Christmas elf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christmas elfs are the diminutive magical creatures that live with Santa Claus in the North Pole and act as his helpers. They are often depicted as green-clad with pointy ears, long noses, and pointy hats. Santa's elfs are often said to make the toys in Santa's workshop and take care of his reindeer, among other tasks. In Scandinavian legend an elf by the name of Jultomten takes the place of Santa Claus and delivered gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats.
[edit] Elfs and elves
According to a convention of modern fantasy (not always followed in common language), the 'v' in elven or elvish refers to human-sized elves (who correspond more closely to those of the old Germanic paganism), whereas the f in elfin or elfish refers to tiny-sized elfs (who correspond more closely to the folklore of the Renaissance and Romantic Eras) (See elf for more historical background). Christmas elfs are closer to pixies, gnomes and tomtes than modern fantasy elves.
Some other examples of "elfs" outside of Christmas would be the elfs in the fairy-tale The Elves and the Shoemaker, Snap, Crackle and Pop who are the Kelloggs brand mascots, and the Keebler elves.
