We all know that Santa is St. Nicholas and that he is known for spreading generosity to those in need and his love for children. We all know Santa has little helpers called elves, but where do they come from?
Norse Mythology
Norse Mythology is also known as Scandinavian mythology. They both share the beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian people (Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. These three have Germanic origin). This is basically an older version of Germanic mythology, but replaced with Christianity.
Elves and dwarfs were supernatural beings. They played a significant role in time whereas the Vikings viewed it. Their supernatural qualities included being able to do good deeds (healing) or bad deeds such as creating illnesses. Yes, the Christmas elves are known to be jolly, but these supernatural creatures were not always nice. In Norse mythology, there are two types of Scandinavian elves: light elves and dark elves. The light elves are described as “fairer than the sun to look at,” while dark elves are known to dwell within the Earth and have a dark complexion.
In some legends, the elves can be known as helpful or pesky. However in William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the elves were tricksters.
Why are elves associated with Christmas?
Elves are correlated with Christmas mainly for kids. Santa’s elves are known to be responsible for making toys, keeping track of the naughty and nice list, and of course visiting and watching over their friend/owner the day after Thanksgiving up until Christmas Eve.
How elves became such an important part of the Santa story…
Elves started to tag along with Christmas when the fairy tale The Brothers Grimm in 1812 was published. In this tale, a shoemaker, who has not finished the right amount of shoes he has to make, is greeted by a bunch of elves to help him get the job done the day before Christmas.
Another American belief is that there is no link between elves and Christmas. This is because elves, in Norse mythology, would only be active between May through Halloween. They are not active in the winter months. So this American modern-day belief is that elves are a way of expanding the role of Santa, especially the Christmas excitement!