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Post by scottanderson on Sept 8, 2017 19:22:43 GMT -5
I let my Dwarfs talk in Scots Gaelic and my Gnomes talk in Dutch. Hobbits and Men speak English, but Men from far away might speak French or German.
At the moment, elves speak Irish Gaelic, but I am unhappy with that. It sounds too harsh and too much like Scots Gaelic. I have attempted to use Welsh in the past but it's too hard for me to pronounce, even phonetically.
What real world language do you think of when you have elves talking?
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Post by mormonyoyoman on Sept 8, 2017 20:52:18 GMT -5
Like Noel Coward.
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Post by scottanderson on Sept 8, 2017 20:58:49 GMT -5
Yes certain elves might sound like him. Maybe his is more of a Man voice though. He sounds like a Man to me.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Sept 8, 2017 21:06:08 GMT -5
Are you talking about accents or the actual languages?
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Post by scottanderson on Sept 9, 2017 0:07:52 GMT -5
Actual language. I like to be able to write it and at least sound it out. It helps me enjoy it.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Sept 9, 2017 0:37:43 GMT -5
Actual language. I like to be able to write it and at least sound it out. It helps me enjoy it. darn son. We have a cunning linguist over here!!! Seriously though, that sounds really cool. I could only contribute at your table what little I remember from high school Spanish.  |
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Post by sixdemonbag on Sept 9, 2017 0:42:26 GMT -5
I think you REALLY need some Norse languages for your elves as well. They are very prominent in Norse mythology. From wiki:
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Post by scottanderson on Sept 9, 2017 7:24:29 GMT -5
I'm going to have to listen to Danish, Finnish, Slavic languages... Swedish and Norwegian just remind me of Rose Nylund.
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Post by randyb on Sept 9, 2017 7:35:02 GMT -5
Hindi. (On which note, Hinduism is a pretty good real-world analog for elven religion.)
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Post by Admin Pete on Sept 9, 2017 8:34:28 GMT -5
Hindi. (On which note, Hinduism is a pretty good real-world analog for elven religion.) OK, I'm curious, how so? |
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Post by magremore on Sept 9, 2017 8:50:49 GMT -5
Whelfen elf-I welfas elfa kelfid, elf-I helfad selfome frelfiends whelfo (?) telfalked leflike thelfis. Yelfes, elfit welfas annelfoyelfing!
So that will always be Elvish to me, lol.
Never figured out if that was a thing or not. Probably it was, but I never heard anyone else do it, and man they spoke it fast.
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Post by sixdemonbag on Sept 9, 2017 12:38:53 GMT -5
Swedish and Norwegian just remind me of Rose Nylund.  ? |
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Post by scottanderson on Sept 9, 2017 14:53:19 GMT -5
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1JDHSoTAwgg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Post by sixdemonbag on Sept 9, 2017 15:32:34 GMT -5
Betty White!!
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Post by randyb on Sept 10, 2017 8:40:25 GMT -5
Hindi. (On which note, Hinduism is a pretty good real-world analog for elven religion.) OK, I'm curious, how so? I have to remember the details of why I came to that conclusion. Ancestors as ascended gods, beyond "typical" ancestor worship, was one of them. One of their holy books is reputedly a tome of magic, IIRC; that would be another one. Hinduism is definitely religiously pluralistic; IMO "Hinduism" is less a single religion and more a religiously pluralistic culture - which gives me a "chaotic good" vibe: no One True Way, but Many Ways. Plus, the culture is sufficiently alien to the Western norm that it serves well as a model for an "alien" culture, if you want less "humans-with-pointy-ears" and more "alien" elves. If you want more detalis, I'll be happy to dig up my books and notes and review. |
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2017 17:10:22 GMT -5
What sounds like Elvish?
Breaking wind in a mud puddle.
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Post by Admin Pete on Sept 10, 2017 19:03:48 GMT -5
I have to remember the details of why I came to that conclusion. Ancestors as ascended gods, beyond "typical" ancestor worship, was one of them. One of their holy books is reputedly a tome of magic, IIRC; that would be another one. Hinduism is definitely religiously pluralistic; IMO "Hinduism" is less a single religion and more a religiously pluralistic culture - which gives me a "chaotic good" vibe: no One True Way, but Many Ways. Plus, the culture is sufficiently alien to the Western norm that it serves well as a model for an "alien" culture, if you want less "humans-with-pointy-ears" and more "alien" elves. If you want more detalis, I'll be happy to dig up my books and notes and review. I would be interested in that, please do. The only thing I know about Hinduism I learned from the media and that is limited to that they worship cows, cobras, and thousands of stone idols. |
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Post by mormonyoyoman on Sept 10, 2017 20:24:11 GMT -5
Yes certain elves might sound like him. Maybe his is more of a Man voice though. He sounds like a Man to me. Maybe a sissy Noel Coward? (Yikes! A cowardly Noel Coward?) |
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Post by mao on Sept 11, 2017 11:04:39 GMT -5
French?
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Post by scottanderson on Sept 11, 2017 14:55:52 GMT -5
English, French and German are languages of Men, but maybe elf guys could sound similar.
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Post by randyb on Sept 13, 2017 12:52:32 GMT -5
I have to remember the details of why I came to that conclusion. Ancestors as ascended gods, beyond "typical" ancestor worship, was one of them. One of their holy books is reputedly a tome of magic, IIRC; that would be another one. Hinduism is definitely religiously pluralistic; IMO "Hinduism" is less a single religion and more a religiously pluralistic culture - which gives me a "chaotic good" vibe: no One True Way, but Many Ways. Plus, the culture is sufficiently alien to the Western norm that it serves well as a model for an "alien" culture, if you want less "humans-with-pointy-ears" and more "alien" elves. If you want more detalis, I'll be happy to dig up my books and notes and review. I would be interested in that, please do. The only thing I know about Hinduism I learned from the media and that is limited to that they worship cows, cobras, and thousands of stone idols. Ok. Here's what I have from my notes that stand out to me as "elvish" seeming: - Hyper-polytheistic. Everything from an unknowable absolute divine (Brahman) to ancestor worship to a mortal declaring themselves to be a god (if you can generate a following, you've made the cut) to animism (including degrees of "nature worship"). My reading of the elven pantheon(s) of D&D gives me an "ascended ancestors" vibe, even though the text sometimes suggests otherwise. Elven ties to nature connect here, too.
- Caste system. The concept, if not the execution, maps to the various elvish sub-types and social (or even biological) distinctions among them.
- Inspired writings (vedas) that include a volume of "black magic". Elves have been expressly magical from the beginnings of D&D. A "black magic" tradition gives a new spin on "dark elves", too.
- Stages of life and proper behaviors for each stage. This matches some speculations I have read about how a society of long-lived beings (like elves) might work.
There are other elements, like reincarnation, that don't strike me as especially elvish. However, adding them would create a different take on the elves.
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Post by Morose on Mar 1, 2023 14:45:54 GMT -5
I would be interested in that, please do. The only thing I know about Hinduism I learned from the media and that is limited to that they worship cows, cobras, and thousands of stone idols. Ok. Here's what I have from my notes that stand out to me as "elvish" seeming: - Hyper-polytheistic. Everything from an unknowable absolute divine (Brahman) to ancestor worship to a mortal declaring themselves to be a god (if you can generate a following, you've made the cut) to animism (including degrees of "nature worship"). My reading of the elven pantheon(s) of D&D gives me an "ascended ancestors" vibe, even though the text sometimes suggests otherwise. Elven ties to nature connect here, too.
- Caste system. The concept, if not the execution, maps to the various elvish sub-types and social (or even biological) distinctions among them.
- Inspired writings (vedas) that include a volume of "black magic". Elves have been expressly magical from the beginnings of D&D. A "black magic" tradition gives a new spin on "dark elves", too.
- Stages of life and proper behaviors for each stage. This matches some speculations I have read about how a society of long-lived beings (like elves) might work.
There are other elements, like reincarnation, that don't strike me as especially elvish. However, adding them would create a different take on the elves.
out of this whole thread, this is only thing that really stands out to me. I cannot get into trying to use other languages in a game, but these are some really good suggestions to do things that really make the elves be alien. |
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