Hahren

In the elven language, "hahren" means "elder". It is a title given to city elves who act as the leader of their entire alienage. While it is generally kept in the hands of elders, there have been cases where city elves less than thirty have become hahren for their alienage.

Duties

Among the city elves, the hahren is primarily a storyteller, caretaker of children, and spiritual guide. They act as a surrogate uncle or aunt, as well as an administrator, to the people of the alienage and its denizens. He or she is elected to the position not on the basis of age but on the merits of wisdom, cleverness, and levelheadedness. Their wisdom is used for a large variety of different tasks, so the hahren must also be adaptable.
The hahren manages altercations or, when city elves perform crimes against one another, deciding suitable punishments. Hahrens also have the power to arrange marriages for the young elves who have no parents to do so for them. A hahren is not allowed to officiate this wedding, however. Instead, that duty is left to the local Chantry's Revered Mother much as in human communities. The hahren is allowed to offer their thoughts and prayers to the couple.
For many city elves, spirituality can be a topic that they feel very conflicted about when they're growing up. As young city elves learn about their role in Thedas, they can often feel a sense of alienation particularly due to the concept of the Chantry claiming to only be for humans. Many youngsters have wild thoughts of becoming free like the Dalish and running away to join them. The hahren helps these young elves understand that the Maker watches out for all of her people, not just humans. The hahren also alleviates this wildness by showing that the lives the Dalish lead are often harder and showing that the Dalish are selfish betrayers of the elven people.
Though the hahren does not have political power specifically, human authorities coming to the alienage may respect the hahren's opinion on elven matters. Also, though one hahren may act as administrator of a specific alienage, other elves in the community may also be referred to as elders.

The outfits a hahren wears differ in style from alienage to alienage. Some like to have their hahren outfitted with bright colors and bells. Other city elves prefer the hahren wear Chantry clothing. Some prefer a hahren be very modest about their clothing choices.