In Europeanfolklore and myth, theErlking is a sinisterelf who lingers in the woods. He stalks children who stay in the woods for too long, and kills them with a single touch.
The name "Erlking" (German:Erlkönig,lit. 'alder-king';German:[ˈɛʁlkøːnɪç,-nɪk]) is a name used inGerman Romanticism for the figure of a spirit or "king of thefairies". It is usually assumed that the name is a derivation from theellekonge (olderelverkonge, i.e. "Elf-king") inDanish folklore.[1] The name is first used byJohann Gottfried Herder in his ballad "Erlkönigs Tochter" (1778), an adaptation of the DanishHr. Oluf han rider (1739), and was taken up byJohann Wolfgang von Goethe in his poem "Erlkönig" (1782), which wasset to music by Schubert, among others.[2] Goethe added a new meaning, as "Erl" does not mean "elf", but "black alder" – the poem about theErlenkönig is set in the area of an alder quarry in theSaale valley inThuringia. In English translations of Goethe's poem, the name is sometimes rendered asErl-king.
According to early linguistJacob Grimm, the term originates with aScandinavian (Danish) word,ellekonge "king of theelves",[3] or for a female spiritelverkongens datter "the elven king's daughter", who is responsible for ensnaring human beings to satisfy her desire, jealousy or lust for revenge.[4][5] TheNew Oxford American Dictionary follows this explanation, describing the Erlking as "a bearded giant or goblin who lures little children to the land of death", mistranslated by Herder asErlkönig in the late 18th century fromellerkonge.[6] The correct German word would have beenElbkönig orElbenkönig, afterwards used under the modified form ofElfenkönig byChristoph Martin Wieland in his 1780 poemOberon.[7]
Alternative suggestions have also been made; in 1836, Halling suggested a connection with aTurkic andMongolian god of death orpsychopomp, known asErlik Khan.[8]
Johann Gottfried von Herder introduced this character into German literature in "Erlkönigs Tochter", a ballad published in his 1778 volumeStimmen der Völker in Liedern. It was based on the Danish folk ballad "Hr. Oluf han rider" "Sir Oluf he rides" published in the 1739Danske Kæmpeviser.[4] Herder undertook a free translation where he translated the Danishelvermø ("elf maid") asErlkönigs Tochter; according to Danish legend oldburial mounds are the residence of theelverkonge, dialecticallyelle(r)konge, the latter has later been misunderstood in Denmark by some antiquarians as "alder king", cf Danishelletræ "alder tree". It has generally been assumed that the mistranslation was the result of error, but it has also been suggested (Herder does actually also refer to elves in his translation) that he was imaginatively trying to identify the malevolentsprite of the original tale with a woodland old man (hence the alder king).[9]
The story portrays Sir Oluf riding to his marriage but being entranced by the music of the elves. An elf maiden, in Herder's translation the Elverkonge's daughter, appears and invites him to dance with her. He refuses and spurns her offers of gifts and gold. Angered, she strikes him and sends him on his way, deathly pale. The following morning, on the day of his wedding, his bride finds him lying dead under his scarlet cloak.[4]
Although inspired by Herder's ballad, Goethe departed significantly from both Herder's rendering of the Erlking and the Scandinavian original. The antagonist in Goethe's "Der Erlkönig" is the Erlking himself rather than his daughter. TheErlkönig appears to a young boy seeing a spirit – his father, however, sees the apparition as a simple streak of fog. Goethe's Erlking differs in other ways as well: his version preys on children, rather than adults of the opposite sex, and the Erlking's motives are never made clear. Goethe's Erlking is much more akin to the Germanic portrayal of elves andvalkyries – a force of death and a magical spirit. There is a modern misconception in which they say the boy is fevered, yet, there is no evidence to support this. The boy is capable of rational conversation with his father (as well as the Erlkönig himself), which someone in such a grave fever would not be capable of. Additionally, the so-called “hallucinations” are far too coherent for fevered hallucinations. Furthermore, The Erlkönig kills the boy suddenly and grievously. Fevers do not cause sudden death. Finally, German and other folklores often state that children are more attuned to the supernatural, which would explain why they boy sees it and the father does not.[4]
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InAngela Carter's short story "The Erl-King", contained within the 1979 collectionThe Bloody Chamber, the female protagonist encounters a male forest spirit. Though she becomes aware of his malicious intentions, she is torn between her desire for him and her desire for freedom. In the end, she forms a plan to kill him in order to escape his power.
Charles Kinbote, the narrator ofVladimir Nabokov's 1962 novel,Pale Fire, alludes to "alderkings". One allusion is in his commentary to line 275 of fellow characterJohn Shade's eponymous poem. In the case of this commentary, the word invokes homosexual ancestors of the last king of Zembla, Kinbote's ostensible homeland. The novel contains at least one other reference by Kinbote to alderkings.
InJim Butcher'sThe Dresden Files, there is a character called the Erlking, modeled after the leader of theWild Hunt,Herne the Hunter.
In the authorJohn Connolly's short story collectionNocturnes (2004), there is a character known as the Erlking who attempts to abduct the protagonist.
J.K. Rowling'sFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them lists a creature named an Erkling, very similar to the Erlking, as one of the many that inhabit the Wizarding World. Erklings are also present in the videogameHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, set in the same universe.
The New Yorker's "20 Under 40" issue of July 5, 2010 included the short story "The Erlking" by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum.
A version of the Erl-King is mentioned in Zoe Gilbert'sMischief Acts, implied to be a figure related toHerne the Hunter.[10]
InAndrzej Sapkowski'sThe Witcher saga, the highest leader of the Folk of the Alder elves, Auberon Muircetach, is also known as the Alder King. In the story, he maintains thematic ties to kidnapping: theWild Hunt, known for abducting humans, is subordinate to him, and he orchestrates the imprisonment ofCirilla.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Erlkönig".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 749.
