I haven't read any stories with these creatures in them, but I still wonder how original the idea actually is.

I got the idea from an RP on a Christian forum I use, so the idea isn't entirely mine (although the charrie is considered twilight instead of a Dark Elf in the RP). I changed it quite a bit, but that's where I originally got the idea.

In my NaNo story, the Elves are attacked by Dark Elves. The Dark Elves have pointy ears (because I'm strange and do that :P) and black or dark grey skin, depending on their blood line and attitude. The kinder ones actually tend to have darker skin, so people think they all are equally evil, because the lighter-skinned ones are judged by their nature and the black-skinned ones are judged because of their skin color.
They have white hair and either green or grey eyes. They are born evil, but sometimes there will be a Dark Elf born that isn't. They are usually killed as soon as they are found out, because otherwise they'll grow up and betray their race because they don't believe their actions are right.
If an Elf is banished, they may turn into Dark Elves, or they may die. It depends on the Elf's nature and why they were banished.
They are skilled with knives and have learned how to use fire and shadow as effective weapons.
All of the guys are trained to fight as soon as they turn four. By the time they are 19, they are very skilled. There are also women, but they stay in the village (I need to think of a new word... it isn't a village, but I'm not sure what to call it), so many people believe there aren't very many. In reality, there are plenty of them, but they stay home and keep the men happy.
They are evil, so they are fairly immoral (although I don't go into detail... I may not even mention it), and they will use any tactic they can to win.

Any questions? I'm sure there's more I forgot to explain, or this may be really cliche (like everything else I write :P).

I believe that the term Dark Elf was first used by Tolkien in The Silmarillion, when he wrote about Eol the sword-smith. I have read several unpublished stories that have them, and they all seem to have dark skin and a tendency toward evil.

Clarification: The skin tone of these Elves is effected by their disposition?

I thought I had heard about them from somewhere... I rather like Eol, myself. And his sword was interesting. :P Anyway...
And they aren't all evil, but the good ones never survive long enough to do anything.



Let's see... I guess a better way of putting it would be that the ones that are kinder usually don't have as dark skin. The condition of their heart affects what they look like when they are born, and it doesn't change. You can tell if they will grow up to be heartless, or if they just do what they've known all their lives.
It is possible for them to change, although they aren't accepted by the current king, so most of them don't bother. The Elf kings before him were more understanding, and there were a few Dark Elves among them.

Yes, I will admit I get most of my ideas from other stories, and my stories all sound cliche. :P Or at least to me...


Any ideas on how to change this a bit so it doesn't sound like something I just stole from another story, then?

It seems that Dark Elves aren't really more evil than the elves that shun them, when it comes to being heartless.

I would say that you need to determine whether Dark Elves have a greater tendance toward evil or a greater ability of evil. How does this effect their spiritual state?

I have a friend who handles his Dark Elves in this way.

Power Tendency: Dark Elves have the ability to develop powers that can only be used for evil.

Hereditary Tendency: Because of the Power Tendency, each Dark Elf has a family history of great evil. This results in older family members influencing younger family members toward evil.

Genetic Tendency: The Hereditary Tendency eventually gives rise to an inheritance of genes that cause a greater tendency toward evil.

However, all of his Dark Elves can become good, although they retain their Power Tendency, Hereditary Tendency, and Genetic Tendency.

While you may not want to copy this model, it provides food for thought.

Well, I actually don't consider one more evil than the other, except the fact that the Dark Elves play the part of the evil charries in my story. The main charrie is an Elf, so the Dark Elves are portrayed as evil, because of the point of view. It could also be argued the other way... one of the Dark Elves that she ends up talking to says that they aren't really evil, only misunderstood. He says that the real evil is the fact that the Elves won't accept them.

The first Dark Elves simply liked to experiment with fire and such, while the Elves did more with plants. Some of the Elves rejected the Dark Elves because of their differences.

Like many things in life, the parents taught their children the things they knew. That's all many of them knew was killing Elves. After many generations, they forgot why they were even fighting, and the ones that still remembered simply enjoyed being evil, or they wanted to show the Elves what evil really was. Some of the Dark Elves became bitter, so they taught their children the same. Those Elves influenced the others, so many of them got angry. Some of the Dark Elves only left because they knew arguments would break out if they continued living with the Elves.

Some actually find out what really happened before the two races split up, but they are usually too afraid to tell anyone else because they are afraid of the reaction they will get.

They could actually all be kind, if they chose to, although some don't realize it.

Sorry for the double post (I know at least some forums prefer if you don't).

Do you guys have any ideas for a different name for this race?

That is fine. Just as long as you are not cluttering things up just to get more posts than someone else.

For the Dark Elves? Try The Gore Nelano (spelled with Gianas pronunciation. Gor-uh Nuh-lan-oh).

I was thinking earlier about the way that the Dark Elves are considered evil by most, and the Elves are "never" evil, supposedly. Since that isn't true, am I blurring the line between good and evil? I want it to be obvious that evil is never good, but by allowing the Dark Elves to be good if they decide to, does that make it seem like I'm saying that evil things can be good sometimes? I see it as they are just different races, and people are wrongly judging them, but I wondered if someone else might think I'm saying that there is no evil, only different circumstances.
What do you think?

In my mind, at least, it was more a demonstration of the consequences of evil. The Elves shun the Dark Elves as evil, but they inadvertently create a Dark Elf culture that is more prone to evil do to its circumstances. I think a theme of 'reaping what we sow' could be drawn out of a properly done story, in which some Dark Elf/Elves choose to avenge themselves against the elves.

Okay, thanks. That makes sense. I tend to be very critical of my work, so I thought I would ask your guys' opinion. It would give me an idea of what a reader might think, anyway.

I agree. If you are not careful, readers (especially critics) might try to read that into your story, though, so you need to be careful. Try for the reap-what-you-sow angle, and it should come out okay.

Thanks, I'll try that. I'm starting to add them into my story now, so like most of the other stuff, I'm developing the idea more as I go. My method of writing is rather haphazard. :P I always just see how things go as I write.

And I changed their appearances a bit, too. They don't have white hair anymore. :P