Elves
Elves are small, supernatural, have pointy ears, have magical powers, and to many children are known as ”santa’s helpers.” Elves are a famous folklore originating mainly from Germany, Holland, Sweden, England, and Norway and their folk tale goes back as far as human beings can remember. In fact some people think it even went back to the beginning of time itself. However, others think that elves originated during the medieval times. Most cultures collectively thought that elves were a mysterious creatures, and even went as far as to see them as supernatural beings or gods.
Some people who believed in elves thought there were only “good” elves, while other cultures believed there were two different kinds of elves, “good” and “bad.” As long as good and bad elves, were light and dark elves too. The cultures that believed that the elves were only good saw them as kind, good natured, helpful, however mischievous and naughty at times. The cultures that viewed elves as evil took safety measures to protect themselves from them. The good elves were seen as the most beautiful type of...
Evidently, myths have become the culprit of traditions. That being said, the contemporary and ancient myths of Santa Claus and Krampus can only be understood by determining the elements that devise their entireties. Both narratives involve elements of opposition, trickery, mythemes, repetition, symbols, and ritualistic processes all of which support the structure of each holiday myth and tradition. Overall, the individual elements facilitate a valid, detailed compare and contrast analysis when examining the myths of Santa Claus and Krampus in a North American culture.
...rals, they are neither purely bad nor purely good which is was the audience can easily identify with them.
1) From “Disorder and Destruction: The Annals of Xanten” (in the Week 12 Charlemagne source you used last week) and from the other sources you have read, what is your impression of the Norse? How are they described? Please answer this question in your own words, but with quotations from the text to support your answer.
In the Malleus Maleficarum, Sprenger and Kramer’s basic argument about the origins of witchcraft is that witchcraft is found chiefly in women due to several reasons that focus on characteristics of women. Sprenger and Kramer argue that witchcraft in women is more probable because women were very naïve and impressionable, carnal lust is never satisfied in women, and they are of lower intelligence and weaker memories than men.
...hey are not truly evil. To define people as good or evil from birth is nonsensical, because newborns do not have any conscious thought, and any actions that happen have meaning placed upon them by other philosophers, such as Xun-Zi.
Throughout history people have always been telling stories, whether it is how some ones day went or something strange they saw. One place that has a particularly strong connection with storytelling is Ireland. Telling stories in Ireland was usually for entertainment told at a bar or by the fire in a friend’s home to hear what someone else saw or experienced leaving one with new knowledge. Fairy- legends were stories that were told quite often in conversational type settings telling people something they had heard of experienced about the fairies. The people of Ireland used to strongly believe in the fairies during the nineteenth century. Fairies are not human but look somewhat similar to us except that are usually a lot paler. They live their
In my opinion, what is considered “good” and what is considered “evil” is almost entirely subjective, though heavily shaped and molded by the society in which an individual lives. The established rules and norms to which every society adheres tend to be cultural and will obviously differ between respective cultures accordingly. One culture’s interpretation of “good” can very well be another culture’s interpretation of “evil” and so on. This is even true between individuals within the confines of the same society or culture—obviously not everyone thinks the same or holds the general rules and norms of their culture in high esteem. Another important influence on the way in which people perceive and regard what is “good” and what is “evil” is
The Norsemen were feared for hundreds of years. They came from Scandinavia and raided both the known and unknown world. They were great warriors, raiders, shipbuilders and leaders. The Norsemen were pagan, their obedience to the gods and their leader Odin. Religion was an important part of their life and death. In life, the Vikings strived for is Valhalla (the great mead hall of the gods and fallen warriors) in Asgard. Only the most honorable warriors, who dies in battle or if executed by the way of blood eagle (the victims will be on his knees and held up by two hooks and they take an ax to his back to break away the ribs, then take his lungs and place them on his shoulders) without making a sound, will go to Valhalla. Their social behavior was based on an unwritten system of honor or code of ethics. Their moral code was determined by the gods but rather honor. Honor went a long way in Viking culture, it was the most defining attribute a man could have. A man of honor was a principled man, he gave moderation, was generous and hospitable, he would offer a helping hand to a friend in need. This included allying himself with his friends against his friend’s enemies. A man of honor also never forgot to be a foe to his enemy. A Viking never wanted to be a man of disgrace. This is the opposite of a man of honor, and because every man lived his life as a member of an extended family-circle, he could easily bring disgrace to his entire family - including his forefathers. Therefore, it was intolerable for a free man to live in such a fallen state. If he was disgraced, he could only restore balance in his social system by confronting the source of his fall from an honorable status. Thus, revenge was a key component of this social system, ...
There are at least 145 living species of the suborder Anthropoidea . Over 90% of them are monkeys. The remaining species are apes and humans. The anthropoids (members of the suborder Anthropoidea) have been the most successful primates in populating the earth. They are generally larger, more intelligent, and have more highly developed eyes than the prosimians.
Elf starts out with the introduction to the life of Buddy, an orphaned baby, who would mistakenly crawl into Santa’s sack on Christmas Eve. Buddy would be raised on the North Pole but would soon realize that this wasn’t his place. Santa soon revealed that his true father was still alive, lived in the New York, and most importantly was on the naughty list.
One might ask, where did the tradition Santa Claus come from? The answer to this question unfortunately is not quite as straight forward. Somehow this tradition wove itself into the holiday season during the 4th century from Turkey, where a wealthy bishop, by the name of Nicholas habitually gave gifts to children. Following the death of Nicholas, he was honored as a saint, Sinter Nikolass, and a holiday was established in honor of him on December 6th. Dutch people in the Netherlands later shortened the saint's name to Sinter Klaas, which eventually evolved into Santa Claus in the US following Dutch i...
Carols, snow, mistletoe, cookies and milk. These are all synonymous with the Christmas season. However, for many, the true staple of Christmas is Santa Claus. Every child has felt the joy of Christmas Eve, spending time with family, leaving treats out for Santa, tossing and turning in their beds in anticipation for old St. Nick’s arrival. Although what Santa does is well known, his origins are slightly less familiar to most. The man we identify with Christmas has developed over a long time and has encountered many changes. “The original St. Nicholas is for the most part a shadowy figure, lost in historical mists and religious myths. (Myers 318).
Frogs are needed for everyday life. They are part of pond life. Each animal is important because even in the pond, there is a food chain. Frogs are amphibians, animals that spend half of their lives under water, and remainder on land. The first frog appeared in the early Jurassic period about 200 million years ago.
Dutch children would put shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or "Sinter Klaas" and leave food out for his horse. He'd gallop on his horse between the rooftops and drop candy down the chimneys into the children's shoes. Meanwhile, his assistant, Black Peter, was the one who popped down the chimneys to leave gifts behind. Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America -- where we came to know him as Santa Claus. Clement Clarke Moore first described the “jolly old elf” with his sleigh drawn by reindeer, in the poem "The Night Before Christmas.