Vibwengo (Elves)

Kibwengo (Elf)

Kibwengo ni aina ya kiumbe kisicho cha ulimwengu ambacho huhusika sana katika hadithi za kitamaduni za Kiingereza na Kiskandinavia. Wao huwa na nguvu za kichawi na ni vigeugeu na watundu katika mambo ya kibinadamu. Neno “vibwengo” wakati mwingine hutumika kwa istilahi ya jumla ya kurejelea vichimbakazi. Vibwengo husawiriwa kama vijana ambao waliacha kukua wakati wa kubalehe na baada ya hapo huwa hawazeeki. Vibwengo hutofautiana kwa ukubwa kuanzia 4’10’’ hadi 5’8’’. Kwa kuwaangalia tu, ni vigumu kujua jinsia ya kibwengo. Jinsia zote huwa na macho ya kuonyesha hisia, masikio yenye ncha kali na madume huwa hawana nywele usoni. Wakati vibwengo wanazidi kuzeeka, wao huwa na hekima zaidi na hisia zao huwa kali zaidi. Vibwengo wanaweza kuishi kutoka miaka 100 hadi zaidi ya miaka 1000. Katika hadithi za Kiswahili, kibwengo ni pepo mdogo mbaya wa baharini anayeaminika kucheza na wavuvi wanaovua samaki usiku. Tahajia ya kwanza sanifu ya kuandika lugha za Vibwengo iliundwa miaka ya 1900 na J.R.R. Tolkien.

An elf is a type of supernatural being, prominently featuring in traditional British and Scandinavian folklore. They usually have magical powers and are capricious and mischievous in human affairs. The word “elves” is sometimes used as a general term for fairies. Elves are depicted as youths who stop growth at puberty and never age thereafter. Elves vary in size from 4’10” to 5’8”. At a glance, it is hard to discern an elf’s sex. Both sexes have big expressive eyes, pointy ears and the males lack facial hair. As elves get older they get wiser and their senses become sharper. Elves can live from 100 to over 1000 years. In Swahili folklore, the elf is an evil diminutive sea-spirit that is believed to play with fishermen who are fishing at night. The first orthographic standard for writing Elven languages was constructed in the early 1900s by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Kibwengo wa Krismasi (Christmas elf)
Vibwengo wa Krismasi (Christmas elves)

Vibwengo wa Krismasi ni spishi ndogo ya vibwengo wenye umbilikimo wanaopatikana sehemu za Aktiki, hasa Ncha ya Kaskazini. Wao hutengeza wanasesere katika karakana kama wasaidizi wa Baba Krismasi. Wana masikio yenye ncha kali na huvalia rangi ya kijani na nyekundu na sio warefu kuliko vibete.

Christmas elves are a subspecies of elves with dwarfism located in the Arctic regions, mainly in the North Pole. They make toys in a workshop as Santa Claus’s helpers. They have pointy ears and wear green and red, and are no taller than dwarfs.

Kibwengo wa Mwanga (Light elf)
Vibwengo wa Mwanga (Light elves)
Kibwengo wa Giza (Dark elf)
Vibwengo wa Giza (Dark elves)

Katika mpito wa wakati, vibwengo wamehamia mahali kwengine duniani na makabila yalipotengana, walipata kubadili sura yao kulingana na mazingira walimokuwepo. Vibwengo wa mwanga ni viumbe wanaopenda amani na mazingira ya asili wenye macho yanayong’aa, nyuso zinazong’aa kuliko jua na nywele ya dhahabu; wanaishi kwenye misitu yenye jua jingi na maziwa yenye miti. Ilhali vibwengo wa giza huwa na ngozi iliyokoza, wenye macho yanayoakisi mwanga na hujihusisha na uchawi weusi; wao huishi kwenye mapango yenye giza na kina kirefu chini ya ardhi.

During the course of time, elves have moved to other places in the world and as the tribes separated, they gained other features by adapting to their local surroundings. Light elves are peaceful, nature-loving creatures with starry eyes, faces brighter than the sun and golden hair; they live in sunny forests and wooded lakes. Whereas, the dark elves are dark-skinned with fluorescent eyes and practice black magic; they live in deep dark underground caves.