Elves have seemingly existed alongside the rise of human civilization. Many popular stories and tales make their presence integral, meddling in human affairs. From Santa Claus to the Lord of the Rings, Elves capture our imaginations.

Existence of Winged Elves

Elves are a part of the wee folk in the Fairy Realms and are as diminutive and mischievous as their Fairy, Sprite, and Pixie counterparts. Human beings have depicted them in various ways throughout the centuries, so it begs the question: Do Elves have wings?

Many people argue that elves don’t have wings and are adamant about this opinion. But this reveals a lack of understanding in literature and history. So, yes, contrary to what many may believe, some species of Elves do have wings, but most do not.

Examples in Literature

An ode by William Collins in 1750 describes a winged elf brandishing a bow and arrow.  He mentions this tiny being as having associations with fate, ewes, and heifers. JRR Tolkien’s elves, although distinct from fairies, also have wings. 

Shakespeare depicted these precious creatures with wings in a “Midsummer Night’s Dream” where they flitted and played around flowers.

The character Puck in the same story is something of a mix between a pixie and an elf who has wings.

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, “The Elf of the Rose,” portrays a spritish elf who has a large set of wings, with a wingspan that stretches down to his feet from his shoulders.

Modern Role Playing Games (RPGs)

Modern role-playing games incorporate various types of elves, some of which have wings. Many people may be familiar with the winged elf from Dungeons and Dragons named Avariel. But modern RPGs like “Tribality” and “Perfect World” have created a whole backstory around races of winged elves.

General RPG Depictions

In general, winged Elves sometimes called “wind Elves,” have hollow bones and large feathery appendages. This allows for ease in flying. They don’t usually wear heavy armor because it’s too heavy and inhibits taking to the air.

They usually use bows and arrows along with light swords as part of their weaponry arsenal. Many take professions as magicians or bards with the ability to defeat enemies with their sweet songs.

They often live in the higher areas of the earth, like mountain tops. This is why many people have the mistaken belief that Elves don’t have wings, because no one has seen one in centuries.

Ancient Judaism | Demonology

But winged elves are not a new phenomenon. You can trace them back to ancient Jewish mythology and demonology. The Mazikeen, or Shedeem, is one type of elf-like creature with wings.  They prefer to remain invisible, create havoc for humans with an image of and association with evil.

They descended from Adam after eating from the Tree of Life, leaving terror and maleficence to all who encounter their path.

These beings of the air take on the characteristics of angels and humans at the same time, thereby making them a hybrid.

They eat, have children, and die but they have psychic powers, can materialize at will and, of course, fly because they have wings.

A Wicked Man

One story relates how a man, known to be rather wicked, heard a boom at his front door. But upon peering out, he saw no one.

The only thing there was a donkey underneath a nearby tree. Because the strange experience shook him to the core, the man jumped on the donkey and rode with great speed.

During the journey, the donkey grew and grew and grew. It grew so tall that it was level with the steeple of the tallest building in town.

The donkey bucked the man off and left him there like a weathervane.  The townspeople claimed the creature was a Mazikeen.

Final Thoughts

It’s the secrecy and invisibility of winged elves that make it difficult to find credible information about them. But if you could hide from the cruel and destructive world of humans, wouldn’t you?

Anyone who says Elves don’t have wings simply lacks an informative imagination. Yes, they are very rare but they do exist in the mythical and mystical worlds of dreams and fantasy.