ielfen

Old English

Etymology

Feminine of ielf, equivalent to ielf +‎ -en. Cognate with or a parallel formation to Middle High German elbinne.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈi͜yl.fen/, [ˈi͜yɫ.ven]

Noun

ielfen f

  1. female elf
    • manuscript early 9th century, Leiden, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit Voccius Lat. 4o 106, f. 10r
      Nimphae . aelfinni eadem . & muse | Nymphae: "female elves"; also musae.
      Oreades duun . aelfinni . | Oreades: "female mountain-elf."
      Driades . uudu . aelfinne | Dryades: "female wood-elf."
      Amadriades ua&er . aelfinñ | Hamadryades: "female water-elf."
      Maides feld . aelfinne | Maiades: "female field-elf."
      Naides sáe . aelfinne | Naiades: "female sea-elf."
    • manuscript c. 930s, First Cleopatra Glossary
      Amadriades: feldælbinne ł elfenne; Maides: sæælfenne; Nymfæ: wæterælfenne; Naides: sæælfenne; Oreades: wuduælfenne
      Hamadryades: "female field-elves or [spelling variant]"; maides: "female sea elves"; nymphae: "female water-elves"; naiades: female sea-elves"; oreades: "female wood-elves."
    • manuscript earlier eleventh century, Antwerp-London Glossary, f. 21r
      Oriades . muntælfen . Driades . wuduelfen . Moides . feldelfen . Amadriades . wylde elfen . Naides . sæelfen . Castalidas . dunelfen
      Oreades: "female mountain-elves"; dryades: "female wood-elves"; maides: "female field-elves"; hamadryades: "female water-elves"; naiades: "female sea elves"; Castalidas: "female mountain-elves." (Note that in this manuscript, the Latin terms are plural, while the Old English glosses are either singular[1] or have been transferred to the weak declension[2].)

Usage notes
  • Ielfen is only attested in textually-related glosses to Isidore of Seville's Etymologiae, I 8.11.97, where it answers Latin nympha. This doesn't imply ielfen meant "nymph," exactly, only that Old English had no precise word for nymphs, and the glossators thought female elves would make a useful approximation.
  • This tradition of glossing nympha with ielfen appears to have originated in the seventh or eighth century, though the surviving manuscripts are later.

Declension
Declension of ielfen (strong ō-stem)
Case Singular Plural
nominative ielfen ielfenna, ielfenne
accusative ielfenne ielfenna, ielfenne
genitive ielfenne ielfenna
dative ielfenne ielfennum

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Middle English: elve, elven

References
  1. Dictionary of Old English (Toronto: DOE project, 1986-), s.v. ælfen.
  2. Alaric Hall, 'Glosses, Gaps and Gender: The Rise of Female Elves in Anglo-Saxon Culture', in Change in Meaning and the Meaning of Change: Studies in Semantics and Grammar from Old to Present-Day English, ed. by Matti Rissanen, Marianna Hintikka, Leena Kahlas-Tarkka and Rod McConchie, Mémoires de la Société Néophilologique de Helsinki, 72 (Helsinki: Société Néophilologique, 2007), pp. 139-70 (pp. 158-60).
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