Athasian Elf question - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Athasian Elf question

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
markustay63
Jan 21, 2007 15:19:30 I'm currently doing an article that incorporates the 'creation myths' of the Elves from various worlds.

Is there a single name for the Elves of Athas? I have found some online sources that name individual tribes, but not for the race as a whole.

The tribes all seem to end in 'dai', does that mean they can simply be referred to as the 'Dai'?

Any help in with this would be appreciated. I had the old Elves of Athas supplement, but I can't seem to find it (I moved recently).
#2
ruhl-than_sage
Jan 21, 2007 15:39:02 That's a good question. They tend to think only of their own tribes, so there might not be one.
#3
methvezem
Jan 21, 2007 19:31:09 As Sage pointed out, I don't think that nothing official exist, and elves don't care much about their race beyond their own tribe, unless the tale about the owner of Galdra are true. ;)

That said, in an old web page that I found and now use to expand the elven vocalubary, raan is the word use in their language to talk about one of their race, elf.

-dai I use for tribe and,
-daa for a clan within the tribe.

Ex.:
Silt Stalkers (tribe): Jura-Dai
Fire Bow (Jura-Dai clan): Hu’it-Daa
Fire Dagger (Jura-Dai clan): Aku’it-Daa
Fire Sword (Jura-Dai clan): Uta’it-Daa
#4
dirk00001
Jan 21, 2007 20:36:56 According to the DS Elves book, U'Raanu means "elf with no tribe" and Ud'Raan means "half-elf", so I think Meth is right in stating that raan is the word for "elf," although to speak of the elves as a race raanu is probably more appropriate; Caraanu is the name of the "First Elf", which combined with the fact that they don't think highly of half-elves leads me to believe that the "u" is some sort of honorific or, at the least, "positive" quantifier. Of the three other words from the Elves book that end in U, two of them have "Runner" in their translation - something important to an elf, and so could easily be used as a positive suffix of some sort.
#5
ruhl-than_sage
Jan 22, 2007 12:59:06 Good catch! That's cute how they named them Raan, like to run.
#6
dirk00001
Jan 22, 2007 13:13:24
Good catch! That's cute how they named them Raan, like to run.

ROTFL...I never even thought of that.
#7
markustay63
Jan 22, 2007 17:10:02 Excellent answers guys, just what I was looking for, Thanks! :D

So I will refer to the lost tribe of the 'Raanai' that left Faerie for parts unknown thousands of years before the fall of Tintageer.

Nice, one more piece to fit into my puzzle. ;)
#8
xlorepdarkhelm_dup
Jan 22, 2007 17:53:32
I'm currently doing an article that incorporates the 'creation myths' of the Elves from various worlds.

Is there a single name for the Elves of Athas? I have found some online sources that name individual tribes, but not for the race as a whole.

The tribes all seem to end in 'dai', does that mean they can simply be referred to as the 'Dai'?

Any help in with this would be appreciated. I had the old Elves of Athas supplement, but I can't seem to find it (I moved recently).

Considering the Elven concentration on the "now" and lack of concern for past & future... I'd say that they themselves wouldn't even be able to give a "proper" name like you are looking for -- it simply doesn't matter to them. But what others in this thread have brought up about "Raan" is interesting, to be sure.
#9
cnahumck
Jan 22, 2007 19:40:24
Excellent answers guys, just what I was looking for, Thanks! :D

So I will refer to the lost tribe of the 'Raanai' that left Faerie for parts unknown thousands of years before the fall of Tintageer.

Nice, one more piece to fit into my puzzle. ;)

Just to let you know, Athasian elves ain't like other elves. They don't have any connection to elves from other worlds. They are descendants of halflings.

Then again, the third layer of Arvendor (sp) is supposed to have a desert were tall long limbed elves run free. How they got there through the grey is anyones guess.
#10
methvezem
Jan 23, 2007 8:54:51
Considering the Elven concentration on the "now" and lack of concern for past & future... I'd say that they themselves wouldn't even be able to give a "proper" name like you are looking for -- it simply doesn't matter to them. But what others in this thread have brought up about "Raan" is interesting, to be sure.

While I'm completely agreeing with you on the attitude of the elves, I still think that they at least needs a term to refer to their race as opposed to say dwarves or humans.

As stated in EoA, elves takes mates outsides their tribe, so even if they only trust their own tribemates, they still acknowledge others and need a way to difference their race from othe when talking.
#11
dirk00001
Jan 23, 2007 9:58:21
Then again, the third layer of Arvendor (sp) is supposed to have a desert were tall long limbed elves run free. How they got there through the grey is anyones guess.

That's the thing about travel through the Gray - it's not so much getting to the Gray that's the problem, or even getting past it...it's coming back to Athas after you've done either that causes problems.
#12
markustay63
Jan 24, 2007 21:55:17
Just to let you know, Athasian elves ain't like other elves. They don't have any connection to elves from other worlds. They are descendants of halflings.

Then again, the third layer of Arvendor (sp) is supposed to have a desert were tall long limbed elves run free. How they got there through the grey is anyones guess.

I'm aware of what you are saying, I do own quite a bit of Athas material despite never having played it.

All races are supposed to be off-shoots of halflings on Athas? Thats just... weird.

Actually, the Elven mythic hero/god figure in Athasian Elf culture begins with Cor (Coraanu), exactly like Corellon Larethian. Plus, halflings themselves are not a true race, they are a crossbreed between humans and the Li'ang, a small furry race native to Faerie.

I think halflings have been spreading lies on too many worlds, someone ought to put a stop to them! ;)
#13
ruhl-than_sage
Jan 24, 2007 22:22:49 I'll have you know that we do not lie, nor are we called Halflings. The proper term is "Ruhl-Thuan"!
#14
xlorepdarkhelm_dup
Jan 25, 2007 2:01:33
I'm aware of what you are saying, I do own quite a bit of Athas material despite never having played it.

All races are supposed to be off-shoots of halflings on Athas? Thats just... weird.

Actually, the Elven mythic hero/god figure in Athasian Elf culture begins with Cor (Coraanu), exactly like Corellon Larethian. Plus, halflings themselves are not a true race, they are a crossbreed between humans and the Li'ang, a small furry race native to Faerie.

I think halflings have been spreading lies on too many worlds, someone ought to put a stop to them! ;)

Dark Sun's Halflings aren't like other Halflings. First, they were called the Rhulisti in ages past. Second, they had biotechnology (which could, I believe be interpreted as magic-like in a fantasy setting) -- note there are those who say it wasn't biotech. Third, they used this biotech to basically metamorphosize themselves into various other races in what was known as the Rebirth, resulting in all of the other races on Athas.

Athas is more or less cut off from the "other worlds" of D&D. Its races are, while passingly similar in some respects to races on other worlds, they really are rather unique. Trying to tie them into other settings is a bit complicated -- the only race with any possible real connection to things outside of Athas (and more specifically, outside of the Grey) is the Gith.... and they really are a pitiful species that bears very little resemblance to either Githyanki or Githzerai any more.
#15
balican_gigolo
Jan 25, 2007 18:02:17 the halflings could have come from the planes to dark sun sometime in the early period of the blue age where, one can imagine, the grey wasn't present or not as strong as it is now. On athas, these halfling might have, after a millenia or two, discovered the secrets of life-shaping. In this way the halflings could have a connection to the other worlds.

Thri-kreen could also have one. In my opinion Athas is the insect men's homeworld.
#16
j0lt
Mar 01, 2007 7:27:01 Considering that this is thread is more or less dead (found it on page 5), I hope nobody minds a slight derailment.
I've made an athasian elf character, and I'm having a bit of a tough time coming up with an appropriate name for him.
I've got a decent backstory (his tribe was caught out in the open during a Tyr-storm, he doesn't know if anyone else got out alive), but I don't want to go the cliched way and call him U'Raanu (though I'm sure that's what every other elf would end up calling him).
I'm hoping he'll turn out to be another sort of Wanderer character, maybe called "The Nomad".
Can anyone here come up with an appropriate Athasian Elvish name to match. or do you recommend that I just go with U'Raanu?
#17
methvezem
Mar 01, 2007 11:58:11 Could you please give some meaning that you want is name to have, I'll give you some ideas.
#18
j0lt
Mar 01, 2007 20:00:03 The character concept came to me while I was listening to the song Nomad by Iron Maiden, so something that means "nomad" or "wanderer" would be ideal.

Thanks!
#19
methvezem
Mar 01, 2007 20:23:13
The character concept came to me while I was listening to the song Nomad by Iron Maiden, so something that means "nomad" or "wanderer" would be ideal.

Thanks!

I've read the lyrics, they are quite interesting!

Here's what I have for you:

Aaduk (chaser of the winds)
Aamika (chaser of the horizon)

U'raanu means tribless elf, so is more of an adjective that other elves will use when speaking to or about him, just like you pointed out.
#20
j0lt
Mar 01, 2007 20:54:39 That's great! Chaser of the winds works quite well.
Actually, what would the Elven word for Storm be?
(considering his backstory, I think chaser of storms would also fit)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 markustay63 Jan 21, 2007 15:19:30	I'm currently doing an article that incorporates the 'creation myths' of the Elves from various worlds. Is there a single name for the Elves of Athas? I have found some online sources that name individual tribes, but not for the race as a whole. The tribes all seem to end in 'dai', does that mean they can simply be referred to as the 'Dai'? Any help in with this would be appreciated. I had the old Elves of Athas supplement, but I can't seem to find it (I moved recently).
#2 ruhl-than_sage Jan 21, 2007 15:39:02	That's a good question. They tend to think only of their own tribes, so there might not be one.
#3 methvezem Jan 21, 2007 19:31:09	As Sage pointed out, I don't think that nothing official exist, and elves don't care much about their race beyond their own tribe, unless the tale about the owner of Galdra are true. ;) That said, in an old web page that I found and now use to expand the elven vocalubary, raan is the word use in their language to talk about one of their race, elf. -dai I use for tribe and, -daa for a clan within the tribe. Ex.: Silt Stalkers (tribe): Jura-Dai Fire Bow (Jura-Dai clan): Hu’it-Daa Fire Dagger (Jura-Dai clan): Aku’it-Daa Fire Sword (Jura-Dai clan): Uta’it-Daa
#4 dirk00001 Jan 21, 2007 20:36:56	According to the DS Elves book, U'Raanu means "elf with no tribe" and Ud'Raan means "half-elf", so I think Meth is right in stating that raan is the word for "elf," although to speak of the elves as a race raanu is probably more appropriate; Caraanu is the name of the "First Elf", which combined with the fact that they don't think highly of half-elves leads me to believe that the "u" is some sort of honorific or, at the least, "positive" quantifier. Of the three other words from the Elves book that end in U, two of them have "Runner" in their translation - something important to an elf, and so could easily be used as a positive suffix of some sort.
#5 ruhl-than_sage Jan 22, 2007 12:59:06	Good catch! That's cute how they named them Raan, like to run.
#6 dirk00001 Jan 22, 2007 13:13:24	Good catch! That's cute how they named them Raan, like to run. ROTFL...I never even thought of that.
#7 markustay63 Jan 22, 2007 17:10:02	Excellent answers guys, just what I was looking for, Thanks! :D So I will refer to the lost tribe of the 'Raanai' that left Faerie for parts unknown thousands of years before the fall of Tintageer. Nice, one more piece to fit into my puzzle. ;)
#8 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Jan 22, 2007 17:53:32	I'm currently doing an article that incorporates the 'creation myths' of the Elves from various worlds. Is there a single name for the Elves of Athas? I have found some online sources that name individual tribes, but not for the race as a whole. The tribes all seem to end in 'dai', does that mean they can simply be referred to as the 'Dai'? Any help in with this would be appreciated. I had the old Elves of Athas supplement, but I can't seem to find it (I moved recently). Considering the Elven concentration on the "now" and lack of concern for past & future... I'd say that they themselves wouldn't even be able to give a "proper" name like you are looking for -- it simply doesn't matter to them. But what others in this thread have brought up about "Raan" is interesting, to be sure.
#9 cnahumck Jan 22, 2007 19:40:24	Excellent answers guys, just what I was looking for, Thanks! :D So I will refer to the lost tribe of the 'Raanai' that left Faerie for parts unknown thousands of years before the fall of Tintageer. Nice, one more piece to fit into my puzzle. ;) Just to let you know, Athasian elves ain't like other elves. They don't have any connection to elves from other worlds. They are descendants of halflings. Then again, the third layer of Arvendor (sp) is supposed to have a desert were tall long limbed elves run free. How they got there through the grey is anyones guess.
#10 methvezem Jan 23, 2007 8:54:51	Considering the Elven concentration on the "now" and lack of concern for past & future... I'd say that they themselves wouldn't even be able to give a "proper" name like you are looking for -- it simply doesn't matter to them. But what others in this thread have brought up about "Raan" is interesting, to be sure. While I'm completely agreeing with you on the attitude of the elves, I still think that they at least needs a term to refer to their race as opposed to say dwarves or humans. As stated in EoA, elves takes mates outsides their tribe, so even if they only trust their own tribemates, they still acknowledge others and need a way to difference their race from othe when talking.
#11 dirk00001 Jan 23, 2007 9:58:21	Then again, the third layer of Arvendor (sp) is supposed to have a desert were tall long limbed elves run free. How they got there through the grey is anyones guess. That's the thing about travel through the Gray - it's not so much getting to the Gray that's the problem, or even getting past it...it's coming back to Athas after you've done either that causes problems.
#12 markustay63 Jan 24, 2007 21:55:17	Just to let you know, Athasian elves ain't like other elves. They don't have any connection to elves from other worlds. They are descendants of halflings. Then again, the third layer of Arvendor (sp) is supposed to have a desert were tall long limbed elves run free. How they got there through the grey is anyones guess. I'm aware of what you are saying, I do own quite a bit of Athas material despite never having played it. All races are supposed to be off-shoots of halflings on Athas? Thats just... weird. Actually, the Elven mythic hero/god figure in Athasian Elf culture begins with Cor (Coraanu), exactly like Corellon Larethian. Plus, halflings themselves are not a true race, they are a crossbreed between humans and the Li'ang, a small furry race native to Faerie. I think halflings have been spreading lies on too many worlds, someone ought to put a stop to them! ;)
#13 ruhl-than_sage Jan 24, 2007 22:22:49	I'll have you know that we do not lie, nor are we called Halflings. The proper term is "Ruhl-Thuan"!
#14 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Jan 25, 2007 2:01:33	I'm aware of what you are saying, I do own quite a bit of Athas material despite never having played it. All races are supposed to be off-shoots of halflings on Athas? Thats just... weird. Actually, the Elven mythic hero/god figure in Athasian Elf culture begins with Cor (Coraanu), exactly like Corellon Larethian. Plus, halflings themselves are not a true race, they are a crossbreed between humans and the Li'ang, a small furry race native to Faerie. I think halflings have been spreading lies on too many worlds, someone ought to put a stop to them! ;) Dark Sun's Halflings aren't like other Halflings. First, they were called the Rhulisti in ages past. Second, they had biotechnology (which could, I believe be interpreted as magic-like in a fantasy setting) -- note there are those who say it wasn't biotech. Third, they used this biotech to basically metamorphosize themselves into various other races in what was known as the Rebirth, resulting in all of the other races on Athas. Athas is more or less cut off from the "other worlds" of D&D. Its races are, while passingly similar in some respects to races on other worlds, they really are rather unique. Trying to tie them into other settings is a bit complicated -- the only race with any possible real connection to things outside of Athas (and more specifically, outside of the Grey) is the Gith.... and they really are a pitiful species that bears very little resemblance to either Githyanki or Githzerai any more.
#15 balican_gigolo Jan 25, 2007 18:02:17	the halflings could have come from the planes to dark sun sometime in the early period of the blue age where, one can imagine, the grey wasn't present or not as strong as it is now. On athas, these halfling might have, after a millenia or two, discovered the secrets of life-shaping. In this way the halflings could have a connection to the other worlds. Thri-kreen could also have one. In my opinion Athas is the insect men's homeworld.
#16 j0lt Mar 01, 2007 7:27:01	Considering that this is thread is more or less dead (found it on page 5), I hope nobody minds a slight derailment. I've made an athasian elf character, and I'm having a bit of a tough time coming up with an appropriate name for him. I've got a decent backstory (his tribe was caught out in the open during a Tyr-storm, he doesn't know if anyone else got out alive), but I don't want to go the cliched way and call him U'Raanu (though I'm sure that's what every other elf would end up calling him). I'm hoping he'll turn out to be another sort of Wanderer character, maybe called "The Nomad". Can anyone here come up with an appropriate Athasian Elvish name to match. or do you recommend that I just go with U'Raanu?
#17 methvezem Mar 01, 2007 11:58:11	Could you please give some meaning that you want is name to have, I'll give you some ideas.
#18 j0lt Mar 01, 2007 20:00:03	The character concept came to me while I was listening to the song Nomad by Iron Maiden, so something that means "nomad" or "wanderer" would be ideal. Thanks!
#19 methvezem Mar 01, 2007 20:23:13	The character concept came to me while I was listening to the song Nomad by Iron Maiden, so something that means "nomad" or "wanderer" would be ideal. Thanks! I've read the lyrics, they are quite interesting! Here's what I have for you: Aaduk (chaser of the winds) Aamika (chaser of the horizon) U'raanu means tribless elf, so is more of an adjective that other elves will use when speaking to or about him, just like you pointed out.
#20 j0lt Mar 01, 2007 20:54:39	That's great! Chaser of the winds works quite well. Actually, what would the Elven word for Storm be? (considering his backstory, I think chaser of storms would also fit)