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The Myths of the Norsemen: From the Eddas and Sagas on Freyr

Contents > Chapter Xxv: The Elves

attestation: Light elves (Lios-alfar) inhabited the realm of air between heaven and earth and were governed by Freyr from his palace in Alfheim; they were pure, beneficent, and tiny.

"Besides the dwarfs there was another numerous class of tiny creatures called Lios-alfar, light or white elves, who inhabited the realms of air between heaven and earth, and were gently governed by the genial god Frey from his palace in Alf-heim."
attestation: Elves loved dancing on moonbeams and leaving 'fairy rings' — circles of deeper green grass — where their feet had pressed the earth.

"Holding one another by the hand, they would dance in circles, thereby making the "fairy rings," which were to be discerned by the deeper green and greater luxuriance of the grass which their little feet had pressed."
comparison: In English belief, standing in a fairy ring allowed one to see and gain the favor of fairies; in Scandinavian belief, it was fatal for a mortal to enter one.

"If any mortal stood in the middle of one of these fairy rings he could, according to popular belief in England, see the fairies and enjoy their favour; but the Scandinavians and Teutons vowed that the unhappy man must die."

attestation: At Ragnarok: Fenris swallowed Odin; Vidar avenged him by slaying Fenris; Thor slew the Midgard serpent but died nine paces later from its venom; Heimdall and Loki slew each other; Tyr and Garm slew each other.

"Frey put forth heroic efforts, but Surtr's flashing sword now dealt him a death-stroke. In his struggle with the arch-enemy, Loki, Heimdall fared better, but his final conquest was dearly bought, for he, too, fell dead. The struggle between Tyr and Garm had the same tragic end, and Thor, after a most terrible encounter with the Midgard snake, and after slaying him with a stroke from Miólnir, staggered back nine paces, and was drowned in the flood of venom which poured from the dying monster's jaws."