Elves
In ancient times, elves dwelt in many places throughout the cooler climes of the earth many ages before the titans. With the fall of the titans and the great flood, humans have increased in numbers and cities across Asdar. Elves dwell principally in forests where they consider themselves the guardians of the fauna and flora. Elves are somewhat shorter than humans on average with the exception of Sibbarine, Sungotine, and Jinguese Elves who are noticeably taller than most humans. Frequently, they have pale skin and pale colored eyes, blue, tan, or green, according to their variety. Their ears are characteristically pointed and their features slight. They speak their own language, elven, which is thought to be uniform with dialectal variations throughout the world. Most elves enjoy a lifespan of the greater part of five centuries (about 450 years). They love nature and enjoy natural beauty which is reflected in their artistry and architecture which is designed to enhance and mirror the manner of nature with little impact on the environment.
Elven Homelands
- Disdrirn Elves, Disdrire Forest
- †Erechórebese Elves, (Historic, closely related to Nymenthonese)
- Findorian Forest, Findoria
- Jinguese Elves (New World)
- Lhotan Elves (New World)
- Nymenthonese Elves, Nymentho
- Selymbrian Elves, Barathorn
- Sibbarine Elves, underdark (Kvarraga)
- Sungotine Elves, Sungo
- Sva Elves, underdark (Kvarraga)
- †Kalaman Elves, Corundy (Historic)
Relationships between Humans and Elves
The elves are an ancient and stand-offish race in the world of Asdar and in the west often avoid the company of humans whom they consider to have brought great harm to the forests, rivers, and plains of the world. Asdaran elves as a race prefer the forests where they dwell against the ongoing encroachments of humans. Pytharnian humans regard elves with mixed attitudes. Elves in Pytharnia and the west are mysterious as most humans have not seen an elf but have likely seen dwarves and halflings. Their mystery gives cause for wonder but also mistrust. In the West, elves have many misgivings about humans in general. The Yophentheans' cruel mistreatment of the elves in Erechóreb and the gradual but eventual extinction of elves in west Corundy (ancient Kalama) have taught elves to be wary of humans. This does not mean that elves hate all humans, but they do not trust humans as a race.
In the far east, however, Sungotine elves are held in great esteem by humans and in the Empire of Sungo and in Jettuba, elven rulers hold sway over majority human populations. The relationship between elves and humans thus differs broadly between east and west. Elves are uncommonly sighted in human lands and sometimes regarded with suspicion.
In the new world, elves are the rulers of great empires that have little use for humans.
Elves of Disdrire
Thousands of years ago, the elves shared the rule of the Disdrire Forest with the Geddamin giants. Over the centuries, the power of the giants has waned and they no longer hold sway. The elves in turn have increased in leadership, but their domain has shrunken against the encroachment of the ever expanding human dominion.
Elven Languages
All Elven languages are essentially dialects of a common elven tongue that was once spoken well over twenty thousand years ago. There is much or nearly complete intelligibility between these varieties. In the west, Disdrire, Findorian, and Selymbrian Elven dialects are very similar to each other, so they form one group. Sungo is another main group. New world elves (Jinguese and Lhotan) speak very similar varieties of Elven. In the west, the Elven Language refers to the dialect spoken by the Disdrire, Findorian, and Selymbrian Elves.
Elven Origins
Elves have their own accounts of their origins and humans and other humanlikes believe what they have shared with other humanlikes is incomplete as they keep much knowledge to themselves. Nonetheless, researchers who have studied elves in both the West and in Sungo believe that there is likely a relationship between the elves and the Elamahti that is analogous to the relationship between humans and the ancient titans.
See Also
- Comparative Lifespans of Humanlikes
- Comparative Heights of Humanlikes
- Disdrirn Elves
- Great Disdrire Forest
- Humanlikes
- List of Creatures and Humanlikes of the Asdaran Universe
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