Alfar

Norse Alfar (elves) were supernatural beings of ambiguous nature, often associated with beauty, fertility, and light, or, conversely, with darkness, illness, and the dead.  They could be benevolent or malevolent, sometimes linked to the gods (especially Freyr) and dwelling in Alfheimr, or residing in burial mounds as revered ancestors.  The distinction between “light elves” (Ljosalfar) and “dark elves” (Dokkalfar) is primarily from later sources.