The Origin of Elves in Dungeons & Dragons

[@magicmike540]

He forgot to mention Sehanine. When Corellon was wounded Sehanine wept. Her tears mixed with his blood gave rise to the elves.

[@JonHerzogArtist]

So Corellon is the deadbeat dad, Lolth is the strict stepmother, and all these other elven gods... When are we getting the Elf Family Sitcom?

[@transient_moonlight]

Corellon and Lolth even have two actual children, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun (two drow deities), and a there's a lot of drama going on between all 4.

[@johnathanstalker2682]

With Eilistraee being the rebel of the family and actually caring about the downtrodden peoples of the world.

[@arcadeus88]

Yeahhh...I smell a "Manual of the Planes" sourcebook incoming, what with the recent themes of these videos

[@oOPPHOo]

Not just that. The UA supports the theme too.

[@abouttime837]

hopefully we get a whole lot more Fey! but it’s probably gonna be something like Planescape

[@TheSubscriberWithNothing]

arcadeus88 Planescape/spell-jammer, here we come.

[@Bragison8]

You were right :D

[@firstname4382]

Unwanted penetration by gruumsh forced corellon into unwanted parantage? Kinda dark, Gary.

[@lutobor13]

Hour long D&D lore series. Do it. NOW. DO. IT.

[@VKeyist]

Search for "Lore you should know"

[@JT5555]

Nah.

[@igotsmeakabob]

@D&D Beyond I want to give this more thumbs up. This is exactly what I want- the philosophy, religion, history of D&D from its keepers.

[@fatboynoslim6]

One of the best videos realeased so far! Love these type of lore videos that can be applied to lots of different settings. Something on the birth of all the races would be great, and maybe some of the quirkier ones, like Modrons?

[@calebchristensen900]

This actually makes sense for explaining why their so powerful and have a prolongedd lifespan. Their on the same level of demigods.

[@msx94]

Actually labelas Enoreth is responsible for their Life span

[@warlock1080]

this was pretty interesting. I hope we can see some more videos like this one, like maybe there can be one for the origin of the Halflings or Gnomes

[@feylights166]

I know many people don't like Corellon, or the elves, but he is one of my favorite FR deities, and the elves are my favorite race. I don't see him as lazy. Less ambitious than Lolth, perhaps, but not lazy. He just wasn't set on conquering the world lol. Also, this would explain why elves think themselves superior. I mean, they literally have divine blood in their veins. That's practically demigod status. Not saying they can't be jerks, just saying it explains it.

[@Redsparrowcomics]

This was a really informative video, this will help inform my campaign! Thank you;

[@tylerpatti9038]

An absentee father, a wicked stepmother, and a fairy godmother... am I the sees were this is going?

[@instinct922]

Onlyfans.

[@Midnightv]

@@instinct922 😂😂😂

[@Theycallmetomu]

So elves have the same origin story as Pit Fiends back in the AD&D era where Asmodeus was actually Ahriman.

[@kyleellis9177]

Ooooh this makes me want to do campaign world were the gods are all dead. they were the first people and they fought and killed each other. then like Corellons blood growing the elves, each gods body gave birth to their respective race. So the reason the Gods cant directly do stuff to the world anymore is because they are all spirits now and all reside in the Death Realm and each turn a portion of it into their own afterlife.

[@NolaGamer]

That was a very interesting twist on Lloth and the Drow elves.

[@villiamkarl-gustavlundberg5422]

The greyhawk wiki is lacking. I really appreciate this video it's just extensive enough.

[@Lou20X6]

Where does fey ancestry and the big immigration from the feywild fit in?

[@transient_moonlight]

That's how the elves came to the Realms, he was talking about their origins. In the Realms, even the story of Lolth is different, and the drow were cursed long after Lolth was banished.

[@lordadmiralchowder1224]

if they lived in the feywild than it would be safe to assume that the battle in which Corillon was stabbed must have happened there.

[@vecna2101]

Basically that’s how: 1) Elves were banished from Arvandor 2) Elves took refugee in the Feywild 3) Many elves come to the material plane.

[@MaskofFayt]

I've never really used any lore that's the "standard" in D&D, mostly because I didn't know any of it until recently. I kinda prefer the make it yourself approach if you can, but not everyone is capable of it so these lore videos are immensely helpful for getting people started and also maintaining the standard settings of D&D before going off and making your own lore. I also couldn't help but notice that the born by the blood of a god thing is similar to how Babau where made in the flavour text in Volo's. Would be cool to have powerful fiends screw with elven players with the classic "We're not so different" mind screw.

[@Ragitsu]

I must say that I dislike how D&D 5e's elves look...they seem to be facially human but with pointy ears. Drow look vaguely more elfin, but that's not a gigantic achievement. In fact, D&D artwork has infrequently done elves justice since the end of AD&D 2e/start of D&D 3e.

[@MauroDraco]

That's pretty much how kobolds came to being, according to the Race of the Dragon 3.5 Edition book. And they too seem incredible! Albeit being short lived (individually at least).

[@grizzlymanverneteil4443]

Wouldn't Correlion(sp) be the mother of the elves and Gruumush be they're father, since Gruumush penetrated Correlion the he birthed the elves?

[@blued2044]

ok I have a idea what about a campaign setting where the only race is Elf's... well no one would have a problem with that surely I for one FREAKING LOVE ELF'S and my players only play elf's and half elf's so where fine if that.

[@MuhammadArshad2i1]

How can there be half-elves when there are no humans

[@kaos4131]

Is that why they live longer than anyone else because they came from a good instead of created by him?

[@wonderingmage]

This is awesome! Where do dragons come from?

[@gambent6853]

Yeah, AJ does some good work.

[@Uleftthedooropen]

Darian Reece space rocks

[@dropkickdude]

So Corellon is Luke Skywalker and Lolth is Ben Solo? Hearing Mearls discuss the two sides gave me flashbacks to The Last Jedi.

[@NuthrMattWright]

Mike's description makes the Corellon/Elves relationship seem similar to Blood Donor/Clones. Kinda like Gizmo/Mogwai. Just add water.

[@abouttime837]

or in this case, just add Sehanine tears

[@jekubfimbulwing5370]

Just don't feed elves after midnight!

[@Kizzy-qb9si]

I'm kinda curious. Can the elves reunite and how do high elves and wood elves talk to each other? Can all the elves be one happy family again?

[@vecna2101]

Hug Elves and Wood Elves are far more culturally close than drow in most settings. Most of the kinds of elves have no problem working together or even living together (except drow).

[@MalevolentDivinity]

Dammit, now Lolth's even more interesting. And it makes the beliefs of the character I'm thinking up somewhat more confusing. What would a self-imposed exile of a female drow think of her former god?

[@MalevolentDivinity]

Perhaps, though the one in question would likely not be wise enough to come to such conclusions. She'd still be a believer- Barring potential character development- And would likely still believe that Lolth's got the right idea despite any evidence, but found the culture created by such a twisted being to be abrasive and stifling. ... Stifling. Y'know, for an intended bard, never did consider the angle that she might have had a more artistic inclination before running into folk that'd encourage such things.

[@lwpatch8585]

Read Elaine Cunningham's "Daughter of the Drow" might be insightful.

[@docnevyn5814]

The way Lloth treats the drow shows her obvious lies.

[@5-Volt]

Where does Eilistraee fit in all this?

[@DRakshasa]

Despite the racism and sheer fascism I have to admit... Lolth DOES kind of have a point... :O

[@SkullCollectorD5]

"Lolth did nothing wrong."

[@liger04]

Corellon shot first!

[@transient_moonlight]

Wanting to dominate everyone else is a valid point? Because that's basically what she wanted to do through the elves.

[@DRakshasa]

I'm not saying she's right, I'm saying she has a point. That doesn't make it a valid point, or a good point for that... Just a point.

[@transient_moonlight]

Well, then nearly everyone has a point

[@yseson_]

Wow that is a terrible history for the elves, I’ll maintain my mythology that they were created to be the foot soldiers and envoys of the Gods the first caretakers of the material plane. The Elves should have a weight and responsibility to them that other folk do not.

[@rightwingersexposed8800]

Are there are redeeming qualities to Corellon?

[@vecna2101]

Being patron of beauty, magic and art is a redeeming quality.

[@CthulhuianBunny]

So, what you're saying is elves shouldn't be pompous, as that kind of "We are the wisest and most beautiful race!" attitude is seditious towards Corellon and supports Lolth!

[@jacobodom8401]

This is my problem, there are too many humanoid races. In most cases they would all be dead. With "Maybe" two remaining.

[@Mare_Man]

In most settings they developed independently from each other, and there hasn't been any global catastrophe to force a mass extinction on them.

[@JT5555]

What About All The Monster Fuckers?XD

[@42x3]

I am sorry, but you need to use references when giving a talk about a subject matter. The game D&D created in 1975/76 used Elves as creatures based on several works of fiction from Tolkien and so on that were available at the time. This perspective is based off novels that were written by authors under the leadership of a publisher licensed by Hasbro (who currently owns Wizards of the Coast). In addition, please keep in mind not all players use the same modules or storylines to create their universes, so using blanket statements is just pompous. You may use X as the birth of elves, but there are millions of others that may use Z instead.

[@JT5555]

Or Shut Up.

[@dekumutant]

Ive enjoyed watching these videos tiptoe around gender terms and cultural inspirations haha

[@2prize]

2018

[@DabIMON]

*or mother

[@twistedironpaw]

DabIMON or just parent, if you want to cover all the bases.

[@gyorgyor7765]

Wow, just wow, Mike actually spun Lloth as almost an antihero figure with Corellan Larethian as a almost apathetic villian. This is when you know someone has spent too long as a feminist when the Drow start to seem like the good guys.

[@PeteCotton]

This has what exactly to do with feminism? I'm always baffled when I see someone who hates another gender so much they've lost the ability to reason.

[@transient_moonlight]

This has kind of always been the case for the elves. When I read Elaine Cunningham's Evermeet, I had the impression that Lolth was also frustrated that she, as a godess of destiny, had so little actual power on the fate of the elves, and was forced watching them standing still and not expressing their true potential, due to Corellon. So, both because that, and because her thirst of power, she and Vhaeraun orchestrated the betrayal. Forgotten Realms Lolth *had* good potential as a character (even more so with her whole family thing going with Vhaeraun, Eilistraee, and Corellon), too bad that WotC let her become a 1-dimensional, mindlessly evil cartoon villain, and that despite her origins, that's what she still is ("all the world shall bow to me, love is weakness, muahahahaha" and other random edgy nonsense like that).

[@transient_moonlight]

I also don't get why you think that Corellon is a villain here. I like how they said that he left the elves free to forge their own path. That wouldn't prevent him to help them when they are in need, so where is the evil here?

[@aaronjjacques]

villains should be heroes in their own mind

[@transient_moonlight]

Not necessarily. Some villains may be well aware that they are, in fact, d*cks, and even enjoy it. Lolth is one of them. She might have had a better goal back in her ancient past, but she currently simply is sadistic, and is aware of that. All that she claims to be doing for the drow is clearly a facade, a way to deceive them. For millennia, she has done nothing but holding them back (and intentionally so, as to not let 'em spread their wings, which would inevitable lead them to abandon her ridiculous system and no longer be her toys).