Elves (Hilda)

Elves are a race of tiny humanoid creatures that appear in the Hilda graphic novels and Netflix animated series. These beings live similarly to humans, but usually avoid being seen by humans and any other creatures. They conceal themselves and their territories magically, only allowing others to see them if they fill out the appropriate paperwork.

Appearance
Unlike elves of Germanic mythology, the elves of Hilda are absolutely tiny compared to humans, being roughly a centimetre in height. They have white skin, varying styles and colours of hair, and have pointed ears. They also have thin arms and legs without hands or feet, making them look like simple stick figures. Elves wear a variety of clothing and armour, varying from village to village and from one hierarchical position to another. Some Elves have beards or moustaches, but most are clean-shaven.

Villages
Elves live in villages, usually situated in the middle of any land they chose to colonize and erect a village upon. Elf houses look just like human houses in design. Like with humans, the higher ranking elves live in bigger buildings. The king has a palace for example. Villages, in turn, are part of counties.

Government
Elves have been ruled by a king since the start of their civilization. The king is supported by a government lead by a Prime Minister, who is elected democratically. It's not known how long a prime minister stays in the office before new elections are held. Elf villages are governed by a mayor.

Paperwork
The entirety of the elvish civilization is built upon the utilization of contracts and other paperwork. Any decision or deal made within a village or even between villages, whether it is between members of the bourgeoisie or simple peasants, or with any other outside creature, is made by redacting and signing a large amount of various contracts. The only known exception to this rule are the elves of the Bragga Family.

In the time of the first elves, contracts were even more important than today, to the point that presenting an incomplete contract to the king was reason enough to be exiled. While the rules have become less strict over time, paperwork remains an essential part of elf culture.

The only known way to get out of a signed contract with an Elf is by having the contract destroyed by a Lindworm.

Email
In the animated series, the elves have their own postal system called Email or Elf Mail, which covers the entire area from the wilderness to Trolberg. Email is a highly efficient system, that makes use of pneumatic tube transport, and couriers riding on rabbits, birds and squirrels to deliver any letter within a few hours after posting. Even without a complete postal address, this service is somehow still able to deliver letters to wherever they are meant to go.

Interaction with other species
Elves typically only interact with other creatures when said creatures have signed the appropriate paperwork. To anyone who hasn't signed a contract, elves and their villages are normally invisible and exist out of phase with the rest of the world, thus cannot be touched. However, elves can still be heard and interacted with by the outside world on some level, as evidenced when an army of elves invaded Hilda and Johanna's house in the wilderness and demanded that they vacate the premises.

While elf society thrives on the use of paperwork, many other creatures find it bothersome, largely due to the fact that elves and their contracts are so small that reading or signing said paperwork properly can be exceedingly difficult.