elves: Indic counterpart?

[jkirk]

How about _gana_s? As in followers of Shiva? They are always
represented in art as short, fat, and roly-poly, as well as a bit ugly.
Joanna Kirkpatrick
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Allen W Thrasher" <athr at LOC.GOV>
To: <INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk>
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2005 5:43 PM
Subject: elves: Indic counterpart?


> A Thai friend is trying to translate the poem on the Ring in the Lord of
> the Rings into Thai, for a multilingual page of such translations.  She
> asked me for help on what would be a good translation for "elves," since
> Thai lore of supernatural beings is largely based on Indian.  The only
> thing I could think of was gandharvas, since they are beautiful,
> elegants, and sprightly, but they are erotic in a way in which elves (at
> least Tolkien's) aren't. I am inclined to think there really isn't
> anything much like elves, either Tolkien's or others'.  But does anyone
> have any ideas?
>
> Allen
>
> Allen W. Thrasher, Ph.D.
> Senior Reference Librarian
> Southern Asia Section
> Asian Division
> Library of Congress
> Jefferson Building 150
> 101 Independence Ave., S.E.
> Washington, DC 20540-4810
> tel. 202-707-3732
> fax 202-707-1724
> athr at loc.gov
> The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Library
> of Congress.
>