Burnt Elves, Dead Elves

From: Greg Stafford <greg_at_glorantha.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 2003 12:04:24 -0700


Friends,

>From: "Andrew Solovay" <asolovay_at_rubberducky.com>

>But the elves who come from 'must-be-burned' trees
>probably *really* freak
>out the other elves.

I´d like to suggest that we all take another bit of look at this idea. Elves aren´t humans, and their essential mythology incorporates death much differently than many human mythos. They in every way accept death as much as life. They all KNOW they go back and forth between This World and That World. They clearly acknolwedge themselves to be a part of Nature, which is equally of the Giver and the Taker. They know they are going ot die and, sometime or other, be returned. For that reason I would questionwhether they would freak out about their trees being burned down by natural means. I don´t buy into the idea that they are preservers of the forest against all forms of destruction. Life lives on Death. Trees fall and provide food for new trees. A burnt forest begins a new cycle of growth for the "early stage" trees to begin, which would not otherwise have a chance to exist. Now, unnatural events such as the Skyburn or Moonburn DO freak them out, as we know. The elves survived those and have resented the events ever since. BUT I think that is because the events were unnatural and left the hordes of elves as Rootless, an unnatural condition. I think, too, that debates exist among the aldryami about how much destuction by humans is natural or unnatural. It seems that the trolls and dwarves certainly engage in "too much chopping," for those races have earned immortal emnity. Or at least, in times long past such overzealous activities established the emnity. I am sure that various factions compare the ongoing human destruction to the past events of the Elder Races. We (nonGloranthans) KNOW that the elves ae going to attempt a rapid reforestation of the northern continent, apparently in retribution for the forest devastation that humans have wrought since Time began. AND we can speculate that some elves would freak out at wanton destruction today. I can imagine them saying, "Yes, yes I know we are all goign to die some day, but so many are gone now that we can´t afford this kind of destruction now!!" And I can imagine, just as easily, that the majority of elves are unresponsive to this, for that is their very nature. Conclusion: let us not presume that the elves fear death, nor that they resist either fires nor natural destruction. They are not like us.

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