The Erl-King
E737893
The Erl-King is a dark, folkloric figure—most famously depicted in German Romantic literature as a sinister supernatural being who lures or preys upon children.
Statements (41)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
literary character
ⓘ
mythological figure ⓘ |
| alignment | malevolent ⓘ |
| appearsInGenre |
Romantic literature
ⓘ
art song (Lied) ⓘ ballads ⓘ |
| associatedWithCulture |
Danish folklore
ⓘ
German folklore ⓘ Scandinavian folklore ⓘ |
| characteristic |
associated with night
ⓘ
associated with the forest ⓘ lures children ⓘ often invisible to adults ⓘ preys upon children ⓘ |
| commonSetting |
dark forest
ⓘ
stormy night ⓘ |
| etymology | derived from misreading of Danish "ellerkonge" (elf-king) ⓘ |
| gender | male ⓘ |
| hasNameInGerman | Erlkönig NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | later gothic and dark fantasy portrayals of child-stealing spirits ⓘ |
| languageOfCanonicalName | German ⓘ |
| moodAssociation |
dark
ⓘ
gothic ⓘ sinister ⓘ |
| notableDepictionIn |
Angela Carter's short story "The Erl-King"
GENERATED
ⓘ
Carl Loewe's setting of "Erlkönig" GENERATED ⓘ Franz Schubert's lied "Erlkönig" GENERATED ⓘ Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst's violin piece "Erlkönig" GENERATED ⓘ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's poem "Erlkönig" GENERATED ⓘ |
| notableTheme | tension between rational explanation and supernatural belief ⓘ |
| originatesFrom | adaptation of Danish ballad "Elveskud" ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
death personification
ⓘ
elves ⓘ fairy lore ⓘ forest spirits ⓘ |
| symbolism |
seductive danger
ⓘ
threat to childhood innocence ⓘ unseen supernatural menace ⓘ |
| typicalRole |
child-snatching figure
ⓘ
death omen ⓘ malevolent spirit ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.