r/kingdomsofamalur • u/EveningImportant9111 • 14h ago

Did alfar are ever called elves in universe? I want to buy this game but befire I want to know this.

Please be nice.

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15

u/Sass-Mistress 14h ago

Alfar is just a Norse word for Elf

9

u/Sass-Mistress 14h ago

Ljosalfar = Light Elves
Dokkalfar = Dark Elves

6

u/Gingerbro73 Jack of All Trades 14h ago

Dokkalfr/Svartalfr were dwarves(despite having "elf" in their name). Snorre Sturlason seems to have used Elf as a term for supernatural(non-god) beings.

5

u/zorbiburst 13h ago

Elf being interchangeable with faefolk used to be a lot more common, so going all the way back, elf and dwarf mean the same thing anyway.

2

u/Sass-Mistress 14h ago

And its interesting to think about how we think of dwarves and elves has drastically changed over the many years. Especially so when Tolkien created his legendarium.

2

u/Gingerbro73 Jack of All Trades 14h ago

Tolkien drew inspiration for his dwarves from Norse mythology. Snorre describes the norse dwarves with words such as; Stonedwellers, subterranean, master smiths, prone to greed.

So tolkiens dwarves, and thus all pop-fantasy dwarves are based on Norse dwarves.

1

u/SeeShark 10h ago

Tolkien had a huge influence on fantasy race depictions, most of all on elves. Interestingly, earlier versions of his work had the Noldor (the high elves who came back to Middle-Earth, i.e. Galadriel etc.) being called "gnomes." At the time, the word would have been fairly interchangeable with "elves." So there's an alternate reality where modern fantasy contrasts dwarves with tall, graceful, magical gnomes.

4

u/Scogg33 14h ago

The player character is never called elf specifically. Usually just referred to as “fateless one” or “unique” or just “you”

8

u/Joyful_Damnation1 14h ago

Not judging too harshly, but why does it matter?

6

u/TheyCallMeE-- 14h ago

Very important. You wouldn't understand.

2

u/EveningImportant9111 14h ago

I love elves 

5

u/Gingerbro73 Jack of All Trades 13h ago

Alfar is Norse for elf, they are the same

1

u/walksintwilightX1 Finesse/Sorcery 13h ago

No, but this game is stuffed full of elves that are given different names. The Alfar are the 'common' elves that aren't much different from humans apart from the skin tones and pointed ears. And then the Fae are basically Tolkien elves, immortal and otherworldly and drawing distinctions between themselves and the mortal races.

1

u/SeeShark 10h ago

I wouldn't say they're very much like Tolkien elves. The fae are tied to nature and cycles and stories and reincarnation. They're... well, fae. Old-school fairies that don't relate to mortal races very well.

1

u/walksintwilightX1 Finesse/Sorcery 9h ago

Well, I guess that's true. The Fae are their own unique race. I do feel like there is a similar vibe though, that of ancient beings who exist on vast scales of time far beyond what the mortal races can comprehend. There is definitely a connection between elves and nature in the Lord of the Rings too, even if it's just that they prefer to live in forests and hidden sanctuaries like Lothlorien and Rivendell.

1

u/phirdeline Finesse 13h ago

Never. There are no elves.

-6

u/Hagelbagel17 14h ago

Oh yeah, tons of times. Buy the game. You’ll hear the word elf so many times.

3

u/SeeShark 14h ago

Why lie?