Elfchen, An Easy Guide to a Magical Poetry Form.
- CoraLynn
- Dec 5
- 4 min read
The Magic of an Elfchen. An easy guide to writing this magical poetry form.
When people think about poetry, they often imagine long and complex verses. Or perhaps a haiku, which is small in form, but still demands a syllable count. But have you ever heard of the tiny treasure called an Elfchen or an Elevenie? An elfchen is a small poetic form that is simple, creative, and surprisingly powerful. A perfect place to start when you want to explore and experiment with a new poetry form.
What is an Elfchen?
“Elfchen” is German for “little eleven,” and that quite literally is because an Elfchen poem is made up of only eleven words. Hence, the form is also known as an Elevenie in English.
But despite its small size, the elfchen encourages creativity, clarity, and emotional expression.
An Elfchen exists out of 5 lines with a fixed number of words on each.
Line 1: 1 word
Line 2: 2 words
Line 3: 3 words
Line 4: 4 words
Line5: 1 word
Now, there is more to this form than just counting words. A good Elfchen should be expressive, surprising, and meaningful. It should evoke emotions by only using those eleven words. Let me explain to you how we can add that depth to your Elfchen.
How to write an Elfchen?
Step 1: Start with a seed word
We start off with a single word. This word will be the topic of your elfchen. This can be an image, a feeling, a color, or even a season. (moonlight, silence, courage, winter)
Step 2: Expand the image
Line 2 should add two words that are connected to your first word to expand the image or feeling.
It begins to set the scene you are about to create.
Step 3: Add movement, development, or place
Line 3 adds 3 more words and deepens the poem by adding a place, a shift, a growth, or something unfolding. It causes action or movement to happen in your poem.
Step 4: Create meaning
Line 4 is the longest line in the poem, and it opens the freedom to add your own reflection, thoughts, or feelings on the subject. It can introduce a surprise, a contrast, or a metaphor that offers a deeper meaning.
Step 5: Conclusion
Line 5 is one word again. And that one word ties the entire poem together. It is the final feeling, conclusion, or essence of the poem. It causes us to reflect back to that first word at the start of the Elfchen.
Example written by CoraLynn.poetry
Snow
soft surrender
blankets the earth,
sleep settles under stars.
Rest
Consider an elfchen like a word puzzle, and when you find the right word, all the others will find their perfect place inside the poem.
Different forms of elfchen
A reversed elfchen
A reversed elfchen flips the original eleven-word structure and creates a 1-4-3-2-1 word structure instead. It starts with the topic word and ends with the conclusion, similar to the original elfchen, but offers a different flow with the middle lines. Letting you expand on the theme before contracting down towards the conclusion.
Example written by CoraLynn.poetry
Tree
Decorated in bright lights
tiny miracles sparkle
with everlasting
hope
Double elfchen
A double elfchen typically means writing two elfchen poems and connecting them by using the last word from the first elfchen as the first word for the second elfchen. By doing so, you can offer a longer poem or even add more depth to the scene you have created in the first elfchen.
Remember that the last word from the first elfchen then becomes the focus for the second elfchen.
The original structure of the elfchen remains the same, but when connected, they hold this structure:
1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-1
By repeating the link between the last and first word of the elfchen, you can create an entire chain of small poems to become one long-form poem. Stretching your creativity even more.
Easy tips to write a good elfchen poem
Don’t overthink it. An Elfchen thrives on simplicity.
Play with imagery. Let your senses guide you through the writing process.
Focus on a single moment or idea. Short poems speak the loudest when they center around one idea.
Try writing different Elfchen on the same topic and notice how the meaning shifts in each one.
Use them as small creative moments in your daily journaling. One word from that day can become the start of an entire poem.
My thoughts
The Elfchen shows us that poetry does not have to be intimidating or lengthy to be meaningful or impactful. With just eleven words, an entire scene can play out. It can shift one's view on a tiny moment in life. I especially love writing elfchen in winter. Because they have the power to offer us a small window of magic in just eleven words. So I hope next time you are looking for a small creative spark, you will give an Elfchen a chance. You might be amazed at how much magic fits into such a small form.
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Thank you so much for being here! I appreciate all of your support on this creative journey with my blog!
All my love,
CoraLynn
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