TIDBITS® INVESTIGATES ELVES
by Kathy Wolfe
„Tis the season of Santa and elves! But there is much more to elves than those said to reside at the North Pole, and this week, Tidbits delves into tidings about these mythical creatures.
• The history of elves has been recorded for centuries. The Old English epic poem “Beowulf” was written sometime between 700 and 1000 A.D. spoke of “etins (giants) and elves and evil spirits...that warred with God.” Ancient Norse and Germanic mythology portrayed elves as beings with magical powers who don‟t age, or age very slowly. The Norse referred to them as “huldufolk,” meaning “hidden folk.” They were said to dwell deep in the forests in little houses carved out of hollow trees or under the earth, and viewed as protectors of forests and animals, able to heal animals‟ wounds and communicate with them.
• Folklore depicts elves with pointed ears, which give them a keen sense of hearing, able to hear sounds others cannot. “Prose Edda,” a 13th -century Icelandic textbook of Old Norse poems, classified elves as light elves who were fair, and dark elves who were “darker than pitch.” Some writings described male elves as little old men, while the elf maidens were young and beautiful. Other legends claim that elves are shoemakers or cobblers. turn the page for more!
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ELVES (continued):
• Different story lines depict elves in various ways. Some portray them as kind, benevolent beings who help humans, guiding or assisting them, while others describe elves as malicious and mischievous, playing tricks on humans. High Elves are the noble and wise ones, while the Wood Elves are the ones who love nature and the forest. Dark Elves are the mean and mysterious ones. Some elves are to be feared because of their volatile temper, quick to get revenge if they felt harmed or offended in any way by a human. They might inflict illness, cruel tricks, or frightening schemes, steal babies, or hold people in a spell for years at a time. Babies born with birthmarks or deformities in Old Norse times were said to be “elfmarked.”
• Many legends represent elves as extraordinarily skillful with the bow and arrow, archers without equal. This led to their depiction as legendary warriors, honorable fighters skilled in battle. Warrior elves are characters in several modern video games – Warhammer, Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, Heroes of Might and Magic, and RuneScape.
• In his 1595 comedy play “A Midsummer Night‟s Dream,” William Shakespeare represented elves as less cruel and more mischievous. Puck, also known as Robin Goodfellow, is more of a jokester and trickster in this play.
• Although elves have been described as fairylike beings, elves are not the same as fairies. Elves are their own distinct classification and shouldn‟t be grouped with other mythological beings such as fairies, leprechauns, goblins, gnomes, dwarfs, or sprites.
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ELVES (continued):
• J.R. Tolkien researched Scandinavian folklore when writing “Lord of the Rings,” and made his elves tall and slender, no less than six feet tall, typically fair-skinned with golden hair, and lovers of nature. The females were far more beautiful than any human being. They were immortal and don‟t age, but could be killed in battle, with the spirits of those dead elves being transferred to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor. Tolkien began creating the Elvish languages of Middle-Earth as early as age 18, by then already familiar with Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Gothic, Old Norse, and Old English. He became a philologist, one who studies historic oral and written languages. Tolkien developed several elvish languages, including Quenya and Sindarin, each with their own script, grammar, conjugation, and vocabulary
• Iceland holds the tradition of the Yule Lads, 13 elves who come to homes each night for the 13 days leading up to Christmas Eve. Some carry out pranks such as slamming doors or stealing food. If children leave their shoes out by the windows, they will find small gifts in them each morning. Tradition has been modified over the centuries, as the early legends claimed that the Yule Lads might eat children!
• When did elves become associated with Santa Claus? In the early 17th century, the European legend of St. Nicholas made its way to American folklore. The Dutch referred to Father Christmas as Sinterklaas. In 1823, Clement Clarke Moore published his legendary poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” more commonly known today as “The Night Before Christmas.” In the verse, Moore referred to St. Nick himself as “chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf.”
ELVES (continued):
• In 1856, Louisa May Alcott, author of “Little Women,” penned a book called “Christmas Elves,” a book whose manuscript has been lost and never published. The following year, “Harper‟s Bazaar” published a poem which spoke of how Santa “keeps a great many elves at work, all working with all their might, to make a million of pretty things…to fill the stockings…” The 1873 Christmas issue of “Godey‟s Lady‟s Book” featured an illustration of Santa Claus surrounded by toys and elves.
• American painter Norman Rockwell provided the cover illustration for the December, 1922 issue of “The Saturday Evening Post,” artwork that portrayed Santa surrounded by eight tiny elves. Walt Disney released a short movie in 1932 entitled “Santa‟s Workshop,” that featured bearded singing elves dressed in blue, brushing reindeer teeth, preparing Santa‟s sleigh, and helping Santa check out the Naughty & Nice list.
• North Pole elves have many duties – helping Santa design and make toys, feeding reindeer, care of the sleigh, and guarding the secret location of Santa‟s workshop. Some believe them to be Santa‟s secret agents who visit homes during the days before Christmas and report back to Santa on good and bad behavior. Even though elves are good helpers, they‟re still mischievous creatures
• In 2005, children’s author Carol Aebersold published “The Elf on the Shelf,” a story of how Santa Claus knows who is naughty or nice, describing elves visiting children. The accompanying “Scout Elf” toy is designed to be set in a location in the home to scout out children‟s behavior and return to the North Pole each night. Scout elves are to be moved to a new perching place for the next morning, as they wait to be spotted. Upwards of 17.5 million Scout Elves have been “adopted” since their debut.
HENSLER’S HENSLER’S
Thrifty Taco Soup Is a Big Hit
Whether you make it spicy or mild, this family-friendly taco soup will be a big hit at mealtimes. It's thrifty, super easy to prepare, and just as yummy to eat the following day if there are any leftovers.
Get your kids or grandkids involved and call it "Can Opening 101" or "Dump Cooking School," because most of the ingredients come in cans right off your grocer's shelf and are poured directly into your soup pot. Making a so-called "dump" recipe might sound like a cheater move, but I simply don't have time to spend all day cooking beans. Since my vegetable garden will be under snow during the cold weather, canned organic stewed tomatoes on sale at our neighborhood food co-op are a must.
I also pick up good-quality, organic, free-range chicken broth in quart-sized boxes in bulk at Costco, and I've discovered very good lean, organic ground beef in its fresh meat department. The price, quality and taste are just right, and the recipe is easy to remember. Think in "ones" because there is one of every ingredient.
Here's what you'll need for 6-8 servings:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, undrained
1 15-ounce can black beans, undrained
1 15-ounce can whole-kernel corn, undrained
1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1-1/4-ounce package taco seasoning mix
1 handful tortilla chips for garnish
1 tablespoon grated cheese for garnish
1 dollop sour cream for garnish (optional) Brown the ground beef with the chopped onions in a skillet. Drain any excess fat. Transfer the beef and onions to a stockpot, then add the beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasoning. Simmer for an hour on low heat, or cook in a slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours.
To serve, ladle into bowls and top with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sour cream. Prepare a green salad on the side, if you wish.
BEAUTIFUL BODY: BEGINNING TO END
As the year draws to a close, Tidbits takes a quick look at the human life from beginning to end.
• The gestation period for a human baby is 266 days, almost 40 weeks. The heart begins to beat at three weeks. At the end of the first month of pregnancy, a human embryo can fit on a quarter. After three months, it can fit inside a large chicken egg. The embryo acquires fingerprints at three months. During the second trimester, the embryo becomes conscious, and begins to react to external stimuli, including lights and sounds. Half of an embryo‟s birth weight occurs in the final six to eight weeks of a woman‟s pregnancy.
• At birth, a female baby‟s ovaries contain about 2 million eggs, of which 300,000 will survive until puberty. During the reproductive years, about 450 are released for possible fertilization.
• About 1 in 2,000 babies is born with a tooth already emerged in the gums.
• The teen years are when a person attempts to discover who he/she is or should be, when rules are challenged, religious, political, and social matters are questioned, the desire to control one‟s own life increases, and many things are done without thinking first. It‟s a time of concern for body image – nearly half of all high school girls diet to lose weight. The brain continues to develop and mature until the mid-to-late 20s. The brain‟s prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for planning, prioritizing, and good decisionmaking, is the last to mature.
• What’s the definition of “middle age?” Millennials (those born between 1980 and 1995) consider middle age to be between 35 and 50 years old. Generation X (born 1965-1980) say 45 to 55, while baby boomers (born 1946 -1964) say middle age is 45 to 60.
BEGINNING TO END
(continued):
• The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines middle age as “the period of life from about 45 to about 64.” And what considered is “old?” A recent survey of 2,000 Americans declared that 57 is the age of being “officially old.”
• By the time the average person is 70 years old, his or her heart has beat at least 2.8 billion times.
• Aging isn’t for the faint of heart. As the heart ages, less blood is pumped with each beat. Staying in top physical condition can slow this decline, but a sedentary person‟s heart pumping ability begins to slow as early as age 30. By age 60, a person loses about half of their taste buds and 40% of the ability to smell. Taste buds can be preserved by avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and extremely hot foods.
• The current life expectancy in the U.S. in 2024 is 79.25 years. In 1860, that figure was 39.4 years! What do we do during our 79 years? The average person spends about 26 years, one-third of our lives, sleeping. We also spend 7 years trying to get to sleep! About 8.3 years is expended in front of the TV, which equates to more than 72,750 hour-long programs. If you‟re moderately active, taking around 7,500 steps a day, if you reach 80, you‟ll have walked approximately 110,000 miles (177,028 km). Those folks who exercise regularly walk farther, but even they spend twice as much time on social media and six times longer watching TV than exercising. We stand in lines about 235 days of our lives.
• “Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” Mahatma Gandhi
* "Save egg cartons for children's painting palettes. It's very easy to give kids a small amount of many colors, and they don't spread them out and run them together as quickly when they are each in their own cup. Plus, they are easy to carry." O.L. in Utah
* Remove price tag residue off hard surfaces with hairspray. Or WD40 works well too.
* Make your own frozen dinners by purchasing divided trays and using them to store leftovers. Slip each into a plastic bag and label. On busy nights, you can take your favorite out and microwave it.
* "A beautiful but stained or worn tablecloth can find a new life at your dinner table. Cut into napkin sizes, and give any frayable ends a hemming." A.S. in Oregon
* A great winter tip that's double purpose: After your dishwasher has done its job,
open the door and let the dishes air dry rather than machine dry. You'll save on energy, while you add warmth and humidity to your home's air.
* Damp cloth plus baking soda should be your first weapon against stains in the kitchen and bathroom. It's eco-friendly, and a mild abrasive, which works without scratching!
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