For the Love of God, Why Elves?

I’ve made this case on another forum, but I believe it bears repeating: I’m sick to fucking death of Elves. I hate the fact that all new fantasy writers want to write about are mythic tales with the good ol’ EGOD formula [Elves, Goblins, Orcs, Dwarves]. It’s tired, it’s done, let it fucking die.

You know, when Tolkien did Elves and Dwarves and shit, he gave them culture. He gave them a unique spin that set him apart from others. Then, D&D included Tolkien’s races, to the point of being sued over it. And ever since, movies, TV, video games, and literature have sapped and sucked the uniqueness of the elf out of it.

Let me put it this way: If every alien race on TV or in movies was Klingon, everyone would be pissed. Nobody wants all the aliens to look alike, which is why scifi writers generally diversify their species [even if they're not scientifically credible, like all aliens being humanoid and speaking English]. But no, fantasy writers don’t. Most of us newbies don’t see that. We see a pre-set pattern, which means we do less work.

Part of the problem I have with this is the fact that those elves, which are constantly used and re-used in fantasy works, are a form of elves that were, at one time, unique to Tolkien. Although based on mythical elves, his elves are not the same. That goes for the dwarves and such as well. He created a pattern that is being copied blindly. Agh, the aggravation.

You know what, if you want to use elves, at least make them different. No one has really done elves the way they originally were. Put some crazy-ass spin on them that makes them unique to you as a writer. Don’t have tall, blonde, pointy-eared archers. It’s been done.

~ by omfgjaron on 9 May 2008.