Elves in fantasy fiction and games: Encyclopedia II - Elves in fantasy fiction and games - Elves in fantasy literature

Elves in fantasy fiction and games - Elves in fantasy literature

The Elves of Tolkien also inspired a rich literature on elves in fantasy.

Tad Williams's Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy focuses heavily on a long-lived, fair-skinned, magical race known as the Sithi, which are described as elves in all but name.

Christopher Paolini's Eragon also features elves of a Nordic persuasion.

Wendy and Richard Pini's long-running comic books Elfquest attempts to avoid the usual Tolkienesque elven clichés by placing their elves in a setting inspired by Native American rather than European mythology. It later turns out that the elves are actually the descendants of a shape-shifting alien race rather than mythological beings.

Conversely, elves of the Tolkien mold have become standardized staple characters of modern fantasy to such an extent that breaking the norms for how an elf is supposed to be and behave has become an end in itself.

The parodical Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett feature extradimensional creatures called elves, that go back to the old myths of cradle-robbing fairies. The Discworld elves have no imagination or real emotions, and therefore such things as children, artists and musicians fascinate them. They also have copper based blood and are extremely vulnerable to iron, and therefore use stone-headed elf-shot for their arrows. Though actually only vaguely humanoid in appearance, they bewitch humans with their "glamour", making themselves seem incomprably fair and godlike, and worthy of our worship. Eventually, they subdue us through sheer charisma, and only strength of mind and avoiding superstition (which they feed on) can keep them at bay. Elves in Pratchett's world represent the dangers of submitting oneself uncritically to the supernatural. The books Lords and Ladies and The Wee Free Men are about an encounter with "the fair folk".

The Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling features house-elves that resemble brownies or goblins more than modern high fantasy elves. Rather like the elves (actually Heinzelmännchen) in The Shoemaker & the Elves, Rowling's house-elves are released from servitude when they are given clothes.

Radiata Stories features beings called Light Elves which have an appearance more like a fairy or pixie than of a traditional elf.

Elves in the best-selling Artemis Fowl series are portrayed quite differently from those in Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". Being only about three feet in height, elves have pointed ears and are at least fifty years ahead of human technology. They have guns and are quite different from the normal fairy tale elf. They are intelligent and have a strong sense of what is right and what isn't. They love flying-in crafts or with mechanical wings. The main elves in the Artemis Fowl series are Captain Holly Short and Commander Julius Root.

Elves in The Kingdoms and the Elves and other Ruin Mist books are believed to be the mortal enemies of men. Various factions of the elves of the West, or reach elves, are at odds with each other. The once powerful dark elves have fought themselves to a standstill and only three kingdoms remain.

Link, from The Legend of Zelda series of video games, is highly remiscent of a Scandinavian elf.

The webcomic character Elftor is neither very peaceful, nor very wise, nor very close to nature, and honestly looks most like a gnome. Still, he insists on being an elf.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Elves in fantasy literature", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki