What happened to elves?

[Zaruthustran]

Original D&D and Tolkien's books portrayed elves as fun-loving, chaotic creatures filled with life. They were described as enjoying dancing and singing, and of having a generally protective attitude toward the other races--kind of how a parent views children.

In 3E and the LotR movies elves are portrayed as stern, serious, and haughty. I think 3E even uses the word "aloof". Worse, the wretched 3E artist gave them the same skull as those grey Roswell aliens.

What happened to elves? Do you like this new direction? Or do you hope 3.5 returns elves to their life-loving, capricious roots?

-z, who'd like to remind everyone that even though elves have pointy ears, they are *not* Vulcans.

 

[Samnell]

The Hobbit elves were chaotic and fun-loving. The LOTR and Silmarillion elves are basically the stern aloof types.

 

[Crothian]

And when they get so small? I liked the tall dessert running elves myself.

 

[aurin777]

I agree with Samnell. The elves in LotR were aloof.
~~Brandon

 

[Drakron]

I dont like (and never will) the "Tolkien" elves.

The elves I know are Ravenloft elves were "fun loving" dont fit in the setting (since the plane is very human dominated and elves are usually viewed as outsiders that cannot be trusted).

 

[rounser]

I think it's rather telling that Mystara introduced the sidhe to take the role of the fey elves, because the normal elves were too Tolkien.

 

[Black Omega]

I dont like (and never will) the "Tolkien" elves.

The elves I know are Ravenloft elves were "fun loving" dont fit in the setting (since the plane is very human dominated and elves are usually viewed as outsiders that cannot be trusted).

Actually, this sounds alot like the LotR. It's increasing the world of Man and elves are not much trusted and are outsiders. Toliien elves are stern and aloof, and by LotR very keenly aware this is not their world anymore. That they are also musical sometimes seems to make them be perceived as fun loving.

 

[Wormwood]

Stopped reading when I got to "those wretched 3e artists".

 

[Angcuru]

Tolkien's Elves - fun-loving, aloof etc...but only when dealing with their own kind. They have learned over thousands of years that the other races are not entirely trustworthy, and as such, adopt a stern attidude when dealing with them. The reason they seem to be stern all the time is that there is not a single point in LOTR where there is an elf-only scene where we can see what they act like when left to their own devices. There are only one or two points in the NOVEL where you see their true nature, one of them being when Sam and Frodo meet the wood elves shortly after departing from hobbitton. The elves were quite jovial there, mostly because they know hobbits to be as fun-loving as they are, if not less potentially dangerous. Why NOT be happy-go-lucky around a hobbit? What's he gonna do, eat you to death?

 

[Zaruthustran]

I agree with Samnell. The elves in LotR were aloof.
~~Brandon

??? I seem to remember a scene where Sam and Frodo meet elves heading toward the grey havens. Much singing and feasting.

Sure, they were sad. They had depth; they weren't scatterbrained faeries. But they exuded life, something that's missing from 3E.

What really troubled me about the LOTR movie, specifically Two Towers, was the uber-disciplined elf archer corps. They all marched in perfect unison, like automatons. Seemed wrong to me.

Sure, the noble High elves were regal, but on the whole, I remember elvish culture as supposed to be open, a little wild, reflective of elves as embodiments of life/nature.

-z