#UHHHH IDK HOW ELSE TO TAG THIS DHSHFJKA

[trippygalaxy]

Sheikah's are closer to Elves than Hyilan's are

This is a little bit of theory talk? A little bit of my rambling/ted talk? Anyways! This is all just for my entertainment and hopefully yours too!

ALSO THIS IS HALF UNEDITED SO SORRY FOR MISTAKES!

Oh! Theres also gonna be references to DnD and some other media in here so, yay :)

OKOKOIE!

To me, the connection between Hyilan's and the common place understanding of the elven race has always seemed a little off to me. They obviously have connections, and it not necessary that Hyilan's follow the 'rules' of the elven race one for one, but I do think there is another race in Legend of Zelda that would be a better fit for the term 'Elven akin.'

In this post I'll be comparing the Sheikahs to common tropes and key points that show up in stories with elves in them.

The Aging of Sheikah

Sheikah, in a lot of the games, seem to live VERY long lives. One of my favourite examples is Impa from oot, who doesn't age a single bit after the 7 year skip even though Zelda, a hyilan child, ages normally into a late teen. I also see Impa from SS as a good example, as it took her around 1000 years to age like a normal Hyilan would. And for a recent example, Impa from BOTW was alive during the age Calamity which happened 100 years ago when Link meets her- she is one of the only living people from that era ((other than Sidon))

This extended age/slow aging trope is very common in Elven media, but its obvious that Hyilans do not have a similar aging process. This process could be related to Sheikah techniques, as its a common trope for monks to age slowly as well, or it could simply be a biological response.

I believe that sheikah, if they live normal lives, can die at the same age as hyilans. The ones that do live to be hundreds, if not thousands of years old, - as I said before- are normally monks, or people who are so dedicated to their craft/mission their body persist and slow their aging in a way because of their vast knowledge.

Sheikah are closer to elves than Hyilans, but they are in control of their lives more than death itself.

Magics and Knowledge

Sheikah are also well know for their wisdom and magic (in some eras) as well as their knowledge, elves are normally depicted as wise/smart scholars that have some sort of connection to a source of power that most do not had access to.

Sheikah technology, their ways of martial arts, the fact they are this mysterious race that is said to have worked so secretly close with the royal family that some do not even know the full extent of their relations with the family. All of this -some would say- sacred knowledge that others in Hyrule study/yearn to learn, is a great reflection of the hidden knowledge many elves are shown to hold in lots of media.

You see in medias such as DND, Frieren, and Lord Of The Rings, there are these ancient beings depicted as great scholars whos knowledge is sought after by many because of its power and secrets.

And though most showings of Elves are showing them in a light more akin to druids or those who embrace nature while the Sheikah harness the power of man made tools, their dedication and fierce protectiveness of both connections would be a good parallel between the two.

Rivalry

Sheikah share a sort of rivalry with people from their own race (in botw/totk, Sheikah vs Yiga) due to the 'worship*' of certain beings. (Ganondorf*)

This can be seen in a lot of media, most commonly/well know in dnd with the elves vs drow (Lolth*) but when it comes to the hyilans its normally completely other races/monsters that they battle with.

And its not just the DND elves that have these rivalries with ‘corrupt’ side of their own blood. We also see this in Norse Mythology with the Alfar and Dokkalfar, though their conflicts aren’t constant in the myths, the do often have these conflicts.

'*' - I say worship in quotes when referring to the relationship between the races and their 'gods' because in the context of the Drow, Lolth's relation has changed throughout the years as an evil but beloved goddess to a dictator ship- depending on the books you reference. As for Ganondorf, the Yiga do act like a strange..cult? fanclub? to the gerudo even though the man himself doesnt have any relations to them