Elves
March 29th 2009 11:24
So here we have one of the cornerstones of fantasy literature. Every fantasy author has a choice to make when they put pen to paper. Will there be elves in the book and if so what will they be? Some feature traditional elves Shannara books, others feature characters that are elves by other names Wheel of time have the Ogier a race that while visually different share aesthetic similarities with the forest race.
The interesting thing about elves is that they live in our imagination and have become a common element of fantasy that we have created our own rules for this race. When I pick up a book and encounter elves I immediately have a shorthand born of experience and repetition through exposure with elven characters in so many fantasy novels that for the most part the author only needs to tell me how these elves differ from the other elves I know and what elements are common to the race that I am familiar with.
This is the big question as an author what am I going to keep and what will i discard?
What i find facinating about elves is the Utopian element of this race. They are immortal, wise, beautiful, powerful and in tune with nature. They are every thing that we could wish for. And yet they are most appealing when the author weaves an element of melancholy through the character of the elves. They find having children difficult and elven children are rare and precious and they are permeated with a taint of grief.
This I think is an essential element when you are writing elves. They have to suffer from some flaw or have some element of sadness, because I don't want to read about someone who is every wish you could have and is deliriously happy.
What fun is that?
Elves when handled badly become Euro trash. This is a relisation that I came to a few years ago. they are impossibly beautiful arrogant and speak with an effected accent.
That is when they become a caricature of the race that we have all come to know and love.
Read of the Week
Evermeet Island of the Elves by Elaine Cunningham Serene, beautiful, inviolate.
Rich in magic and treasure, to those who hear of its legends it is the ultimate paradise. To the beleagured elves of Toril it is the ultimate refuge. But to many it is the ultimate prize.
At the heart of its story is Amlaruil, Queen of All Elves. When Evermeet comes under massive, devastating attack, her sacrifice holds the last hope of saving the elven homeland.
Link
View of the week
Lord of the Rings What else?
Game of the week
Pathfinder RPG
Play an old school elf and have some fun with a free RPG till the release later this year. Want to try RPGs and want the full experience then go to this link and download a free copy of this RPG
here
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