Changes between Version 1 and Version 2 of Books/Elves

Timestamp:

23/06/08 02:21:21 (2 years ago)

Author:

Tristan Scott

Comment:

Minor Grammar and Spelling Corrections

Books/Elves

@@ -1 +1 @@
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 = Elves = 
-Alternatingly infuriating and endearing, Dobby the House elf is a credit to his species. When Harry first sees the tiny figure clothed in nothing but a tea towel, he isn’t very impressed. But when Aunt Petunia’s cake lies smashed to bits on the kitchen floor and there’s no one but Harry to take the blame, Harry quickly learns that house elves can work come powerful mischief.
+Alternately infuriating and endearing, Dobby the House elf is a credit to his species. When Harry first sees the tiny figure clothed in nothing but a tea towel, he isn’t very impressed. But when Aunt Petunia’s cake lies smashed to bits on the kitchen floor and there’s no one but Harry to take the blame, Harry quickly learns that house elves can work come powerful mischief.
 
 Because elves appear in folklore of many nations, they come in all shapes and sizes. Most are said to resemble slender humans in their natural state, but they can change shape or vanish in the blink of an eye. An elf may be small enough to sleep under a toadstool, or large enough to pass for a human. In English folklore, male elves are usually described as wizened old men, yet females are lovely, golden-haired maidens.
 
-Elves of all nations specialise in using the supernatural powers to intervene in human lives. Although we’ve never heard of any quite like Dobby and his friends, who are bound to serve human masters and beat themselves up for disobedient behaviour, many elves willingly devote themselves to helping out around the house. In the fairy tale “The shoemaker and His Elves,” for example, two elves come to the aid of a poor, hungry shoemaker by fashioning beautiful shoes each night from the leather the cobbler lays out before going to bed. But when the shoemaker and his wife show their gratitude by leaving out a set of tiny new clothes for each elf, the elves squeal with delight, don their new outfits, and promptly depart, never to be seen again.
+Elves of all nations specialize in using the supernatural powers to intervene in human lives. Although we’ve never heard of any quite like Dobby and his friends, who are bound to serve human masters and beat themselves up for disobedient behavior, many elves willingly devote themselves to helping out around the house. In the fairy tale “The shoemaker and His Elves,” for example, two elves come to the aid of a poor, hungry shoemaker by fashioning beautiful shoes each night from the leather the cobbler lays out before going to bed. But when the shoemaker and his wife show their gratitude by leaving out a set of tiny new clothes for each elf, the elves squeal with delight, don their new outfits, and promptly depart, never to be seen again.
 
 This may seem like a rude response to a kind gesture, but it’s mild compared to some of the tricks elves play. Indeed, it’s hard to find an elf (even a house elf) without a mischievous streak, and some are downright mean. In folklore of Iceland and Germany, elves steal babies, rustle cattle, pilfer food, and cause diseases in humans and livestock. They also site on people as they sleep, causing bad dreams (the German word for “nightmare” is Alpdrucken, or “elf pressure”), and enchant young men, sometimes holding them spellbound for years on end. The well-known American story of Rip Van Winkle, who sleeps for two decades, is based on this old folk belief.