Comments on: Fantasy Elves and their True Nature

By: Synthetase

Synthetase — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 12:06:10 +0000

He has used it, but prefers English Google (he’s a native German speaker).

By: Synthetase

Synthetase — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 14:15:18 +0000

“Synthetase â€“ Does he use the Klingon setting on Google too?”

I don’t know. I’ll ask him.

By: John P.

John P. — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 21:46:48 +0000

Synthetase – Does he use the Klingon setting on Google too?

Paul E – If it was a Dwarven bar, it would have been “off the cut” retort, delivered with the edge of a large bladed implement.

Do you think fantasy RPGs have a bias towards elves? I seem to recall that Warhammer elves had a better average than all the other races for example.

By: PaulE

PaulE — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 16:53:10 +0000

Apologies if I seem to have hijacked this page into an in-depth Tolkien discussion.

John P – The explanation for Dwarf women seems like an off the cuff retort to a bar-room critic. Maybe that is what happened

By: David Meadows

David Meadows — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:52:40 +0000

Paul – Ok, yes, there is a difference in meaning between those ideas.

By: Synthetase

Synthetase — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 12:44:22 +0000

” I know someone who can speak Klingon and used to front a prog band “

One of the people that I know that can speak Elvish also speaks Klingon. He’s language nerd (can you tell?)

By: PaulE

PaulE — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 10:04:24 +0000

David – Trolls as counterfeits made from stone is quite a different idea to having ruined Elves so much that some were then Orcs. The contradiction is between Treebeard’s statement and the apparent independence of some Orcs (e.g. via the overheard conversation of Shagrat at Cirith Ungol).

By: David Meadows

David Meadows — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 08:40:26 +0000

PaulE: the origin of Orcs wasn’t only stated in The Silmarillion, the Lord of the Rings is quite explicit about it. In chapter 4 of book 3 Treebeard says:

“But Trolls are only counterfeits, made by the Enemy in the Great Darkness, in mockery of Ents, as Orcs were of Elves.”

I think it’s likely that Tolkein from the start, and consistently, intended Orcs to be corrupted Elves. I can’t think of any contradiction in earlier writings (Lost Tales, etc.)

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 10:55:54 +0000

@Synthetase
I know someone who can speak Klingon and used to front a prog band

@John P
Though Terry Pratchett has done some interesting riffs on that Tolkien joke, and used it as a lens for issues of gender and sexuality.

Gloranthan dwarves are something else again. They’re magical-techological constructs who don’t reproduce sexually, made rather than born, and have no gender in human terms.

By: Synthetase

Synthetase — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 10:19:41 +0000

“Just skimmed through the entry for â€œElf (Middle-earth)â€ on Wikipedia and concluded that some people really do have too much time on their hands.”

Heh, I know people who speak Elvish and give lectures on grammatical structure.