Elves (Shannara) - History of The Elves

History of The Elves

In the time of Faerie, the Elves were created as servants and shepherds of the forests. They appear as slender humans with fine features, pointed ears and pencil-thin eyebrows. They were one of the more common Races of Faerie and also one of the magical races that battled the Demons in the war that redefined and polarised the Faerie world. The Elves magically created the Ellcrys through the sacrifice of a life, which banished the Demons into the Forbidding. Following the war, the Elves drifted apart from the other Faeries, retreating into their forest homelands. However, like many other species, they were affected and all but overrun by the rise of humanity. When the Elves realized that the Great Wars were close at hand, they used what magic remained to them to seal themselves and a few treasures away from harm.

After the Great Wars ended, the Elves reemerged in the forests of the Westland, but greatly changed. No longer creatures of Faerie, they had become nearly identical to the Races of Man,and no longer commanded innate magics. As such, many believed that the Elves were merely another of the five races descended from Man. In addition, the Elf Galaphile founded the first Druid Council, solidifying a body of peacekeepers, historians and scholars in the centre of the Four Lands.

For reasons unknown, the Elves were always prosperous. They were fine craftsmen and highly skilled swordsmen, cavalry and archers. Among the other races they had no equal, and they were often forced to do battle with great menaces. The first occurrence was in the Race Wars, where the Elves helped battle the Warlock Lord. In the Second War of the Races, King Courtann Ballindaroch and his House was destroyed by a Skullbearer assassin. This threw the Kingdom into chaos, rendering them incapable of lending aid to the Dwarves. A cousin of the King, Jerle Shannara, rose to the Crown and ultimately led the Elves to victory at the Battle of the Rhenn, and defeated the Warlock Lord on the Streleheim Plains (First King of Shannara).

Several hundred years later, the Warlock Lord returned and wiped out all the descendants of Shannara except for Shea Ohmsford. While Shea went on a quest to destroy the Warlock Lord, King Eventine Elessedil was captured and held hostage, keeping the Elves out of the war due in part to their isolationist politics. But Eventine was rescued, and the Elves came to the aid of the Borderlands against the Warlock Lord. Luckily, Shea managed to destroy the Warlock Lord before the Borderlands fell (The Sword of Shannara).

Following that, the Elves were forced to reenact their ancestral struggle with the Demons: the Ellcrys was dying and the Forbidding was failing, allowing the Demons to escape. The Elves and a number of allies had to battle the Demons while Amberle Elessedil went in search of the Bloodfire, the only thing that could restore the Ellcrys. The Elves barely managed to hold the Demons off long enough for Amberle to succeed. Before the time of Allanon came to an end, the Elves came to the aid of the Dwarves against the Mord Wraiths (Elfstones of Shannara).

As the Federation began expanding, and as the land began to decay, the Elves were blamed for the rise of the Shadowen. Tired of the accusations, and desperate to find healthy land, the Elves left the Four Lands, transporting their entire race to the island of Morrowindl. However, in their attempts to recover the old magic, they created a new form of Demons which threatened them. However, thanks to the coming of Wren Elessedil, they were able to return to the Westland. But soon after their return, the Federation attacked them. The Elves managed to hold out long enough for help from the Free-born resistance movement and Trolls to arrive and join the battle, which saw the defeat of the Federation army. Soon after, the Shadowen were destroyed, forcing the Federation to give up the war (Heritage of Shannara).

Over 100 years afterwards, the Elves joined the Free-born and Dwarves in a new war with the Federation, who was reattempting to take control of the Borderlands. The war was, however, in a state of constant deadlock on Preccendoran Hights, with no movement on either side since the war started. Thus, tactical maps were permanently printed. However, with the death of Sen Dunsidan, the Federation agreed to end the war, and peace was restored.

It seems that over the years the Elves have slowly lost their individuality from the other races and have steadily become more and more human. Instead of being grand bearers of magic, they became healers of the land, then isolationists, then part of a massive alliance. Thus, a parallel can be drawn between the Elves and the British Empire.