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Elves in fantasy settings have a unique edge in archery, not just due to skill, but magic. Their bows, enchanted to feel like they're only 25 pounds to draw but shoot with the force of 500 pounds, allow them to fire arrows faster, harder, and with incredible accuracy. Plus, their arrows are magic boosted for extra penetration. It's not about them being naturally better; it's magic giving them a "life hack" in archery. So, when elves outshoot others, remember it's not just skill-it's enchanted gear doing the heavy lifting!
The reasons are: 1. Very tall and strong. 2. Eagle like vision. 3. Naturally more skilled (coordination) and flexible/agile when compared to other races. 4. Better and magical bows and sometimes even arrows. 5. Better senses. 6. More stamina for trainning. 7. More time for trainning. 8. Part of the culture.
The Eleven wisdom and healing powers are hard to beat. Being somewhat farsighted makes them nearly perfect. Such a being Tolkien gave us will never be heard of again. 12:38
I really enjoyed this episode. Getting into so many topics to answer one question shows the complexity and sagacity of Tolkien’s universe. As an amateur musician all of my life, the concept of being able to hone my craft over a thousand years is fantastical. And then being able to do this with several pursuits is ever more awesome.
It is kind of obvious why archery is a big part of their culture. In the earliest days of their race, they needed bows and arrows to hunt. At first for necessity and then later for sport. It was the first "weapon" they ever created. It was a skill to be learned by all to survive and thanks to Morgoth, it was needed as an effective means of defeating your enemy.
Elves in fantasy settings have a unique edge in archery, not just due to skill, but magic. Their bows, enchanted to feel like they're only 25 pounds to draw but shoot with the force of 500 pounds, allow them to fire arrows faster, harder, and with incredible accuracy. Plus, their arrows are magic-boosted for extra penetration. It's not about them being naturally better; it's magic giving them a "life hack" in archery. So, when elves outshoot others, remember it's not just skill-it's enchanted gear doing heavy lifting!
Here's an element worth considering. Tolkien was a very well educated Catholic. Thus, he would have been quite familiar with Just War theology. Moreover, as someone who fought in both World Wars and was certainly traumatized by his experiences in the trenches of World War 1, he would have had a personal stake in learning about Just War theory. Why is this important when it comes to Elven archery? Well Just War theory states that not only should War only be fought for Just reasons, it should also be fought using Just Means; and there was a huge debate in the Middle Ages whether use of Bows, whether Long or Cross, were morally suitable weapons because their range and the potential that they might cause injury to non combatants. Longbows were judged as slightly better than cross bows. Now, return to Tolkien. The only times we see Elves fight, with the exceptions of the "Kinslayings" (which are always condemned) is against the forces of Sauron or Morgoth. So, their causes of Wars are just. Moreover, their accuracy with the bow (and it's always a longbow) implies that they are incredibly unlikely to hit non-combatants. Just War theory in action....
I also wonder if archery helps them maintain their immortality by staying farther away from their enemies. And i dont even necessarily mean for themselves, but because of the elves low birthrate. I think it would be harder to maintain their population if all elves loved swordsmanship more than archery. I realize that elves are also amazing at swordsmanship, but i think we would still see much fewer elves if they hated ranged weapons. So it makes sense from a societal perspective as well
I've been practicing archery for 5-6 months now. It really is about precision movement. A good archer makes it look easy, but how straight your back is, how you use your shoulder muscles, how you draw, grip the string etc, it all matters. Example. If I don't consciously straighten my lower back, I'll be to the right of the target every time. With proper posture/alignment, I really don't worry much about left and right. I'm concerned with elevation. I already aligned my body to the target, so I'm in line with the vertical axis. I just need to anticipate the arc of the arrow from that distance and aim high, low or on target accordingly.
Would love a proper RPG set in middle earth. The replay would be as strong as Skyrim. Imagine the main storyline being something similar to the fellowship traveling around in a group to complete missions. Stealth hobbit playthru, archer elf playthru, warrior gondorian playthru, mage istari playthru or master craftsman dwarf playthru.
Your take on archery within the culture of Elves and their relationship with the natural world that sustains them reminds me of the Serrin and the Svalverd technique of fighting from The Trial of Blood and Steel series by Joel Shepherd. They’re never called elves in that series but neither are they merely human.
I have my own take on Elvish eyesight. There is a VERY deep science related to Eyesight which can be researched by anyone who wishes to delve into it. Human Trichromatic Eyesight Typically in the real world humans have a "Trichromatic" eyesight. Trichromacy or trichromatism is the possessing of three independent channels for conveying color information, derived from the three different types of cone cells in the eye.[1] Organisms with trichromacy are called trichromats. The normal explanation of trichromacy is that the organism's retina contains three types of color receptors (called cone cells in vertebrates) with different absorption spectra. In actuality the number of such receptor types may be greater than three, since different types may be active at different light intensities. In vertebrates with three types of cone cells, at low light intensities the rod cells may contribute to color vision. Elvish Pentachromatic Eyesight However, I strongly believe from a scientific point of view that Elves have "Pentachromatic" eyesight. Pentachromacy describes the capability and capacity for capturing, transmitting, processing, and perceiving five independent channels of color information through the primary visual system. Organisms with pentachromacy are termed pentachromats'. For these organisms, it would take at least five differing ranges of wavelengths along the electromagnetic spectrum to reproduce their full visual spectrum. In comparison, a combination of red, green, and blue wavelengths of light are all that is necessary to simulate most of the common human trichromat visual spectrum. One proposed explanation for pentachromacy is a retina containing five distinct types of cone cells with differing absorption spectra. In actuality the number of cone cell types may be greater than five as different types may be active at a specific intensity or range of intensities for a given wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. Basically, because Elves have 5 types of colour receptors in their eyes, as opposed to Human's 3 receptors, they can distinguish subtle shades of colour MUCH more readily and thus be able to spot these variations more easily and quickly. This allows them to quickly acquire a potential target against a backdrop that a human would struggle to notice such as a forest, or any other material backdrop etc. They would be able to spot movement much more quickly and also be much more accurate in their aim as a consequence. The theory of having much more time to perfect their archery craft is very valid for technique but target acquisition and aim would be enhanced dramatically due to their keen sensory perception as argued above...
going off of my own experience before the video- id have to say that elves are resistant to the negative physiological changes that archery concurs. 1) my shoulders are offset with my left being higher than my right, and my back and shoulder musculature is asymmetrical with the right traps being smaller allowing it to contract further and the left deltoid muscle groups being more striated than the right. maybe their bodys can accomodate the whatever hypertension issues occur from this. 2) my grandpas caritlidge in his shoulders wore down almost completely (admittedly this was in part due to various opioids as well), maybe their shoulders and cartilidge are more resistant or regrows like rodent teeth and maybe bone spurs dont occur 3) i developed a schwanoama tumour from bow hunters syndrome on my sympathetic nerve on the right side of my neck. bow hunters syndrome occurs from twisting or torsion of the neck (primarily from archery lol) that results most commonly in the form of a bone spur developing, or in my case and one other in the form of a schwanoama tumour. perhaps elves are more resiliant to this. 4) whilst im going blind and have a bad astigmatism and shoot without my glasses (my anchor point is a mole by my earlobe so the string always catches my glasses so i shoot without) maybe much better vision would help lol. on top of that, maybe elven brains are better able to judge physics and arcs or can determine what variables can determine whatll mess up your arrows flight. 5) whilst ive been shooting since i was three (and i have had to stop due to the bowhunters syndrome and my resulting surgery) and am now 21, i cant but help imagine that being 500+ years old without medical conditions that would force you to stop could mean a weeee bit more practice time edit to add after the video: the gains you get out of a better bow that has equivelent power stroke and draw weight doesnt reallyyy make that much of a difference (but at the same time for energy output efficiencys sake it absolutely does lol), what really makes a difference in your precision and accuracy as an archer (outside of gadgets like stabilizers and sighting systems, i shoot tradditional however) is the quality of your arrows. the difference between my fibreglass arrows and my carbon arrows is insane. also, a lot of years practicing would result in better muscular endurance and it can be assumed anyways that elves have better muscular endurance innately, so they can remain in a fight longer more effectively. as far as dwarves are concerend, it really comes down to the ballistic output of their bows. assuming their bows have the same draw weight as elves, which i dont think is unreasonable to assume honestly, they would be more hampered by having a much shorter powerstroke than elves, which reduces the ammount of energy the arrow can acquire from the bow and string from drawn resting. equally we can assume elves have bows of higher draw weights. theres people stronger than me that cant shoot as heavy a bow as me or for as long because ive been doing it for my life (i mean not anymore but yk) where a more efficient bow design comes into play is in that there would be more of the bows energy transferred into the arrow, less vibration of the limbs, less elacticity of the string, and perhaps elves invented bows with a riser cut out to center. i also imagine that whatever magic whatever allows for their bows to be strung indefinately without losing power. AHEM.
Wait so your first point is that their skill with bows isn't a result of natural talent... then go on to list how their natural talents give them an advantage in archery...?
General characteristics of the Quendi: Tall, beautiful faces and body (Tolkien often uses the word lithe combined with the physical build of the character, be It strong or leaner, to indicate an elegante/shapely form and of graceful movement). Fair skin, often very pale and occasionally rudy complexion for those with red hair. Maidros is a good example of everything described here as he was very tall, strong, shapely/elegant in form and movement, very beautiful, red-brown-haired, fair skin but possibly with a rudy complexion. The Avari: Proto Eldar Noldor, Vanyar and Teleri, the oldest of elves belong to this clan. The name means "the refusers" but they call themselves "the seniors". Less skilled in all things than the other clans because of their lack of contact with the Ainur or Exiles or Sindar. The Eldar: Strongest, most adventurer and valiant elves that decided to make the Great Journey. Also tallest for their woman were 'seldom less' than 6 feet tall and their men 'no less' than 6 foot 6. The male average is elsewhere described as about 7 feet, which meakes sense considering their shortest. Also generally younger members at the time of the Journey. About 2/3 of the elven people at the time. Hadoreans and specially the Númenóreans were said to be hardly distinguishable from the Eldar until their youth lasted. The Eldar generally considered long hair very beautiful. The Eldar clans: 1. Teleri or Lindar: Generaly dark-haired, but not black as some of the Noldor clan. There are also those with fair hair, varying from very light blonde to white and silver-grey, these were generally related to Thingol's bloodline. They are said to be *'somewhat' less in stature and in build than the Noldor, but Tolkien used 'somewhat' heavily indicating Celeborn (called 'silver-tall' among his people) would not be considered tall among the Noldor, thus a noticible difference though not great, for they were in fact very similar to the Noldor in general, hardly distinguishable, specially those of Valinor who also had brighter eyes. They were, however, still described as 'strong' by Tolkien, indicating, in average, a stronger body than most clans of men. Their eye colour ranged from dark to grey to even blue (regarding those fair-haired). * somewhat was used to height differences up to 6 inches (Gimli somewhat taller than the hobbits). Even the 'petty-dwarves' were said to be 'somewhat' smaller than their kin despite their name. Just a bit of context, but is up for interpretation, even though is certainly a substantial/noticeable difference. 1.1. Lindar of Valinor: Exactly as was described above. They mastered the art of singing, they were also great ship builders and sailors. Brighter eyes than the other Teleri clans. 1.2. Sindar or Grey-elves: As was described in Teleri, but with less bright eyes, which was the chief distinction between them and the exiles. Their knowledge on forests (living and for military purpouses) was also among the greatest in history. Also great sailors and shipwrights in the case of the elves of the Falas and Balar. Greatest voices of the Eldar. 1.3. Nandor: Same characteristics, but they were afraid of the misty mountains at some point, indicating less courage and generally less strength. 1.3.1. Green elves: Eventually arrived in Beleriand through the Misty and Blue mountains. Vegetarian for the most part, take that as you wish regarding potential physical characteristics. 1.3.2. Silvan Elves: Not accounted among the Eldar according to the lore in LOTR. Also said to be hardly distinguishable to the Avari, in fact some Avari clans mixed with them through out millenia, thus probably a lack of stature and strength when compared to other Eldar clans as well as more *variable hair colour. *See 'The Avari' above and the other Eldar big clans hair characteristics. 2. Noldor: Described as physically strong and very tall (about 7 feet). The tallest and strongest of the Elven folk, also 'the mightiest of the children of the world'. The best overall smithcrafts of the world as well as the greatest loremasters, specially regarding linguistics. Their hair colour was in general very dark-brown or black, but red-brown, *golden and even silver (Míriel) was possible but very rare. Very bright eyes, generally grey and also in different "shades" of It like blue-grey, but also dark. High level of curiosity and want for knowledge when in comparison with the other clans. That natural ambition, high courage along with their great overall abilities and accomplishments makes them very prideful in general, the consequences of that can be very negative such as arrogance and supremacy (Feanor and some of his children). *Marriages between the clans were rare in Valinor except for the royal and noble houses, the Golden hair appears because of Vanyarin individuals marrying into the clan. 2.1. The Exiled Noldor: Many of them and their descendants intermarried with the Sindar during their years on ME. Thus some (future generations) were not so tall and spiritually enhanced as those original exiles. They also suffered a cultural "sindarization" that could be observed specially towards the language, but Quenya remained as the loremasters's language for their works. The culture among the exiles and their descendants was much more militaristic due to rampant wars when compared to other clans. They became the 'guardians of ME'. The Noldorin culture was the chief one that influenced the civilization of Númenór. 3. Vanyar: The name was given because of their golden hair, but also because they are considered the 'highest' of elves, the first ones. They were considered the *fairest of elves and the most loyal to the Valar, even lived nearer to them abandoning Tirion. As It was seen among the Noldor with Vanyar blood, they seemed to be less proud and wiser than the Noldor for the most part. They also loved music and poetry very much. Ingwe was considered by all elves of Aman as their High-King, thus they commanded a lot of respect from the other clans. *All Eldar were beautiful but is possible, since the loremasters are of Noldorin descent, that their love for gold and Its colour could've heavily influenced that view. Those are the basics.
@@kauetadaieski3131 Great explanation there with just one mistake. The name "Avari" means unwilling or "The Refusers". It was the Minyar who were the Firsts as they were the First of the Quendi to awaken. This clan later became the Vanyar.
@@cormacmacsuibhne2867 that is true. What I meant is that they call themselves "the seniors" or originals, but the name Avari indeed means refusers. The first to awaken actually became Avari, some of their descendants became Vanyar. So basically the Vanyar are descendants from those that first awakened.
Practice makes perfect? Well, not quite... Correct (or, perfect) practice makes perfect. Otherwise, you could well be practicing the wrong thing, 'till it becomes ingrained! It's good practice and good coaching. 😊
Easiest explanation for it I ever read was compared to humans inventing guns. Elves grow slowly and each death is terrible loss for them. So they master a bow in order to limit their casualties, and since they are so long lived race, they have time to train in order to achieve better effects than early guns ever did.
Well, if you'd started at 5 years old, there's a chance you would be 90 years old before the Elvish trainer was satisfied with your stance, and will henceforth begin to teach you how to notch the arrow correctly...
I love these youtube channels but it seems like theres only so many topics that can be covered, ribgs of power coming back and or being good would be helpful, needs to be more content, we have a perfect trilogy, a medicore one, a terrible tv show, a couple of good video games and thats it
Because It is part of the narrative, the Elder children were supposed to mentor the younger ones, which was achieved in the time of the Edain and of the Numenoreans.
They are, kind of. Tolkien was influenced by the historical Christian concept of "The Fall". An idea that posited that human beings were in a state of degeneration, falling further from the light of God. Each generation getting weaker and more corrupted than the last. In the Biblical stories humans lived for a thousand years, could perform magic, and were as tall as giants. As the Elves in LOTR were the 'firstborn' creations of the gods, they are closer to the light of the gods than creations that came afterwards like humans. This theme also can be seen in the human races of Middle Earth. The original men were the Numenoreans, and because they are the eldest they are the closest to the gods, and are therefore much more powerful than other races of men created afterwards.
How are the Elves able to keep their long hair from blocking their vision? Their hair are always free flowing and falls behind their ears. It's like they're always facing windward.
People draw elves that way because it looks cool, and movies use movie magic to keep elves' hair looking cool. But keep in mind that fanart and movie depictions are not in any way "canon" (also, a lot of artists don't understand the practicalities of hair). If we are imagining Middle Earth as a real world, we must presume that elves are using more realistic methods of keeping their hair neat: like braiding, pins, and so on. It's worth pointing out though that apart from the ancient Athenians and Romans, long hair was the standard for both sexes in the ancient world. This is largely because cutting hair was significantly more challenging: so the less often you had to do it to maintain your style, the better. People doing physically demanding activities, put their hair up and often covered it as well: to protect from dirt and other damage. Washing hair and repairing damage was also significantly more difficult in those days, so it was better to keep you hair neat and clean rather than try to wash it constantly. Of course, unhealthy hair grows less quickly or may stop growing at all. People who weren't eating well, and didn't have access to good products for maintaining their hair, would have shorter hair regardless of how often they cut it. Long and healthy hair was a way to show your status, and the biggest flex of all was to wear your hair loose: because that meant you didn't have to fight or do hard labor, and had servants to brush your hair. This is why we still think of long loose hair as "looking cool".
Arf a mo', what measurement of "league" are you using? I was taught that a league was 3 statute miles......did somebody mislead me? Or are you talking nautical miles?
I always thought the elves are supposed to be by far the beat at everything, but there's fewer of them. Elves and archery are like ham and cheese, but the biggest issue I ever had was how Bard took down Smaug and he was a human, not an elf. There's Elves all over the place, and they're awesome but nah, this dirty monkey man can live or die based on his ability to shoot such a simple shot. Tolkien was ever evolving his works, but this one single event stuck out like a sore thumb.
You couldn't be more wrong in the first chapter, and I can only assume that you have never achieved excellence in any physical art. There's absolutely no way that you could spread your 10,000 hours over 10,000 weeks and get to the same place as someone who spread them over 5 years. So-called muscle memory doesn't work like that - it requires constant, recent reinforcement. Also, if access to the best experts is not sufficient to assure excellence. We have access to the best martial artists, as part of a culture going back millennia, so why is every modern black belt a master?
Isn't the portrayal of Elves protecting nature and the respect for life ( 9:45 ) a little bit over the top? I mean, as far as I recall, they hunted the Petty Dwarves for sport/ fun (well, at least I don't think it was ever suggested that they hunted them for food). And with their sharp senses and strong bonds to nature they surely could have figured out that these weren't animals but feeling, intelligent beings.
In the beginning, they had not yet encountered other sentient beings. That's why they used to call themselves Quendi which means "who speak with voices". They probably didn't know they were sentient because they spoke Khuzdul (which sounds nothing like Elvish) and Petty Dwarves were probably really ugly and so were mistaken for animals. It was not until the Sindar encountered the Dwarves of Belegost and Nogrod did they realise those "animals" were intelligent.
I will address the comment and the answer above. First, yes, this respect for nature and life is a bit over the top, specially when you consider the different cultures among the elven clans, however, they were indeed more in tune with nature when compared to men/orcs/dwarves and they would preserve far more on average, even when you consider the Noldorin's huge stone cities. As for the petty-dwarves @cormacmacsuibhne2867 is correct in what he said, but I would add a very important fact nobody seems to mention, that the dwarves first ambushed them regularly in many of their routes, killing many Sindar, only them they were hunted. So It wasn't just a matter of hunting dwarves, but also a matter of self preservation and ignorance. Imagine being ambushed all the time by the same beings, It will certainly cause an almost war-like sentiment.
Talent is more then hours put in though. Also, after a certain point in practice you dont improve. If you kept improving Steph Curry would be a 60% three point shooter by now. This is all theoretical by the way lol. Ive read everything by Tolkien and to be honest they dont really talk that much about Elvish bowmen. Your using non canon Movies. This is low brow Tolkien analysis.
How’s everyone doing today?!
If you’re interested in maybe helping out with our short film shoot please check the post on the community tab for more details! 😁
Imagine an elf with a modern high-end sniper rifle?
That is a legitimately terrifying thought.
Elves in fantasy settings have a unique edge in archery, not just due to skill, but magic. Their bows, enchanted to feel like they're only 25 pounds to draw but shoot with the force of 500 pounds, allow them to fire arrows faster, harder, and with incredible accuracy. Plus, their arrows are magic boosted for extra penetration. It's not about them being naturally better; it's magic giving them a "life hack" in archery. So, when elves outshoot others, remember it's not just skill-it's enchanted gear doing the heavy lifting!
I read outliers as well
My mood improves a bit when I turn on UA-cam and hear, “Build me an army worthy of Mordor.”
How do you say that in the black speech of Mordor, I wonder...
Definitely, friend. A very nice sound to hear
But they always lose. I’d want better myself.
@@mrlborges I wouldn’t utter that here
The reasons are:
1. Very tall and strong.
2. Eagle like vision.
3. Naturally more skilled (coordination) and flexible/agile when compared to other races.
4. Better and magical bows and sometimes even arrows.
5. Better senses.
6. More stamina for trainning.
7. More time for trainning.
8. Part of the culture.
Nr 7
Should make them better than everyone at everything
Magical bows?
@@goodputin4324 yes, elves use sub-creational powers to build things, their thougths go into their creations, that is their magic.
@@kauetadaieski3131 it's not called magic
@@goodputin4324yes It is called magic by humans, for them is natural. Galadriel is considered a powerful witch because of her magic.
The Elven skill I would like to learn the most is Elven baking.
I would prefer the healing skills
The Eleven wisdom and healing powers are hard to beat. Being somewhat farsighted makes them nearly perfect. Such a being Tolkien gave us will never be heard of again. 12:38
I really enjoyed this episode. Getting into so many topics to answer one question shows the complexity and sagacity of Tolkien’s universe. As an amateur musician all of my life, the concept of being able to hone my craft over a thousand years is fantastical. And then being able to do this with several pursuits is ever more awesome.
"Praised be the bow of Galadriel, and the hand and eye of Legolas!" Great summary of elven archery.
It is kind of obvious why archery is a big part of their culture. In the earliest days of their race, they needed bows and arrows to hunt. At first for necessity and then later for sport. It was the first "weapon" they ever created. It was a skill to be learned by all to survive and thanks to Morgoth, it was needed as an effective means of defeating your enemy.
Elves in fantasy settings have a unique edge in archery, not just due to skill, but magic. Their bows, enchanted to feel like they're only 25 pounds to draw but shoot with the force of 500 pounds, allow them to fire arrows faster, harder, and with incredible accuracy. Plus, their arrows are magic-boosted for extra penetration. It's not about them being naturally better; it's magic giving them a "life hack" in archery. So, when elves outshoot others, remember it's not just skill-it's enchanted gear doing heavy lifting!
Here's an element worth considering.
Tolkien was a very well educated Catholic. Thus, he would have been quite familiar with Just War theology. Moreover, as someone who fought in both World Wars and was certainly traumatized by his experiences in the trenches of World War 1, he would have had a personal stake in learning about Just War theory.
Why is this important when it comes to Elven archery?
Well Just War theory states that not only should War only be fought for Just reasons, it should also be fought using Just Means; and there was a huge debate in the Middle Ages whether use of Bows, whether Long or Cross, were morally suitable weapons because their range and the potential that they might cause injury to non combatants. Longbows were judged as slightly better than cross bows.
Now, return to Tolkien. The only times we see Elves fight, with the exceptions of the "Kinslayings" (which are always condemned) is against the forces of Sauron or Morgoth. So, their causes of Wars are just. Moreover, their accuracy with the bow (and it's always a longbow) implies that they are incredibly unlikely to hit non-combatants.
Just War theory in action....
I also wonder if archery helps them maintain their immortality by staying farther away from their enemies. And i dont even necessarily mean for themselves, but because of the elves low birthrate. I think it would be harder to maintain their population if all elves loved swordsmanship more than archery. I realize that elves are also amazing at swordsmanship, but i think we would still see much fewer elves if they hated ranged weapons. So it makes sense from a societal perspective as well
I've been practicing archery for 5-6 months now. It really is about precision movement. A good archer makes it look easy, but how straight your back is, how you use your shoulder muscles, how you draw, grip the string etc, it all matters. Example. If I don't consciously straighten my lower back, I'll be to the right of the target every time. With proper posture/alignment, I really don't worry much about left and right. I'm concerned with elevation. I already aligned my body to the target, so I'm in line with the vertical axis. I just need to anticipate the arc of the arrow from that distance and aim high, low or on target accordingly.
Would love a proper RPG set in middle earth. The replay would be as strong as Skyrim. Imagine the main storyline being something similar to the fellowship traveling around in a group to complete missions. Stealth hobbit playthru, archer elf playthru, warrior gondorian playthru, mage istari playthru or master craftsman dwarf playthru.
Another great video bud.
They say that learning a new skill for ten thousand hours makes you Very good at it.
Imagine thousands of years
Blacksmithing… I would want to learn Elven Blacksmithing!!
I would create a Fëanor build,the best of everything.
Your take on archery within the culture of Elves and their relationship with the natural world that sustains them reminds me of the Serrin and the Svalverd technique of fighting from The Trial of Blood and Steel series by Joel Shepherd. They’re never called elves in that series but neither are they merely human.
I have my own take on Elvish eyesight. There is a VERY deep science related to Eyesight which can be researched by anyone who wishes to delve into it.
Human Trichromatic Eyesight
Typically in the real world humans have a "Trichromatic" eyesight. Trichromacy or trichromatism is the possessing of three independent channels for conveying color information, derived from the three different types of cone cells in the eye.[1] Organisms with trichromacy are called trichromats. The normal explanation of trichromacy is that the organism's retina contains three types of color receptors (called cone cells in vertebrates) with different absorption spectra. In actuality the number of such receptor types may be greater than three, since different types may be active at different light intensities. In vertebrates with three types of cone cells, at low light intensities the rod cells may contribute to color vision.
Elvish Pentachromatic Eyesight
However, I strongly believe from a scientific point of view that Elves have "Pentachromatic" eyesight. Pentachromacy describes the capability and capacity for capturing, transmitting, processing, and perceiving five independent channels of color information through the primary visual system. Organisms with pentachromacy are termed pentachromats'. For these organisms, it would take at least five differing ranges of wavelengths along the electromagnetic spectrum to reproduce their full visual spectrum. In comparison, a combination of red, green, and blue wavelengths of light are all that is necessary to simulate most of the common human trichromat visual spectrum. One proposed explanation for pentachromacy is a retina containing five distinct types of cone cells with differing absorption spectra. In actuality the number of cone cell types may be greater than five as different types may be active at a specific intensity or range of intensities for a given wavelength of electromagnetic radiation.
Basically, because Elves have 5 types of colour receptors in their eyes, as opposed to Human's 3 receptors, they can distinguish subtle shades of colour MUCH more readily and thus be able to spot these variations more easily and quickly. This allows them to quickly acquire a potential target against a backdrop that a human would struggle to notice such as a forest, or any other material backdrop etc. They would be able to spot movement much more quickly and also be much more accurate in their aim as a consequence. The theory of having much more time to perfect their archery craft is very valid for technique but target acquisition and aim would be enhanced dramatically due to their keen sensory perception as argued above...
Wow..pretty amazing knowledge..articulation explanation of Elven seeing..well done..thats all very enthralling..
going off of my own experience before the video- id have to say that elves are resistant to the negative physiological changes that archery concurs.
1) my shoulders are offset with my left being higher than my right, and my back and shoulder musculature is asymmetrical with the right traps being smaller allowing it to contract further and the left deltoid muscle groups being more striated than the right. maybe their bodys can accomodate the whatever hypertension issues occur from this.
2) my grandpas caritlidge in his shoulders wore down almost completely (admittedly this was in part due to various opioids as well), maybe their shoulders and cartilidge are more resistant or regrows like rodent teeth and maybe bone spurs dont occur
3) i developed a schwanoama tumour from bow hunters syndrome on my sympathetic nerve on the right side of my neck. bow hunters syndrome occurs from twisting or torsion of the neck (primarily from archery lol) that results most commonly in the form of a bone spur developing, or in my case and one other in the form of a schwanoama tumour. perhaps elves are more resiliant to this.
4) whilst im going blind and have a bad astigmatism and shoot without my glasses (my anchor point is a mole by my earlobe so the string always catches my glasses so i shoot without) maybe much better vision would help lol. on top of that, maybe elven brains are better able to judge physics and arcs or can determine what variables can determine whatll mess up your arrows flight.
5) whilst ive been shooting since i was three (and i have had to stop due to the bowhunters syndrome and my resulting surgery) and am now 21, i cant but help imagine that being 500+ years old without medical conditions that would force you to stop could mean a weeee bit more practice time
edit to add after the video: the gains you get out of a better bow that has equivelent power stroke and draw weight doesnt reallyyy make that much of a difference (but at the same time for energy output efficiencys sake it absolutely does lol), what really makes a difference in your precision and accuracy as an archer (outside of gadgets like stabilizers and sighting systems, i shoot tradditional however) is the quality of your arrows. the difference between my fibreglass arrows and my carbon arrows is insane.
also, a lot of years practicing would result in better muscular endurance and it can be assumed anyways that elves have better muscular endurance innately, so they can remain in a fight longer more effectively.
as far as dwarves are concerend, it really comes down to the ballistic output of their bows. assuming their bows have the same draw weight as elves, which i dont think is unreasonable to assume honestly, they would be more hampered by having a much shorter powerstroke than elves, which reduces the ammount of energy the arrow can acquire from the bow and string from drawn resting. equally we can assume elves have bows of higher draw weights. theres people stronger than me that cant shoot as heavy a bow as me or for as long because ive been doing it for my life (i mean not anymore but yk)
where a more efficient bow design comes into play is in that there would be more of the bows energy transferred into the arrow, less vibration of the limbs, less elacticity of the string, and perhaps elves invented bows with a riser cut out to center. i also imagine that whatever magic whatever allows for their bows to be strung indefinately without losing power. AHEM.
Yes, elves heal completely (except for lost organs and members) and do not develop any disease because of the power of their spirit.
@@kauetadaieski3131 well, considering i grew a new member and grew my shoulder height, my spirits must be especially good
I did once watch a UA-cam video of an archer (Human) that shoot like an Elf (or Legolas). I couldn't remember the title of the video.
Nice work dude thanks
I've fallen in love with th Elven race, lol. I love their beauty, skill, gracefulness, and love of nature. They were the greatest race I believe.
Wait so your first point is that their skill with bows isn't a result of natural talent... then go on to list how their natural talents give them an advantage in archery...?
Fantastic video. More on dwarves!
An English League is 3 miles, so the orcs should have been 15 miles ahead of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas.
What I get a kick out of is the ranges they shoot.
It would have been interesting to add servants of Mordor in the final comparison. How good are orcs and goblins in wielding the bow and arrow?
My inspiration for starting archery lol
Thanks
Thank you so much 💚
God dang dude.
You have some absolutely gorgeous eyes there my guy.
Practice, practice, practice
Shout out for Beleg.
"Elves are pecefull". Noldoe looks around nervously.
That guy looks like an elf himself :) or maybe to the Rohirrim, due to his beard.
Elves have great hearing sight and smell……. But we’re still caught off guard as the hobbits barrelled down the river..
Is there a video naming specific or unique characteristics of the different elven clans that set them apart from eachother?
Nerd of the Rings did a video on that topic which he explains perfectly what sets apart everyone from the Avari to the Vanyar.
@@cormacmacsuibhne2867very poor video from a fake fan. Amazon chill
General characteristics of the Quendi: Tall, beautiful faces and body (Tolkien often uses the word lithe combined with the physical build of the character, be It strong or leaner, to indicate an elegante/shapely form and of graceful movement). Fair skin, often very pale and occasionally rudy complexion for those with red hair. Maidros is a good example of everything described here as he was very tall, strong, shapely/elegant in form and movement, very beautiful, red-brown-haired, fair skin but possibly with a rudy complexion.
The Avari: Proto Eldar Noldor, Vanyar and Teleri, the oldest of elves belong to this clan. The name means "the refusers" but they call themselves "the seniors". Less skilled in all things than the other clans because of their lack of contact with the Ainur or Exiles or Sindar.
The Eldar: Strongest, most adventurer and valiant elves that decided to make the Great Journey. Also tallest for their woman were 'seldom less' than 6 feet tall and their men 'no less' than 6 foot 6. The male average is elsewhere described as about 7 feet, which meakes sense considering their shortest. Also generally younger members at the time of the Journey. About 2/3 of the elven people at the time. Hadoreans and specially the Númenóreans were said to be hardly distinguishable from the Eldar until their youth lasted. The Eldar generally considered long hair very beautiful.
The Eldar clans:
1. Teleri or Lindar: Generaly dark-haired, but not black as some of the Noldor clan. There are also those with fair hair, varying from very light blonde to white and silver-grey, these were generally related to Thingol's bloodline. They are said to be *'somewhat' less in stature and in build than the Noldor, but Tolkien used 'somewhat' heavily indicating Celeborn (called 'silver-tall' among his people) would not be considered tall among the Noldor, thus a noticible difference though not great, for they were in fact very similar to the Noldor in general, hardly distinguishable, specially those of Valinor who also had brighter eyes. They were, however, still described as 'strong' by Tolkien, indicating, in average, a stronger body than most clans of men. Their eye colour ranged from dark to grey to even blue (regarding those fair-haired).
* somewhat was used to height differences up to 6 inches (Gimli somewhat taller than the hobbits). Even the 'petty-dwarves' were said to be 'somewhat' smaller than their kin despite their name. Just a bit of context, but is up for interpretation, even though is certainly a substantial/noticeable difference.
1.1. Lindar of Valinor: Exactly as was described above. They mastered the art of singing, they were also great ship builders and sailors. Brighter eyes than the other Teleri clans.
1.2. Sindar or Grey-elves: As was described in Teleri, but with less bright eyes, which was the chief distinction between them and the exiles. Their knowledge on forests (living and for military purpouses) was also among the greatest in history. Also great sailors and shipwrights in the case of the elves of the Falas and Balar. Greatest voices of the Eldar.
1.3. Nandor: Same characteristics, but they were afraid of the misty mountains at some point, indicating less courage and generally less strength.
1.3.1. Green elves: Eventually arrived in Beleriand through the Misty and Blue mountains. Vegetarian for the most part, take that as you wish regarding potential physical characteristics.
1.3.2. Silvan Elves: Not accounted among the Eldar according to the lore in LOTR. Also said to be hardly distinguishable to the Avari, in fact some Avari clans mixed with them through out millenia, thus probably a lack of stature and strength when compared to other Eldar clans as well as more *variable hair colour.
*See 'The Avari' above and the other Eldar big clans hair characteristics.
2. Noldor: Described as physically strong and very tall (about 7 feet). The tallest and strongest of the Elven folk, also 'the mightiest of the children of the world'. The best overall smithcrafts of the world as well as the greatest loremasters, specially regarding linguistics. Their hair colour was in general very dark-brown or black, but red-brown, *golden and even silver (Míriel) was possible but very rare. Very bright eyes, generally grey and also in different "shades" of It like blue-grey, but also dark. High level of curiosity and want for knowledge when in comparison with the other clans. That natural ambition, high courage along with their great overall abilities and accomplishments makes them very prideful in general, the consequences of that can be very negative such as arrogance and supremacy (Feanor and some of his children).
*Marriages between the clans were rare in Valinor except for the royal and noble houses, the Golden hair appears because of Vanyarin individuals marrying into the clan.
2.1. The Exiled Noldor: Many of them and their descendants intermarried with the Sindar during their years on ME. Thus some (future generations) were not so tall and spiritually enhanced as those original exiles. They also suffered a cultural "sindarization" that could be observed specially towards the language, but Quenya remained as the loremasters's language for their works. The culture among the exiles and their descendants was much more militaristic due to rampant wars when compared to other clans. They became the 'guardians of ME'.
The Noldorin culture was the chief one that influenced the civilization of Númenór.
3. Vanyar: The name was given because of their golden hair, but also because they are considered the 'highest' of elves, the first ones. They were considered the *fairest of elves and the most loyal to the Valar, even lived nearer to them abandoning Tirion. As It was seen among the Noldor with Vanyar blood, they seemed to be less proud and wiser than the Noldor for the most part. They also loved music and poetry very much.
Ingwe was considered by all elves of Aman as their High-King, thus they commanded a lot of respect from the other clans.
*All Eldar were beautiful but is possible, since the loremasters are of Noldorin descent, that their love for gold and Its colour could've heavily influenced that view.
Those are the basics.
@@kauetadaieski3131 Great explanation there with just one mistake. The name "Avari" means unwilling or "The Refusers". It was the Minyar who were the Firsts as they were the First of the Quendi to awaken. This clan later became the Vanyar.
@@cormacmacsuibhne2867 that is true. What I meant is that they call themselves "the seniors" or originals, but the name Avari indeed means refusers.
The first to awaken actually became Avari, some of their descendants became Vanyar. So basically the Vanyar are descendants from those that first awakened.
Practice makes perfect? Well, not quite...
Correct (or, perfect) practice makes perfect. Otherwise, you could well be practicing the wrong thing, 'till it becomes ingrained! It's good practice and good coaching. 😊
Yes but firing at the rate they do how long before the quiver is empty? Scavenging to re arm would leave them extremely vulnerable.
If orcs and elves are related, are orcs immortal as well? How old were Azog and Bolg before their demise?
Easiest explanation for it I ever read was compared to humans inventing guns.
Elves grow slowly and each death is terrible loss for them. So they master a bow in order to limit their casualties, and since they are so long lived race, they have time to train in order to achieve better effects than early guns ever did.
This is not D&D lol, elves reincarnate even if killed.
@@kauetadaieski3131 most prefer to be reincarnated willingly and not forced into it by an savage orc or pissed off dwarf
😮🔥🔥
When you have ten thousand years to learn a craft you get really good
I would like to learn how to make Lembas.😊
Elven jewellery making including a specialist subject of rings of power.
Practice until you can't get it wrong
Missed the first part!
“Don’t practice until you get it right; practice until you can’t get it wrong”
I would definitely choose to learn archery from the Elves
Well, if you'd started at 5 years old, there's a chance you would be 90 years old before the Elvish trainer was satisfied with your stance, and will henceforth begin to teach you how to notch the arrow correctly...
Can someone tell me where the other dude is? I feel like I've missed something.
No facecam, destorys podcast feeling
I love these youtube channels but it seems like theres only so many topics that can be covered, ribgs of power coming back and or being good would be helpful, needs to be more content, we have a perfect trilogy, a medicore one, a terrible tv show, a couple of good video games and thats it
Yes! New Broken Sword!
Teach me the ways of lambas bread
Why does it seem like elves are just objectively superior to men? 🤣
Because It is part of the narrative, the Elder children were supposed to mentor the younger ones, which was achieved in the time of the Edain and of the Numenoreans.
They are, kind of. Tolkien was influenced by the historical Christian concept of "The Fall". An idea that posited that human beings were in a state of degeneration, falling further from the light of God. Each generation getting weaker and more corrupted than the last. In the Biblical stories humans lived for a thousand years, could perform magic, and were as tall as giants.
As the Elves in LOTR were the 'firstborn' creations of the gods, they are closer to the light of the gods than creations that came afterwards like humans. This theme also can be seen in the human races of Middle Earth. The original men were the Numenoreans, and because they are the eldest they are the closest to the gods, and are therefore much more powerful than other races of men created afterwards.
How are the Elves able to keep their long hair from blocking their vision? Their hair are always free flowing and falls behind their ears. It's like they're always facing windward.
People draw elves that way because it looks cool, and movies use movie magic to keep elves' hair looking cool. But keep in mind that fanart and movie depictions are not in any way "canon" (also, a lot of artists don't understand the practicalities of hair). If we are imagining Middle Earth as a real world, we must presume that elves are using more realistic methods of keeping their hair neat: like braiding, pins, and so on.
It's worth pointing out though that apart from the ancient Athenians and Romans, long hair was the standard for both sexes in the ancient world. This is largely because cutting hair was significantly more challenging: so the less often you had to do it to maintain your style, the better. People doing physically demanding activities, put their hair up and often covered it as well: to protect from dirt and other damage. Washing hair and repairing damage was also significantly more difficult in those days, so it was better to keep you hair neat and clean rather than try to wash it constantly. Of course, unhealthy hair grows less quickly or may stop growing at all. People who weren't eating well, and didn't have access to good products for maintaining their hair, would have shorter hair regardless of how often they cut it. Long and healthy hair was a way to show your status, and the biggest flex of all was to wear your hair loose: because that meant you didn't have to fight or do hard labor, and had servants to brush your hair. This is why we still think of long loose hair as "looking cool".
Arf a mo', what measurement of "league" are you using? I was taught that a league was 3 statute miles......did somebody mislead me? Or are you talking nautical miles?
I always thought the elves are supposed to be by far the beat at everything, but there's fewer of them. Elves and archery are like ham and cheese, but the biggest issue I ever had was how Bard took down Smaug and he was a human, not an elf. There's Elves all over the place, and they're awesome but nah, this dirty monkey man can live or die based on his ability to shoot such a simple shot. Tolkien was ever evolving his works, but this one single event stuck out like a sore thumb.
Elfos massacram com arcobe flecha são fenômenais
Much better eye sight.
Music, doubt I get invaded.
So.legolas not killing the bombadier in the siege of helms deeps qas.......??????
They got those killer eyes. 😜
Just because they have eternal lives does not mean they spend it well.
Not just archery thay are better at everything
Bard the human fell Smaug in less than half a century. 🤷♂️
Well... they had to be good at SOMEtHING!
You couldn't be more wrong in the first chapter, and I can only assume that you have never achieved excellence in any physical art. There's absolutely no way that you could spread your 10,000 hours over 10,000 weeks and get to the same place as someone who spread them over 5 years. So-called muscle memory doesn't work like that - it requires constant, recent reinforcement. Also, if access to the best experts is not sufficient to assure excellence. We have access to the best martial artists, as part of a culture going back millennia, so why is every modern black belt a master?
Isn't the portrayal of Elves protecting nature and the respect for life ( 9:45 ) a little bit over the top? I mean, as far as I recall, they hunted the Petty Dwarves for sport/ fun (well, at least I don't think it was ever suggested that they hunted them for food). And with their sharp senses and strong bonds to nature they surely could have figured out that these weren't animals but feeling, intelligent beings.
In the beginning, they had not yet encountered other sentient beings. That's why they used to call themselves Quendi which means "who speak with voices". They probably didn't know they were sentient because they spoke Khuzdul (which sounds nothing like Elvish) and Petty Dwarves were probably really ugly and so were mistaken for animals. It was not until the Sindar encountered the Dwarves of Belegost and Nogrod did they realise those "animals" were intelligent.
I will address the comment and the answer above.
First, yes, this respect for nature and life is a bit over the top, specially when you consider the different cultures among the elven clans, however, they were indeed more in tune with nature when compared to men/orcs/dwarves and they would preserve far more on average, even when you consider the Noldorin's huge stone cities.
As for the petty-dwarves @cormacmacsuibhne2867 is correct in what he said, but I would add a very important fact nobody seems to mention, that the dwarves first ambushed them regularly in many of their routes, killing many Sindar, only them they were hunted.
So It wasn't just a matter of hunting dwarves, but also a matter of self preservation and ignorance. Imagine being ambushed all the time by the same beings, It will certainly cause an almost war-like sentiment.
Tangado a chadad!
They're only the best because the US Marine Corps isn't there.
Scout Sniper with a .50 BMG beats an Elvish archer 101/100 times.
Semper Fi
Video 290
Talent is more then hours put in though. Also, after a certain point in practice you dont improve. If you kept improving Steph Curry would be a 60% three point shooter by now. This is all theoretical by the way lol. Ive read everything by Tolkien and to be honest they dont really talk that much about Elvish bowmen. Your using non canon Movies. This is low brow Tolkien analysis.
Ill watch but we all know you answered it in the first 30 seconds lol eberything else is fluff or reaching
But this is fantasy movie,not a real history.our Mahabharata and ramayan is a real history and great archers Arjun,karn and other also.
@@LochanKarale How?
1st 🥇