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I was thinking about fantasy stereotypes a while back. Naturally, my mind went to elves and how they are typically depicted the same way in fantasy. The above meme notes a lot of what people think, which primarily comes from Tolkien. He set the standard that we use, so most authors don’t want to stray from it. I’m not going to talk about reinventing elves though. Easy to do if you try and many have done it successfully. So, what are the stereotypes?
- Elves are always depicted as beautiful and elegant. Their hair used to be only blonde, but that was expanded while retaining the beauty. They are typically seen as the most beautiful of the species. This is combined with a natural refinement and grace, which makes them nobility even if they aren’t actually nobles.
- They always live in forests and in tune with nature. I think this stems from the elves before Tolkien being more like a type of fairy. Coming from Britain, they probably went with the most common biome. That would be forests, which is where elves tend to be dropped even today. It leads to them having amazing cities in the trees with barriers that prevent outsiders.
- Masters of magic as the meme says. It isn’t like humans who study hard and get a few spells when young. Elves tend to come in with more power because they are able to spend centuries studying. Some worlds even have it that the elves were the ones who first had magic and taught it to humans. It makes them closer to the source, which is why they are considered magical creatures more often than other fantasy species.
- Elves are masters at archery . . . It’s all because of Legolas. Some might be good with swords, but you’ll find your non-protagonist elves tend to be archers. This is connected to the habit of giving them enhanced senses and reflexes. The forest homeland explains why they are so good at making bows and arrows too.
- Elves are agile and sometimes even superhumanly strong. Stemming from their reputation as being superior, they tend to be given better physical abilities than humans. This doesn’t make them muscular and bulky though, which is why authors are more likely to skip the enhanced strength. They will still be the fastest and most agile member of a party if one goes by the traditions. Sometimes, they even break the laws of physics . . . Friggin’ Legolas.
- They have a major sense of superority to other races, which can border on racism for some groups. Yet, the elves aren’t always noted as racist when they start badmouthing other species. Many are shown to be kind and friendly, but the ‘we live alone because everyone else is terrible’ elf society is still written today. I think the reason the racist thing isn’t called out as much is because authors tend to play it off as elves being better, so they aren’t lying. Pretty messed up mentality if you ask me.
- Elves are immortal, but not unkillable. They will always live for centuries, which adds to their sense of superiority. It also makes them emotionally distance themselves from other species to avoid pain or because they see the others as insects. An anime called ‘Frieren’ actually touches on the how the main character (elf) sees the death of her old comrades and how humans experience time. Fairly unique since most fantasy glosses over this issue or uses it to make elves seem more amazing.
