Elf vs Redcap - What's the difference?
elf | redcap |
(Norse mythology) A luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy.
* Shakespeare
Any from a race of mythical, supernatural beings resembling but seen as distinct from human beings. Usually skilled in magic or spellcrafting; sometimes depicted as clashing with dwarves, especially in modern fantasy literature.
(fantasy) Any of the magical, typically forest-guarding races bearing some similarities to the Norse (through Tolkien's Eldar)
A very diminutive person; a dwarf.
(British) A member of the a unit in the British army.
(US) A porter in a US railway station. [Etymology: On Labor Day, 1890, John Williams,http://books.google.com/books?ei=V1bcTpm-O-Lq0QHEte3fAw&ct=result&hl=ja&id=WHzVAAAAMAAJ&dq=redcap+%22john+williams%22+%22grand+central%22&q=%22labor+day+1890#search_anchor an African-American railway porter, tied a red ribbon to his black uniform cap to stand out from the crowd at Grand Central Terminal. The strategy was so successful that it was soon adopted by others in the profession, leading to the synecdochic use of redcap as a term for all railway porters.http://books.google.com/books?id=8RPgI6EhRvwC&pg=PA237&lpg=PA237&dq=labor+day+1890+redcap&source=bl&ots=J6v2CDobyh&sig=wBsckjrusteNyAs1WDPzM3czCD4&hl=ja&ei=wlbcTvySOYXx0gHJstAe&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false]
(British, archaic) The European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis ).
(British, folklore) A type of evil goblin or imp
* 1876: Porter & Coates (pub.) ,
* 1890: Joseph Jacobs,
* 2002: Cecilia Dart-Thornton, The Ill-Made Mute: The Bitterbynde [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0446610801&id=htuFPpu6NoEC&pg=PA453&lpg=PA453&dq=redcap+goblin&sig=uM3txbLAAyZm8Ukii0ma_9wzsKM&hl=en]
A breed of poultry. See red cap.
As nouns the difference between elf and redcap
is that elf is a luminous spirit presiding over nature and fertility and dwelling in the world of Álfheim (Elfland). Compare angel, nymph, fairy while redcap is a member of the Royal Military Police a unit in the British army.As an initialism ELF
is initialism of w:Earth Liberation Front|Earth Liberation Front|lang=en a radical environmentalism group.elf
English
Noun
(elves) (wikipedia elf)- Every elf , and fairy sprite, / Hop as light as bird from brier.
Derived terms
* elfin * elfinwood * elfish * Elfland * elflock * elven * elvish * light elves * dark elvesSee also
* fay * fairy * brownie * dwarf * hobbitReferences
* Marshall Jones Company (1930). Mythology of All Races'' Series, Volume 2 ''Eddic , Great Britain: Marshall Jones Company, 1930, pp. 220-221.Anagrams
* English nouns with irregular plurals ----redcap
English
Alternative forms
* red cap * red-capNoun
(en noun)Reliques of Ancient English Poetry
- Lord Soulis he sat in Hermitage Castle,
- And beside him Old Redcap sly; --
- "Now, tell me, thou sprite, who are meikle of might,
- The death that I must die?"
English Fairy Tales
- "What's a Brownie?" you say. Oh, it's a kind of a sort of a Bogle, but it isn't so cruel as a Redcap'! What! you don't know what's a Bogle or a ' Redcap !
- ...the goblin had aroused the mercenary's ire. This seemed to bring out a formidable and hitherto unrecognized talent in the taciturn young man.
- "Why cam' ye by my door?" The redcap brandished his pikestaff menacingly.
- Redcap - A malevolent goblin easily distinguishable by their namesake red cap, fiery red eyes, claws and iron boots. They often appear as little old men, but can run very fast despite the boots. They reside in castles and watchtowers along the English-Scottish border, but will move their residence to avoid detection. They have sharp eagle’s talons which they use for weapons, but can easily be repelled simply by reading holy verse. [http://www.vf11.com/legendsofvalhal/legendsofvalhal-post-814.html]