Before time, how did elves dominant the race on earth?
They lived life as Kings and Queens, their magic & immortally was the norm. In the time of the elves was great glory of the dominant race on earth along with the faeries. They were very carefree by nature. Elves and their tiny friends - the faeries loved to dance and play stringed instruments. Music was a great part of their lives, as well as dance.
Most lived in the thick dark forests where know one could find them. They could live freely out in the open with music, singing, dancing and lovely one another. There was a lot of sex and chasing about of both sexes. This was the way of the middle class elves & all other elves except, the Kings & Queens Elves who were very posed about their actions & appearance's.Their children were expected to marry whom they choose. Some of the elves would live underground in the spring. They aren't bad but sometimes their pranks have been fatal to humans but never intentionally. Elves apparently came in several distinct varieties - though they are a rather mournful lot, one breed of elves was an invisible kitchen helpers for good servants, the others the bringers of illness and misery. They can be of both sexes of sexless...
Yet the old tradition portray them as very different creatures, among the Norse, Teutonic and and Scandinavian peoples, Elves are tall, extremely beautiful and very powerful.
Elfin fact - The importance of elves in earlier western culture can be inferred from the number of words & phrases of that have survived into recent times.
Here are are a few examples - of Early Elfin words & phrases - A changeling - is a elf cup is a stone with a hollow in it filled with morning dew, elf fir is another name for the will - o - the wisp, elf - locks maybe either knots in the hair, said to be caused by elves deliberately tangling it during the night, or short springy curls, elf taken is a phrase used to suggest those who are temporarily mad; elf - twisted - is used of a elf who has suffered a stroke. And elf blot is a disease in a farm animals, said to be the result of being shot by elf arrows.
In more recent times, there has been a general diminution of the elves. In Scandinavia they have become associated with the Hulder a small race, with kinship to dwarf's or brownies. They also aired a tradition of being mischievousness and spiteful at times. This just depends on the type of race to the elves.
In Germanic mythology, the forest Elves are called Schrat, while Danish folklore has Elev or Elle - Folk who have an unfriendly relationship with humanity~
Elvhenan was a place where elven language was reportedly at time time where elves were still the dominated race on the continent of Theda's. Elvhenan in ancient times covered all of Thedas and it wasn't an myth that elves were immortal and used magic. Their political, economical, cultural, activities & were in the heart of the city. Elvhenan was one of the greatest cities of its time. During this time there was much peace and harming with the elves of this age. Their homes were glorious , & high up in the forest tree tops. They had no war, disease and only peace and beauty of the earth, water , wind & sky. Arlathan or Arlath both have the meaning in elfin as ' I love this place'. Arlathan was located in a great forest in the North of Theda's not far from where the 'Tevinter Imberium' first emerged. Elvhenan is the oldest Elves found on record. Some go back before the dragon age.
Before the ages were named or numbers were used, the people were glorious and eternal and forever changing. They worshipped their Gods for months at a time. Decisions came after decades of debate and could last for years from time to time. Their ancestors would drift into centuries of long slumber but this is not death as we know it. While the ancient elves did not die, the oldest of the elves were said to weary of life, Memories became too much to bear and rather than fade into complacency, they would voluntarily stand aside, and let the younger generation guide their people. This practice was know as Uthenera or 'The long sleep'. Elves would retire to a chamber that was one part bed and one part tomb. It was the Great Ceremony from all the extended families, the eldest of the different groups of Elves would succumb to a slumber from which they would not wake for centuries and often never. In time the body would deteriorate and the elder would die in truth. All the while the family would continue to visit the chamber to pay respects to the one who made a great sacrifice.
