Elves/Sidhe
From Guiltypleasures
Elves are the most difficult magickal race to pin down. Mythological sources tell us that the liosalfar or light elves live in Alfheim where Frey is their Lord. However, there has also been the enduring belief in folklore of the elves as faery-folk: beings associated with the natural world. These two conceptions of elves might still be linked, however, as Alfheim is known to be a place of incredible natural beauty, and Frey, their leader, is an agricultural deity. To further confuse this issue, Norse folklore has a strong belief in the Landvaettir, or land spirits who may fit into either or both of these categories. Whether one calls the spirits of the land as the elves, the faeries, or the landvaettir, or uses all of these terms interchangeably, respect is all important.
Elves are mysterious, mystical beings, wrought from light during the birth of time. They are often arrogant and haughty as a result of their advanced age both as a race, and as individuals. They have seen the dawn of time, the birth of man, the changing of countless seasons, all blurred into a history remembered and revered in stories and songs.
They are the wardens of nature, the children of the gods. Their lives are long and know no sickness or disease. They know much happiness but also carry great sorrow. They feel the joy of mother earth and her children but also feel all her grief, all throughout history. They are one with the Earth, Elves were made from it and they shall return to it at the end of time.
In nature they find solace; and for the most part are a peaceful people and mean no harm to those who do no harm. But woe be to those who oppose the Elves, for to awaken the anger and fury is to most assuredly bring about your own destruction. Beneath the soft exteriors of the elves, beyond their songs of peace and tranquility lie skilled archers, powerful mages and deadly warriors. There is no more revered friend than an elf, and likewise, there is no more feared foe than an angry elf.
Through the centuries they have learned to read the stars, nature and her animals, coming to an amazing understanding of all things around them. To be sure, one of the hardest things to understand were humans themselves. Many believe the humans were the reason the elven folk mysteriously disappeared. Are they still there, just beyond our reach of comprehension, or were they wiped out by humans and their lack of understanding?
