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ArchivesQuestion- meaning behind word element "elf" in many Germanic names?
Question- what's with all originally Germanic, Old English names containing a word element meaning "elf" (specifically: Alfred)? What did elf mean to those people in those days, and why was it used it so many of their names? What I mean is, with other qualities they put in names such as "power" and "noble", which make sense as they're good qualities, what personal meaning or strong quality did the word "elf" hold?
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Well, the meaning is pretty obvious. Whether people so very long ago had the same ideas about elves that we do is most unlikely: they were living at a time when an elf wasn't just a character in a story. Elves were real, and could do things that people couldn't. Since they were supernatural, you couldn't accuse, attack or take revenge on them, and this made them frightening. It also perhaps made people envy their powers. So, it must have been important to get on the right side of any elves in the neighbourhood, to keep yourself and your family safe.
And that could include anything from leaving food out for them to, yes, giving your children names with 'elf' as one of the elements. You would be showing respect, and they might just leave you alone, or give you and/or your 'elf' child their protection.
And that could include anything from leaving food out for them to, yes, giving your children names with 'elf' as one of the elements. You would be showing respect, and they might just leave you alone, or give you and/or your 'elf' child their protection.
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Elf in personal names is an enigma, given the contemporary concept of elves (they turn the cream, spoil the milk, make people and animals sick in body and mind, wither the crops etc.). The other "monsters" used in dithematic names (thurse {giant or "long man"} and worm {dragon}) are tribal totems, but elves were immaterial, malicious spirits. It's possible it didn't originally refer to the evil spirits at all — the word is identical to the name of the German river Elbe and literally means "white", cognate with Albion, Alps etc. — as spirits elves, like ghosts, are white, and the Elbe at its source is the "white" river. Of course other themes drop out of use once they acquire negative meanings in prosaic language, so it's a mystery why "elf" persisted onomastically in an era when they were viewed so negatively.
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Of course other themes drop out of use once they acquire negative meanings in prosaic language, so it's a mystery why "elf" persisted onomastically in an era when they were viewed so negatively.
It could possibly have had to do with superstition. Perhaps in some (if not all) Germanic tribes, there was the belief that if you incorporated the name of something negative (in this case, elves) into the name of your child - thereby "honouring" that negative thing in some way - your child would be protected from coming into contact with said negative thing, at least for the duration of their childhood (if not for their entire life). An onomastic vaccine of sorts, if you will.
If not that, then the use of given names containing "elf" might have persisted out of respect for the ancestors who had borne such names, as Germanic tribes greatly valued their ancestors, if I recall correctly. Just like people in many cultures today like to honour their immediate family members, the Germanic peoples did the same but also looked further than that, i.e. went further back in their families for names. Obviously, they had no genealogical records at their disposal: they had had to rely on the information that was passed on orally over the generations.
I suppose we will probably never know for certain, but I just thought I should put these possibilities out there. :)
It could possibly have had to do with superstition. Perhaps in some (if not all) Germanic tribes, there was the belief that if you incorporated the name of something negative (in this case, elves) into the name of your child - thereby "honouring" that negative thing in some way - your child would be protected from coming into contact with said negative thing, at least for the duration of their childhood (if not for their entire life). An onomastic vaccine of sorts, if you will.
If not that, then the use of given names containing "elf" might have persisted out of respect for the ancestors who had borne such names, as Germanic tribes greatly valued their ancestors, if I recall correctly. Just like people in many cultures today like to honour their immediate family members, the Germanic peoples did the same but also looked further than that, i.e. went further back in their families for names. Obviously, they had no genealogical records at their disposal: they had had to rely on the information that was passed on orally over the generations.
I suppose we will probably never know for certain, but I just thought I should put these possibilities out there. :)
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It's derived from the Anglo-Saxon word ælf meaning "elf" (see https://www.behindthename.com/element/ae32lf). The word itself seems to be from Proto-Germanic *albiz which possibly meant "white" (see https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/ælf). I'm not very knowledgeable about Anglo-Saxon and Germanic names, but from what I can find, elves were widely featured in Germanic mythology as creatures with supernatural abilities. They were thought to be able to help (or obstruct) common people, too. Perhaps that's why.
This message was edited 1/31/2018, 11:34 PM
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