Elves are humanoid magical beings that inhabit the lands of Xadia. They are one of the rare few creatures that come in six different races for each of the six Primal Sources of magic that exist in nature.
All elves in the series can be found here.
Biology[]
All elves have four digits on each hand—three fingers and a thumb—and four toes on each foot,[1] except for Tidebound Elves, who only have two toes. Most elven races have pointed ears, which differ from the norm in the case of both Tidebound Elves and individual cases of Skywing Elves. Their skin tones, hair colors, and the shape of their horns vary between races, and each race dons different body markings, which are not permanent, but rather temporary tattoos similar to henna.[2][3]
Most elves have a lifespan similar to humans,[4] though according to Rayla, they tend to live for more than a century.[5] It is, however, unclear if elven centuries may pass differently to human years, based on how they count. In any case, lifespans vary for each elven race. Sunfire Elves are said to be long-lived,[6] with a minimum of a few hundred years.[7] Tidebound Elves and Skywing Elves can live for more than 300 years.[8][9] But out of all the six races, the lifespans of Startouch Elves are the longest, exceeding that of 5000 years.[10]
All elven races are capable of mating and producing hybrid offspring with each other.[11] It is unclear whether the offspring are connected to the Primal Sources of both parents at birth, or if each offspring is connected to a different source.
It is also possible elves and humans to conceive offspring together, though unlike crossed elven offspring, they would not refer to themselves as "hybrids".[12] It is currently unknown what attributes those offspring would have (whether or not they would have horns, if they would have four or five fingers, if said offspring would be born connected to a Primal Source like their elven parent). Callum theorized that if a human and an elf had ten children, then they would turn out ten different was, suggesting that the attributes are a matter of random chance.[13] There are two known elf/human hybrids: the Being and Sarai II. The Being was created through artificial means by Aaravos and Viren, and although he has a connection to the Star Primal like his Startouch Elf father, he has never been trained to harness its powers.[14][15] Sarai, on the other hand, was born naturally.[16] As well as with her birth, what Callum theorized is true as Sarai has her father's fingers, toes and ears while inheriting Rayla's white hair and horns.[16]
Elves, like humans, also feature various forms of neurodivergence. This can be seen in Aaravos's daughter, Leola, who was autistic.[17] This indicates that elves have a similar enough neurophysiology to humans to experience many of the same phenomena.[18]
All elves are shown to enter an enhanced state that depends on the Primal Source to which they are connected to and that can be activated either through practice or through extreme emotion.[19][20]
Culture and Society[]
Elves are dedicated and passionate beings and often find magic mundane due to how it is interwoven into nearly all aspects of their daily lives. They consider dragons to be equals and kin, as powerful magic runs through both of their species, but often consider humans to be inferior and untrustworthy. However, some elves, such as the Earthblood Elves of the Drakewood, view dragons as lesser beasts that must be tamed.[21][22]
Much like most human societies, same-sex couples exist and are accepted in elven societies. While uncommon due to the cultural and continental divide between them, some elves and humans have been known to form romantic relationships with one another. Divorce is an option for married partners.[23]
Elves commonly adorn their horns with jewelry and have a penchant among their monarchs and most esteemed members of their society to don decorative headdresses. The latter is most prominent among the queens of the Sunfire Elves, such as Aditi and her descendants Khessa and Janai.[12]
Elves appear to pride themselves on their knowledge of the natural world along with their supernatural strength and connection to magic. As a result, most elves are known to be compassionate towards animals and respectful of the balance of nature.[24]
As such a grand race steeped in magic and power, elven architecture and cities tend to exude a powerful connection to the natural world. There is often a sense of grandiosity about their cities. Lux Aurea, for example, is a massive city constructed of unknown metals that resemble gold and glow even in daylight. Another feature among differing elf cities is the use of magic to protect them. The Silvergrove is hidden from prying eyes by way of a magical spell that can be bypassed with ritual dance, whereas Lux Aurea uses Sun magic to cast walls of fire around captured prisoners. However, if pushed to abandon a Primal Nexus due to occupation of enemy territory, elves are known to use both magic and mundane force in destroying their own settlements around such locations. They seem to have little issue in leaving no advantage to their enemies at the cost of themselves in the pursuit of preserving peace.[24]
History[]
The First Elves originated at least 5000 years before the birth of Azymondias.[25] In ancient times, elves and humans lived alongside one another. The relationship between elves and humans started to deteriorate when humans were introduced to the ways of magic by the young Startouch Elf Leola and the unicorns. After the Startouch Elves executed Leola for breaking the cosmic order,[18] the elves warned the selfless unicorns not to trust humans so easily, as they believed that they would have been born with magic if nature intended them to use it. Some were not as kind as expected, as some human dark mages began poaching the unicorns and other magical creatures and harvested their body parts for dark magic spells. Eventually, their excessive poaching led to the extinction of the unicorns. Horrified by this, the elves and dragons at first wanted all the humans to be annihilated, but knowing that not all humans are bad, one elf convinced Luna Tenebris, the Queen of the Dragons, to exile all of humanity to the western half of the continent and divided it with a river of lava that would be known as the Border.[26] She also founded an group of elite elven warriors called the Nightguard as her protectors.[27]
The elves remained in the eastern lands of Xadia and maintained a state of cold war with the humans—especially with Katolis, the human kingdom that borders Xadia. Humans eventually discovered the Breach, a narrow cliff that connects Katolis to Xadia across the lava river, and began using it to make clandestine trips into Xadia against the wishes of the elves.[28]
700 years after the exile of humans, the elves and the dragons cooperated in abolishing the Order of the Blood Moon, a cult of rogue Moonshadow Elves in the Moonshadow Forest who were drinking the blood of still-living beings to extend their lives and enhance their magic. Every single cultist was killed until Kim'dael became the sole survivor.[29][30]
The elves almost waged war on the dragons when the latter were accused for the murder of Sunfire Queen Aditi following the mysterious death of Luna Tenebris and the strange disappearance of the Nightguard. However, a young human girl revealed the treachery of Aaravos, a fallen Startouch Elf[31] who harbored a deep grudge against his fellow elves after the death of his beloved daughter Leola.[18] Aaravos was then imprisoned in an undisclosed area behind a magic mirror by the elves and the new Dragon King Avizandum so that he would not bring chaos into the world again.[31] Yet another 300 years later, King Harrow, who sought to avenge the death of his wife Queen Sarai, infiltrated Xadia and used dark magic to slay the Dragon King and supposedly destroyed his son's egg, which was in reality stolen by Viren.[32] After Avizandum's death, the Dragonguard, a group of elves dedicated to protecting the newborn egg, was "ghosted" by the rest of the elves for abandoning their duty, meaning they were banned from returning to their homes and no longer acknowledged by their kin. Included in this punishment were Rayla's parents, Tiadrin and Lain, who had served in the guard at the day of Avizandum's death.[33]
To avenge the deaths of her mate and son, Dragon Queen Zubeia sent Moonshadow Elf Assassins to kill Harrow and his son Ezran.[34] Having discovered the Breach, Sunfire Elves also amassed their soldiers and conquered a fortress Katolis had secretly established on the Breach's eastern end in Xadia — a potential prelude to an invasion of the Human Kingdoms.[35]
Book One - Moon[]
As the hired Moonshadow assassins edged closer to Katolis, they were spotted by a human guard named Marcos and left it to Rayla to eliminate him, which she failed due to not being able to take the life of an innocent being. This mistake led to an open window for the soldier to inform the High Council of the attack, and now at a disadvantage,[34] only two of the original six elves made it out alive, yet succeeded in their mission to kill King Harrow. Meanwhile, Rayla, who had made it into the castle, discovered the egg of the Dragon Prince together with the two princes of Katolis and swore to return it to its mother - together with her new human companions. However, Runaan, the leader of the assassins, was taken prisoner by Viren for interrogation. Both of them failed to remove the binding that had bound them to their mission, as they had failed to kill Prince Ezran.[19]
After many obstacles, Rayla befriended the princes and climbed to the top of the Cursed Caldera, where the group met Lujanne, the guardian of the Moon Nexus. Through collaborative effort and Callum's successful cast of a thunderstorm, which allowed the egg to hatch, they managed to hatch the Dragon Prince, whose name is Azymondias.[36] The dragonling was able to eventually free Rayla from her binding. Runaan was not as lucky, however, as Viren trapped him inside a magical coin via dark magic, due to his refusal to give away any information about Xadia or the magic mirror inside Viren's dungeon, only stating that he had met a fate worse than death for obtaining the cursed artifact.[37]
Book Two - Sky[]
Even though, Rayla despite feeling joy over Zym hatching and her hand free she knew danger was coming and she was right when Soren and Claudia caught up to them. She knew that they were hiding something while at the same time struggled with telling the princes the truth and when Rayla finally worked up the courage to tell Callum, but upon seeing his state, she realized it was too late, though they managed to reconcile. With the help of Ellis and Ava, she was able to prove their intention and escaped with the princes and Zym.[38]
Meanwhile, the boys' aunt Amaya and her forces had to deal with a group of Sunfire Elves at the Border.[35] After some time, Aaravos was happy to establish contact with Viren.[38]
While sailing through a vast lake with the aid of Captain Villads, Rayla was confused about what to do in life since she did not have the heart of an assassin. From Villads, she was given some sage advice and when she saw the captured Fire Dragon Pyrrah, Rayla finally discovered what she wanted to with her life.[39] However, she became irked at Callum for using dark magic despite trying to help her and continued to watch over him in his dream fevered state while saddened that Ezran found out about their father.[40] Upon seeing her friend's condition worsen, Rayla broke down at the thought of losing him but her concern turned into amazement when she watched Callum perform magic through his newfound connection with the arcanum of the Sky.
With a failed summit, Aaravos convinced the mage to use fear to get his point across and when Viren was captured, the Startouch Elf would stay with him through his familiar. After Ezran's return, Rayla respected his decision to return home to try and stop the war from the other end while she and Callum continued onto Xadia. Just as they crossed the Border, the trio encountered Sol Regem.[41]
Book Three - Sun[]
The year-long battle at the Breach found an end when General Amaya decided to destroy the only connection between Xadia and the Human Kingdoms known to humanity.[42] Janai managed to capture Amaya and brought her to face judgment before the Sunfire Queen, Khessa, convincing her to show mercy after exposing Amaya to "the Light". Through his familiar, Aaravos could be seen only by Viren and during the journey to Xadia, grew in size as well as learned about the Avizandum's demise.
Inside the home of the Moonshadow Elves, the Silvergrove, Rayla learned that she had been ghosted by her kin, meaning they would no longer acknowledge her existence, as they had done with her parents, due to failing her mission. This is where they met Ethari, Runaan's husband, who delivered a letter to the Dragon Queen, informing her that her son is still alive. After given a Moonstrider and a Shadowpaw, Team Zym continued their way through the Midnight Desert.[43]
Meanwhile, Aaravos moved towards Lux Aurea with Viren, manipulating him into faking his surrender to the Sunfire Elves. Although the Sunfire Queen at first declined an audience, Janai informed her that Viren claimed to know what had happened to their great-grandmother, Aditi. Like Amaya, Viren was exposed to the Sunforge as well, but before he could be destroyed by its magic, Aaravos overtook the Sunfire priest and claimed the Sunfire Staff, taking over the Sunforge. After whispering to Khessa what he had done to Aditi, Aaravos used a spell on the Sunfire Queen, causing her body to dissolve.[44]
Team Zym had reached the Storm Spire at the same time, where they returned Azymondias to the Dragon Queen, Zubeia. However, Zubeia had fallen ill and found herself in a deep slumber, thus she was unable to acknowledge her son's return. The group was made aware of Aaravos's and Viren's approach by Soren, who then joined the allied forces. While Ibis, a Skywing Elf mage and protector of the queen, scouted for the enemy, Callum managed to reveal the truth about the events surrounding Rayla's parents using a Moon Opal. The magic spell revealed that Tiadrin and Lain had stayed behind and tried to protect the Dragon Prince's egg, but were imprisoned in coins by Viren. Relieved and inspired by her parents' loyalty, Rayla followed into their footsteps, becoming the last Dragon Guard.[33]
After being joined by Janai and Amaya, as well as the Sunfire Elf army, Team Zym gathered their allies to fight a final battle against their enemies. After a heated war with Viren's now Sunforge-enchanted soldiers, the allies were joined by the kingdom of Duren, as well as several Fire Dragons, allowing them to win the battle. Rayla successfully managed to stop Viren from harvesting Azymondias's essence, after the mage had infiltrated the spire, killing him in the process by throwing him off a cliff.
Victorious, the allied forces gathered inside the Storm Spire, where Queen Zubeia finally awakened. Overjoyed about seeing humans and elves reunited, her son had returned and a new era of peace began. However, there was still danger ahead, as unknown to the allied forces, Claudia had successfully resurrected Viren, and Aaravos entered a stage of metamorphosis.[45]
After the Battle[]
After the battle at the Storm Spire, elves and humans entered an era of peace between their nations, in which little changes contributed to welcome a new time of coexistence. However, not all of them seem ready to just forget the conflicts of the past just yet.[46]
Book Four - Earth[]
Two years later, elves and humans continued to enter a state of peace between each other's nations. However, this peace is strained by individuals disagreeing with the presence of each other's species in their homelands.[47][31]
Book Five - Ocean[]
The peace between elves and humans continued to have its ups and downs. Some elves managed to coexist alongside humans with little to no strifes,[48][49] while others began to form alliances with those who wished to see humans driven out of Xadia by force.[48][14]
Book Six - Stars[]
After securing Aaravos's prison from the Sea of the Castout, Callum and Rayla sought the knowledge of Startouch Elf weaknesses with the Celestial Elves at the Star Scraper.[15] Meanwhile, Janai began to deal with the betrayal of her brother Karim and the uncertain future of her people, for Karim tried to restore the elves' old glory by waging war against the humans.[50] All of these events were later revealed to be part of Aaravos's gambit that would result in Claudia freeing him from his prison.[18]
Book Seven - Dark[]
Following Aaravos's defeat, the elves and humans started working together to build Evrkynd, a city near the Border where people of all races can coexist.[51]
Races[]
Moonshadow Elves[]
Moonshadow Elves are connected to the magical energy of the Moon. Their natural abilities in stealth and speed make them adept assassins and infiltrators. Moonshadow Elves live in multiple communities located inside the Moonshadow Forest. Moonshadow Elves are at their strongest at night. On the night of a full moon, Moonshadow Elves are at the height of their power and can become nearly invisible upon entering a "Moonshadow Form". Very strong Moonshadow Elves may use this ability without requiring a full moon to be present.[52]
Moonshadow Elves are typically pale to dark-skinned with purple markings stretching across parts of their body. They have white or silver hair, pale eyes that vary in color, and wear teal and black colored clothing and armor. All appear to feature horns of blue to a purple hue, with swirl-like symbols of a lighter hue.[53]
Along with Sunfire Elves, Moonshadow Elves are the most similar to humans in terms of overall appearance, allowing them to pass for humans even without the use of magic. Moonshadow Elves typically garb themselves in various shades of green with accents of silver, brown, and black. They also use Moon Opals as adornments that are as decorative as they are functional, acting as sources of auxiliary power when shattered. Garments worn by Moonshadow Elves are often layered, but very streamlined, often conforming to the need for mobility over presentation.
Sunfire Elves[]
Sunfire Elves are connected to the magical energy of the Sun. Their only known place of residence was their capital of Lux Aurea, a grand city that, prior to its fall upon the corruption of the Sunforge, was considered to be their crowning achievement. They also possess a powerful military that regularly clashed with human forces at the Border. They are famous for their ability to craft Sunforge equipment, which includes Sunforge blades and legendary armor. Sunfire Elf soldiers are shown to wear red and gold clothes and armor. They commonly appear with dark skin and hair that comes in varied but warm colors ranging from coal-black to golden blond. Many, but not all Sunfire Elves wear dreadlocks.[54]
Some Sunfire Elves can enter a "heat-being mode", in which their skin heats, their body glows, their speed and strength are increased, and they become immune to fire. However, this ability is not accessible to all Sunfire Elves.[55] An even smaller number of them can enter a "light state", capable of casting healing magic.[56]
Skywing Elves[]
Skywing Elves are connected to the magical energy of the Sky. Their skin tones include a tan brown, as well as blue or gray, while their hair varies in both color and length, with colors coming in stormy tones of gray and bright shades of electric blue. Compared to other races, their horn shapes come in several different varieties, such as small and stubby, long and thin, or backward bending horns. Although not always the case, their ears can appear split into a larger and a smaller section. Some Skywing Elves enjoy the advantage of being born with wings located on their lower back, akin to birds or angels. According to Ibis, fewer than one in ten Skywing Elves have wings, although some can cast a spell to turn their arms into wings.[33]
Clothing for Skywing Elves is typically very streamlined and comes in colors reminiscent of the power of a storm, including blues, grays, purples, blacks, silver, and cyan. Their clothing is often very light and is customized according to the needs of the owner. Skywing Elves born with wings appear to keep the middle of their back bare as to accommodate their wings. Some Skywing Elf mages such as Ibis eschew sleeves to more easily generate mage wings without wasting materials that would be torn apart upon casting the spell.
Earthblood Elves[]
Earthblood Elves are connected to the magical energy of the Earth. They feature skin or armor resembling tree bark and moss, as well as branch-like horns, which can grow leaves and are reminiscent of antlers. While female Earthblood Elves are generally slim, males appear in a broader, more muscular figure. Unlike females, the horns of males are small and only have a few branches.[24]
Male Earthblood Elves appear to wear very little clothing compared to males of other races. Due to the symbiotic growths on their bodies, they clothe themselves to accommodate these features, baring more skin on their arms and legs.
Tidebound Elves[]
Tidebound Elves[57] are connected to the magical energy of the Ocean. Their skin color includes a light blue, which shades off into white and darker blue colors on fin-like features. The fins are present on their heads, shoulders, and limbs and also replace their ears. On males, these fins are colored in red shades and are significantly longer than the fins of the females.[24]
The garments of Tidebound Elves appear to be skin-tight with a very little tailing off. As they are creatures attuned to the power of the ocean, this is extremely useful, as the excess material would only slow them down underwater. Additionally, they do not appear to partake in the use of conventional footwear.
Startouch Elves[]
Startouch Elves are connected to the magical energy of the Stars. Aaravos, the most well known Startouch Elf, wears an elegant dark blue tunic with golden ornaments, decorated with the symbol of the Star arcanum. His physical features include dark blue-tinted skin with hair of a light blue hue, while his horns are more elaborate than the horns of other elves. He also has yellow eyes,[58] and they occasionally glow white when he uses magic. It is not yet known if these characteristics are common aspects of the race.
Startouch Elves are rare, and few others have ever come across them. They can live for over 5000 years,[26] and they experience "a time scale that is more like the stars than other elves", which gives them a detached, "big picture" perspective of the world.[56][24]
All known imageries of Startouch Elves depict them with horns that are much grander and elaborate than those of other races. Also, their skin ranges in color from the midnight tones of indigo and blue present in Aaravos's appearance to a soft, pearl gold, to even tones of silver. Additionally, their hair has been shown to be varied from starlight white to stark black.
Clothing worn by Startouch Elves has been shown to include open chest tunics as well as overlapping, layered robes. All known designs incorporate a dark color scheme with accents reminiscent of constellations, planetary orbits, and other celestial phenomena.
Trivia[]
- For the most part, there is unity among the elves. However, not all of the elven races get along, and conflict is not unheard of.[59]
- Some elven races are vegetarians,[60] including Moonshadow Elves.[61]
- All elven races use the same language based on English. However, each race has different dialects of it in Xadia.[62] Moonshadow Elves have Scottish and English accents, Sunfire Elves have African-French accents, Skywing Elves have Irish and English accents, Earthblood Elves have Australian accents, Tidebound Elves have West Country English accents, while Startouch Elves have American accents.
- According to Rayla, all elves are taught that humans are evil.[24]
- According to Harrow, elven craftsmanship is the best in the world.[24]
- Elves build snowelves instead of snowmen. Instead of using carrots as the noses of the snowelves, they are broken in half and used as horns.[5]
- All elves can cast dark magic.[63]
- Most elves are connected to the one Primal Source they are born with. However, there have possibly been some elves in history who grew up in a different culture and learned to master more than one arcanum.[64]
- Transgender elves do exist and are able to transition. How this is achieved is currently unknown, but is most likely done via magical means.[65]
References[]
- ↑ Creator Q&A
- ↑ Cartoon Universe - SDCC 2019 Interview
- ↑ Official Discord Q&A - Elves and Dragons (Dec 18, 2022)
- ↑ CartoonUV on Twitter
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Book One, Chapter 7: "The Dagger and the Wolf"
- ↑ Creator Q&A
- ↑ Aditi's age
- ↑ Book Five, Chapter 5: "Archmage Akiyu"
- ↑ Book Six, Chapter 4: "The Starscraper"
- ↑ Book One: Moon (Novel) "Aaravos is referred to as one of the First Elves"
- ↑ AnimationStation Podcast - TDP Crew Commentary: Breathe (29:25)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Official Discord Q&A - Elves (Dec 08, 2022)
- ↑ Book Seven, Chapter 5: "Sticky Fingers"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Book Five, Chapter 9: "Infantis Sanguine"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Book Six, Chapter 1: "Startouched"
- ↑ Justin Richmond Official Twitter
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Book Six, Chapter 9: "Stardust"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Book One, Chapter 3: "Moonrise"
- ↑ Book Two, Chapter 4: "Voyage of the Ruthless"
- ↑ Book Four, Chapter 5: "The Great Gates"
- ↑ Book Four, Chapter 6: "The Drakewood"
- ↑ The Dragon Prince Official Website - Lujanne's Birthday
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 24.6 Callum's Spellbook
- ↑ SDCC 2019 Polygon Article
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Book One: Moon (Novel)
- ↑ The Dragon Prince: Xadia
- ↑ Book Two, Chapter 5: "Breaking the Seal"
- ↑ Bloodmoon Huntress (Novel)
- ↑ The Queen's Mercy
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Book Four, Chapter 4: "Through the Looking Glass"
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 6: "Thunderfall"
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Book Three, Chapter 8: "Dragonguard"
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Book One, Chapter 1: "Echoes of Thunder"
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Book Two, Chapter 1: "A Secret and a Spark"
- ↑ Book One, Chapter 9: "Wonderstorm"
- ↑ Book One, Chapter 8: "Cursed Caldera"
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Book Two, Chapter 3: "Smoke and Mirrors"
- ↑ Book Two, Chapter 7: "Fire and Fury"
- ↑ Book Two, Chapter 8: "The Book of Destiny"
- ↑ Book Two, Chapter 9: "Breathe"
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 1: "Sol Regem"
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 3: "Ghost"
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 7: "Hearts of Cinder"
- ↑ Book Three, Chapter 9: "The Final Battle"
- ↑ Through the Moon
- ↑ Book Four, Chapter 3: "Breathtaking"
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 Book Five, Chapter 3: "Nightmares & Revelations"
- ↑ Book Five, Chapter 6: "Bait & Switch"
- ↑ Book Six, Chapter 2: "Love, War & Mushrooms"
- ↑ Book Seven, Chapter 9: "Nova"
- ↑ Reddit Creator Q&A 16.12.2019
- ↑ TDP Official Website
- ↑ Aaron Ehasz's Twitter
- ↑ TDP Official Tumblr - Lava Bodies
- ↑ 56.0 56.1 Screenrant Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond Interview: TDP Season 2
- ↑ Creator Q&A 16.12.2019
- ↑ TDP Official Tumblr
- ↑ Twitch Live Creator Commentary (18:47)
- ↑ Creator Q&A 16.12.2019 - Diet
- ↑ Book One: Moon (Novel) (Chapter 4)
- ↑ Creator Q&A - Dialects (16.12.2019)
- ↑ Through the Moon Live Q&A
- ↑ Through the Moon AmA
- ↑ Statement made by Terry's VA