What would you see if you met an elf on the road? Would you find an individual unbowed by time yet still wizened by their long years? Or would you find a relatively young-looking scientists fascinated by the natural world and what they can create from it?
This is the dichotomy of the Mëhar, the people with one of the longest lifespans in Eldûra.
Different, Yet Still Somehow the Same
The
Mëhar (or "High Elves" as other races refer to them) are a bipedal race descended from humans who dwell in small city-states scattered about
Aegéfaer. Similar in stature to humans, elves are almost identical in appearance to their ancestral race except for their pointed ears, slightly sharper cheekbones and eyebrows, and their obviously longer lifespans that keep them looking young. But that is where their similarities end.
Etymology
Known as the "Elves" to everyone, the Đimíhen were originally referred to individually as
bær (elf) or
bar (elves). These spellings were carried over to Proto-Elvish, but were distinguished further by masculine and feminine cases:
obær (
masculine singular)/
obar (masculine plural) and
ibær (feminine singular)/
ibar (feminine plural).
Over time, the term
bær morphed to
hær before finally changing to the familiar
har.
Even today, the elves are sometimes referred to as the
Tú'Đimíhen, which is Proto-Elvish for "the Overcomers"—a reference to where they began in the deep mists of time.
Physical Appearance
Skin Tones
Elves live far and wide across the continent of Aegéfaer, and with such a range of biomes and temperatures, their skin colours have responded in kind. The Sand Elves of Beht'adur have skin colours as rich as the earth in which they plant their gardens and fight the raging sands, while the Taenorhar have complexions as pale as the snow they have to contend with.
Hair Colours
Eye Colours
Like their predecessors, the humans, the elves have five set eye colors with varying shades, yet are relatively unbound by skin tone or location. Despite this, there are some distinctions, with Sand Elves mostly having brown eyes which have developed in response to the constant glare of the sun in the desert. The Taenorhar have developed a unique adaptation where their eyes turn blue during the long winter months as their eyes adjust to allow them to see in the near-darkness of the endless night.
History
A Children Freed
The story of the elves can be traced all the way back at the dawn of time, at the end of the Epoch of Spring. It is said that the elves were once human children either born into slavery or taken from the Faithful by the Deceived. As the remaining Faithful, lead by the Creator, came to fight the Deceived, the Creator heard their cries for help and revitalized their broken bodies by transforming them into elves.
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