Tolkien, Tropes, and Elves
Manuscript illustration from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain
Fans and creators in the fantasy genre owe a debt of gratitude to J. R. R. Tolkien. To put it mildly, his works popularized concepts of elves, dwarves, dragons and helped launch an untold number of storytellers and worldbuilders. Centuries of myths and sagas inspired Tolkien, and each creator in turn should put a fresh spin on the tropes or chart a new course.
In creating the tale and land of Ardalencor, I wanted to give homage to many hallmarks of epic fantasy and also craft something new. What follows is an overview of elves within my worldbuilding.
ROYAL PROTECTORS
Most of the elves that readers initially meet in Ardalencor are outlanders, mercenaries hired as bodyguards for the human royal family. There are many historical parallels — foreign troops serving as bodyguards or forming elite units: the Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Empire, the Swiss Guard protecting the Pope, the Walloon Guards in service of the Spanish crown, to name just a few.
The elves of the Lifeguards are depicted with elongated ears, closely cropped hair, and the crossbow is their ranged weapon of choice. I kept the ears, but short hair and crossbow in place of long hair and longbow.
Also adding to their capabilities as guardians, many elves can sense or detect the presence of magic faster than other ancestries.
When I was describing Ardalencor to a friend, he asked why elves would serve as the bodyguards for humans. I’m paraphrasing, but he said it seemed an un-Tolkien thing to do. I started to get upset with him, perceiving that he was telling me I couldn’t design my setting the way I wanted. I caught myself part of the way through and said I’m not sure why I was getting upset since he was learning about Ardalencor for the first time. My buddy said that he didn’t know much about fantasy so if the description wasn’t exactly like something from The Lord of the Rings then it sounded off to him.
Just another reminder that no one will know the world you are building as well as you — especially when you’re talking about it for the first time! See Inspiration and Exploration for advice when sharing your work with others.
LONG-LIVED?
Elves living to be thousands of years old I thought was absurdly long. More practically, the impacts of immortality (or near-immortality) on the world and society warrant great consideration if one were to employ that in a story. I’ve touched upon this in other articles like Incorporating Disruptive Elements and Setting Your World Up, Setting Your World in Motion.
I wanted elves to be part of the larger world and not distant, dispassionate observers.
I opted for the typical elf to have the chance of living two or three times as long as the average human, but being less hardy, long life is possible but not a certainty. I thought this extended life still gives the effect of cross-generational continuity — an elf merchant could have done business with the grandmother and mother of a human merchant. It also adds to the human side of worldbuilding, where humans cherish memory and pass on knowledge as ways to counteract a scheming elf.
“The oath is eternal. It does not end with the passage of time even though an elf may long outlive a human. We are not without memory and cling to it as a defense all its own.”
DARING TO DREAM
“Elves and their meddling curiosity, think the whole world should bend to their whims.”
Given their longer lifespan, elves have more time than a typical human to acquire knowledge, understand their surroundings, or master a trade or profession. Elves often embody the character traits of being conceited, demanding, as well as being reckless seekers.
“An elf is always scheming, never satisfied, always wanting to let visions play out, no matter how twisted, no matter how…” Gylfoy sighed. “All for the thrill of a dream.”
“I gave up trying to find it during the day.” Revna scowled, but her thoughts flowed freely. “I thought it might be easier to see at night, well, feel really. I meditated for long periods, and the location seemed to return in a dream.”
“Dreams again. The downfall of the elves.”
OTHER ELVEN ATTRIBUTES
If you’re thinking, what about being able to see in low light or darkness? I connected more acute vision to magical talents rather than prescribed by lineage.
Elves don’t have any greater connection to nature than other groups. While elves understand the seasons, given their impulses to invent and explore, the predictability of nature is less appealing to them.
I hope you enjoyed this worldbuilding insight into the land and tale of Ardalencor.
What aspects of Middle-earth or myths from Earth have inspired you? What fantasy tropes have you refashioned in your own storytelling?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Nice commentary, and using elves as an example highlights the stereotypes of this fantasy race. Since the “standard” elf is either immortal or can live for over a thousand years, I always wondered the impact that would have on fantasy economies. First, there is the question of ability to earn and amass wealth. Humans have a finite lifespan to do so this. Elves living in the same world as humans would upset the balance. Second, how many offspring could an elf produce in 1000 years?!?! Elf population would balloon and outpace all others. Factors of production would be very high, as there would be a huge population of elves which would have had nearly ten human lifetimes worth of learning to perfect their crafts. Finally, why would an elf who would live 1000+ years care about anything a human cares about in that moment? 5 years is a long time for a human, but is a drop in the ocean of time for an elf. To me, all elves would be playing the long game, completely unconcerned with petty human affairs.