Can anyone of you explain to me where the elves came from? *I know about that mystery concerning the bee and the flower...:D*
In the Olven timeline by Steven Wilson an event named *The Awakening* is mentioned. Do we know something else about it than what Oerth Journal I says?
Thank you and have nice holidays!
Rafael
PS: Steven Wilson, if you're reading this, would you please contact me? I have a ton of questions about the Grey Elves...
Before starting, this post is related to my recent response to "The 12 Gray Elven cities" thread at http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=5151122#post5151122.
To me the Awakening is redolent of several images that I've imagined regarding the Eldar, which is a word used in the Warhammer 40K game, but was also used by Tolkien to refer to elves in general, iirc.
The notion of elves awakening evokes an old dream I once had about elves being born de un arbol sacrado de las rosas (from a sacred tree of roses), which was tended por una diosa hermosa y virgin (a chaste and virgin goddess), who seemed not have been the elves birth-mother but taught them many things and in this way may be thought to have raised them as a mother. Eventually, strife arose amongst these Eldar, when one sought to marry the goddess -- being jealous of her attention to another favored "son."
Another fan, Rip Van Wormer, aka Rasgon, who moderates the Realms of Evil GH forum, once shared a vision of elves coming to Oerth from a different dimension (plane of existence). As I recall/interpret his account, these proto-olves were a kind of spirit, which lacked bodies, but discovered/developed the ability to become embodied on Oerth. I forget how Rip related these wandering spirits to the traditional Corellon-Gruumsh creation myth authored by Roger Moore. I think the idea was raised in relation to the elves that some heroes encounter while visiting different worlds via Lolth's Demonweb (which I relate to the webs of Istus [and the inter-dimensional portals of Warhammer 40K's Eldar).
In Monster Mythology, Carl Sargent suggested some interesting connections and disjunctions between the Seldarine and the Faerie Court of Titania, Oberon and the Queen of Night and Air.
In light of the foregoing, and because I've enjoyed the idea of the goddess Ehlonna since childhood, I favor relating the olves, hobniz and noniz to the Fae, but I've never detailed these relationships although I've briefly imagined that an ancient plane of existence, known to some sages as the Plains of Pesh (from the Wind Dukes of Aaqa artifact and featured in a 2e mega-adventure, which I've never owned or read) featured largely in the ordering of Oerth's universe (Prime Material Plane).
Ehlonna and Incabulous (then known as Sevelkhar the Waster, after the old 1e module series) and the other Common gods feature largely in this myth, which is somehow related to the Sheldomar Valley. Maybe after the Battle Between the Forces of Law and Chaos, the Plains of Pesh were reduced to a demi-plane that corresponds to the Sheldomar Valley? Perhaps this is why the Spidered Throne, the Lonely Tower and Valadis are sited where they are?
A different but not necessarily incomensurate version makes the Fae the children of Beory, with some fostered by other gods and godesses, especially those unknown ones who are associated with Luna and Celene.
In the past, GH fans have imagined a number of lunar goddesses that are worshipped by humans on Oerth. IMCs, Ehlonna is one of them though I've never determined with which moon she is more closely affiliated. (I think Andre Norton linked her to Luna.) Similarly I've never imagined how Myhriss or Lirr are related to Oerths moons.
Hmm, a bit of a ramble. Hope some of you found parts interesting.
I think we follow the same basic idea: The Olves were created on or exclusively for Oerth - and no **** about they coming from another planet or something like that...
*Spelljammers out there, be warned*
:whatsthis Tizoc, reading your comments was really both interesting and helpful, thanks!