In Old English, your average elf (or ælf or ylfe) belonged on the naughty list: They were malicious, imp-like creatures, blamed for mischief, mayhem and evil. At the time, another word for a nightmare was ælfadl, “elf-sickness,” and a hiccup was an ælfsogoða, "elf-cough, elf-heartburn." In Beowulf, elves (ylfe) are in a list of monstrous… Continue reading A Brief, Etymological History of Christmas Elves
Useless Etymology 