whats the big deal with elves?

[Jayngfet]

the title says it all, whats th big deal, elves have big ears and contradictory statistics, and yet they're in every piece of fantasy ever made in spirit if not name (faeries of light, faeries of light=high elves/drow) and there are five million kinds of them.

[Solo]

Tolkien. ...

[Collin152]

I blame early europeans.

[SilentNight]

Wrong, one early European who wanted his neighbor's farm. This neighbor happened to have those pointy ears that you sometimes see. Guy says his neighbor is a magical creature and gets him lynched. No one seemed to notice when he moved in two weeks later.

[Saihyol]

I'm a fan of elves, always have been (sorry), but the proliferation is insane.

Tolkien is responsible I suspect for the form of elves we all think of, but he was drawing on older myths.

The seem to represent the balance between the fey (more spirit) and mortals (more flesh). Plus seen as wise, ever living, smart and agile.

Or you can be short with too much hair (Halfings - feet, Dwarves - face).

That said Song of Fire and Ice has none, Gemmell's writing has none, Joe Abercrombe has none, Robbin Hobb has none.

[Half-blood]

Not Tolkien, but A direct Result FROM Tolkien...Legolas. Everyone loves legolas. EVERYONE.

[Suzuro]

Not Tolkien, but A direct Result FROM Tolkien...Legolas. Everyone loves legolas. EVERYONE.

I disagree, my good sir! I have a personal vendetta against Legolas! I dislike him to the bones, ya grok?




-Suzuro

[monty]

Not Tolkien, but A direct Result FROM Tolkien...Legolas. Everyone loves legolas. EVERYONE.

My existence invalidates your claim.

I do not like elves. I like goblins. But I do not like evil goblins. I also like short sentences.

[drengnikrafe]

Not Tolkien, but A direct Result FROM Tolkien...Legolas. Everyone loves legolas. EVERYONE.

I daresay...
Legolas is my second favorite character (right after Gandalf, but only because I love magic more then I love Elves).

However, let's please not turn this into a debate as to what our favorite character, and how all the rest are terrible, ect. I can feel something like that coming on, and those threads get annoying...

[Collin152]

Not Tolkien, but A direct Result FROM Tolkien...Legolas. Everyone loves legolas. EVERYONE.

Correction: Everyone loves Orlando Bloom.

He's more attractive as Will Turner, in my opinion.

[Suzuro]

...I dislike Orlando Bloom more than I like elves.....is it just me or this turning into an "I hate" Thread made for me..?




-Suzuro

[Lord Tataraus]

While Tolkien can't be blamed for creating elves, he can be for creating them as we know them. The many sub-races (Tolkien had 6), the mystical and majestic aura, the romantic yet dying race, etc. Modern visions of elves are influenced by The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and (more-so) The Lord of the Rings. He even created the elven language, Quenya, which is almost fully developed, only a few words are missing (though have been extrapolated) and there are still questions and disagreements on the correct pronunciation but some of that could be due to the different dialects.

[monty]

Correction: Everyone loves Orlando Bloom.

He's more attractive as Will Turner, in my opinion.

Worse. I hate him even more than elves in general, and that's saying something.

[Jayngfet]

lets not turn this into an I hate thread, I iate those.

[LibraryOgre]

He even created the elven language, Quenya, which is almost fully developed, only a few words are missing (though have been extrapolated)

*chuckle* Actually, he created several elven languages. I laugh because I'm reading a series of books wherein, after a catastrophic failure of modern society, a small group actually turns Sindarin into a living language and discovers some... gaps. Words that they don't quite have in the lexicon. Words like "sexual intercourse" and important verbs like "to pee".

[Collin152]

I like elves.
If you don't go too far with them.
Which is all to easy to do.

[Avor]

I like elves, they are weak, and fall before my mighty Orc sword!

[Jayngfet]

I like elves.
If you don't go too far with them.
Which is all to easy to do.

tell that to the night elves, wild elves, forest elves, high elves, dark elves, gray elves, half elves and every variation thereof

[Collin152]

tell that to the night elves, wild elves, forest elves, high elves, dark elves, gray elves, half elves and every variation thereof

Like I said, far too easy to go too far.

[SilverSheriff]

Words like "sexual intercourse".

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!! !

Oh crap! Elves must live a very boring life...

[Skjaldbakka]

I don't like Legolas much. He let Gollum escape after all. Don't get me started on Glorfindel though. What was Elrond smoking when he decided to send Pippin instead of Glorfindel?

Also, obligatory Talislanta plug. Twenty years of Talislanta, and still no elves.

[Collin152]

Oh crap! Elves must live a very boring life...

Maybe they just don't have a word for it.
Like, they never refer to it directly.

[Mewtarthio]

Maybe they just don't have a word for it.
Like, they never refer to it directly.

Elves don't have words for your vulgar human bodily functions, like "pee" or "sex." Nor for base human desires like "freedom" and "individuality." We use the extra room for more poetic words, like "thoughtcrime."

[Jayngfet]

Like I said, far too easy to go too far.

cyberpunk elves, steampunk elves, space elves, were elves, elfpires, celestial elf, demon elf, elemental elf, demon pretending to be an elf, undead elf, drug addict elf...

[Collin152]

cyberpunk elves, steampunk elves, space elves, were elves, elfpires, celestial elf, demon elf, elemental elf, demon pretending to be an elf, undead elf, drug addict elf...

The Race formerly known as Elf...

[Jayngfet]

The Race formerly known as Elf...

mc elf(can't touch ears)...

I wanna drow and elf all night, and drider every day!

[Dervag]

*chuckle* Actually, he created several elven languages. I laugh because I'm reading a series of books wherein, after a catastrophic failure of modern society, a small group actually turns Sindarin into a living language and discovers some... gaps. Words that they don't quite have in the lexicon. Words like "sexual intercourse" and important verbs like "to pee".

Most of those 'gap words' have perfectly viable circumlocutions in dozens of languages that can be rendered into Sindarin, right?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!! !

Oh crap! Elves must live a very boring life...

I'm not saying they do, and I'm not saying they don't. But I'm pretty sure Tolkein did.

[undercat]

*chuckle* Actually, he created several elven languages. I laugh because I'm reading a series of books wherein, after a catastrophic failure of modern society, a small group actually turns Sindarin into a living language and discovers some... gaps. Words that they don't quite have in the lexicon. Words like "sexual intercourse" and important verbs like "to pee".

Neither Quenya nor Sindarin are fully fleshed out languages grammatically or lexically (and Quenya is the more complete one anyway), but Quenya at least does have a word for sexual intercourse (puhta, iirc, a verb) as well as words for the various sexual organs and one for sexual pleasure.

</pedant>

[SoD]

Not Tolkien, but A direct Result FROM Tolkien...Legolas. Everyone loves legolas. EVERYONE.

I don't.

Correction: Everyone loves Orlando Bloom.

I don't.

Why are so many people wrong? Or maybe *le gasp* they don't count me as part of everyone!

[The_Werebear]

My 2 cp.

Some players will naturally gravitate towards the race that they feel has the most "mysterious aura" or "tragic past" or "male bards with the most eyeshadow""solemn dignity and grace." Elves cater to this the most out of the easily recognizable races.

In other situations, it is simple covering of all bases. Different people view elves different ways (Savages in the wilderness, mages in towers, fae like magic beings, haughty supremacists, underground dwelling sociopaths just to name a few), and the best way to make elves match all the fantasy stereotypes is to make an elf for every one.