airyland
with his queen Titania, and the highest revels on earth were held on
Midsummer night. It was then that the fairies all congregated around
him and danced most merrily.

"Every elf and fairy sprite
Hop as light as bird from brier;
And this ditty after me
Sing, and dance it trippingly."

Midsummer-Night's Dream (Shakespeare).

These elves, like the brownies, Huldra folk, kobolds, etc., were
also supposed to visit human dwellings, and it was said that they
took mischievous pleasure in tangling and knotting horses' manes and
tails. These tangles were known as elf-locks, and whenever a farmer
descried them he declared that his steeds had been elf-ridden during
the night.

Alf-blot

In Scandinavia and Germany sacrifices were offered to the elves to
make them propitious. These sacrifices consisted of some small animal,
or of a bowl of honey and milk, and were known as Alf-blot. They were
quite common until the missionaries taught the people that the elves
were mere demons, when they were transferred to the angels, who were
long entreated to befriend mortals, and propitiated by the same gifts.

Many of the elves were supposed to live and die with the trees and
plants which they tended, but these moss, wood, or tree maidens, while
remarkably beautiful when seen in front, were hollow like a trough
when viewed from behind. They appear in many of the popular tales, but
almost always as benevolent and helpful spirits, for they were anxious
to do good to mortals and to cultivate friendly relations with them.

Images on Doorposts

In Scandinavia the elves, both light and dark, were worshipped
as household divinities, and their images were carved on the
doorposts. The Norsemen, who were driven from home by the tyranny of
Harald Harfager in 874, took their carved doorposts with them upon
their ships. Similar carvings, including images of the gods and heroes,
decorated the pillars of their high seats which they also carried
away. The exiles showed their trust in their gods by throwing these
wooden images overboard when they neared the Icelandic shores and
settling where the waves carried the posts, even if the spot scarcely
seemed the most desirable. "Thus they carried with them the religion,
the poetry, and the laws of their race, and on this desolate volcanic
island they kept these records unchanged for hundreds of years,
while other Teutonic nations gradually became affected