Elves : Good Cliche or Bad

[WooHooMan]

The Norse mythology version of elves and dwarves has always been interesting. Definitely gives a different perspective compared to the Tolkien interpretation.

And then there's differences between the Tolkien elves and the D&D elves. Or pop culture elves like Christmas elves or Keebler elves.
It's like history has proven that elves are pretty flexible.

I like elves, if I'm honest. And dwarves, etc. I just don't like carbon copies of Tolkien elves. And the whole 'fading away' thing also bugs me to no end. I guess because I'm not a fan of stories where the magic 'goes away'. I want the wonder to grow, dangit!

blah blah blah

It was either that or make them eldritch world travelers that sailed the sea between worlds. Kinda like cthulhu mythos, only prettier. And most of them aren't even interested in humans. But there's always the occasional one (considered a pervert and shunned by the others) that do take interest and eventually interbreed with humans, producing what is considered in-universe as an elf (pointy ears and all).

There isn't really anything about this post that I don't like. I also really don't like the "magic fading" cliche.

My elves are really similar to what you described with the Cthulhu elves. I'd recommend going with them. It's a neat take that works weirdly well.

 

[Androxine Vortex]

The idea for an Elvish race in my story would make them very similar to the elves used by tolkien except that they Aren't inherently good. They're just another race that is very magically inclined, like the high elves in the elder scrolls series.

 

[ThinkerX]

Yes, I have elves...mostly way off in the background...because I do have a few half elf characters closer to the meat of my stories.

My elves are lost, alien souls, trapped in once human bodies, bound to the physical realms. Returning to their true home deep in the astral or etheric realms is a one step at a time journey. Most times, they die, they get reincarnated again as an elf.

Their alien souls give them an otherworldly air and a knack for magic. Their altered bodies have lifespans of a couple centuries or so. They retain kinship with entities in the deep astral or etheric realms (fey), and can occasionally persuade these entities to assist in endeavors in the material realms.

The True Church (humans) views elves as suspect at best (more often abominations) and considers fey to be nothing more than a species of demon, though not quite as malevolent as other demon types. Their view is more split on half elves, which is where the story telling comes in.

The elves most people in the human realms hear about are the 'Faerie Queens,' matriarchal despots of petty fiefdoms between the human and elven realms. Common human conception has the Faerie Queens as inveterate schemers and seducers of handsome human knights. (not without reason, most part elves have a Faerie Queen ancestor)

 

[skip.knox]

I already posted, but I have to add this. I don't hate elves. I only hate *badly-written* elves.

Same goes for humans.

To be a little more precise, I probably hate any character type that is recently popular (yes, vampires) mainly because they tend to attract hordes of really bad writers. Resulting in badly-written vampires. I don't actually hate vampires (much love to Marv Wolfman / Gene Colan's Dracula), but there's so much accumulated dreck over their collective coffins, I won't even pick up a book about them. This is, no doubt, a grave (hah!) injustice to a handful of writers, but there it is.

Blame the writer, don't blame the character!

 

[stephenspower]

Elvis is a total cliche at this point.

 

[Miskatonic]

And then there's differences between the Tolkien elves and the D&D elves. Or pop culture elves like Christmas elves or Keebler elves.
It's like history has proven that elves are pretty flexible.



There isn't really anything about this post that I don't like. I also really don't like the "magic fading" cliche.

My elves are really similar to what you described with the Cthulhu elves. I'd recommend going with them. It's a neat take that works weirdly well.

I've pretty much ignored anything D&D for as long as I can remember. Other than some character designs I never cared much for the lore.

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

Elvis is a total cliche at this point.

Don't be cruel Stephenspower, or you might find yourself in the heartbreak hotel.

 

[Tom]

Yes, I have elves...mostly way off in the background...because I do have a few half elf characters closer to the meat of my stories.

My elves are lost, alien souls, trapped in once human bodies, bound to the physical realms. Returning to their true home deep in the astral or etheric realms is a one step at a time journey. Most times, they die, they get reincarnated again as an elf.

Their alien souls give them an otherworldly air and a knack for magic. Their altered bodies have lifespans of a couple centuries or so. They retain kinship with entities in the deep astral or etheric realms (fey), and can occasionally persuade these entities to assist in endeavors in the material realms.

The True Church (humans) views elves as suspect at best (more often abominations) and considers fey to be nothing more than a species of demon, though not quite as malevolent as other demon types. Their view is more split on half elves, which is where the story telling comes in.

The elves most people in the human realms hear about are the 'Faerie Queens,' matriarchal despots of petty fiefdoms between the human and elven realms. Common human conception has the Faerie Queens as inveterate schemers and seducers of handsome human knights. (not without reason, most part elves have a Faerie Queen ancestor)

I really love your idea for elves! It's a great, original idea that I've never seen before. How did you come up with it?

 

[ThinkerX]

I really love your idea for elves! It's a great, original idea that I've never seen before. How did you come up with it?

A bit of study, and a lot of thought and logic.

My view is that nonhuman races should be, well, nonhuman. Yet most elves in mythology and fantasy stories alike were very close to humans in both physical appearance and mental outlook.

Plus, the elven traits - long lifespan, hint of otherworldliness, and whatnot seemed...artificial.

Then there was the whole 'fey' or 'elemental spirit' thing. These beings possessed great magic, yet it seemed like they were merely visiting from elsewhere, some other fantastical realm. Elves are sometimes lumped in with fey, and they seem to bear a sort of affinity for each other.

So I played around with these building blocks. Elves became fey trapped in physical form (initially human) through some act of their own combined with meddling by outside forces (ancient aliens plus Lovecraftian entities). They have to earn or work their way back to the fey realm one life at a time even as the physical realm affects them to the point where they are no longer really fey.

Some other elements I tossed in:

Septs: Elves are highly social, viewing isolation (privacy) as a harsh punishment or act of insanity. They form themselves into fluid groups based on kin or occupation or mutual interests, and the members of these groups share a sort of empathic bond with each other. On occasion, desperate elves have formed septs with half elves and even humans (though this often results in the human going insane). Loosing a sept member is traumatic, hence elf warriors require special toughening.

Memory Globes: Direct experience counts more than the written word. Hence, most elves bother little with writing (often being illiterate), instead placing memories of relevant experiences into egg sized crystalline spheres. Elves access these stored memories without difficulty, but half elves and especially humans have a fair chance of becoming 'lost.'

Plus...well, elves don't use money among themselves, instead exchanging goods and services in a vast web akin to 'performance art' - which applies to the political sphere as well.

 

[Tom]

Wow! It's obvious you've thought a lot about the elves and how you want to portray them. I'd love to see these elves in a story.

 

[ThinkerX]

Wow! It's obvious you've thought a lot about the elves and how you want to portray them. I'd love to see these elves in a story

If you are going to include an 'alien' ('nonhuman') race, then make them alien. Make them different.

That said, my elves are mostly way off in the background. An exception of sorts are the 'Faerie Queens' who rule despotic fiefdoms in the 'March' or 'Faerie March,' a sort of buffer zone between human and elfin realms. I do have a few half elf characters, though. Should I ever get around to it, I have half a notion for a story set in a mixed human / elf city (Vallam), which would feature elf characters. Vallam does major trade with the human realms (human merchants are eager for elf goods, legal, illegal, or just plain strange)

Couple of the other elf cities I have notes on are 'Fallarine' - a group of thirteen tall towers of weird aspect. City is half empty, the result of internal strife. Outsiders sometimes find themselves enslaved, with bizarre terms of service. Another is 'Faerie Ring,' a hollow ring of a city centered on an arch where the physical and fey realms touch, allowing free transit. The closer you venture to the arch, the weirder and more dangerous things get. A destination for human wizards.

Hmmm...maybe I should look into doing more with the elf realm.

 

[Ankari]

I use elves in my story. I change their names to Ashar, made them dual-natured (split?), and removed the whole "we are fleeing the land to a secluded somewhere else." I also make their population just as healthy has other races. I've kept their higher level of knowledge, their longer life span, and added the ability to "see magic."

There are other twists. One of which is they are enslaved in other parts of the world, not possessing higher levels of knowledge, and are on the decline (through interracial breeding). The other twist I'd like to reveal as my writing unfolds.

That said, elves are great. You can change so many things about the elves, even their names, but if a race possesses two or three of the key traits of elves, most readers will think of them as elves.

 

[Agamemnon]

evolution_rex makes a good point that most elves in modern literature are rips from the Tolkien works. Try looking up elves as they were written according to human mythology and you might find them surprisingly different. I've personally used them, once or twice.

 

[Saigonnus]

I dreamed of a relentless, undying creature that are short, somewhat stocky and beautiful., without any trace of facial or body hair. They are vicious to those they consider enemies. They regenerate even from the point of death and are considerably stronger than humans are. They do have a weakness, something that can be used to kill their regenerative capabilities... A special compound.

I think these will be my elves! *Evil Grin*


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[Bropocalypse]

There is something to be said about the sort of mystical high nobility with which tolkienesque elves are commonly shown.

However, I don't think I could personally write elves that way. If I were to write an elfy tale it would feature creatures with the stance and limberness of large gibbons, say. And their faces would probably be distinctly removed from those of a human. In this case, the end result would be another sapient primate, parallel to humans but smaller and lighter. They'd probably have large, dark eyes as well, to really accentuate the difference.

 

[SeverinR]

Make a race of beings, mold them and shape them to make them yours, not anyone else's creation.

I have mentioned this before, no created race is more written about then humans, are humans cliché? are they over used?
I say that any number of stories can be written about humans, can be written about elves, or any race.
A race only becomes boring/cliché when the writer doesn't make them interesting.

In all you do, in all you create, make it yours, but above else make them interesting. They don't have to be the sharpest tools in the shed, but be sure they aren't the dullest.

 

[ChasingSuns]

I personally use something similar to elves, or rather, inspired by elves. There's a race of humanoids in my world that have slightly extended lifespans, and a knack for magic. They also have some similar architecture to the elven architecture seen in LOTR, although with some differences. They are a vast empire with a really corrupt government. I thought that it would be fun to explore the darker side of the elven personality. I am trying to have it be reminiscent enough of elves without it being too cliche. Hopefully I pull it off

 

[Lennan]

I do not believe that using elves is a cliche. I have read several stories where the author has created so many races with different names, I find it confusing. I use fairies in my story, with one troll, but I also use creatures from Celt mythology that readers may not be familiar with but their parts are brief and and I provide a good description. But whose says elves cannot look like your version? I think people have a certain mindset regarding fairies, elves and trolls, so I think its' good to have different descriptions and behaviors. Trolls are usually portrayed as evil beings, and my troll character begins with that stigma but evolves into a good character. Good luck! Lennan

 

[ChasingSuns]

I definitely think that readers might view elves as cliche. But even so, if the story is well-written I don't think that anyone is gonna complain I personally like to put my own spin on things when using something similar to a known fantasy race or creature, but in the end, it all comes down to the story.

 

[Cambra]

I am trying to write something where elves are the main only race and most of their interactions with other elves, they live slightly longer and they are slightly smaller the humans (humans may put in an appearance somewhat towards the end, but they are going to be the other...) but what characterises them most is magic, and currently one of my made elf nations is attempting to systematise and rationalise the use of magic. It is also contemplating introducing the possibility of a breeding programme given that magic appears to be mostly genetic, not all elves are born with magic ability, only about 10% say, but the strange thing is that in parallel with the development of magic ability they realise that if they are to survive they have to develop other facets of culture such as medicine, law and politics…

These are not Tolkienesque noble elves BTW...

For other groups of elves magic and its practice are anathema, particularly if they were a former colony of the Temple a sort of magic theocratic dictatorship.