted that they do, in fact, have a darker side.
We would rank this as one of the best versions of elves found in fiction.
