Better Know a Fiend- Dark Elves

Better Know a Fiend: The Dark Elves With their crooked arms and disgusting tongues dangling from their mouths, the Dark Elves are some of Final Fantasy’s most recognizable villains. Their racial history goes back to Norse Mythology and has been represented in various sources of fiction, including J. R. R. Tolkien’s works, the Marvel Universe, and Dungeons & Dragons. Like most early fiends in the Final Fantasy series, they were influenced by these sources.

The Dark Elves of Norse lore, known as Dökkálfar, were dark-skinned subterranean Elves. They were the opposite of the fairer Ljósálfar, who reside in the heavens. They are mentioned in the 13^thcentury Prose Edda and may be related to the svartálfar who reside in Svartálfaheimr (who may have been synonymous with Dwarves).

Tolkien, author of the books that the popular Lord of the Rings movie franchise was based on, created the Moriquendi, who first appeared in the story Fall of Gondolin, one of his Lost Tales. The story also formed part of The Simallirion. They are elves who refused the summons of Valar and didn’t witness the light of the Two Trees of Valindor.

The Dark Elves from the Thor series of the Marvel Universe are influenced by the Norse Folklore. They are led by Malekith the Accursed, a ruthless, cunning tyrant who massacred his own people who didn’t abide him. These Elves, like others, are intelligent, masters of magic, and manipulative. They also possess the ability to shapeshift. Their only glaring weakness is to iron, which cancels their magical prowess.

As with many of the creatures of early Final Fantasy lore, Dungeons & Dragons may have held the greatest of influence. Known as the Drow, they were adept magic users, cunning and mainly evil. Like the previously mentioned Dark Elves, they are dark and subterranean. In various D&D lore they are rivals to the surface light Elves.

In the first Final Fantasy, the Dark Elves are lead by Astos, who, through the miracle of video game logic, is the weakest of his race. Despite that, he is a powerful magician with the ability to take down any of the Warriors of Light in a single turn.

He is also arguably the deepest character, creating an elaborate plan to rule over all the elves. He curses the Elfheim Prince to an eternal slumber, renders the healer Matoya blind when he steals her Crystal Ball, and disguises himself as a helpless King, who sends the Warriors of Light on a fool’s errand to retrieve him the Crown.

Other Dark Elves to appear in Final Fantasy I are the Dark Fighters and the Dark Wizards. Like their fearless leader and the legends that preceded them, they are highly adept in the art of magic. In a possible acknowledgement to their Norse history, they reside in the Ice Cavern where they make life miserable for those seeking the Levistone.

Devil Wizards were added to the Bonus Dungeon in the Final Fantasy Dawn of Souls on the GameBoy Advance and the Final Fantasy 20^th Anniversary Edition on the PSP due to the need for more palette-swap fiends. These added a greater challenge than their brethren, with their higher HP and use of Flare.

The last appearance of the Dark Elves is the eponymous Dark Elf in Final Fantasy IV, who has possession of the Earth Crystal. Much like Astos in appearance and wit, he empowers a magnetic force field, leaving your party without use of their metallic weapons and armor. When it looks as the party is near defeat, the Spoony Bard, Edward, is able to break the curse through the use of the twin harp/whisperweed by playing an old Elven Song.The heroes are then enabled to use their metallic weapons, to which the Dark Elf is weak. Unlike the other Dark Elves in the Final Fantasy series, the Dark Elf of the Lodestone Cave changes form before being defeated, becoming the Dark Dragon.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been another Dark Elf sighting since. The Dark Elves proved to be crafty, formidable foes. Astos, in particular, is iconic. Would you like to see them revived in Final Fantasy XV?