Of Elves and Fae?

[Elf Seeker]

Is there a notable difference between Elves and Fae? I have a few faery books and they lump elves, Fae, mermaids, undines, gnomes, trolls and dwarves under the same category. I think I have had past lives as Tuatha de Danann. According to mythology, after the Fomorians defeated the Tuatha, they went underground and became the Sidhe. Last I checked the Sidhe are faeries.What thoughts do you have about this? Feel free to share. :)

[Calantirniel of the Elven Path]

From a REALLY different point of world view, I do NOT think there is similarity between Elves and Fae.  But this also depends on what definitions you are using for Elves and Fae, and they might in some cases feel the same and had been misnamed, even in folklore.  So, I will explain.

I was raised in a seemingly "Catholic" yet secular way, somewhere between agnosticism and atheism (depending on which parent), and by the 1980's explored Christianity - really liking the energy of the Christ Consciousness, but not "churchiantiy."  I was exposed to eastern thought with Buddhism and I loved it.  In 1993 (my 1st Saturn Return), I discovered Astrology and had a huge awakening that told me the world is way beyond what is physical!  By the mid-1990's I studied Wicca, Paganism and many other Pre-Abrahamic (I guess worldwide indigenous or "shamanic") spiritual approaches that were of a loving, aligned nature; and realized the concept of "many pathways to Source" or the All That Is.  Magic and energy work became a part of my life.

In 2005, I had a life-changing experience and with a group of others (that is as of 2020 a 501(c)3 non-profit spiritual organization), wherein we have integrated the gnosis and energetically "tested" the soundness of what we believe to be the Elven world view of the channeled (yes, you read that right!) Middle-Earth works of Professor JRR Tolkien, collectively called the Legendarium.  We will be doing some videos about why we believe this to be the case.  Tolkien was a master linguist, and was born with that ability, as well as apparently the ability to channel - but in his time, it was not safe to be open about this, due to his Catholic and his academic background.  The world he tapped into is a very ancient, primal or "original" energy, even if it is a relatively modern source, and had it not been for him, we might never know about this.  (Off-topic but we will be changing our name from the Elven Spiritual Path to the Way of Arda's Lore and I will share news about that on my wall).

So, the Elves in Tolkien it seems are DIFFERENT than Elves in any other folklore, and even Tolkien regretted calling them Elves in the Letters of JRR Tolkien.  They are also called "Quendi" (which means "Speakers" in the older Elvish language, Quenya).  The closest alignment we've noted are the Alfar in Norse, Germanic and/or Teutonic regions, where Asatru and Heathenism are common.  But not the same.

Now - in Western European folklore, it depends upon the region as to the friendliness (or non-friendliness) of the various beings - and there are a LOT of scary incidences, and Ireland is one of these places.  Author Morgan Daimler is one of the most well-sourced writers to learn about this lore, because there is a lot of false information out there!  What I like about Morgan is she also likes modern Fairy and Elven lore, and even writes her own fantasy series.  She is very clear about what is modern and what is old/ancient and I like that.

Elves are portrayed in Irish lore as mischievious creatures who viewed Humans as play-things and very dangerous.  They would take on human lovers and so there is lore in certain family surnames that they have "Elven blood."  Reports of being "elf-shot" refer to being shot with their arrows that might have had certain poisons.  You can start by going to Sacred Texts link (there are other places online as well to get archives of now public domain works) and pay special attention to the various "Celtic" works (a LOT), and to the "Legends/Sagas."  If Tolkien is an interest, you'll see there is a special category wherein this list shares works that we know he read in depth that might have in some ways shaped his "container" or screen for bringing forth the Legendarium (and this list is not exhaustive I am sure!)

We did a video for our rather niche audience, and it is public - Difference between Elves and Fairies

There are a few other videos you can watch, and if they use Morgan Daimler as their source, you can know it is good stuff!  What a great question! <3

[Tara]

Could be parts of Nature?

the flower and grasses seed and grow taller after the rain

i am a female but definitely identify with Elven and Fae too so I think

its more of an avatar representing colorfully a concept &

makes me curious what. The qualities of individual expression, 

doesn’t it seem we imagine it all into existence?  Self concept should be choice and 

doesn’t have to remain the same for the lifetime….