Half-elves

Half-elf

Grouping	Legendary creature
Similar creatures	Fairy, elf, pixie, leprechaun
Mythology	Norse, English
Country	Norway, Netherlands, England

In Norse mythology, a half-elf is the offspring of an elf and a human.

Notable examples include the Danish princess Skuld of Hrólf Kraki's saga, and the hero Högni of the Thidrekssaga (his mother was a human queen), and the royal line of Alfheim, which was related to the elves and more beautiful than other people, according to the Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar.

The concept was borrowed by modern fantasy authors. Perhaps the earliest such published usage is the character Orion in Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter.

The concept gained popularity through its use in the writings of English fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien. As a result, half-elves have become common in other fantasy writings and related material such as role-playing games. In Tolkien's works, the term Half-elven or Peredhil refers only to a few related individuals throughout history, however, in many post-Tolkien writings, the term half-elf designates an entire race.

Half-elves are featured in Dungeons & Dragons and related material; most notably, Tanis Half-Elven.

The protagonist of Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shannara, Shea Ohmsford, is a half-elf. The Ohmsford heroes and heroines of the subsequent books are all descended from him, and later so are the Elven royalty of the Elessedil family.

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