Elven Culture
Longevity of mind & soul
It's a complicated culture for most that look into it with an outside view. But once you get used to the blunt behaviour, you'll enjoy it!
The Elven culture thrives in the regions of Silva, common amongst the many Elves and Elfkin races present there. They were the ones who originally dominated the region before other cultures took over. All that remains are small portions scattered across.
Though with the centuries that passed, its numbers are dwindling...
Naming Traditions
Other names
Birth & True Names
A lot of Elves have two names: a birth name and a true name. The parents of the child give the birth name, used for the first fifty years of their life.
Once an Elf reached maturity, they can decide to give themselves a new name. These are deemed true names, chosen by the individual rather than by someone else. If one pleases, such names can be their birth names if one accepts the one given by their parents.
Title Names
Titles are also a common naming tradition in Elven culture. Tied to feats, roots or skills of the person, these get placed after their birth or true name and describe more about them.
Some can see them as second last names and sometimes get used as last names as well.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Elven Language does not have any direct name by itself, though it consists of numerous smaller dialects from dozens of regions. People describe it as one written and spoken with emphasis, where single points and tones can alter the meaning of whole phrases.
It makes learning the language difficult, but not impossible. The importance lies mostly in using the right words in the right place while speaking to specific people.
Shared customary codes and values
Path of one's true self
Something valued by many Elves is the idea of shared individuality. A belief that by working in unison, they can push one another up into finding their own identities.
Everything one does should help bring people closer to finding their path in life, as well as the paths other might follow. People describe it as “to find one’s true self in the aid of others”.
The Changing Path
Although Elves believe in finding their purpose in life, they also believe that such goals are ever shifting. The path will not remain the same, hence why people will drift into new goals.
Paths will change as time goes on, making it crucial for an individual to not stagnate either. They should challenge their own lives, explore the world, and be free to do so. Hence why many allow others to explore and discover even if they might seem happy with their current life.
Average technological level
Magic & Spellcasting
A lot of Elven culture is responsible for the roots of understanding magic and spellcasting. With centuries of studying the arcane, their civilisation expanded into one reliant on it. From public transit and constructs to growing crops and long-distance communication.
However, after both the Blazing War and the Great Sangfroid War, a lot of the knowledge got lost. While some still use it, major projects became forgotten by the people.
Modern Elves began incorporating more Magitech approaches, leading to a technological boost. Mixing their old understanding of magic with a more industrialised approach to it.
Spiritual Biology
Together with their understanding of magic comes a knowledge of spiritual biology. Everything related to the mind, the material soul and conditions tied to it, the Elves know.
Such knowledge allows them to dive deeper into psychological issues. They help with treating mental scars or other problems, though they do not consider what they do as curing it. Instead, their treatments help suppress these scars so they don’t affect the person anymore.
People believe these treatments cause the longevity of some of their kind. By cleansing the mind of troubles and worries, they slow down their physical aging.
Common Etiquette rules
The etiquette of Elves focuses on letting people speak their opinions and be open to listen to those of others. Keeping things to themselves is not much of a thing amongst them, as they can get blunt with their thoughts about others. Even if it might hurt.
Willingness to listen gets also encouraged alongside it. One should be allowed to voice their thoughts and have people hear it, though agreeing with them is another thing.
Some small etiquette rules
- Do not touch the ears, as doing so is deemed inappropriate.
- Greet with a bow with the left hand against the chest. Doing with the right hand comes off as unwillingness to welcome the other person.
- Fruits are to be both plucked and eaten by hand rather than by tool.
- If offered a meal, accept it and eat alongside the host.
- Do not raise an open palm aimed straight towards anyone.
- If one must sit on the floor, sit down with crossed legs. Sitting down with spread legs makes people assume you want to get all the attention.
- Do not eating in mouthfuls. Instead, resort to smaller bites.
Common Dress code
You want to stand out, but not assault the eyes while doing so.
Elven attire focuses on long, loose robes that are interchangeable between the sexes. Light materials are common, providing not much of a hinderance through weight or restraints.
Amongst most of the populace, short robes with long sleeves are common, wearing underneath baggier pants. Binders get used for females to secure and suppress the chest.
High-class citizens go for more layered outfits, combining more colourful tones with longer robes. They ditch a single sleeve to expose the shoulder, while lengthening the other.
There's also a focus for adding a more vivid colour scheme somewhere in the outfit. Often a scarf, necklace or ring, or even a streak of colour dyed into their hair.
Art & Architecture
Art, painting & sculpting
Their art loves the usage of striking visuals that focus on the details of things. People and objects get broken down into simpler shapes, exaggerating proportions to give more attention to them.
Colours focus on more muted tones, only using more vivid ones in small portions. Usually to make a center of attention for a painting or details that need to stand out. It’s also uncommon for more than one vivid colour to be used in the same piece of art.
Faces are often exempt from portraits and statues, both by hiding it behind something else or leaving it blank entirely. Instead, Elves believe they form an identity of someone through gesture, putting emphasis on the pose rather than the facial expression.
Architecture
A lot of Elven architecture is about simple structures given elaborate detail. Many buildings are basic shapes stacked on top of one another, built with elevation in mind. Houses can reach three floors high with ease, even including small towers at the side of the building.
The usage of large flat surfaces also allows edges and corners to be more decorated. Window and door frames have swirling designs decorating their sides, while the dome roofs get adorned with a small statue on top, often a weather vane.
There is also an emphasis on including greenery into the structures, making roof gardens very common. Buildings either have large balconies for several potted plants to hang or sit outside, while the roofs have flat parts for large gardens to be grown.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
A common rite for a newborn is to plant a tree in their name. Said trees often form entire forests surrounding the areas of a settlement, each dedicated to an Elf that once lived there.
It ties them back to their roots with the Titan Avani, to give life twice to their original mother. Families plant their trees near one another, with the oldest ones being at the center. Genetic ancestry is not required, as adopted children also get a tree amongst these family circles.
It’s considered a good omen for a tree to grow strong and healthy, believed to be a sign of a promising life. Meanwhile, sick trees often worry others of people’s wellbeing.
Funerary and Memorial customs
When a member of their community dies, the body gets buried in an upright position, the left hand tied to their chest. To mark the graves, a large stone gets placed above it. Burial sites get marked with a large mound adorned with a single tree at the center.
The names of the deceased hang from ropes tied around the tree’s trunk. These get replaced every few years by the community close to the burial site by carving new signs.
Branches that fell off the tree planted during their birth rite get carved into small figurines of the person. Such small dolls get kept around public shrines commemorating the dead.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
There's not really a benefit to try and enforce gender norms around here. I probably have the same muscle mass as my brother.
Gender norms are a loose concept, as few either bother or even care about it. Males, females and anyone between are free to practice and partake in society as they please. Whether they be soldiers, scholars, rulers, or even housekeepers.
A large androgynous society helps enforce this, as differences between the sexes are minimal. Hence why so little emphasis gets put on the need to focus on a person’s sex or gender.
Relationship Ideals
Elven culture does not consider staying together forever to be a thing for everyone. Relationships amongst can be pretty blunt and open if they work or not. Should any of them feel a romantic interest to fade, they will break up with very little hesitation.
While it is possible for two to stay together for a lifetime, many end up changing partners. Some even take part in polyamorous relationships with three people at once.
I really like their view on gender roles and relationships. So practical. :D