Fantasy races: elves, fairies, gnomes, trolls, orcs. Fantasy books

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

By reading fantasy stories, people can not only travel to other worlds, but also get to know mythology more deeply. Few people think about the fact that many fantasy races trace their history back to those distant years, when there was no written language and stories were transmitted to each other only orally. Since then, many of the fictional characters have changed and found new roles in contemporary literature.

Elves

Small charming prankster elves who hide in the grass and carefully watch travelers have been known for a long time. There were legends and fairy tales about them. They became the heroes of the songs. These creatures experienced a real heyday during the reign of Queen Victoria. Then the artists turned to mythology for plots and characters. And charming elves have adorned many works.

However, as before, the elves did not have long to live. Exactly before the appearance of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. In his works, the writer radically changed the appearance of the elves, leaving them onlyclose connection with nature. Now they were already the height of people and were not inferior to them in the art of wielding a sword. Among the many elves described by the professor, Legolas is the most popular. Through this character, readers will learn who the wood elves are.

Forests are darker than plains. The most terrible enemies can find cover under the branches. Therefore, the forest elves are required to be proficient in weapons. They have to defend the borders of their possessions. In some works, elves can understand the language of plants and animals and call on the forces of nature to help them.

This race is distinguished from others by incredible beauty. Elves are the aristocrats of the fantasy world. Both men and women are distinguished by thin, expressive facial features. Their long hair can be any shade. Sometimes even something that is not found in people. And an elf can always be distinguished from any other creature by pointy ears.

Rarely when elves become negative characters. Despite their certain arrogance, born of immortality, they are much more likely to be on the side of good. But this does not apply to the dark elves. The races of elves can be different. As well as their abilities and goals.

Alves are another race

Alvy appears in Norse mythology. According to the beliefs of these tribes, the creatures are the lower spirits of nature. They do not have the same power as the aces. But at the same time, they can benefit or harm a person if they want to.

In the early beliefs, elves are beautiful children of the forest. They remindhis description of the elves. They are just as beautiful, just as they have a high connection with nature. Fantasy books hadn't been created yet. However, there were enough myths. They said that elves live in the world of people or in their own country. They have magical powers and can independently overcome some of the evil creatures that prey on elves and humans.

Some time later, the tribes began to attribute to the forest spirits the power to determine how fruitful the year would be. In order not to starve, people performed special rituals and made sacrifices.

Alves were divided into dark and light. The former lived underground, the latter lived on earth and in heaven. The Dark Ones were skilled blacksmiths. No one could compete with the light ones in the art of putting together and singing songs.

Even after the adoption of Christianity, elves have not been erased from the memory of people. They still inspire artists and writers, although the elves are now almost mixed in art with the elves.

Gnomes

Fantasy races were largely supplemented and reworked by Tolkien. Although a lot of time has passed since the release of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and many other works, the influence of the great writer does not weaken.

Gnomes also appeared in Tolkien's writings. But here they were much closer to their mythological original than the elves. Few fantasy races have retained this feature. Gnomes are a hardworking people who diligently hide from human eyes. As a rule, they live in the mountains and are engaged in the extraction of jewelry. That's why it's commonbelief that gnomes are very rich.

The growth of these creatures is about the waist of a man. They wear long beards and simple clothes suitable for work. These creatures are not particularly friendly. But they also cannot be called enemies of man. After the release of The Lord of the Rings, many followers of Tolkien wrote in their novels about the rivalry between elves and dwarves. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine two more dissimilar creatures fighting on the side of good.

Orcs

If other fantasy races can act on different sides, but more often fight for good, then the orcs are usually presented as negative characters. Wars of orcs with people and elves are reflected in many works. These creatures appeared for the first time back in the 17th century in Giambattista's collection of fairy tales. A few centuries later, the orcs were given a second chance to gain a foothold in the world of literature. This time they appeared in Tolkien's novels.

Orcs are distant relatives of goblins and trolls. They look appropriate. They cannot be called handsome, like elves. Because much more often they become villains in fantasy stories than heroes. Wars of orcs against other races often become the central theme of the plot. Motives for collisions may be different. But during the battles, the orcs do not know mercy. However, there are exceptions. Lyman Frank Baum also used the image of an orc in his works about Oz. And this character helped the main characters. He even knew how to fly, which was not the case in previous works.

Hobbits

Fantasy races have different ages. Some have been around for a long timewhen parents told their children bedtime stories. Others were created specifically for fantasy novels. Likewise, hobbits did not exist in literature before Tolkien spoke of them.

These creatures are not just kind, but also simple-hearted. As a rule, they live in villages and build burrows. They are about the size of a dwarf. Being shorter than an ordinary person, hobbits hide from a higher race and try not to endanger themselves once again. That is why little is known about them. In some historical chronicles, they do not appear at all.

Hobbits are the most thrifty people. No fantasy races like to receive guests the way these creatures do. They always have treats in the bins. They grow everything they need for cooking with their own hands. Hobbits are not afraid of labor.

Although these people like to stay at home and stay out of danger, they often get into adventures. True, very soon after leaving their native village, they begin to regret that they went on such a long journey. But, as a rule, there is no turning back for them.

Cyclops

Fantasy books differ from others in an incredible number of different enemies and friends. Cyclops remains one of the controversial characters.

Initially, the one-eyed giant was only a villain. He was met by heroes who went to distant lands for treasures. On the island of Sicily, unusual creatures called Cyclops were waiting for them. These creatures ate only meat.

On the islandCyclopes were engaged in cattle breeding. But they did not refuse human meat, if unfortunate travelers got to them. Cyclops did not differ in special mental abilities. Their other weakness was that they only have one eye. All this gave the heroes a chance to escape from the bloodthirsty creatures.

However, in a series of books about Percy Jackson, created by writer Rick Riordan, the Cyclopes appear in a different way. A character named Tyson appears in the novels. And this time, the eye of the Cyclops does not strike with its fury. Tyson is a good friend of the protagonist. And with him he goes through all the hardships. After all, Tyson himself is not just a Cyclops, he is the son of Poseidon.

Fairies

For a long time, magical creatures were of interest only to children. They existed in fairy tales and could help the main characters at the most unexpected moment. Fantasy books have breathed new life into the heroes of myths and legends. It happened to the fairies as well.

Before the adoption of Christianity, many tribes inhabited forests and fields with unusual creatures. Some were beneficial, while others could harm a person. Fairies are one of those ambiguous characters. They can live apart, or they can live in families.

The forest fairy tries to live with her family. Such a community is a real kingdom headed by a wise ruler. These creatures spend their lives singing, dancing and playing various games. It is very difficult for a person to hear the sounds of their merry holidays, but it is possible. To do this, you need to find a clearing on which there are traces of the presence of fairies, andlisten.

There are those creatures that refuse to live with their relatives. Some of them remain in the forest. They become boggarts and can harm a random traveler. Others go closer to human habitation. If the forest fairy does not like to work, then the home fairy sees the meaning of her life in this. In general, it is very difficult for these creatures to live without communication. If for some reason it is impossible to stay in the forest, then the fairy is looking for other reasonable races. She can become attached to both a child and an adult.

Having found her new home, the fairy tries to do everything in order to help its owners. However, these creatures are very irritable and hate ingratitude. Noticing the help of a fairy, the owners of the house should leave a saucer of milk for her. Otherwise, she will start destroying crops, throwing stones and destroying household utensils.

One of the most famous fairies - Tinker Bell, who appeared in the fairy tale "Peter Pan". She just belongs to the class of domestic creatures. She is attached to her friend Peter, but when he does not pay attention to her or does not thank her for her help, Tinkerbell gets angry and tries to get revenge.

Trolls

Often, negative characters in various fantasy stories and myths do not differ in mental abilities. The trolls stand out in particular. These giants are stupid, but very strong. Therefore, they are dangerous both for travelers and for the inhabitants of the villages near which these creatures settled. Gnomes and trolls often clash. Although it seems that short creatures cannot cope with such an enemy, the inhabitants of the mountain dungeons -skilled warriors and can stand up for their home.

These creatures were created on the Scandinavian Peninsula. In those distant times, they believed that there was a race that was created from a rock. Their only weakness is sunlight. When hit by beams, trolls turn back to stone.

These ugly creatures differ from all other human enemies in that their face is adorned with a huge nose. Trolls eat human flesh. That is why it is so dangerous to cross paths with them on forest paths. But not only under the canopy of trees you can see the troll. Some of them settle in cities under the bridge. These creatures are different from their forest cousins. They are not afraid of sunlight, respect money and often kidnap human women. There are even legends about children that people gave birth to trolls.

It is believed that such Scandinavian monsters can change their size. Some of them reach three meters, while others are as tall as gnomes. Undersized settle in forests and mountains. Because of this, gnomes and trolls often quarrel.

But not in all fantasy books Scandinavian monsters harm people and other races. In some, trolls are charming creatures. So, in a series of books by Tove Janson, a whole family appears. The young Moomintroll becomes the central character. The view of Tove Janson is the most original among all the writers who have ever created works about trolls. She presented Scandinavian creatures as small, cute, respectful of family values.

Giants

Every race of the old world had someor attitude to religious beliefs. Paganism was present in many cultures. And wherever they believed in many gods, there were giants. In many ways, they were like humans. But only their growth was enormous. The giant could easily destroy an entire human settlement if he needed it for some reason. There is no unambiguous assessment of these creatures. The race of giants can stand for both good and evil.

The giants were presented as the children of the gods. The ancient Greeks believed in titans, who were born by the inhabitants of Olympus and became the parents of a new generation. The Slavs loved stories about heroes, who were also ranked among the giants. The Scandinavians were waiting for the last war, when the gods and people will start the battle and destroy each other. During the battle, a significant role was attributed to the Yotuns. These creatures were thurses, analogs of the titans.

Each people created their own stories about giants with great power. Over time, these beliefs were not destroyed. They remained to live in literature and not only. This race appears in many fantasy books. Some researchers believe that this is no accident. They are trying to prove that the ancestors did not come up with creatures that are much higher than humans and have great strength. To do this, they travel the world and try to find the skeletons of humanoid creatures.

Minotaurs and centaurs

Different races have lived alongside humans for a long time. Some were friendly, while others abducted travelers and vagabonds who had left the villages. It is not surprising that in the mythology of many peoples there are creatures that were born humanwomen from other races. This is how centaurs and minotaurs appeared.

Minotaur has a long history. Fantasy of recent years present him in different roles. However, our ancestors believed that he was evil incarnate. The Minotaur is a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. He ate human flesh. The Minotaur was as tall as a mighty man, but possessed much more power. At the same time, the monster was unusually mobile and could develop good speed. By smell, the minotaur could detect where a person was hiding from him. And he had good eyesight. All this made the minotaur deadly for any person.

According to ancient Greek mythology, the Minotaur was born by Queen Pasiphae, the wife of Minos. This ruler fell in love with the bull, which was sent to people by Zeus or Poseidon. The newborn so scared everyone who saw him that it was decided to build a labyrinth for him. Minos made sure no one else saw his wife's creepy son.

Minotaur grew up within its walls, never leaving them. The labyrinth has become an alternative to the ancient prison. As punishment, the criminals were sent to be devoured by the Minotaur. And also every nine years, seven young men and women were chosen among young people, who also became an offering to the monster. And none of the labyrinth returned alive. Some sources indicate that people had their eyes gouged out so that they could not find a way out. But even without this frightening procedure, it was impossible to get out of the huge maze.

Minotaur could live like this for many years. But Theseus was sent to him, the courageousyoung warrior. The handsome man captured the heart of Princess Ariadne. And she gave him a ball that could lead the young hero out of the labyrinth. Theseus, with the help of cunning and strength, defeated the Minotaur and was able to return to the people. Thus did not become one of the most terrible monsters in ancient mythology. But he still lives on in various fantasy books and films.

Other creatures that combine a man and a tamed beast are centaurs. These creatures appeared in ancient mythology. And even then, the storytellers amazed their listeners with the look of a centaur. They were creatures with the body of a horse and four hooves. But where an ordinary horse has a neck, a centaur has a human torso and head. In some lore, these creatures also have a pair of arms.

Centaurs appeared in a variety of images. They were intemperate creatures who were always ready to have fun, drink and take part in the battle. Some of them became educators of heroes and instilled in the future saviors of the human race a love of battle and the ability to stand up for themselves and loved ones. Others, on the contrary, opposed the heroes and posed a considerable danger to them.

The look of a centaur has inspired many artists and writers. These creatures often appear in paintings and in literature. They also became characters in the Percy Jackson series of novels. In addition, in one of the books they helped the wizard Harry Potter.

Mythology has given rise to many fantasy races. Over the years, they have changed a lot both externally and internally. In various worksthey can appear in the form of heroes, and in the form of terrible monsters, ready to destroy all life in their path. But still, they all amaze the reader's imagination and make him turn to mythology in search of primary sources.