Dwarfs, Elves, Orcs, Wizards, Fairies etc where did they come from??

Question

Where did all the fantasy and mythical legends originaly come from? Is there any truth to any of them?

Answer 1

Faeries came from the Celtic Folklore and included many magical creatures such as Brownies, Leprechauns, Dryads, Fauns, Centaurs, etc. The ancient Celts lived on the Isle of Britain which was largely covered in mist, which made the dark, unknown places seem mystical and foreboding. Druids were a religious sect that studied nature and feared these creatures.

Dwarves, Elves, and Orcs were from the Norse (scandinavian) and Germanic mythologies. Elves were similar to faeries and were small, devilish-looking tricksters. Dwarves lived in the mountains and among the stones, hording gold and riches deep under the earth. Orcs/Ogres were simply barbarians that did not even act human. Most were cannibals that raided and pillaged.

As for wizards/sorcerers they were from the Eastern mythologies. Indian/Ancient middle eastern mythologies told of men who had achieved great knowledge and live on the earth. Not all were "evil" but most were not to be trusted.

Druids were a real religious group back in England/Ireland. Wizards and Sorcerers were based off of people like the "three wise men" in the Bible. Orcs/Ogres were told from stories of battles against Germanic/Norse tribes that were fiercely savage. None of the other groups were real.

Any modern portrayal of these mythological creatures is so drastically altered from the original intent. While many find fantasy to be fun, the original stories were told to scare people into behaving. Elves and Faeries were very wicked and not nice to humans at all.