Tag Archives: elf

Elf Under the Bed

Age: 50s

Text:

I was alone in our creepy apartment in Buffalo, New York, this apartment always gave me the creeps, it was cold and drafty and dark and spooky. My husband was out working or something, I don’t really remember. Anyways, I was laying alone reading my book, one of The Rift War Saga books and, oh! I was pregnant, forgot to mention that. I always have weird things happen to me when I’m pregnant. When it was time for bed, I got up to check that all the doors were locked and to turn the lights off. I turned around from the lightswitch and, in the dark, there was an elf crouched down by the bed that said “you forgot about me”.

Context:

This story was told to me over Thanksgiving break by my aunt, it’s her story and from her perspective. It takes place in my aunt’s old apartment in Buffalo, New York at the time she was pregnant with my cousin, so around 1999.

Analysis:

My aunt is adamant that she saw something but she is also a very rational person so she chalks it up to “pregnancy brain”. The atmosphere of the creepy apartment combined with the book she was reading and pregnancy delusions makes her think that the setting was prime for imagining weird things. 

The Rift War Saga that she was reading is a fantasy series so I theorize that that is the reason a fantasy character manifested itself in real life. This manifestation might be a ghost of the book or of the story, as the elf does not seem to be a specific character from the book. Pregnancy can be seen as a liminal time in between being childfree and being a parent, especially since my aunt was pregnant with her first kid at the time. Being in this liminal stage, alone, in a creepy apartment, and reading a book that challenges the mind to think beyond reality, creates the perfect atmosphere for otherworldly beings to make an appearance. While my aunt may think it’s “pregnancy brain” I find it interesting that all her weird, spooky stories come from the same apartment, she now lives in Oregon and has no stories from her home there. I think this spooky apartment had a specific type of energy that encouraged the supernatural and the manifestation of the creepy elf. 

This story could serve as a lesson about personal safety, my aunt was alone in an apartment that she didn’t feel safe in and pregnant, a state that many societies would deem vulnerable. The moral of the story being don’t be left alone as a woman, especially a pregnant one; or don’t be the one leaving your pregnant wife alone in your spooky apartment or something might come for her. In this interpretation, the elf would serve as a warning for what could happen, as this elf was non-violent but said “you forgot about me” which could be a warning to always check on your and your loved ones’ safety.

The Angry Elf

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA; Ukiah, CA
Performance Date: 4/23/15
Primary Language: English

While talking about family traditions, my friend started talking about a peculiar custom her family does for Christmas.

Informant: “The angry elf comes on Christmas Eve and, um, he like, he’ll hit you with a soft present. It’s usually pajamas wrapped in newspaper, and like it’ll be when you’re not looking, you’ll get hit behind the head and… one time my cousin Lucas like he saw the elf and he jumped out the window to go find the elf. He like, dive rolled out the window. He opened the window to go catch the elf. He never caught the elf.”

Collector: “But like, obviously someone…”

Informant: “Yeah, as I grew up I figured it was my mom, and my brothers. And we still do it like, well, the elf came! And like, I’ll do it to my parents now. Its fun”

Collector: “Where does your mom come from? Like, does she throw it through the window?”

Informant: “No, she wasn’t actually outside the window but like when my cousin chased after the elf, he was like putting on a whole show, like ‘I think he ran outside the window!’”

“Oh, I see”

Informant: “It was intense”

Collector: “Is this something that just happens within your family, or have you heard of anyone else doing this?”

Informant: “I’ve never heard of anyone else doing this”

Collector: “Do you know how it started?”

Informant: “I don’t. Probably when the three kids were there. It was me and my two brothers. It was all like, all my house. Like everyone just put on this big show. Probably the idea of elves came from the Waldorf School that they went to, because you leave your shoes out, and then on Christmas eve the elves fill your shoes with candy. I think that’s a German tradition.”

Collector: “And you’ve done this ever since you can remember? This angry elf thing?”

Informant: “Mhm”

It’s interesting to see that different families have different Christmas gift-giving traditions. Some have Santa Claus, others elves, and others have both. It’s also interesting to see how families continue traditions of magical gift-giving beings long after their kids have grown up and no longer seriously believe in these beings, in order to continue a family tradition.