I enjoyed all three versions of this poem as well as Rammstein's version. Goethe's version of the poem differed from the first two in that it changed the characters from Sir Oluf to a father and his son. He also changed the circumstances in the poem by having the Elfking call out to the child and tell him that his daughters would take care of him instead of the Elfking's daughter attempting to seduce Sir Oluf the day before his wedding. Another difference I noticed is that the first two versions seem to be about seduction whereas Goethe's version is about the Elfking wanting to steal the boy away from his father. I do not believe the Elfking is trying to seduce the young boy.
In both poems, the main character, either the boy or Sir Oluf die at the hands of the Elfking or the Elfking's daughter. Also, in all three versions, the main character is traveling through the woods and resists being seduced or taken and is instead killed by force.
Rammstein's lyrics were very intriguing. I was very interested when reading them and found a lot of links to Goethe's interpretation of the poem. In both poems, a boy and his father are traveling to their home. The young boy in both stories is also the character that hears or feels the call of the Elfking or God. In the Goethe poem, the father doesn't believe him throughout the poem and finally does when he notices the agony of his son and hurries home. He could have killed him as he clutched him to his chest as he rode. In the Rammstein lyrics the son claims that the thunder and turbulance on the plane is God calling him to be with him. The father seems scared and wants to protect his child. He clutches the child to his chest but doesn't realize he is suffocating him and accidentally kills him. I find many similarities here and think that this is just a contemporary version of the poem with contemporary fears.
Past fear: riding in the woods and spirits
Contemporary fear: flying and God
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Tiffany Pope
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