The Erl-King

I believe the tales of the Erl-King, overall are tales of seduction by deception, which happened to involve abduction and murder. There is definitely a connection among the Erl-King tales, Carter’s version of the story, and the “Goblin Market”, as they all involve some form of luring a weak victim through manipulation, deception, and the false promise of something better “on the other side”.

In von Goethe’s and Scott’s versions, the young boy was probably already very ill, which tends to naturally make one more vulnerable in the mind, will, and emotions. His weakened state of mind made him an ideal candidate for seduction by the Erl-King, who seemed to represent some sort of dark death angel in this tale. In addition, the boy was so young and innocent, making him a weak prey. His innocence and lack of numbness to evil, due to lack of exposure and experience with evil, made him more aware of the presence of the evil elf king. He was more sensitive to the presence of evil lurking around him. Whereas, his father, being much older, was numb to the “present evil”, because of life experience, etc. As a result, he was unable to save his son.

Carter’s rendition of the tale is so much more descriptive, that she brings the reader inside the forest with her, to visualize every detail of the experience. I think this tale, as well as the “Goblin Market”, represent much of what happens in real life. We are often enticed by something we have a weakness for, often knowing beforehand that what we’re being tempted by may not be the best choice. Yet, we’re so mesmerized, as the temptation keeps wooing us, drawing us in, until we’re trapped and unable to escape.

Reading these two tales reminded me of the biblical account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden being tempted by the serpent to partake of the forbidden fruit. They knew beforehand that they were not to partake of the fruit of that particular tree. They were, as the Bible states elsewhere, in James 1:14, “drawn away by their own lusts and enticed”. This was the case for both the young woman in Carter’s tale as well as Laura in “Goblin Market”. Laura literally partook of the “forbidden fruit” offered by the goblin men. The woman in Carter’s tale was so mesmerized by all the “pomp and circumstance” of the forest and fascinated by the Erl-King, that she also partook of forbidden fruit, in a figurative sense. Fortunately, in both cases, these young ladies were saved from their destructions. Lizzie put her own safety and willpower on the line to save her sister. The young lady in Carter’s tale was finally able to “snap out of it” and overcome and overpower the Erl-King, thus not only saving herself, but also the other women who had been lured in and transformed into birds.