Elveskud

Origins and distribution

The ballad's origins are agreed to be considerably earlier than the earliest manuscripts, dating to the Middle Ages, but there is little consensus beyond this. Many scholars suggest a Breton or French origin, though the routes by which it came to and was disseminated within Northern Europe are unknown. The ballad has close parallels across Europe, with the closest English-language parallel being Clerk Colvill. The earliest surviving manuscript is Karen Brahes Folio, a Danish manuscript from the 1570s; the earliest surviving Swedish version is from the 1670s. At least seventy Scandinavian variants are known, with over forty from Denmark and seventeen from Sweden. It is also widely known as Herr Olof och Älvorna, Elf-Qvinnan och Herr Olof, Kvæði af Ólafi liljurós, Olaf liljekrans, and Ólavur riddarrós og álvarmoy.

Summary

According to the standard summary of the Scandinavian medieval ballad type, Olav rides out at dawn and finds elves dancing in the woods. An elf maiden asks him to dance, but he declines, explaining he is to be married the next day. In response, she curses him with a fatal illness. He returns home dying and shares his final wishes.

Many versions differ from this outline. In numerous Danish variants, Olav dances with the elves, sometimes until he dies. In some Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish versions, his death is initially hidden from his bride, but she eventually learns the truth. Icelandic versions omit the bride entirely, and Olav refuses to dance because of his Christian faith.

One Faroese variant suggests Olav had a long romantic relationship with the elf woman, and the story begins with his mother predicting his death. Vésteinn Ólason summarizes the Icelandic variants, often called "Kvæði af Ólafi liljurós," as follows: Ólafur rides along a rocky hillside and meets four elf maidens who greet him and offer him drink or a place to live. He refuses, saying he prefers to believe in God (Christ). One elf maiden asks him to wait, fetches a sword, and hides it under her clothes before asking for a kiss.

When Ólafur leans in to kiss her, she stabs him under the shoulder blade, piercing his heart. He spurs his horse and rides home to his mother. She asks why he is so pale; he initially evades the question but then tells the truth. He asks his mother to make his bed and his sister to dress his wounds. He then dies.

References in culture

This ballad has sparked countless adaptations. Most notably, Johann Gottfried Herder translated a Danish version into German as "Erlkönigs Tochter," which directly inspired Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem "Erlkönig" and its figure of the Erlking. It also influenced Johan Ludvig Heiberg's 1828 play "Elves' Hill." Further works drawing from "Elveskud" include Henrik Ibsen's 1856 play "Olaf Liljekrans," Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir's 1995 novel "Mávahlátur," Böðvar Guðmundsson's 2012 novel "Töfrahöllin," and Steeleye Span's folk-rock song "Dance with Me."