The elves that arrived on Aua through a hole in the sky were mono-gendered. There were no males and no females. This curious trait was never passed on to any of their offspring and the members of the first generation of elves born on Aua were either male or female.
The original elves did not (and still don’t) require physical intercourse in order to become pregnant. Rather it is through the emotional connection with the soul of another being that an original elf can start growing a new life within itself. This trait was also never passed on to any of their offspring.
This ability to breed with anything alive through a mating of souls resulted in the birth of many strange half-elf, half-other beings. In fact, while rare it still happens to this day. However, it was soon discovered that none of the half-elves born were able have offspring of their own. The stories of strange and unique beings of elven descent are many and often tragic.
It was only the children that came from the unions of two original elves that were able to breed and carry offspring. These children of the original elves are what’s commonly referred to as elves in this day and age.
It is curious to note that the offspring of an elf and one of the original elves will be unable to breed and will often be malformed or deranged in some way.
Half-breeds and the gods[]
The most efficient way for a god to gain power is through worshippers and the most efficient way to gain worshippers is to create an entire race of them. However, creating a new race is both difficult and dangerous and most gods elect not to do it.
This is where the original elves have played a big role in assisting the gods. The original elves are able to create new and unique types of beings. Gods are able to give life. While the offspring of an original elf isn’t able reproduce on its own divine intervention can help it to do so.
This is still a complicated and risky process for the god involved but compared to creating an entirely new race it is near trivial. The benefits are similar to those of creating a new race though, just on a smaller scale. The new half-breed will never be able to reproduce independently and divine intervention will be needed with the birth of every child. Some scientists chose to see this as if elven half-breeds are three-gendered.
As a consequence of this the god in question becomes tightly involved with their breed, usually referred to as their tribe. In many cases the god isolates itself from the rest of the pantheon to maintain the tribe. They devote their entire existence to overseeing the continuity of the tribe. The relationship is mutually beneficial. The tribe’s continued existence is ensured and the god has a reliable source of worship.
Tribes[]
Multiple types of elven half-breeds exist. Some better known than others. A few examples are:
- Polar elves. Half elf and half polar bear. This is the tribe of Mikonen of the Dark Embrace. It consists of less than 2000 individuals and makes its home on the shelf ice covering the North Pole. While the existence of the tribe is actually confirmed it is commonly believed to be a myth.
- Elphines. Half elf and half dolphin. This is the tribe of Bubbles, Goddess of Giggles and of Romance. This tribe is aquatic and nomadic. It consists of roughly 130 tight-knit individuals. The tribe prefers shallowland areas but can be found in any temperate seas on the northern hemisphere. Elphines occasionally feature in fiction and have been depicted in ads and commercials for costal and island resorts.