In addition to the “elves” and “fairies,” they have many other names: the spirit “sprite”, and the people “Guaf,” and “avisk.” The first person who called these winged creatures “elves” was William Shakespeare in his play Midsummer Night’s Dream and he made a great confusion in the already difficult question about who elves really are. Below is a quote from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream so you may read for yourself how the confusion begun:
“Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere,
Swifter than the moon's sphere;
And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green.
The cowslips tall her pensioners be:
In their gold coats spots