Draft:Elf

Elves are mythical humanoids originating in Germanic folklore. They are typically depicted as tall, ethereal beings with pointed ears who are particularly attuned with nature and magic. The popular image of elves was enormously influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's works, and this is the idea many elves align with.

The otherkin community grew out of elven communities in the 90s, and elves have continued to have a strong presence in otherkin spaces. They have also formed many sub-communities based on shared culture, memories and ideas about themselves. As a result, many see elf as the archetypal kintype. Elves may also be considered a subtype of fae.

Experiences

Some elves emphasize a common 'elven way' of life, something they see as a path that must be actively walked.

Many consider attunement to nature and magic to be inherent features of elfness.

Relationship to Tolkien's work

The relationship of elves' self-conception to the works of Tolkien has been much discussed. The Silver Elves assert that while the Silmarillion was inspiring to them, it was not foundational in shaping their elven identity. Lupa states that Tolkien's works have served as the catalyst for many elves' awakenings. She also notes that most elves she has met describe their appearance as akin to Tolkien's elves, as opposed to more traditional mythological descriptions. In Who are, or were, the elves?, the Elf Liberation Society state that "although Tolkien's characters themselves are fictional, the truths he expressed are far from fictional". Seavixen argues that myths should not be privileged as more truthful or authentic than the stories of Middle Earth.

the silver elves also mention "... a respected scholar of religious studies who recently offered the opinion in his research that if we hadn’t been inspired by the Silmarillion, then we Silver Elves wouldn’t have continued the work of our sisters". find that paper and its perspective on this?

As an alien species

Some see elves as an alien species

there's a lot of crossover between old elf communities and new age beliefs in general, starseeds, space travel, etc etc

A writer for the Elf Liberation Society argues that legends about aliens could be an evolution of beliefs about elves.

elenari are sometimes described as 'space elves'

louis padron also considers himself such

History

Elven communities were the forebearers of the otherkin community.

elf queen's daughters, silver elves, elfinkind digest, otherkin came later

when did elenari enter the scene?

Community

Elves have formed many sub-communities, with certain specific groups rising to prominence.

The Silver Elves

incredibly prolific writers

something about how they've been positioned as an authority and how people have used their (very koanistic) writings to justfy various definitions of otherkinity

Elenari

shared memories of worlds, culture, language

lots of different subtypes

some other nonhumans (such as dragons) have memories of being on elenari homeworlds too