Elves (Shannara)
Encyclopedia
Elves are one of the races in the Shannara
series of epic fantasy
novels by Terry Brooks
. They are the only race of the faerie creatures (apart from the King of the Silver River
and Uhl Belk
) still in the World
, though they now have become mortal. Though Elves usually refers to the Westland Elves, Elves can be split into two: the "Land Elves" and the "Sky Elves". Note: when the word "Elves" is used in this article, it is referring to the Land Elves.
, or in the surrounding towns.
in the war that redefined and polarised the Faerie world. The Elves magically created the Ellcrys
through the sacrifice of a life, which banished the Demons into the Forbidding. Following the war, the Elves drifted apart from the other Faeries, retreating into their forest homelands. However, like many other species, they were affected and all but overrun by the rise of humanity. When the Elves realized that the Great Wars were close at hand, they used what magic remained to them to seal themselves and a few treasures away from harm.
After the Great Wars ended, the Elves reemerged in the forests of the Westland, but greatly changed. No longer creatures of Faerie, they had become nearly identical to the Races of Man,and no longer commanded innate magics. As such, many believed that the Elves were merely another of the five races descended from Man. In addition, the Elf Galaphile founded the first Druid Council, solidifying a body of peacekeepers, historians and scholars in the centre of the Four Lands.
For reasons unknown, the Elves were always prosperous. They were fine craftsmen and highly skilled swordsmen, cavalry and archers. Among the other races they had no equal, and they were often forced to do battle with great menaces. The first occurrence was in the Race Wars, where the Elves helped battle the Warlock Lord
. In the Second War of the Races, King Courtann Ballindaroch and his House was destroyed by a Skullbearer assassin. This threw the Kingdom into chaos, rendering them incapable of lending aid to the Dwarves. A cousin of the King, Jerle Shannara
, rose to the Crown and ultimately led the Elves to victory at the Battle of the Rhenn, and defeated the Warlock Lord on the Streleheim Plains (First King of Shannara
).
Several hundred years later, the Warlock Lord returned and wiped out all the descendants of Shannara except for Shea Ohmsford
. While Shea went on a quest to destroy the Warlock Lord, King Eventine Elessedil
was captured and held hostage, keeping the Elves out of the war due in part to their isolationist politics. But Eventine was rescued, and the Elves came to the aid of the Borderlands against the Warlock Lord. Luckily, Shea managed to destroy the Warlock Lord before the Borderlands fell (The Sword of Shannara
).
Following that, the Elves were forced to reenact their ancestral struggle with the Demons: the Ellcrys was dying and the Forbidding was failing, allowing the Demons to escape. The Elves and a number of allies had to battle the Demons while Amberle Elessedil
went in search of the Bloodfire, the only thing that could restore the Ellcrys. The Elves barely managed to hold the Demons off long enough for Amberle to succeed. Before the time of Allanon
came to an end, the Elves came to the aid of the Dwarves against the Mord Wraiths
(Elfstones of Shannara).
As the Federation
began expanding, and as the land began to decay, the Elves were blamed for the rise of the Shadowen. Tired of the accusations, and desperate to find healthy land, the Elves left the Four Lands
, transporting their entire race to the island of Morrowindl. However, in their attempts to recover the old magic, they created a new form of Demons which threatened them. However, thanks to the coming of Wren Elessedil
, they were able to return to the Westland. But soon after their return, the Federation attacked them. The Elves managed to hold out long enough for help from the Free-born resistance movement and Trolls to arrive and join the battle, which saw the defeat of the Federation army. Soon after, the Shadowen were destroyed, forcing the Federation to give up the war (Heritage of Shannara
).
Over 100 years afterwards, the Elves joined the Free-born and Dwarves in a new war with the Federation, who was reattempting to take control of the Borderlands. The war was, however, in a state of constant deadlock on Preccendoran Hights, with no movement on either side since the war started. Thus, tactical maps were permanently printed. However, with the death of Sen Dunsidan, the Federation agreed to end the war, and peace was restored.
It seems that over the years the Elves have slowly lost their individuality from the other races and have steadily become more and more human. Instead of being grand bearers of magic, they became healers of the land, then isolationists, then part of a massive alliance. Thus, a parallel can be drawn between the Elves and the British Empire
.
Shannara
Shannara is an epic fantasy series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through Bearers of the Black Staff which was released on August 24, 2010, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara...
series of epic fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
novels by Terry Brooks
Terry Brooks
Terence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...
. They are the only race of the faerie creatures (apart from the King of the Silver River
King of the Silver River
The King of the Silver River is a fictional character from the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. He has appeared in many of the novels in the series as a recurring character.- Biography :...
and Uhl Belk
Uhl Belk
Uhl Belk is a fictional character in Terry Brooks' novel The Druid of Shannara....
) still in the World
The Four Lands
The Four Lands is the fictional world where Terry Brooks' Shannara series is set. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy reveals the Four Lands to be located in the modern Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada. Much of the landscape has been changed from a future holocaust, but some...
, though they now have become mortal. Though Elves usually refers to the Westland Elves, Elves can be split into two: the "Land Elves" and the "Sky Elves". Note: when the word "Elves" is used in this article, it is referring to the Land Elves.
Differences between the Land and Sky Elves
The Land and Sky Elves are the names for two separate groups of Elves in the Westland. Ethnically they are almost identical, but culturally very different. Sky Elves interact with the giant Roc birds, whereas Land Elves do not. The Sky Elves live in the far south in the Wing Hove (on the coast of the Blue Divide), whereas a majority of the Land Elves live in their capital city, ArborlonArborlon
Arborlon is the capital city of the Elves in the fictional Shannara series of novels by Terry Brooks. In the Original Shannara Trilogy, the first 3 books, Arborlon is located in the Westland of The Four Lands. In The Elfstones of Shannara, the defense of Arborlon is one of the central plot lines...
, or in the surrounding towns.
History of the Elves
In the time of Faerie, the Elves were created as servants and shepherds of the forests. They appear as slender humans with fine features, pointed ears and pencil-thin eyebrows. They were one of the more common Races of Faerie and also one of the magical races that battled the DemonsDemons (Shannara)
Demons is a common name for many different creatures in the Shannara series of epic fantasy novels by Terry Brooks. The 'true' demons were sealed long ago within an alternate universe, named the Forbidding; this prison is 'maintained' by the Ellcrys, a sacred Elven tree; if she dies, the Forbidding...
in the war that redefined and polarised the Faerie world. The Elves magically created the Ellcrys
Ellcrys
The Ellcrys is a fictional sapient tree with silver bark and crimson leaves that was "created by the bonding of earth and life". She appears in two novels of the Shannara series. She is the magical linchpin of the barrier that keeps the Demons that once overran the Four Lands trapped in an...
through the sacrifice of a life, which banished the Demons into the Forbidding. Following the war, the Elves drifted apart from the other Faeries, retreating into their forest homelands. However, like many other species, they were affected and all but overrun by the rise of humanity. When the Elves realized that the Great Wars were close at hand, they used what magic remained to them to seal themselves and a few treasures away from harm.
After the Great Wars ended, the Elves reemerged in the forests of the Westland, but greatly changed. No longer creatures of Faerie, they had become nearly identical to the Races of Man,and no longer commanded innate magics. As such, many believed that the Elves were merely another of the five races descended from Man. In addition, the Elf Galaphile founded the first Druid Council, solidifying a body of peacekeepers, historians and scholars in the centre of the Four Lands.
For reasons unknown, the Elves were always prosperous. They were fine craftsmen and highly skilled swordsmen, cavalry and archers. Among the other races they had no equal, and they were often forced to do battle with great menaces. The first occurrence was in the Race Wars, where the Elves helped battle the Warlock Lord
Warlock Lord
The Warlock Lord is the principal villain of Terry Brooks' novel The Sword of Shannara....
. In the Second War of the Races, King Courtann Ballindaroch and his House was destroyed by a Skullbearer assassin. This threw the Kingdom into chaos, rendering them incapable of lending aid to the Dwarves. A cousin of the King, Jerle Shannara
Jerle Shannara
Jerle Shannara is a fictional character from Terry Brooks' Shannara series of epic fantasy novels. Only mentioned as a long-deceased person in the Original Shannara Trilogy, he is one of the main characters of the prequel novel First King of Shannara.- Biography :Jerle begins the story as captain...
, rose to the Crown and ultimately led the Elves to victory at the Battle of the Rhenn, and defeated the Warlock Lord on the Streleheim Plains (First King of Shannara
First King of Shannara
The First King of Shannara is a 1996 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. It is a prequel to Brooks' The Sword of Shannara and is set during the Second War of the Races...
).
Several hundred years later, the Warlock Lord returned and wiped out all the descendants of Shannara except for Shea Ohmsford
Shea Ohmsford
Shea Ohmsford is a fictional character and the protagonist of Terry Brooks' epic fantasy novel The Sword of Shannara. In the universe, he is the last known person with the blood of Jerle Shannara, making him the only one who can wield the powerful Sword of Shannara to vanquish the Warlock Lord.-...
. While Shea went on a quest to destroy the Warlock Lord, King Eventine Elessedil
Eventine Elessedil
Eventine Elessedil is a character from The Sword of Shannara and The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks.- The Sword of Shannara :...
was captured and held hostage, keeping the Elves out of the war due in part to their isolationist politics. But Eventine was rescued, and the Elves came to the aid of the Borderlands against the Warlock Lord. Luckily, Shea managed to destroy the Warlock Lord before the Borderlands fell (The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara
The Sword of Shannara is a 1977 epic fantasy novel by Terry Brooks. The first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, it was followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and historical adventure fiction, Brooks began writing...
).
Following that, the Elves were forced to reenact their ancestral struggle with the Demons: the Ellcrys was dying and the Forbidding was failing, allowing the Demons to escape. The Elves and a number of allies had to battle the Demons while Amberle Elessedil
Amberle Elessedil
Amberle Elessedil is a fictional character from the epic fantasy novel The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks. She was meant to be the "strong female lead" that was lacking in The Sword of Shannara....
went in search of the Bloodfire, the only thing that could restore the Ellcrys. The Elves barely managed to hold the Demons off long enough for Amberle to succeed. Before the time of Allanon
Allanon
Allanon is a fictional character from the epic fantasy Original Shannara Trilogy and the trilogy's prequel, First King of Shannara; all four are by Terry Brooks. Described as Brooks' "most enigmatic character", Allanon is very secretive and appears only when needed...
came to an end, the Elves came to the aid of the Dwarves against the Mord Wraiths
Mord Wraiths
The Mord Wraiths are a fictional organization from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. They were human sorcerors in service to the Warlock Lord who recovered and were subverted by the Ildatch....
(Elfstones of Shannara).
As the Federation
The Federation (Shannara)
The Federation is a fictional organization from the Shannara series by Terry Brooks.-Original Shannara Trilogy:In the aftermath of the Third War of the Races and Shea Ohmsford's defeat of the Warlock Lord, the cities of the deep Southland realized how close they had come to annihilation...
began expanding, and as the land began to decay, the Elves were blamed for the rise of the Shadowen. Tired of the accusations, and desperate to find healthy land, the Elves left the Four Lands
The Four Lands
The Four Lands is the fictional world where Terry Brooks' Shannara series is set. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy reveals the Four Lands to be located in the modern Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada. Much of the landscape has been changed from a future holocaust, but some...
, transporting their entire race to the island of Morrowindl. However, in their attempts to recover the old magic, they created a new form of Demons which threatened them. However, thanks to the coming of Wren Elessedil
Wren Elessedil
Wren Elessedil is a fictional character from The Heritage of Shannara by Terry Brooks....
, they were able to return to the Westland. But soon after their return, the Federation attacked them. The Elves managed to hold out long enough for help from the Free-born resistance movement and Trolls to arrive and join the battle, which saw the defeat of the Federation army. Soon after, the Shadowen were destroyed, forcing the Federation to give up the war (Heritage of Shannara
Heritage of Shannara
The Heritage of Shannara is a series of four fantasy novels by Terry Brooks, set hundreds of years after the original Shannara trilogy. Unlike the original trilogy, however, this series is all one, cohesive story, in contrast to the three isolated stories of the originals...
).
Over 100 years afterwards, the Elves joined the Free-born and Dwarves in a new war with the Federation, who was reattempting to take control of the Borderlands. The war was, however, in a state of constant deadlock on Preccendoran Hights, with no movement on either side since the war started. Thus, tactical maps were permanently printed. However, with the death of Sen Dunsidan, the Federation agreed to end the war, and peace was restored.
It seems that over the years the Elves have slowly lost their individuality from the other races and have steadily become more and more human. Instead of being grand bearers of magic, they became healers of the land, then isolationists, then part of a massive alliance. Thus, a parallel can be drawn between the Elves and the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.