erlking

See also: erl-king

English

Alternative forms

• Erlking, erl-king

Etymology

Partial calque of German Erlkönig (literally “alder-king”), a mistranslation of Danish ellerkonge (“king of the elves”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɜːlkɪŋ/

Noun

erlking (plural erlkings)

1. (European folklore) In German literature and modern folklore, a malicious elf or spirit who preys on children.
   • 1962, Charles Kinbote [pseudonym; Vladimir Nabokov], Pale Fire, New York, N.Y.: Berkley Books, published November 1985, →ISBN:

     This line, and indeed the whole passage (lines 653-664), allude to the well-known poem by Goethe about the erlking, hoary enchanter of the elf-haunted alderwood, who falls in love with the delicate little boy of a belated traveler.

   • 2010, Rachel Billington, The Missing Boy‎^[1], Hachette, →ISBN:

     So easy for one young son to be swallowed up in a world teeming with Erlkings, real and imagined.

   • 2012, ミラクルミュージカル (lyrics and music), “Murders”, in Hawaii: Part II:

     He was in the forest looking to see the trees / But none were there / He found a girl / She found the erlking

   • 2018 October 22, Carol Rumens, “Poem of the week: Three Poetesses by Kristín Ómarsdóttir”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     By now, he seems less a cartoon character than some contemporary Erlking, the malicious spirit made famous by Goethe (and Schubert) but found originally in a Danish ballad.

Translations

erlking

• Catalan: rei dels verns m
• French: roi des aulnes m
• German: Erlkönig (de) m
• Volapük: laläfahireg

Anagrams

• Klinger, kringle