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Elves: A Case Study of Transhumanism in

Fantasy Worlds
by Jürgen Hubert

(Note: When discussing the Fantasy genre, I will mostly limit myself to the conventions that are
used in the Dungeons & Dragons game, as those are the most likely to be familiar to the reader.
As similar genre conventions are used in many, if not most fantasy RPG backgrounds, this
should not pose a problem.)

With the publication of Transhuman Space, the roleplaying community has been more exposed
to Transhumanist ideas than ever before. One of the central ideas of Transhumanism is the desire
to "transcend" the possibilities of "unmodified" humanity. In the setting of Transhuman Space,
this is achieved through human genetic engineering, body and brain modifications, and
"uploading" of brain patterns into computers to create personality simulations of the original
brain.

At first, it would seem that Transhumanism is an idea that can only prosper in the realm of
science fiction (and certain fringe groups today who are limited by modern technology). After
all, human genetic engineering, bioware, and advanced computers require a high technology
base, and most fantasy background use technology that is barely more advanced than that of the
Renaissance.

However, this is not necessarily the case; fantasy wizards have long been credited with creating
new monsters, some of which escape to the wilderness and breed true. Others have managed to
create entire "warrior races" that serve as underlings and shock troops (echoes of the combat
bioroids from Transhuman Space can be seen in this).

In other words, the capabilities for transhumanist experiments are present; the only difference is
that magic is used instead of technology, and according to Clarke's Law the difference between
the two isn't all that important anyway. Therefore, it should only be a matter of time before an
enterprising group of wizards tries to use these kinds of magical alterations on themselves . . . or
their children. To use Transhuman Space terminology, they would create "parahumans," an
entirely new subspecies of humanity.

So how would these "new and improved" humans look like? How would they differ from the
human norm?

These wizards would probably give them extremely long life spans, and a long growth and
childhood period to improve their socialization (if they are going to live a long time, it is better if
they are well adjusted to coping with the passing of the centuries . . .). They would give them an
attractive appearance and natural grace. They would reduce their need for sleep and improve
their senses until they far surpass the human norm.

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In short, they would change them into something remarkably like elves.

Their Greatest Secret

Could it therefore be that elves are actually not a "natural" race at all, but an artificial one? Could
it be that their ancestors were humans who were not content with the limitations of their own
species? So far, the evidence is merely circumstantial -- elves represent everything how many
humans would like to be. However, there are more hints that paint a stronger picture.

Most elves tend to live in forests. This is not an ideal environment for most civilizations -- large
human realms can only be sustained by agriculture, and for this, any large forests that are in the
way have to be cut down. Groups of humans that live in forests full-time are rarely larger than
small, nomadic tribes with only occasional permanent dwellings.

Yet elves seem to manage to not only maintain permanent dwellings, but also live in elegance or
even splendor. Their beauty almost universally overwhelms humans who visit elven realms. And
yet, elves seem to have copious free time that they can dedicate to the arts, wizardry, or
swordplay -- they seem to be able to maintain their homes with little effort. How do they manage
this?

Well, from the point of view of an ancient group of wizards that wanted to create the "ideal
humans," it would have made little sense to just stop with the creation of elves. Instead, they
would have shaped their environment as well to make the elves' lives as comfortable as possible.
And indeed, there are signs for this -- trees and bushes that give bumper crops of fruits and
berries, other types of trees that are capable of supporting entire palaces in their branches, and
plants and animals that do away with organic wastes efficiently and without bad odors (for how
many reports are there of elven cities with sewers?), and, most importantly, a number of
forest-dwelling beings that seem almost be designed to serve the elves in various ways -- often
even without their knowledge. Let's have a look at these "sylvian" creatures presented in the
Monster Manual for Dungeons & Dragons on a case-by-case basis . . .

Assassin Vines: These plant creatures are very useful for protecting forest communities -- place a
few in strategic locations, and would-be invaders are killed before they can even get near the tree
houses.

Centaurs: It is hard to imagine how a creature that is a human-horse hybrid would evolve
naturally (unless inter-species fertility works a lot different than in our world . . .). They seem to
serve as shock troops for the defense of the forest, and shun contact with other races apart from
elves, with whom they trade. It is anyone's guess who comes out on top with these trades . . .

Dryads: This all-female tree-dwelling spirits is remarkable in several ways -- they are bound to a
single tree, and can never move far away from it, which prevents them from organizing
themselves despite their obvious intelligence. Nevertheless, thanks to their charm ability, they
can effectively stop individual scouts sent by outside forces and get them to reveal their
information.

Interestingly, they also seem to lust after handsome males from other species, but often let them
go after some time. In other words, while they experience sexual desire, it is unclear if they feel
any emotions similar to what humans call "love" or "jealousy" toward individual males. This
would make them the equivalent of the pleasure bioroids from Transhuman Space -- they will
sleep with you, but won't be a baggage to you afterwards. (In yet another suspicious

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"coincidence," the resistance of elves against charm spells seems to be designed with dryads in
mind . . .)

Giant Eagles and Giant Owls: These oversized and sapient birds of prey serve as excellent
scouts and aerial steeds at different times of the day-and-night cycle.

Pegasi: Another obvious hybrid creature, Pegasi are easier to train than giant eagles or giant
owls. They are somewhat more conspicuous, however.

Satyrs: Another single-gender "species," satyrs are possibly the male counterpart of dryads,
which would make them a rather extreme example of sexual dimorphism. Like dryads, they
show an extreme fondness for members of the opposite sex (this ready availability of willing
sexual partners might at least in part be responsible for the famous low birthrates of elves . . .),
and they also have the ability to charm other beings. They most likely serve as irregular troops
who can harass enemies that venture too far into the forest with their spell-like abilities.

Sprites: While these small fey might not look very threatening, their small size and magical
abilities makes them formidable foes to larger enemies who might never even get the chance to
see their attackers.

Treants: While forests have many defenders, they are still very large. These intelligent plant
creatures serve as guardians of stretches of forests where few elves dwell, and their ability to
animate other trees makes them quite capable of dealing with any but the largest invasions.

Unicorns: Like treants, unicorns serve as forest guardians. They can also serve as steeds in
emergencies, a role in which they are formidable thanks to their innate abilities.

In summary, a large number of intelligent beings of different species live together in harmony in
the forests that the elves call their home. This alone would be suspicious in worlds where
intelligent beings usually kill members of other species on sight, but that all species but elves
show little interest in large-scale organisation or wizardry only confirms it. Most of these beings
seem to be designed to make lives easier for elves, which strongly indicates intelligent design in
one way or another.

Other cases of Transhumanism in Fantasy Worlds

Elves and their environment are just the most obvious result of Transhumanist experiments.
There are always alchemists trying to perfect longevity potions, and undeath, if intentional, could
be seen as another attempt as "transcending normal human limitations." Certainly, most liches
seem to think that the end result justifies the obvious drawbacks. Certain powerful spellcasters
can gradually transform themselves into more powerful forms, most notably the dragons,
avangions, and clerical elementals of the Dark Sun setting. The philosophical group of the
Planescape setting called "Believers of the Source" are Transhumanist in all but name.

Finally, a very few chosen people fulfill the ultimate promise of Transhumanism: They become
actual gods. Few paths to divine ascension are ever the same, and they are all extremely difficult.
Yet enough succeed to inspire others to follow in their footsteps . . .

Adventure ideas
Old Secrets, New Trouble: When looting yet another ancient dungeon, the heroes come across a

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set of magically preserved scrolls. Once the party manages to translate them (either through
magical means, or with the aid of the world's best linguistic scholar -- the scrolls are that old!),
they learn that these are the research notes of an ancient cabal of human wizards who were
attempting to "improve" their descendants through magical means. The scrolls also include a
very difficult spell that, when cast on a living human, make all of his or her descendents elves
from that point onwards! Also included are detailed instruction on how to create a number of
"slave races" that sound a lot like the sylvan races.

If the adventurers decide to go public with this discovery, this revelation cause major political
disturbances -- and make them many enemies! Most elves won't believe them and denounce
them -- or possibly try to kill them. Priests of some human religions might start to call elves
abomination in the eyes of their god for the hubris of their ancestors.

Meanwhile, many rich humans will try to get access to the spell so that they can build dynasties
that will last for many centuries. This will lead to many more elves in the future, and possible
even to an immortal elven upper class ruling human kingdoms! How the "traditional" elves will
deal with those "new" elves that don't have any link to their own culture is anyone's guess . . .

Philosophers With Clubs: In some cities, wizards, alchemists, and other scholars congregate
together and form a new movement. Its adherents claim that the short life spans of humans are
not inevitable, and that it is possible to transcend this and other limits of human nature. They
immediately attract hostile attention from many clerics and druids who claim that this is against
the will of their gods, or "unnatural." The PCs can get involved in either side of this debate.

Meanwhile, this movement will have many internal divisions. Is it enough to stop aging, or
should the body be enhanced beyond normal human capabilities? Is it ethical if any of the
methods involved use the life force of other living beings -- even if it kills "only" animals? Is
undeath a legitimate expression of the desire for immortality, or a dead end that will ultimately
limit your abilities? Finally, if some artifact or other unique process is found that can transform
someone into a god, who gets to use it?

If the agenda of the adventurers is in agreement with these people (or if they are just feeling
mercenary), they can work for them and "recover" rare spells and components that they will
likely need in their research. The infighting that is likely to occur if any of the necessary
resources are limited can also be a ready source of employment. If they are on the other side of
the ideological divide, they can try their best to stop these mad wizards and the monstrosities that
they will inevitably birth . . .

Article publication date: May 9, 2003

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