Editing Elf (section)

=== Asia and Oceania ===

Some scholarship draws parallels between the Arabian tradition of ''[[jinn]]'' with the elves of medieval Germanic-language cultures.<ref>E.g. Rossella Carnevali and Alice Masillo, '[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.466.4523&rep=rep1&type=pdf#page=103 A Brief History of Psychiatry in Islamic World]', ''Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine'', 6–7 (2007–8) 97–101 (p. 97); David Frankfurter, ''Christianizing Egypt: Syncretism and Local Worlds in Late Antiquity'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018), p. 50.</ref> Some of the comparisons are quite precise: for example, the root of the word ''jinn'' was used in medieval Arabic terms for madness and possession in similar ways to the Old English word ''ylfig'',<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Tzeferakos | first1 = Georgios A. | last2 = Douzenis | first2 = Athanasios I. | year = 2017| title = Islam, Mental Health and Law: A General Overview | journal = Annals of General Psychiatry | volume = 16 | page = 28 | doi = 10.1186/s12991-017-0150-6 | pmid = 28694841 | pmc = 5498891 | doi-access = free }}</ref> which was derived from ''elf'' and also denoted prophetic states of mind implicitly associated with elfish possession.{{sfnp|Hall|2006|p=242}}

Khmer culture in Cambodia includes the ''[[Mrenh kongveal]]'', elfish beings associated with guarding animals.{{sfnp|Harris|2005|p=59}}

In the Philippines, elves are collectively known as [[Engkanto]] but are known by various names across different native languages. They are believed to inhabit large trees like the dalakit and kalumpang, which are thought to be their mansions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aguilar |first=Filomeno V. |title=Clash of spirits: the history of power and sugar planter hegemony on a Visayan island |date=2010 |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |isbn=978-0-8248-2082-4 |location=Honolulu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=VanRheenen |first=Gailyn |title=Contextualization and Syncretism: Navigating Cultural Currents |date=2006 |publisher=William Carey Publishing |isbn=978-0-87808-387-9 |series=Evangelical Missiological Society Ser |location=Pasadena}}</ref> Filipinos respect these beings, seeking permission before picking fruit or cutting trees. Elves can cause mischief, such as throwing dust into trespassers’ eyes or causing illness. Some, like the kiba-an, steal hair or food but can be warded off through rituals.Legends tell of tall, fair-skinned [[Dalaketnon|dalakitnon]] elves who blend with humans<ref>{{Citation |title=Ramos-López, Maximo |date=2011-10-31 |work=Benezit Dictionary of Artists |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00148677 |access-date=2025-03-17 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> Engkanto are mystical spirits in Filipino folklore that can take human or animal form. They are linked to ancestors, nature spirits, and mythical beings like elves and sirens. The term comes from the Spanish ''encanto'' (enchantment), used to describe the diverse supernatural entities in the Philippines.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Demetrio |first=Francisco |date=1969 |title=The Engkanto Belief: An Essay in Interpretation |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1177781?origin=crossref |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=77 |doi=10.2307/1177781}}</ref> Some Engkanto live independently and interact with humans, even becoming spirit guides (''abyan''). They can befriend or harm people—bringing luck, madness, or illness. They are believed to dwell in nature, especially large trees like the '''[[Balete tree|balete]]''', and sometimes take humans as lovers, leading to legends of unusual births.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Reyes |first=Jun Cruz |date=2022-12-31 |title=ANG PAGHAHANAP SA MGA PUTOL-PUTOL NA NARATIBO, O KUNG BAKIT MAHALAGANG BUUIN ANG MGA MUMUNTING KASAYSAYAN |url=https://doi.org/10.70922/ppsdk746 |journal=Entrada |doi=10.70922/ppsdk746 |issn=2362-9045}}</ref> Engkanto vary in appearance, with some being strikingly beautiful, having fair skin, blue eyes, or golden hair, while others appear eerie or monstrous. Some, like the '''itim na engkanto''', are malevolent and stalk humans. They can lead travelers astray, cause fevers, or even abduct people. To ward them off, Filipinos carry protective charms called ''anting-anting'' or ''[[agimat]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ramos |first=Maximo D. |title=Creatures of Philippine lower mythology |date=1990 |publisher=Phoenix Publishing House |isbn=978-971-06-0691-7 |location=Quezon City, Philippines}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Demetrio |first=Francisco |date=1969 |title=The Engkanto Belief: An Essay in Interpretation |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1177781?origin=crossref |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=77 |doi=10.2307/1177781}}</ref>
In the animistic precolonial beliefs of the [[Philippines]], the world can be divided into the material world and the spirit world. All objects, animate or inanimate, have a spirit called ''(''[[anito|diwa]]'')''. Non-human ''diwa'' are known as ''[[anito#Diwata Nature spirits and deities|diwata]]'', usually euphemistically referred to as ''dili ingon nato'' ('those unlike us'). They inhabit natural features like mountains, forests, old trees, caves, reefs, etc., as well as personify abstract concepts and natural phenomena. They are similar to elves in that they can be helpful or hateful but are usually indifferent to mortals. They can be mischievous and cause unintentional harm to humans, but they can also deliberately cause illnesses and misfortunes when disrespected or angered. Spanish colonizers equated them with elves and fairy folklore.<ref name="Scott1994">{{cite book|last= Scott |first=William Henry |author-link=William Henry Scott (historian) |title=Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press |date=1994 |location=Quezon City |isbn=978-971-550-135-4 }}</ref>

[[Orang bunian]] are supernatural beings in [[Malay folklore|Malaysian, Bruneian]] and [[Mythology of Indonesia|Indonesian folklore]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9s9bgIXJKk4C&q=bunian+human+social+structures&pg=PA202 |title=Muslims and Matriarchs: Cultural Resilience in Indonesia Through Jihad and ... By Jeffrey Hadler |date= 2008-10-09|access-date=2012-06-23|isbn=9780801446979 |last1=Hadler |first1=Jeffrey |publisher=Cornell University Press }}</ref> invisible to most humans except those with spiritual sight. While the term is often translated as "elves", it literally translates to "hidden people" or "whistling people". Their appearance is nearly identical to humans dressed in an ancient [[Southeast Asia]]n style.

In Māori culture, [[Patupaiarehe]] are beings similar to European elves and fairies.<ref>{{cite book|author=Cowan, James|author-link=James Cowan (New Zealand writer)|year=1925 |title=Fairy Folk Tales of the Maori |publisher=[[Whitcombe and Tombs]] |location=New Zealand |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-CowFair.html}}</ref>