Why don't Elves have any Kings?

[Voadam]

Oh, and we should dress the next Elven Queen in a three piece suit rather than a gauzy see through dress. Who's with me?!

A gauzy see through three-piece suit? OK, its your fantasy game, you can dress them however you want, I guess. If you are the DM that is.

 

[Farganger]

That, and between Queen Maeve and Galadriel, the iconic fae leaders are female.

The Erlking and Oberon are rather iconic as well!

 

[Wombat]

In short, why do the Elves have no Kings? Is this a social stratification, a natural evolution of the prancy dancy namby pambies? What has caused this to happen? Inquiring minds want to be amused.

Hmmm, I'm surprised.

I've had in my own campaigns, seen in other campaigns, and read in books about Elven Kings.

Maybe I'm not doing mainstream enough

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Curiously, even Galadriel doesn't rule over the elves of the golden wood alone--she rules them in conjunction with Celeborn (who is pretty much a non-entity in the theatrical release of the LotR movie although he has a slightly more significant role in the extended edition DVD). Galadriel is just the more personally powerful of the two and the one who bears the ring of adamant (although interestingly, in the book Celeborn was considered the wiser).

In Tolkein's works, there weren't any elven queens who exercised sole rulership over their people.

Feanor and his seven sons, Finwe, Fingolfin, Fingon, Turgon, Finrod Felaugund, Thingol, Gil Galad, and Thranduil were the kings of the elves whose names I can remember off-hand. Galadriel was mentioned among them as one of the leaders of the Noldor at the time of their exile from the blessed lands though she was not a queen. (And did not become High Queen of the Noldor after the death of Gil Galad). Melian, queen of the hidden kingdom of Doriath was usually mentioned along with Thingol but she was not an elf and after Thingol's death, she withdrew and Dior the fair.

Elven women don't appear to have been counted in the succession either--at least not apart from their husbands. Thingol's grandson ruled the kingdom. And after Finrod's death, Nagrothrond doesn't appear to have a named ruler until Turin Turambar became its war leader and his pride led to the city's destruction. After the death of Turgon, Tuor and Idril led the refugees of Gondolin together. (Though neither was given any title). Galadriel did not become high queen of the elves after the death of her brothers or her nephew, Gil Galad (of course, Elrond (the other possible candidate on the basis of succession) didn't either--the role appears to have passed away with the end of the second age).

 

[BelXiror]

Well, Dragonlance doesn't have kings per say, but the Qualinesti have had 3 male rulers one after the other, Solostaran, Porthios and Gilthas.

The Silvanesti had a male ruler during the Age Of Despair, then he died and only had a daughter, who married Porthios, so they also had another male ruler.

The Speaker of the Sun and the Speaker of the Stars may not be called kings, but that pretty much what they are. You have to come from House Royal, and it is inhereted, just alot slower than humans

Then again DL elves arn't all that chaotic

 

[frankthedm]

Even when the elves aren't ruled by queens, they're still ruled by queens, if you know what I mean.

LOL

The few 'normal' elves my world has left owe fealty to Oberon and his court.

The evil subteranian ones owe thier souls to a certain spider demon / goddess as usual fo D&D.

 

[LuYangShih]

It is unfortunate that WoTC will almost certainly not have the courage to eliminate her in the War Of The Spider Queen novels. I, for one, am tired of Lolth.

 

[Sirius_Black]

It is unfortunate that WoTC will almost certainly not have the courage to eliminate her in the War Of The Spider Queen novels. I, for one, am tired of Lolth.

Sirius Black applauds LuYangShih! It would be a wonderful move if they eliminated Lolth. However, you are correct, WOTC neither has the courage or the imagination to eliminate her.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Then again DL elves arn't all that chaotic

Nor are Tolkein's elves--even his wood elves don't fit the ordinary D&D ideas of chaotic. Of course that assumes that anyone has a clear idea of what "chaotic" means to begin with. Personally, I think the law/chaos axis of D&D is either incoherent or completely irrelevant to anything remotely resembling reality.

 

[Norfleet]

because Elven Kings tend to go out and fight the evil baddies threatening their kingdoms, grow extremely popular with the masses, and die.

Because Elven Queens send out valiant knights out to fight the evil baddies threatening the kingdoms, get themselves covered in glory when the knights win her victory, praises their brave sacrifices when they die, and all the while keeps her thumb squarely on the political heart of the kingdom to maintain and increase her firm grip on power.
So, of course Elven Queens are everywhere...they live longer.

Yes, this would tend to enforce the predominance of elven queens, particularly if you go with the "elves are immortal" part: It's a steady state behavior: You'll have elf kings that go and get themselves gruesomely killed until a queen winds up filling the spot, and then STAYS there because she doesn't do that entire "go out and get killed" thing.

Even if they don't live forever, they live a damn long time: The tendency of all the princelings to go and get themselves killed before they can inherit may further contribute. Even if he does survive to inherit, he'll probably get killed on short notice. A racial Con penalty doesn't help.

Sure, one could argue that Chaotic creatures are more emotional, delicate, effeminate creatures and cannot live the structured, manly lives of Lawful folk.

Maybe ALL chaotic creatures aren't that way, but elves certainly are.