The elf is a creature belonging to Nordic mythology. Elves are symbols of the forces of air, fire, earth, water, and atmospheric phenomena in general.

They are similar to humans, tall and thin, but strong and fast, clean face, serene, slightly pointed ears. They are described with an acute view and a very sensitive hearing. They do not have a beard, they have blond or silvery hair and brilliant eyes able to penetrate the person until they know their thoughts and have telepathy.

They have splendid and clear voice. They are smart and harmonious, with great respect for the four elements and nature.

Sometimes some may be whimsical and sometimes benevolent with the man who respects them, they can donate magical objects to those who are pure of heart and spirit and who want to help. They know to forge swords and metals and have knowledge of magic. Originally, elves were perhaps conceived as dead souls, then venerated as powers that favored fertility. Hence the distinction, in Norwegian mythology, between Døkkálfar, “elves of darkness,” and Liósálfar, “elves of light”.

They live mostly on trees or in some hidden forests. They never harm and in no way harm nature because it is an essential part of their life and existence. They nourish a great consideration for nature, conceived as an entity, a great etheric spirit, mother of all beings.

They manage to walk without leaving traces, they are immune to diseases and resist extreme temperatures. The elves have long life and grow older without their beauty getting tired of time. In principle, they are immortal but are not invulnerable to the wounds of swords, arrows, and poisons and can therefore be killed.

The elves do not have only positive aspects: there are many legends related to this being that they tell of the evil actions they have done against men who occasionally kidnap their children. The elves are framed in a rigid hierarchy at the head of which are the queens and kings of fairy hills, recognizable because they are often covered with a cool mantle of hawthorn. Shakespeare in his plays has spoken very often about elves, for example in the dream comedy of a midnight summer night.

In Sicily, in the context of donas de fuera (witches with fairies), there are elves, the only presence in Italy and in southern Europe that unites Sicily with the folklore and the northern mythology of the British Isles.