Thematically speaking, what do the younger lived races have to offer compared to the - OG Myth-Weavers

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Thematically speaking, what do the younger lived races have to offer compared to the

   
Thematically speaking, what do the younger lived races have to offer compared to the

longer lived races?

Think Humans and Elves, or Dwarves and Dragons.

Where possible, mate, condense the title and ask the full question in the text of the post. Makes life easier.

Generally, it's presented that the shorter-lived races act more quickly, and so are the innovators, the ones who move society along. A goblin takes a few minutes to make a decision of weight, a human takes a few days, a dwarf takes a month, an elf takes a couple of years, a dragon takes a decade or two, and the gods take a generation or eight.

Is that what you're after? It's a little unclear to me.

Actually, the questions should be asked in reverse:

What do the longer-lived races have to offer?

Do dragons actually do anything? Huh? HUH?!


Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpeGuitarrem View Post
Shorter-lived races have a much better grasp of mortality and the reality of life. See Tolkien's elves vs. Tolkien's men.
I'd counter that Tolkien's elves and men demonstrate that the longer-lived races have a much better grasp of mortality and the reality of life.

Not really. The elves have eons to live, and time almost seems to slow down for them. They're infinitely patient. The ents are even more so, so patient that it takes a lot to rouse them to action. Whereas men just up and do stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ticattack View Post
Do dragons offer anything? Yes. Gold, XP and lots of it.
That's not exactly an offer . . .

Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpeGuitarrem View Post
Shorter-lived races have a much better grasp of mortality and the reality of life. See Tolkien's elves vs. Tolkien's men.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpeGuitarrem View Post
Not really. The elves have eons to live, and time almost seems to slow down for them. They're infinitely patient. The ents are even more so, so patient that it takes a lot to rouse them to action. Whereas men just up and do stuff.
It will depend on what you mean by 'the reality of life,' as that may be defined in any manner of ways.

However, the elves have a much better grasp on mortality. It is a trope of fantasy literature, including Tolkien's, that men can't actually comprehend mortality -- every man thinks he is impervious to death, until it is upon him. Human lords throw the lives of their men away frivolously.

Tolkien's elves, on the other hand, have a very clear grasp of mortality. They are reluctant to enter wars that are not theirs, and when an army of them shows up at Helm's Deep, they know full well that they are sacrificing their lives and shall not leave its walls; that is what makes their sacrifice so incredible. To an elf there are few things worse than an elven life snuffed out before its time; what better grasp of mortality could there be?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Atlictoatl View Post
It will depend on what you mean by 'the reality of life,' as that may be defined in any manner of ways.

However, the elves have a much better grasp on mortality. It is a trope of fantasy literature, including Tolkien's, that men can't actually comprehend mortality -- every man thinks he is impervious to death, until it is upon him. Human lords throw the lives of their men away frivolously.

Tolkien's elves, on the other hand, have a very clear grasp of mortality. They are reluctant to enter wars that are not theirs, and when an army of them shows up at Helm's Deep, they know full well that they are sacrificing their lives and shall not leave its walls; that is what makes their sacrifice so incredible. To an elf there are few things worse than an elven life snuffed out before its time; what better grasp of mortality could there be?
Hmm, maybe I was not quite thinking 100% on. (And as a quick nitpick, the elves only went to Helm's Deep in Jackson's version of LOTR, not Tolkien's) The elves were indeed jealous of men, because they died. They called it a gift. Because they themselves lingered on and on. So I guess I'd say that elves were never really able to understand what it meant to live life to the fullest, to burn out bright, because they lived for far too long. Men, on the other hand, know that their days are numbered, and so they find a cause and fight for it, devoting their entire selves to it, because they don't have much time otherwise. That's why the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth was the Age of Men, because the time of the ancient-dwellers was fading and passing, and it was time for the freshbloods to ascend.




 

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