Our Elves Are Better: Difference between revisions

** Disturbingly close to 19th Century "[[Tragic Mulatto]]" stories (see the entry in [[Pass Fail]]).

* '''[[The Fair Folk]]:''' Elves may be portrayed as dangerous and inscrutable creatures of magic -- in which case they may overlap and share traits with [[Precursors]], [[Our Fairies Are Different|Fairies]], [[Physical God|minor gods]], or [[Our Gnomes Are Weirder|other]] [[Our Goblins Are Different|mythological]] [[All Trolls Are Different|creatures]]. Note that [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same|dwarves]] started out as the [[Darker and Edgier|Dark Elf]] [[Older Than They Think|version of these]]. The Fair Folk are the oldest type of elves, from a period when people truly believed in a magical race of supernatural beings living on a [[Year Outside, Hour Inside|separate dimension]] that would [[Changeling Tale|snatch up your children]] and [[Aliens Steal Cattle|livestock]] if not properly appeased with offerings or warded off with cold iron. Other cultures associated pygmies with The Fair Folk, as a sort of [[Witch Species]]. Usually [[Bowdlerise|bowdlerised]] into [[Christmas Elves]]. Compare [[The Greys]] (vs. [[Little Green Men]]), which fulfill the traditional [[Recycled in Space|sci-fi]] archetype of [[The Fair Folk]] [[Our Fairies Are Different|vs. Fairies]] as misremembered [[Ancient Astronauts]]. If that is the case, you have:

* '''[[Elvish Presley|Rock Elves]]:''' They play guitars.

* [[Inhumanly Beautiful Race|Very, very pretty.]] To the point of [[Fetish Fuel|fetishism]]. (Those pointed ears...) Very often [[Elfeminate|of androgynous appearance]].

* Anything they make is likewise beautiful, more durable, more delicious, and just plain ''better'' than human wares. However, they do sometimes [[Creative Sterility|lack a certain creative flair]].

* In the case of [[Space Elves]], literal [[Elves in Space]] are much more likely to be a [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]... while an [[Enlightened Mystic Race]] that merely resemble elves such as [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|Blue Space Babes]] are more likely to be a [[Proud Scholar Race Guy]] and a [[Technical Pacifist]] if not [[Actual Pacifist]] (usually protected by their [[Psychic Powers]].)

== Film ==

* The Na'vi from ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'' are blue-skinned, pointy-eared, lithe cat people who live in tune with nature, tame the wild beasts, have an innate link with the spirit of their world, and shoot 6-foot long arrows to impale helicopter pilots. Being technologically primitive, they're more Wood Elf than [[Space Elves|Space Elf]].

** The [[Hobbits]] of the book are slightly [[Our Fairies Are Different|fairy-like]] in their sneakiness and light-footedness. Plausibly done to further distance the elven races in the book from that depiction by having the niche filled by a race of another name.

** Galadriel really looks the part of an impossibly beautiful, [[God Save Us From the Queen|haughty,]] [[The High Queen|Elven Queen]], but treats everyone in the Fellowship she talks to with respect and graciousness -- even [[Elves Versus Dwarves|Gimli]].

** The Elves of Mirkwood, in their first appearance in ''[[The Hobbit (novel)|The Hobbit]]'', much more closely resembled [[The Fair Folk]]. The Wood Elves trope didn't really emerge until ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', where they are less isolationist, reported to be friendly with Aragorn and Gandalf, and represented in the Fellowship.

*** Not exactly represented in the Fellowship. Legolas was a prince over the Wood (Sylvan) Elves, but he was actually a Gray (Sindarin) Elf himself.

* Steven Brust's books set in [[Dragaera]] have the Dragaerans. They stand an average of seven feet tall and have lifespans exceeding 1,000 years. They have slender builds and do not grow facial hair. The race was created when the [[Sufficiently Advanced Alien|Jenoine]] combined human stock with various animals to create various strains, which organized into Houses of the Dragaeran Empire. Some of these strains have pointed ears, though not all. Interestingly, they refer to themselves as humans and practice [[Fantastic Racism]] towards actual humans, whom they refer to as "Easterners." In some areas, they're called "elfs" and call humans "dwarfs."

* Jacqueline Carey's duet of novels, ''[[The Sundering]]'', is effectively LotR from the [[Big Bad]]'s point of view. The elves aren't called elves (the name used is Ellylon), but trust me, they're elves. They are also somewhat deconstructed. Yes, the Ellyl are ageless, pretty, magical, and the favorite children of the lead Valar-expy. They are so perfect that humans have waged war on them out of envy for their gifts. They are also smug, self-righteous [[Knights Templar]] who are perfectly willing to genocide other races if they think it is their creator's will and will never admit to being wrong.

** The trope is still played pretty straight in that Elves (as well as all the other Fairy races) see themselves as better than humans.

* [[Glen Cook]]'s ''[[Garrett P.I.]]'' novels subvert the Dark Elf version of this trope: this world's dark elves don't live underground, are nihilists rather than spider fanatics, and dress like they just walked out of the medieval edition of ''GQ''. Morley Dotes, the protagonist's sort-of-friend, fits the half-elf trope minus the low self-esteem, as he's half dark elf and has inherited several levels of [[Badass]] from his elven side (multiclassing in [[Chick Magnet]]).

* The Elves of the ''[[Shannara]]'' series ''used to be'' magical and long-lived, but now have human lifespans and are no more likely to have magic or know how to use their ancestors' stuff than anyone else. As a culture they do retain a lifestyle based on respect for the Earth, which makes them the moral center of the Four Lands in some ways, but individuals range from nice to treacherous and from sensible to foolish.

* M.A. Foster's "ler" series (''[[The Gameplayers Of Zan]]'' in particular) shows what happens when humans try to genetically engineer elves that are better (starting from themselves) but, being that this is their first go at creating a human descendant species, they get [[Our Elves Are Different|elves that are different]] instead.

* Subverted in ''Will Power'' by A. J. Hartley. {{spoiler|[[The Fair Folk]] turn out to have stolen all the best parts of their culture from the goblins.}}

* The Marat from the ''[[Codex Alera]]'' are graceful, [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]]-[[White-Haired Pretty Girl|haired]] humanoids who are mildly telepathic and live in harmony with nature- not strictly wood-elves, but they fill the same basic niche. It's worth noting, though, that while they're presented as being morally superior to the human Alerans in some ways (notably, the Alerans keep slaves, which the Marat find abhorrent), in others they can be a remarkably savage people (cannibalism is fairly common). At the end of the day, they're not really better or worse than humans, just different.

== Live Action TV ==

** She also comments at one point that they do not pry into the affairs of others and are "told exactly what we need to know, and no more", just before {{spoiler|being informed that a tabloid-like "Eye On Minbari" isn't accessible for her customized newspaper. At Sheridan's raised eyebrow, she comments that it is "sometimes good to know what your people are saying about my people. And I sometimes learn things about my own world before I am told what I need to know, and no more."}}

** Minbari also have a couple of disadvantages compared to humans; high temperatures that humans would merely find incredibly uncomfortable will rapidly kill them (the Minbari homeworld is much colder than Earth).

* The [[Doctor Who|Time Lords]] are high elves with time machines and their ears filed down: an ancient civilization of arrogant, practically immortal, telepathic people with superhuman intelligence, agility, and senses, as well as a profound love of ritual.

** They are, however, generally hated. The Doctor himself has, at best, disdain, and at worse, hatred for his people in general. "Daleks, Cybermen... they're still in the nursery compared to us! Ten million years of absolute power... that's what it takes to become really corrupt!"

* ''[[LazyTown]]'''s Sportacus was a traditional Icelandic elf named Íþróttaálfurinn ("The Sports Elf") in the original Latibær plays. In addition to being amazingly fit and agile, he also had magical powers. To make the character more universal, he was changed into a superhero for the TV series.

** Although it hasn't been confirmed, it's possible he is still an elf in the TV series. His ears are always covered, he leads a very hidden life and it would certainly explain why he is able to perform such amazing feats in every episode.

* The Eldar of ''[[Warhammer 40000]]'' are <s>akin to Space Elves</s> [[Elves in Space]]! to the 'T', as the term Eldar was used by [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]] to describe a subset of elves. Much like other denizens of the Warhammer 40K universe ([[Our Orcs Are Different|Orks]], the now-defunct Squats, Necron), they are based on counterparts from the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Heirs to one of the oldest civilizations in existence, their hedonism and magical power created a Chaos God that [[Apocalypse How|almost destroyed their civilization]] and has terrorized the galaxy since. They even have two cousin factions: the Dark Eldar (who are dark elves [[Recycled in Space]] with the dark aspect turned [[Up to Eleven]]) and the Exodites (who are more or less planetary wood elves who prefer [[Hidden Elf Village|isolation]] and [[Medieval Stasis|pastoral environments]]).

** The "better" part of the trope is, however, up for debate as the Eldar are pretty much genocidal pricks willing to instigate wars (from behind the scenes, of course) in which billions of humans can die to save a few thousand Eldar. The Second and Third Armageddon Wars are a perfect example of this, an Eldar farseer engineered the rise of an Ork Warboss who went on to start the two wars which claimed billions of human and ork lives because he had foreseen that if he did not then ten thousand Eldar would die. He later looked back on the act and stated that it was completely worth it. The "up for debate" part, however, is because this isn't particularly out of the ordinary for ''any'' of the factions in 40k. Doubtless the Imperium of Man would do the exact same thing if the roles were reversed, to say nothing for the unquestionably more evil sides.

** [[Not So Different|Though not so much better in the moral sense]], [[Superior Species|Eldar physiology is generally superior to that of your average human]]. In keeping with stereotypical elfin attributes, Eldar are extremely nimble and have faster reflexes than almost anyone else; even [[Super Soldier|Space Marines]] can barely keep up with most of them in reaction speeds, let alone trained Aspect Warriors. Whereas psykers are comparatively rare among other races, [[Witch Species|every single Eldar possesses some degree of psychic power and the race as a whole is host to some of the most powerful psykers in the galaxy]]. Even after Slaanesh started to steal their souls, [[Society of Immortals|they can still easily live for thousands of years]] [[The Ageless|without any signs of aging]], though this is offset by [[Immortal Procreation Clause|a negative birth rate]] that further exacerbates their constantly declining population.

** In general, Craftworld Eldar don't act too much like standard fantasy Elves. Rather than being loose and free-spirited, they live highly disciplined and regimented lifestyles [[Fantastic Caste System|as dictated by the path they have currently chosen]]. Not that this is without good reason, since we've [[Negative Space Wedgie|seen]] what happens when [[Immortality Immorality|they]] ''are'' [[Depraved Bisexual|loose]] and [[Cold-Blooded Torture|free-spirited]].

** The [[Fan Nickname]] for them is "elfdar." Just putting that out there. Apparently they haven't read their ''[[Silmarillion]]''.

* The [[High Fantasy]] counterpart ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]],'' has fairly standard High, Dark, and Wood Elves (and Sea Elves, but [[Canon Discontinuity|no one talks about them anymore]]). The High Elf army book goes on and on about how the High Elves are the greatest wizards, warriors, etc. etc. etc. in the world.

* The Elf of the fantasy rpg-themed board game ''[[Talisman]]'' fits mostly in line with Wood Elves, due to the special bonuses they get in Woods and Forest tiles. The "better" aspect is highly questionable, as many fans consider the Elf's special abilities to be quite underwhelming in comparison to other characters.

* Subverted in the ''[[Fighting Fantasy]]'' gamebooks. The book ''Titan'', which functions as an [[All There in the Manual|background on the world most of the gamebooks are set in]], indulges this trope when discussing the elves, but in practice it emerges more as an [[Informed Ability]] considering that most of the world's great heroes and wizards tend to be human, and most of the world-shaking events are orchestrated or thwarted by humans. Statistically, most elves are decent fighters, although certainly nothing that most human adventurers can't handle. A possible [[Justified Trope|justification]] occurs when ''Titan'' mentions that the elves have been suffering a long, slow decline since the [[Gotterdammerung]] and [[Apocalypse How|Apocalypse Hows]] that have struck the world of Titan over the centuries. As a further subversion, while the flavor text in ''Titan'' treats the elves this way, most of the elves you actually meet in the gamebooks are generally pretty nice, if occasionally suspicious of human strangers who pass through their territory.

** The Zhodani are sometimes like this.

** The Vilani had vague similarities to the Minbari of ''[[Babylon 5]]'', having a three caste system a reverence for [[Good Old Ways]] and a shocking ruthlessness at times. However Vilani are far more mundane. Still at their [[First Contact]] with the Terrans they looked more then a little like this trope. Until the Terrans said [[Screw You, Elves]] in the [[Humans Are Warriors|most direct way possible]].

** Although the Dalish elves seem to combine the High and Wood elf types, both living in the forest and being rather proud of themselves as the only followers of (their patchwork version of) true elvish tradition. Whether or not they are an example or subversion is a matter of debate. While many of them act hostile and superior to outsiders, they are not portrayed as being morally superior or enlightened.

* In ''[[Warcraft]]'', the elven races originated from the Night Elves. The original culture was a mash-up of High and Wood Elven until [[World Sundering|their queen blew up the world]]. The survivors split when the surviving magic users [[The Dark Side|refused to give up magic]].

** High Elves were aptly named. Then [[Zombie Apocalypse|the Scourge nearly exterminated them]] and a majority of the survivors became Blood Elves, who while reckless and often huge jerks, are not really Dark Elves.

** Also trolls (long theorized [and recently outright revealed] to be the ancestors of the elves) to some extent. They aren't particularly pretty, being gangly, rawboned and pointy-nosed, with tusks and blue or green skin. They also have three toes and three fingers, including the thumb. They also aren't particularly haughty and have a tribal culture. But they have the long ears and have been cast as the Horde counterparts to Elves since WC2.

** It's been argued that ''[[World of Warcraft]]'''s revamp of the draenei count as "[[Space Elves]]"—what with being a [[Proud Scholar Race]] from another world and all—but they don't physically fit the elf stereotype much. (They have pointy ears, true... but they also have tails, horns, and hooves. And while the ''females'' are certainly lithe, [[Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism|their brothers are built like bank vaults]]... and are permitted not only facial hair, but catfish whiskers.)

*** The same thing is true of the Night Elves. The males especially are built like [[Zero Punctuation|four brick shithouses stacked together]] and have often quite bushy facial hair. The females are much more slender, but still quite muscular, like Olympic athletes.

** [[Our Orcs Are Different|Orsimer]] worshipped a hero god who, after his transformation by Boethiah, continued to be their guide. Pariahs due to this worship, they were driven out and gradually transformed into the race of modern times. The Orcs, prior to ''Daggerfall'' were a warrior-like outcast race that were scraping for a homeland to call their own, often demonized as nothing more than brute animals. After the events of ''Daggerfall'', Orcs were accepted into Imperial society as a strong and noble race, for the most part.

** ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' Dwarves were "deep folk", mistranslated by some as "short folk". They were a solely practical race who believed that divinity was their birthright through bettering themselves. They fit quite nicely into "[[Space Elves]]," what with all their [[Steampunk|steampunk technology]].

*** They also seem to have been fond of long beards, and may have been the first race of Man or Mer encountered by a race of giants<ref>thus providing a second explanation for why they were called 'dwarves'</ref>.

** The Dunmer form a traditionalistic, racist, religious society who practice slavery, ancient magic, back stab their own for acceptable political gain, and, despite their current tolerances, would just kindly wish for the Empire and anyone who is not them to get off their land. Actually, some of the Ashland Tribes aren't as bad as the Three Great Houses because the former still adhere to courtesy laws ...

* The Nedians in ''[[Star Ocean the Second Story]]'' seem to be a [[Deconstruction]]. When they're first discovered, they seem fairly typical; they ruled the galaxy in a utopian society until a group of superpowerful rebels appeared out of nowhere and forced them into hiding for the good of the universe. An [[Guide Dang It|easily missed]] late game side quest reveals something quite different. {{spoiler|Nede actually ruled the galaxy through force of arms and their own innate [[Functional Magic|symbology]]. The "rebels" that forced them into hiding were actually bio weapons created by the Nedians themselves to stop the real rebels. Their programming was changed when their creator's daughter was killed in a terrorist attack, causing him to go mad. It wasn't even the Ten Wise Men who forced their species into hiding and they certainly didn't do it for the altruistic reasons their descendents were told. The battle with the Ten Wise Men had severely weakened their hold on the colony worlds. They destroyed Nede and fled to an artificial planet because they were terrified of what the newly liberated races of the galaxy would do if they reached Nede.}}. The Morphus of ''[[Star Ocean: The Last Hope]]'' seem, at first glance seem more like stereotypical fantasy [[Elves in Space]], until you put two and two together after examining their dictionary entry and certain aspects of their own artificial planet.

* The Elves in ''[[Tales of Symphonia]]'' are fairly standard Wood Elves, complete with a [[Hidden Elf Village]] and a smug (albeit fairly toned-down) feeling of superiority to humans and half-elves. ''[[Fantastic Racism|especially]]'' half-elves. Oh, and [[Ancient Astronauts|they're aliens]].

** Feir'Dal: Wood Elves: Descendants of the original elven race created by the God of Nature, Tunare. They live in the treetop city of Kelethin in the Greater Faydark forest. Naturally (no pun intended), they are more in tune with nature, with a society consisting mainly of Druids, Rangers, Rogues (who work for the city itself,) Bards, and Warriors. They have a very friendly position towards outsiders, and get along well with Humans. They stand 5 feet tall and have a tan complexion and hair colors running the normal human gambit between black, brown, blond, and red. They typically live to be about 650-700 years old.

** Koada'Dal: High Elves: Cousins to the Wood Elves, the High Elves live in the nearby city of Felwithe (anagram for White Elf) in the Greater Faydark forest. They stand a foot taller than the Wood Elves, have incredibly pale skin, a fair complexion, and usually have white hair, but can have shades of red or blonde as well. They are especially skilled in the magical arts, but also are devout clerics and paladins to their goddess, Tunare. They are generally good natured towards others, but are usually very arrogant towards others and think highly of themselves because of their intelligence. Only the [[Human Aliens|Erudites]] surpass them in intellect (and even look down on the High Elves in terms of arrogance because of this fact.) They typically live to be about 800 years old.

* ''[[Rift]]'' has the more-or-less classic high elves Guardian-side and the wiry, [[Amazing Technicolor Population|gray-skinned]], tribal Kelari Defiant-side.

* Elves shown in ''[[Warriors of Might and Magic]]'' have dark skins, (not black), Air element and rush at you with strange battlecries when you approach. Their boss gives you a sidequest, but eventually backstab you.

* In ''[[Dragon Quest VIII]]'' Elves are mentioned as one of the races (along with humans and monsters) inhabiting Trian Gully. However, only one elf, Rajah is shown: she has green skin, red hair, big boobs and pointy ears.

* ''[[Touhou|Touhou Project]]'' has Elven [[Expy|expies]] in the ''Tengu'', down to their [[Fanon Discontinuity|pointy ears]], their long lifespans, (though all ''youkai'' share that trait), reputation for being condescending braggarts, and their highly secluded insular society (they have troops on 24-hour watch defending Youkai Mountain, but from whom?). The only Tengu we know are reporters and a member of the aforementioned mountain defense.

== [[Web Comics]] ==

* ''[[Garnet and Gure]]'' mocks this dynamic in [http://www.bonedragoncomics.com/html/garnet_and_gure_40.html this strip].

** Lampshaded in [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/04/04/episode-681-of-civilizations/ this strip]

* ''[[Dreamcatcher (webcomic)|Dreamcatcher]]'' actually doesn't have this. The only thing Elves are better at is hearing because of their pointy ears. No large lifespan, height or anything. As far as we know.

** Wood Elves are apparently [[Plant Aliens|part plant]].

* Mocked in [http://www.airshipentertainment.com/growfcomic.php?date=20091101 this strip] of ''[[What's New with Phil and Dixie|Phil and Dixie]]''. Phil stands by describing an elf's wonderful traits while an elf stands by berating him for being fat, insecure, ill-mannered and incapable of getting a girlfriend. Dixie gets the last laugh, however.

* ''[[The Dreamland Chronicles]]'' has pleasant enough elves, except when Nastajia is being [[The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask]] (and that trope would explain her attitude).

* Tolkienesque elves and Santa's elves mix in [[Balderduck]]'s single panel strip [http://www.balderduck.com/2010/12/23/single-panel-9/ #9]