Faeryday: Is the Alder King a child rapist/killer? + Bonus Videos

Fresco by Carl Gottlieb Peschel for the ballad "Erlkönig" by Goethe, in the Belvedere Schöne Höhe, Saxony, Germany. Source.

Hey there! How are you feeling today, pornies? I promise I will try to stop a bit with these Alder King entries for a while, hehe. He's becoming a fascinating figure as the days go by. If it's the first time you're reading my ideas about this Faery King, here are the previous entries on the matter:

Something we need to work with now and then, when getting familiar with a deity or spirit of some kind is that they are far from perfect. The Alder King is no exception to the rule. When I was reading about Him on the German version of Wikipedia (Blessed be Google translator), I found some theories about the poem, which are not surprising if we read this part:

"I love you, your beautiful form excites me;
And if you're not willing, then I will use force." –
My father, my father, he's touching me now!
The Elf-king has done me harm! –

Lautmann (2011) says He represents a rapist, while Reddemann (2005. pp: 13) says He represents an abusive father:

The Elf, called Erlkönig here, and his daughters represent seduction. The homosexual seduction is also hidden by the fact that Erlkönig's daughters are brought into play.
As in nightmares of victims of sexual violence seeking psychotherapy, the perpetrator could be symbolically disguised so that we are faced with a puzzle as to who it is, and even the dreamer could be faced with a puzzle. Has this really happened to him, is it a bad dream?
Does this also show that the perpetrators often tell their victims that you are imagining it, so that they make the victims believe that everything is just a "bad dream"?
From nightmares alone one should not draw conclusions about something actually happened, but we need more information about the dreaming person and their story.

It looks pretty rational to me. However, if we take folklore into account, and that there is always the possibility to negotiate, as Daimler (2018, pp. 36-37) reminds us:

Whatever happens, even when dealing with the most powerful beings in Fairy, never forget that you have the ability to negotiate. (...) Don’t ever be afraid to negotiate and don’t ever be afraid to say no. You can make counteroffers of other things, and ultimately you can decide to just walk away from the deal all together.

Also, we are told that we should always "ask what the cost is and remember that negotiation is always an option" (Daimler, 2018, pp. 8) "even with the Fairy Queen" (Daimler, 2018, 148). Also, we should take into account that fairies "are masters of semantics and very skilled at manipulating with words. Caution must be taken when interacting with spirits not to assume that what they say has a simple or straightforward meaning." (Daimler, 2016, pp. 51-52).

If we take the poem literally and assume the Alder King wants to rape the child, does this mean it is the boy's or the father's fault? Not really, because it seems like they didn't know negotiation was possible, and never asked what the Alder King wanted to do with or to the boy. So is the King bad? Not really, either, because fairies use their glamour "often to kidnap a desired person or sometimes to get a person to do what the fairies wanted." (Daimler, 2018, pp. 178).

Finally, since "they use human women and babies to increase their own numbers, being fond of taking brides as well as unusually beautiful or pleasant children and infants." (Daimler, 2016, pp. 76), it's entirely possible this was what the King wanted the boy for. While he may be queer, it could be possible he was doing exactly this but played with the semantics.

This leaves us with a word of caution: Always, always, always remember to negotiate and ask for the details, the keep your mind open and that they are never straightforward in what they say. I think this situation would have given the boy control over the Alder King's actions at some degree. He would have had the final word, but the boy could have influenced the outcome to his favor in some way.

As for the good dad and bad dad idea, it would reflect the fairies' moral code. They don't guide their actions according to what's good or evil to us, but to their own, and that leaves us in disadvantage when dealing with them. For all we know, even the daughters mentioned in the poem could be an illusion or something similar, for the King could assume the boy is straight.

What do you think about this? But before (or while or after) you give this some thought, enjoy this animation by Małgorzata Miklaszewska as a M.A. graduation project, with music by Marek Kuczyński. The making of details, offer more insight into this fascinating version of the tale. The images at the end would make beautiful wallpapers, if you ask me!

Bonus videos: Franz Schubert's Erlkönig compossition was covered in three different genres, and I liked them a lot. I'm leaving the original first, with a video by Oxford Lieder, for your reference, although I liked it as well for its Gothic charm and gloom. After that, my favorite is David Garrett's version. Which one do you like the most?