Why don't Elves have any Kings?

[LuYangShih]

I was just reading the Morningstar or Dawnforge thread, and noted that in Morningstar, the Elves are ruled over by an Empress with great and mysterious powers. I started thinking about all the other Elven cultures I am aware of, and every society they have is ruled by an archetype of the same sort. Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Midnight, and probably other settings I am not as familar with. I understand the popularity of the Galadriel archetype, but since when were characters like Gil-Galad, Elrond, and Glorfindel abandoned as leaders of Elf-kind?

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.

 

[maddman75]

I was just reading the Morningstar or Dawnforge thread, and noted that in Morningstar, the Elves are ruled over by an Empress with great and mysterious powers. I started thinking about all the other Elven cultures I am aware of, and every society they have is ruled by an archetype of the same sort. Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Midnight, and probably other settings I am not as familar with. I understand the popularity of the Galadriel archetype, but since when were characters like Gil-Galad, Elrond, and Glorfindel abandoned as leaders of Elf-kind?

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.

The elves in my world are ruled by a council of powerful heros, those who have passed every test in life, including 'becoming a hero in the human lands'. Even gender mix. They're modeled roughly after Plato's Republic.

 

[ArcOfCorinth]

The elves in my campaigns tend to have kings.

At least some elven kingdoms in FR have kings as well.

The Qualnesti and Silvanesti elves of DL have kings for their kingdoms as well.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

I can't say for sure, but perhaps, to some degree, its possibly meant to represent the concept of gender equality among the elves.

However, from a literary standpoint, I think that it may be due to the influence of literature predating Tolkien. Spenser's (sp?) The Faerie Queene has, well I think you can deduce it from the title. Then again, there is the ever-popular Oberon & Titania, famous from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Titania isn't a weak character, to say the least.

Then again, it may be to provide hot elf female royalty for the single male human royalty to hook up with.

 

[Mercule]

'Cause elf chicks are cool. *Snort*

As crude is that sounds, I suspect it has something to do with it.

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

 

[Davelozzi]

In my game, three out of four major elven kingdoms have kings, the fourth is ruled by a queen. I think it's more or less the same in Birthright.

Is your complaint that many of the elven kingdoms in fantasy tend to have female rulers instead of male, or that the leaders use other titles instead of king?

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

They used to.

But then this dude Sauron started handing out these rings and things went downhill from there.

 

[Nifft]

Elves all look girlie to us manly hu-mons.

-- N

 

[The Sigil]

Supreme executive power is derived from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

Elves are chaotic... do you think they'll be able to get together and give a mandate to one elf to wield supreme executive power, especially knowing that (since that elf is also chaotic) that how that power is used will depend entirely upon whim, which may or may not cater to their own chaotic whims?

Me neither.

Besides, elves, with their long lifespan, can remember human kings and how usually things get bad after, oh, two generations of a single ruling family.

--The Sigil

 

[Estlor]

Two things:

It seems traditional fantasy paints the elven culture at matronly. Take a look at the elven books WotC and TSR put out. You'll notice a much larger amount of "she" pronouns used in reference to the elves.

Also, the Mystara/Known World setting really has no elven queens per se. Doriath ruled the surface nation of Alfheim, Telemon ruled the subterranian nation of the Shadow Elf Territories. I can't recall the name of Wendar's king, but he was also an elf king. After the Wrath adventure, Telemon's daughter is "Queen" of Aengmor, but that's more of a formality. Telemon still calls the shots, even on the surface.

Then again, in Alfheim the Council of Clans, made up of the leader of each of the elven clans, had a lot of power in the government, and among the shadow elves, the senior shaman had a lot of governing power. And need I mention the "Radiant Shaman" was a chick