According to the WOMBAT test, it is possible that house-elves have an average life expectancy of 200 years, cannot be ordered to kill themselves, breed infrequently and only with their master's permission, can override wizard enchantments, and have an allegiance to their home rather than its inhabitants.
Responding to a fan's question of what happened to him after the Harry Potter books ended, Rowling replied with the sad – and actually quite blunt – news that he had passed away. “He died, aged 666” she wrote. Oh. We always thought the Black family's House Elf actually looked older, anyway.
Many house elves did not want to be freed andfor the most part they felt that their only duty in life was to serve those who owned them. They did however, have the opportunity to be freed only if their owner gifted them an article of clothing. This is how we see Dobby freed by Harry in a trick on the Malfoy family.
House elves, even if they don't know it, are very much a proletariat. House elves do not get paid for their work, very much like human housewives.
House-elves can only acquire freedom if they are presented with a gift from their master in the form of clothing, such as a sock (Rowling Chamber 187, 356-7).
The elf can be purchased as a toy to be used by parents in the Elf on the Shelf tradition and ensure their kids are earning their place on the nice list. Here are some simple rules to be aware of when carrying out the Christmas tradition.
Are grown-ups allowed to intervene? Santa advises that no family member touch their Elf on the Shelf, but he does describe a few rare instances when an adult may use tongs or potholders to help an elf in an urgent situation.
Many times when the elves leave they leave a good bye letter or sometimes a tiny gift.
The house-elf is so intensely loyal to their master that they will not allow themselves to be set free unless the master presents them with clothes. To symbolise this, they usually wear makeshift clothes made with found objects such as pillowcases and rags.
Santa and his team make about 500 million toys every year. So, doing some simple calculations, if the 90,000 elves have to make 500 million toys, that's about 5,500 toys per elf. That means they each make less than 20 toys a day (taking into account the really long holidays they get in Spring).
But sometimes wizards aren't so kind, yet house-elves are still loyal to a fault. Before Dobby gets his freedom, he is stuck with the Malfoy family, and when he disobeys orders, he's compelled to hurt himself. Many house-elves are oppressed, despite the Ministry of Magic's Elvish Legislation.
Because they are uneducated creatures, like many women were; the best house elves are those who are unseen (and have no room of their own); house elves do not have surnames because they are owned (even in empowering societies today, women more often than not adopt their husband's surnames) and do not have history of ...
House elves also resemble brownies in appearance, being small, but they have larger heads and large, bat-like ears. Rowling's books also include boggarts, which are sometimes traditionally described as brownies turned malevolent.
Kreacher was mistreated by Sirius for many years because of this. Kreacher used words to retaliate, though Sirius didn't care. He was convinced that as evil and accursed the creature might be, he was harmless.
His loyalty and undying love for his master, Regulus Black, is what brings him over to the side of good, and he becomes a helpful and fervently loyal friend to Harry.
Under master Harry Potter (1996–1998)
Kreacher disliked Harry at the time, and only followed his orders because he had to.
According to the WOMBAT test, it is possible that house-elves have an average life expectancy of 200 years, cannot be ordered to kill themselves, breed infrequently and only with their master's permission, can override wizard enchantments, and have an allegiance to their home rather than its inhabitants.
After you pick a boy or girl elf, Santa will send your new helper straight to your home.
Per official Elf on the Shelf lore, a touched Scout Elf loses their magic. Learning this fact could leave your kids spiraling down an endless rabbit hole of unwanted outcomes — ending up on the naughty list and Christmas being cancelled being their chief concerns, according to my own kids.
We like to make Christmas themed treats and do a breakfast or lunch party since we have Christmas Eve dinner. Give the Elf a Hug. While normally this is not ok and the elf will lose his magic, Santa gives special permission on Christmas Eve for the kids to hug their elves good bye. Make an Elf Memory Scrapbook.
By age eight, kids begin to acknowledge the unlikeliness of one man travelling the world in a single night. The good news? If you started the tradition of Elf on the Shelf in your household, you can likely send the elf into early retirement around your child's eighth Christmas.
Elves need to wait until everyone is asleep before they can move around. If there was too much activity around the house last night, perhaps your elf only had time to get to the North Pole and back, but not enough time to find a new position. Make sure you get to bed early tonight to help them out!
An elf does not want to report a child's bad behavior to Santa. Instead of reporting naughty behavior, they will stay in their spot for a few days until there is something nice to report to Santa. If you want your elf to move, you better be good!