Elf
The mythical progenitor of the fairy race in Spenser's The Faerie Queene. Born of Prometheus and a fairy, Elf became the ancestor of Gloriana, the Fairy Queen.
Introduction#
Elf is the legendary ancestor of the fairies in Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. According to the poem, he was born from the union of Prometheus, the figure from Greek mythology who created mankind and stole fire from the gods, and a fairy maiden from the Gardens of Adonis.
Affiliations | Fairy Land
Origin#
Spenser traces the origin of the fairy race to the marriage of Prometheus and a fairy maiden dwelling in the Gardens of Adonis. Their son, Elf, became the founder of the fairy people and the first patriarch of their royal lineage.
By linking Fairy Land to both classical mythology and his own imaginative world, Spenser created a legendary history that combines ancient myth with Arthurian romance.
Descendants#
Elf’s son, Elfin, succeeded him and became the first king of Fairy Land. From Elfin descended a long line of legendary rulers, including Elfinan, Elfiline, Elfinell, Elfant, Elfar, Elferon, Elficleos, and Elfinor, whose deeds established the ancient kingdom that would eventually be ruled by Gloriana.
Together, these rulers form the mythical royal house of Fairy Land.
Legacy#
Although Elf himself performs no great adventures in The Faerie Queene, his importance lies in his role as the founder of an entire race and dynasty. Just as medieval chroniclers traced the origins of Britain’s kings to legendary ancestors, Spenser begins the history of Fairy Land with Elf, giving his enchanted kingdom an ancient and noble genealogy.
In the Arthurian Tradition#
Elf is unique to Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. His genealogy reflects Spenser’s desire to provide Fairy Land with a mythical past equal in grandeur to Britain’s own legendary history. By making Gloriana a descendant of Elf, Spenser established the Fairy Queen’s authority upon an ancient royal lineage that blends classical mythology with Renaissance Arthurian romance.
Sources#
The Faerie Queene | Edmund Spenser, 1570-1599
