(Redirected from Dökkálfar)'Dark elves' (Old Norse: 'Dökkálfar', sometimes called the '
Svartálfar') are known as a class of elves living underground in Old
Norse mythology, the counterparts to the ''
Ljósálfar'' ("
Light-elves"). The dark elves originated in the
Eddic and
Germanic myths. They are more recently described as a race of elves and sometimes counterparts to the ''
high elves'' in fiction and modern popular culture.
Dark elves are also now a common character in modern
fantasy fiction, although usually very highly embellished with outside influences and rarely displaying many elements of the ancient
folktales that inspired their inclusion, throughout fantasy fiction of many types. Their appearance varies considerably from representation to representation, as does their given background.
Origins In Folklore
Norse/Germanic mythology
Main articles: Svartálfar
In
Norse mythology, '
Svartálfar' ("Swart-elves" or "
black elves"), sometimes considered synonymous with ''
duergar'' ("
dwarves"), are subterranean creatures who dwell in the world of
Svartálfheim. They may be either benevolent or malevolent. The original Svartalfar worked the forges on the lowest level of the world tree. Their roles and countenance vary throughout Germanic folklore but are sometimes mentioned with Black or Dark skin as a result of working at the forge.
The 'Dökkálfar' ("Dark-elves") are male ancestral spirits who may protect the people, although some can be menacing, especially when one is rude to them. They are generally light-avoiding, though not necessarily subterranean.
In the prose Edda
Gylfaginning,
Snorri Sturluson, author of among other things the
Younger Edda, distinguishes them from the ''
Ljósálfar'' ("
Light-elves") of
Ãlfheim, in most sources simply known as
elves.
Norse Influenced Scottish Folklore
In the
Orkney Islands, the ''
Trow'' or the 'black elves' or drows are similar to the ''Svartalfar'' or to Scandinavian
trolls or
dwarves, and inhabit mines and caves. They may be either helpful or harmful but stories regarding harm are more common.
The ''Drow'' or the 'dark elves' are the
Shetland Isle equivalent of the Trow, but unlike the trow, they are thought of as exclusively malicious. They are tiny elves known for their mining and metal-working, not unlike dwarves.
Dark elves in fiction
Due at least partly to influence from the
Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and perhaps also to the ever-growing tendency toward synthesis of folklores, it is not uncommon for both
Trows and
Drow, along with black elves and dark elves, to be pictured as otherwise beautiful but dangerous and sometimes corrupted versions of the Norse light elves that have come to replace the tiny fairy-like elves of British folklore as the dominant model. As the image associated with the word "elf" once again became one of tall, slender, human-like creatures of otherworldly beauty, so did the image associated with the Black-elves/Trow and the Dark-elves/Drow.
The Deed of Paksenarrion
In
Elizabeth Moon's trilogy
The Deed of Paksenarrion, the dark elves are a sect of elves that have wandered from the path and now follow the gods of evil, rather than the "High Lord".
Middle-earth
In
J. R. R. Tolkien's
Middle-earth, the '
Moriquendi' — the 'Elves of Darkness' — are, in essence, the
Elves that did not join the
Great Journey over the sea and behold the light of the
Two Trees in
Valinor. This includes primarily the
Avari and
Nandor, and sometimes also the
Sindar, the Elves of Twilight, who remained in
Beleriand and did not reach Valinor. Dark Elves are in no way more evil than
Light Elves; the latter just have a surpassing knowledge and skill, and are more "noble" and potent. The most famous of
the Dark Elves would be Eol who is the only character in the Silmarillion called "Dark Elf" by the elves Celegorm and Curufin, two of the sons of Feanor.
Dungeons & Dragons
In the
Dungeons & Dragons multiverse, especially in the worlds of
Greyhawk, the
Forgotten Realms and
Eberron, 'dark elves' are commonly called '
drow'. They are dark-skinned and white-haired and are generally, but not exclusively,
evil. Many other games and works of mainstream
fantasy fiction derive their "dark elves" or "
night elves" from the drow of ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
In the
Mystara/"Known World" setting,
shadow elves are a race of subterranean elves who have been mutated via magic (possibly as a nod to the origin of
orcs in Middle-earth).
In the
Dragonlance setting, dark elves are not a separate subrace of elves (in fact, the drow of other worlds do not exist on this one). In this setting, "dark elf" is a label given to any elf that is outcast from elven society, typically (although not always) for evil practices.
★ It should be noted that in the Forgotten Realms setting Dark-elf is not entirely synonymous with Drow. As explained on pages 54-56 of the supplement Lost Empires of Faerun by Richard Baker et al., the dark-elves were a subrace of elves and the majority were not inherently evil. Actions of the dark-elves of Ilythiir during the Second and Fourth
Crown Wars led the other elven kingdoms to perform powerful ritual changing all of the dark-elves into drow. "The word dhaerow- which meant traitor- was likewise corrupted to 'drow,' which became the name of the corrupted dark-elves. Why all the dark elves, and not just the Ilythiiri, were transformed into drow remains one of the enduring mysteries of the Descent" (56).
★ Also noted that contradictory to Richard Baker, Matthew Bison's Rule Book version 7.2 Dark elves are considered to be all female and all are offspring Thetan. Drow are all males and are also all offspring of Thetan. It is against the rules for Dark Elves and Drow to mate, and if caught are exiled from the Gogglit Realm to the third ring of the Sharnan District. Posted on page 1056 paragraph 8: When Thetan was notifed of Nuckkin (45th daughter of Thetan) and Loth (23rd son of Thetan), Thetan was outraged and exiled both to the Third Ring of the Sharnan District; where both will be eternally hammered to the Bullion Ledge of Destinal Mountain facing south so they could never see the rise of the tenth moon.
Record of Lodoss War
'Dark elves' from the
fictional world of
Record of Lodoss War are brown-skinned and not necessarily evil, but primarily aligned with the forces of Marmo, the enemies of the story's heroes. These dark elves are capable of deep loyalty and
love.
Shadowrun
As with most metahuman races in the
Shadowrun world, many elves are born from the same ethnic groups that normal humans come from, meaning that there are African elves, Indian elves, and Arabic elves, for example. However, the closest thing to the "dark elf" in Shadowrun is the elf metahuman variant subgroup called the 'Night Ones', most of which come from Europe. The Night Ones have an aversion to sunlight and are different from other elves by possessing a fine fur coat that covers their bodies, indistinguishable from their skin at a distance and usually colored from black, violet, or dark blue. Popular media has dubbed them dark elves, and the group is sometimes stereotyped against as being members of a cult or an "evil" metahuman race. In the in-character comments of a sourcebook, a character derisively calls a group of Night One pirates, "
the Muppets", because of their purple fur resembling the Muppet
Grover.
Warhammer
In the fictional universes of ''
Warhammer Fantasy'' and ''
Warhammer 40,000'', the generally evil
Dark Elves (running parallel to the '
Dark Eldar' in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' universe) do not dwell underground, nor are they dark-skinned.Though warhammer dark elves live in cities similar to those of High elves in the frozen lands of the north in the 'new world'. Dark elves are masters of torture and they worship the god Khaine.
In the ''Warhammer'' universe, they call themselves the 'Druchii' and live under the ruthless fist of the Witch-King
Malekith and his sorcerous mother
Morathi. The Druchii live in Naggaroth and are cruel raiders with much hatred for all other races; especially their lighter kindred, the '
High Elves'. The Dark Elves were actually the ones responsible for sparking "The War of the Beard", the great war that divided the formerly-friendly Dwarf and High Elves, though only the High Elves know this and the Dwarfs would disbelieve it if they found out.
In the ''Warhammer 40,000'' universe, the Dark Eldar live in the extra-dimensional city of
Commorragh from which they launch raids upon the rest of the galaxy to capture slaves to be brought back to Commorragh as playthings or torture victims.
The Elder Scrolls
In
The Elder Scrolls series of
computer role-playing games, 'Dark Elves' (often referred to as '
Dunmer') lived generally peacefully with other races. They were the predominant race in
Morrowind, their native province, and held many of the highest positions of authority. In addition, much of the mythology surrounding Morrowind revolved around them. They are generally conservative by nature, being very devoted to their pantheon of gods, and are distrustful of "outlanders". Dunmer culture is split between the settled people of the cities and the nomadic Ashlander tribes. Dark can easily be applied to them as "gloomy" or "morbid", for such is their temperament. Dunmer are said to have been punished with their red eyes and dark-bluish skin colour by
Azura, one of the most prominent
Daedra, either for disobeying her in one of the most crucial moments of their history or for turning to worship the
Tribunal, along with the Tribunal killing
Nerevar, the savior of the Dunmer. Many
Imperial scholars prefer the theory that the bluish-grey skin is an adaptive response to the frequent volcanic eruptions on
Vvardenfell.
In truth, the term Dunmer more properly means Cursed Elves than Dark Elves. However, the term Dark Elves is far more complimentary. Although generally civilized, the Dunmer possess many savage and barbaric traits. While the Tribunal maintains a general peace amongst the people, the House Wars amongst the ruling class remain strong in memory. In addition, thanks to the Armistice allowing Morrowind to maintain many of its own laws, it is the only province which practices
chattel slavery of the "lesser" races, which the Dunmer consider to be most other races and even some of their own species including
High Elves and
Wood Elves; however, by the time of '' they are said to be abandoning this practice. A long lifespan is common among members of the race. Some Dark Elves are said to have lived for 1000 years.
Among those who played the older Elder Scrolls games, the Dunmer had something of a reputation for being promiscuous due to several in-game jokes to that extent.
EverQuest
Dark Elves are a playable race in the
MMORPG ''
EverQuest''
Known as Teir'Dal in their native tongue, the dark elves have magical abilities which make them suitable for classes of the
Cleric,
Enchanter,
Magician,
Necromancer, and
Wizard. They may also become
Rogues,
Shadow Knights, or
Warriors. They usually worship either their creator
Innoruuk, or the god
Solusek Ro. They may also swear fealty to other evil gods, such as
Bristlebane or
Rallos Zek.
Innoruuk created them from the first king and queen of
Tunare’s elven race. Angry at Tunare, he kidnapped the royals, and over the course of hundreds of years, he tortured, and reshaped them into his own twisted image. They are similar to the other elves throughout
Norrath, but tend to lean more toward evil ways: necromancy, death and destruction. The Tier'Dal exist to hate, believing that hate, is in fact the primary creative force in the universe. They even hate their own creator. The Dark Elves have a skin tone of dark blue and also are very fragile creatures. They reach a height of about five feet with evil running through their blood. The Dark Elves reside in Neriak, which is a large city divided into three sections. They tend to prefer the dark and the underground, and ally themselves with the dimwitted, but strong and black-hearted
Ogres and
Trolls, who they regard as tools for their own advancement.
Dark Elves in
EverQuest have high agility and intelligence and rely on these attributes more than anything else.
Dark Elves also make an appearance in other games in the
EverQuest series. Most notably its sequel
EverQuest II
Final Fantasy IV
In both the
RPG ''
Final Fantasy IV'' and ''Final Fantasy IV Advance'', the Dark Elf holds the Crystal of Earth, which he stole from the peaceful kingdom of Troia. The player is tasked with retrieving said crystal, a task complicated by the Dark Elf's ability to manipulate magnetic fields — metallic equipment does not work in the cave in which he lives.
After the initial encounter, the player loses to the Elf. However, provided they earlier picked up the Twin Harp from Edward, Edward helps the player out by playing his harp, disrupting the magnetic field and enabling the player to equip metallic equipment, thus enabling the player to defeat the Elf.
Age of Wonders
In the
Age of Wonders series of
computer strategy games, the story begins with the arrival of humans to the 'Valley of Wonders' and the slaying of the elven leader. This causes the elven race to split into two parts: the light elves (keepers of the light) and the dark elf (the cult of storms).
The light elves wish to keep peace with the humans, while the dark elves want to take revenge and destroy all traces of mankind. It is explained that while "the immortal-born elves cannot truly know death of the body" they can still experience death of the spirit, which transforms them into utterly evil and ultimately self-destructive creatures.
The player has to choose in the
campaign one of the two factions.
Lineage
Lineage is a Korean
MMORPG series. In the first Lineage, Dark elves are introduced in the later expansion packs. In its sequel,
Lineage II, the user can choose from five races:
Human,
Light Elf, Dark Elf,
Orc, and
Dwarf.
Dark elves were once members of the light elves that were banished for practicing dark magic. They have opposing qualities and traits: light elves use white magic and are quick and agile, but lack offensive strength. Dark elves practice dark magic, have high offensive capabilities due to superior mental and physical strength, and are nearly as agile as the light elves. However, dark elves suffer from weak defensive abilities, and are more prone to being stunned.
As with every class (except Dwarves), the dark elves are separated into two classes: fighter and mystic, opening several avenues of play style. They notably wear
fetish clothing-inspired outfits and rever Shilen, the goddess of Death.
Sacred
Sacred is a classic
Hack and Slash RPG by the German company, Ascaron. One of the possible races is Dark Elf.
Mega Man Zero
In
Mega Man Zero the Dark Elf was created as the ultimate weapon during the era of Cyber Elf development, towards the end of the Maverick Wars. According to legend, the original X used the power of this Elf to finally destroy Sigma for good, thus ending the years of constant fighting. Following the construction of Neo Arcadia, the Elf was stolen from a laboratory, and used by the evil Dr. Weil to instigate the Elf Wars. X and Zero together stopped Weil and his reploid Omega, and after Zero went in to suspended animation for 100 years, X sealed the Elf away for good using his own body as the seal.
Arcanum
Dark Elves in
Arcanum are elves who believe in the old elven beliefs, that elves are superior to all other races. They have also chosen to actively attack humans for their use of technology which interferes with their magic and their destruction of the elven forests. If the player in the game chooses to turn evil he spends some time working for the Dark Elves. Unlike in most modern fantasy fiction the Dark Elves do not appear physically different from the Light Elves, they can only be recognised by their set of ethics.
Midkemia
Midkemian dark elves - called 'moredhel' - resemble the elves (''eledhel'') and the glamredhel, the "mad ones", but have dark hair. They're quite warlike because of the path they follow of dark powers. They mostly inhabit the Northlands, and also the continent of Triagia, and are usually only seen in the more populated parts of the world robbing and raiding. Some of the moredhel return to reside with the eledhel in a process of change inwardly and outwardly, called the Returning, but they are often killed by their kin before they reach the home of the elves, Elvandar.
The truth, known only to the elves themselves and few elf-friends, is that the moredhel and eledhel are the one race both of whom were slaves under the
Valheru. When the latter disappeared the field slaves turned their back on their former masters' evil ways and became the eledhel, while the house slaves who had been in closer proximity to their masters sought their power and methods and became the moredhel. The eldar, keepers of lore and of the Valheru's sacred objects, left Midkemia and made their home on the world of Kelewan unbeknownst to anyone, as they kill anyone who tries to enter their forest.
They play a significant role in the novel ''A Darkness at Sethanon'' (''
Riftwar'' series) and the computer game ''
Betrayal at Krondor''.
Disciples 2
The Dark Elves in
Disciples 2 are slain
Elves reanimated to serve Mortis queen of the Undead Hordes. They are usually lost and confused, but driven on by Mortis.
Might and Magic
In the
Ashan continuity of the ''
Might and Magic'' series, the dark elves are a renegade faction of elves who live in underground dungeon towns of the land of Ygg Chal and worship Malassa, the Dragon of Darkness, while their wood brethren from the kingdom of Irollan worship Sylanna, the Dragon of Earth. While traditionally the two breeds of elves hated each other, the most recent event of Ashan history, Queen Isabel's War, saw the first ever military alliance between the two communities - namely, between Findan of Irollan and Raelag of Ygg Chal.
Prior to this, dark elves were part of
Might and Magic VIII as one of the dominant species on the continent Jadame, which is on the same (unnamed) planet as Enroth and Antagarich. These dark elves are peaceful and inhabit the country of Alvar, which includes Jadame's major port city Ravenshore in the south. The lands of Alvar north of Ravenshore are troubled by aggressive ogres. There is a dark elven prophecy concerning the end of the world.
Warcraft
In the
Warcraft universe, the nocturnal
Night Elves or ''Kaldorei'' of Kalimdor were originally patterned after the
Drow of ''
Dungeons & Dragons'' and indeed they share certain traits; dark (purplish) skin as well as gender based professions (warrior and ruler women and magically-inclined men)
[1]. These however, are the only elements that survive. Also, in contrast to the usual treatment of elves and dark elves in most fictional mythos, the Night Elves are the original race of elves with the more traditional looking (Warcraft-) High Elves or ''
Quel'dorei'' evolving from
Highborne Night Elves who were banished after their excess use of arcane magic caused the first invasion of the demonic
Burning Legion. Furthermore, in attitude, political agenda and lifestyle, the
night elves seem nothing at all like dark elves and seem more like
nocturnal wood elves, coupled with
high elven . The ''Dark Ranger'' hero from can be compared to a dark elf.
GURPS Banestorm
On the world of
Yrth, the dark elves are not a separate race, but are a xenophobic offshoot of the main elven culture. They think all non-elves in general, and orcs in particular, are an aberration against nature and a threat to the future of the world and the elven race, and thus conspire to either enslave or destroy those other races. They began as nothing more than a group of elves united against orcs, but over the centuries their beliefs divereged from the elven mainstream. They believe in using magic to improve on nature, guiding it actively toward union with the Eternal, the elven (and dwarven) conception of the divine. Most elves consider their belief perverted and dangerous. The dark elves are responsible for the
Banestorm effect that brought humans, goblins, lizardfolk and other non-Yrth native races to Yrth.
Spellforce
The dark elves in
Spellforce an evil race.
Famous dark elves in fiction
Shadowblade
Shadowblade is an elite assassin in the world of Warhammer Fantasy world. He is an assassin in the society of the Dark Elves, considered the most brilliant assassin ever to have lived. Even though he's still young by Dark Elf standards (a mere 150 years old) he is a legend amongst the Druchii, his exploits told as fireside tales to eager Dark Elf children. Most celebrated of all is his single-handed massacre of the entire crew of a High Elf Hawkship, whom he murdered one by one over several days, each killed in a different fashion. The mere thought of Shadowblade's murderous attempts is enough to keep all but the most stupid or brave Dark Elf from plotting against the Witch King.
Malus Darkblade
Main articles: Malus Darkblade
Malus Darkblade is a Dark Elf Noble of evil renown in the Warhammer Fantasy world - he is possessed by a Daemon called Tz’arkan. His quest to rid himself of this Daemon is legendary. At one point he succeeded although it cost him his own soul. It took many years after that to track down the Daemon again and win his soul back, only to have Tz’arkan imprisoned inside him again.
For now it seems Malus has accepted his fate and has returned to his home of Hag Graef to lead its armies to war. None know what his true intentions are, but he has lost none of his thirst for power - he has been appointed Drachau of Hag Graef and placed in command of the armies of the Witch King.
In battle he rides upon his trusted Cold One steed; Spite and wields the fearsome Warpsword of Khaine. In times of need he can summon the Daemon and allow Tz’arkan to control his actions, by the mechanism that the daemon holds sway while Malus sleeps and he is in control while awake. To this end, he carries a variety of stimulants and soporifics, so he can fall asleep in combat or maintain wakefulness to keep control of his actions. This is great risk though, as while possessed by T'zarkan he can attack his own troops as well as enemies.
Drizzt Do'Urden
Main articles: Drizzt Do'Urden
Drizzt Do'Urden is a Drow in the
Forgotten Realms fantasy world. Drow are dark elves that live in subterranean caverns deep beneath the surface in the Underdark of Forgotten Realms. Not only does Drizzt refuse to reside in the Underdark, he has renounced the Drow's Spider-Queen
Lolth (instead embracing
Mielikki, goddess of the forests and rangers), ruined his family, and is thus considered a renegade. While most Drow are considered evil and power hungry, Drizzt is benevolent and humble. He is often persecuted for the reputation of his race, he has slowly gained a reputation for himself, allowing him acceptance without prejudice. His preferred weapons are
twin scimitars, although he is perfectly capable of using a variety of other weapons should the need arise. His primary companion is Guenhwyvar, a magical panther who is summoned to Drizzt's plane of existence by means of a small onyx figurine. Along the way Drizzt has also made many important friends, such as the dwarf king
Bruenor, the dwarf's adopted daughter
Catti-brie and the human Barbarian
Wulfgar, as well as
Montolio Debrouchee who revealed to the dark elf which deity his heart followed or the
svirfneblin Belwar Dissengulp from
Blingdenstone, the first member of a lawful race to accept Drizzt.
Gorath, Cheiftan of the Ardanien
Gorath is a renegade Dark Elf (Moredhel) from
Raymond E. Feist's fantasy world
Midkemia. He betrayed his people to travel south across the Teeth of the World (a mountain range which separates the Moredhel from the rest of the world) in order to warn Prince Arutha ConDoin of the coming war in an effort to stop the Moredhel leader, Delekhan, and save his people from utter destruction. His story is portrayed in the video game
Betrayal at Krondor and again in the novel based on the computer game, ''Krondor: The Betrayal''. This book is the first novel in ''The Riftwar Legacy'', followed by ''Krondor: The Assassin'', ''Krondor: The Tear of the Gods'', ''Krondor: The Crawler'' (Not yet released), and ''Krondor: The Dark Mage'' (Not yet released).
Nerevar Indoril
Nerevar is the legendary Hortator and King of the Chimer from the fantasy world
The Elder Scrolls. Technically, he is not a Dark Elf, but events that he was involved in resulted in events pertaining to Dark Elves. With the aid of the Daedric Princess Azura, he rose to power over the Chimer by overthrowing the
Nords. He continued as the king of
Morrowind for many years, but when he fought a battle with the
Dwemer at Red Mountain, he was victorious but mortally wounded. His three councillors (who later became the Tribunal) betrayed their oath to him and used a forbidden magical artifact. In punishment for this Azura changed his race with dark blue skin and red eyes, transforming them into the
Dunmer, the Dark Elves. He was later reincarnated, as the player character of .
References
★ (The Fooling Of Gylfe) by Sturluson, Snorri, 13th century Edda, in English. Accessed Apr. 16, 2007.
★ Gylfaginning in Old Norse
[2]) Accessed Apr. 16, 2007.
★ Bulfinch, Thomas (1834). ''Bulfinch's Mythology.'' New York: Harper & Row, 1970, p. 348. ISBN 0-690-57260-3.
★ Marshall Jones Company (1930). ''Mythology of All Races'' Series, Volume 2 ''Eddic'', Great Britain: Marshall Jones Company, 1930, pp. 220-221.
العربية
ä¸å›½
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिनà¥à¤¦à¥€
Italiano
日本語
Português
РуÑÑкий
Español
