The elves dance.
What type of story is it?: "The Elves Dance" is a fairy tale because it includes magical creatures such as elves and enchantments.
Summary: There are small dark circles of grass that are intertwined within normal grass that are believed to show where elves have their dances. One day the near by church sent a servant out to collect the horses, but a far way down the road, he determined he had become lost. Due to walking all day, the servant decided to lounge by a tree. It was at this moment wisps of music caught his attention, and he turned to see a group of little people dancing in a circle. In the center of the ring the Elf Queen stood. She was the most beautiful and graceful of them all, and gestured for him to come over. He joined, as he would be a fool to decline such a beautiful woman of such a thing. Poor young boy, after dancing with the elves he found himself under the same old oak, and from that day forward never felt the same. The dance he had endured with the elves had cursed him to a short lived melancholy existence, thus, the same year of the dance, his life had ended.
Archetypes: The Elf Queen represents several major archetypes in the fairy tale such as:
-The devil figure: She represents the evil incarnate
-The Temptress: Brings the downfall of the servant
Also, the servant becomes the "outcast" after his dance with the elves, adding another archetype to the list.
Summary: There are small dark circles of grass that are intertwined within normal grass that are believed to show where elves have their dances. One day the near by church sent a servant out to collect the horses, but a far way down the road, he determined he had become lost. Due to walking all day, the servant decided to lounge by a tree. It was at this moment wisps of music caught his attention, and he turned to see a group of little people dancing in a circle. In the center of the ring the Elf Queen stood. She was the most beautiful and graceful of them all, and gestured for him to come over. He joined, as he would be a fool to decline such a beautiful woman of such a thing. Poor young boy, after dancing with the elves he found himself under the same old oak, and from that day forward never felt the same. The dance he had endured with the elves had cursed him to a short lived melancholy existence, thus, the same year of the dance, his life had ended.
Archetypes: The Elf Queen represents several major archetypes in the fairy tale such as:
-The devil figure: She represents the evil incarnate
-The Temptress: Brings the downfall of the servant
Also, the servant becomes the "outcast" after his dance with the elves, adding another archetype to the list.
Swedish culture and history
History: Sweden is a Scandinavian as well as Nordic country meaning it is located in Northern Europe as well as the North Atlantic. Most people in Sweden obviously speak Swedish as their first language but many also speak English as a second language. The Swedish language is a north Germanic language and has included components from German, French, English, and Finnish. Sweden is also known for their beautiful countryside. The rural land of Sweden is where the mid- summer dances, Maypoles (A pole painted and decorated with flowers, around which people traditionally dance around on May day, holding long ribbons that are attached to the top of the pole), painted horses, and Christmas feasts are derived from. Sweden more recently has become one of the world leaders in child care, gender equality, and sexual freedom, which continues to prove how advanced of a country it is. Looking at the beginning, Sweden was run by monarchs and had many Viking citizens. They were known for becoming an egalitarian society, such as, in the Medieval era, they never condemned people to serfdom, and in the early 1900's they accepted many immigrants from neighboring countries to become citizens. Through out history the Swedes were known for being accepting and welcoming, even if they have had bad times when their society had gotten out of hand, they still are seen as a tolerable ad respectful nation. To this day they continue their magical practices of May Day, a traditional springtime festival filled with baked goods and flower baskets, dances and music, as well as naming a May queen to oversee the day's activities.
What does this story say?:
"The Elves Dance" is a story that shows how magical of a place Sweden is imagined to be. It shows that they had made a enchanted creature up to explain the changes of peoples lives. This story shows that they wanted to believe in everything as a magical force to explain the most unanswered questions of the universe.
What does this story say?:
"The Elves Dance" is a story that shows how magical of a place Sweden is imagined to be. It shows that they had made a enchanted creature up to explain the changes of peoples lives. This story shows that they wanted to believe in everything as a magical force to explain the most unanswered questions of the universe.
Citations:
"Why Are There May Day Celebrations?" Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"The Polite Coal-Burner." Swedish Folktales – The Gold Scales. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"Sweden." Culture of. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"SWEDEN." Dwarves and Elves in Sweden. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"Why Are There May Day Celebrations?" Washington Post. The Washington Post. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"The Polite Coal-Burner." Swedish Folktales – The Gold Scales. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"Sweden." Culture of. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.
"SWEDEN." Dwarves and Elves in Sweden. Web. 13 Nov. 2015.