In folklore, who is the king of the elves and fairies?
Alp (folklore) is "Alberich", which etymologically means 'elf-powerful' (thus Jacob Grimm thought that the name echoed the notion of the king of the nation of elves or dwarves). The Alberich in the epic "Ortnit" is a dwarf of childlike-stature who turns out to be the real father of the titular hero, having raped his mother. The "Alberich" who aids Ortnit is paralleled by the French Auberon, who aids Huon de Bordeaux and whose name derives from "Alberich". Auberon entered English literature through Lord Berner's translation of the "chanson de geste" around 1540, then as "Oberon", the king of elves and fairies in
Dancing Fairies folk tradition, people were warned to watch out for elves, as they could be dangerous for those who were not careful with them. The fairies in Norse mythology's hidden people have survived in local folklore often as beautiful young women, living in the wild on hills, woods and mounds of stones. In Romantic art and literature, elves are typically pictured as fair-haired, white-clad, and nasty when offended. In order to protect themselves and their livestock against malevolent elves, Scandinavians could use an "Älvkors" (Elf cross), which was carved into buildings or other objects. August Malmström's "Dancing Fairies" is a widely