Gods Goddesses Legends Myths: The Erlking (German: Erlkönig, "Alder King") is depicted in a number of German poems and ballads as a malevolent creature who haunts forests and carries off travelers to their deaths. The name may be an 18th-century mistranslation of the original Danish word elverkonge, "elf-king." The character is most famous as the antagonist in Goethe's poem "Der Erlkönig." In its original form in Scandinavian folklore, the character was a female #spirit.
Der Erlkönig - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ggnqr-pnno
| Erlkönig | Erlking |
| von J.W. Goethe | Translation by Hyde Flippo |
| Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind? | Who rides so late through the night and wind? |
| Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind; | It's the father with his child; |
| Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm, | He has the boy safe in his arm, |
| Er faßt ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm. | He holds him secure, he holds him warm. |
| «Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht?» – | “My son, what makes you hide your face in fear?” – |
| Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht? | Father, don't you see the Erlking? |
| Den Erlenkönig mit Kron und Schweif? – | The Erlking with crown and flowing robe? – |
| «Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif.» – | “My son, it's a wisp of fog.” – |
| «Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir! | “You dear child, come along with me! |
| Gar schöne Spiele spiel' ich mit dir; | Such lovely games I'll play with you; |
| Manch bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand, | Many colorful flowers are at the shore, |
| Meine Mutter hat manch gülden Gewand.» | My mother has many a golden garment.” |
| Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht, | My father, my father, and do you not hear |
| Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht? – | What the Erlking promises me so softly? – |
| «Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind; | “Be quiet, stay quiet, my child; |
| In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind.» – | In the dry leaves the wind is rustling.” – |
| «Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn? | “Won't you come along with me, my fine boy? |
| Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön; | My daughters shall attend to you so nicely. |
| Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Reihn, | My daughters do their nightly dance, |
| Und wiegen und tanzen und singen dich ein.» | And they'll rock you and dance you and sing you to sleep.” |
| Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort | My father, my father, and do you not see over there |
| Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Ort? – | Erlking's daughters in that dark place? – |
| «Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh es genau: | “My son, my son, I see it most definitely: |
| Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau.» | It's the willow trees looking so grey.” |
| «Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt; | “I love you; I'm charmed by your beautiful form; |
| Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch ich Gewalt.» | And if you're not willing, then I'll use force.” |
| Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt faßt er mich an! | My father, my father, now he's grabbing hold of me! |
| Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids getan! – | Erlking has done me harm! – |
| Dem Vater grausets, er reitet geschwind, | The father shudders, he rides swiftly, |
| Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind, | He holds in (his) arms the moaning child. |
| Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Not; | He reaches the farmhouse with effort and urgency. |
| In seinen Armen das Kind war tot. | In his arms the child was dead. |
Is the Erlkönig actually eine Königin?
Most poetry books that include Goethe's famous “Erlkönig” refer to the poet's “error” in translating the poem's title into German. For our own dual-language version of the poem, I myself originally wrote: “The German term 'Erlkönig' is actually a mistranslation of the Danish 'ellerkonge' or 'elverkonge' or 'king of the elves.'” But even the Encyclopedia Britannica and theOxford English Reference Dictionary make the same claim.
However, that may not be true at all.
In an essay entitled “Die Erlkönigin” (see link below), Burkhard Schröder makes the case that, contrary to what generations of Germanists have maintained, Goethe was not wrong in calling his poem “Erlkönig.” Although Goethe's ballad is based on a work (“Erlkönigs Tochter”) translated from the Danish by Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803), Goethe probably did not “mistranslate” the title of his own poem. Most Germanisten over the years have claimed that Goethe should have used the word “Elfenkönig” (“king of the elves”) rather than “Erlkönig.” But it turns out that Germany's most famous poet may have known exactly what he was doing after all.
What do Alberich, the goddess Alphito, the Erlking, Lilith, and Moby Dick have in common?
To this day, German literary critics and editorial writers continue to refer to the “Erlkönig” as a part of Nordic and Germanic mythology. But Schröder makes the case for another origin that justifies Goethe's choice of “Erlkönig” over “Elfenkönig.” The mythology involved became widespread and dates back to the earliest known tales of gods and goddesses—but from the Mediterranean south, not the North. And, according to Schröder, it all seems to relate to the color white.
Despite what we might think at first, white has long had an association with things mysterious and eerie. Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick has an entire chapter devoted to the color white and how it is often associated with the eerie and evil. The root “alb” originally meant “white” and can be found in German words such as Albtraum (nightmare) and die Elbe (river), plus the English word “albino.” And then there's the Greek goddess Alphito.
To make a long story short, the Greek Alphito, the Jewish Lilith (first wife of Adam, later a demon), the Germanic Alberich (king of the dwarfs in the Nibelungenlied), not to mention the old English god Bran (König der Erlen) all come together in the “Erlkönig.” Some of them abducted babies and little children like the Erlkönig and some had a “Kron' und Schweif” (crown and cape).
Bottom line: Goethe was right, the Germanists were wrong.
