Erlkönig
The Erlkönig (Erl-King) is a sinister figure from German and Danish folklore, most famously immortalized in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1782 ballad Erlkönig and later set to music by Franz Schubert. The name is a mistranslation of the Danish ellerkonge (elf-king), which German translators confused with Erle (alder tree), literally creating king of the alders. In the ballad, the Erlkönig is a supernatural entity who appears to a dying child, offering him beautiful games, flowers, and the company of his daughters. The father, riding desperately through the night with his sick son in his arms, c