Night elf

This article is about the night elves' lore. For the playable race, seeNight elf (playable).

Night elves
Illidan Stormrage,Tyrande Whisperwind, andMalfurion Stormrage
Faction/Affiliation	Darnassus,Highborne,Alliance,Cenarion Circle,Argent Crusade,Kirin Tor,Silver Hand,Ebon Blade,Primalists,Illidari,Twilight's Hammer
Character classes	Death knight,Demon hunter,Druid,Hunter,Mage,Monk,Priest,Rogue,Warlock,Warrior Assassin,Archdruid,Archer,Dark ranger,Huntress,Hippogryph rider,Paladin,Priestess of the Moon,Ranger,Scout,Sentinel,Sorcerer,Warden Druid of the Claw,Druid of the Talon Beastmaster,Dead shot,Ley walker,Savagekin,Warlock
Racial capital	Nordrassil (temporary)[1]
Formerly	Darnassus †
Racial leader(s)	Tyrande Whisperwind   Malfurion Stormrage
Racial mount	Saber cat Hippogryph Chimaera
Homeworld	Azeroth
Area(s)	Kalimdor,Eastern Kingdoms,Broken Isles
Language(s)	Darnassian
Average height	7–8 feet (213 - 244 cm)[2]

Night elves (orkaldorei, for "children of the stars" inDarnassian^[3]), are a powerful and mystical race whose origins extend back to ancient times, being one of the longest-lived and most ancient cultures in existence today. These then-immortal beings were among the first to study magic and let it loose throughout the world nearly ten thousand years before theFirst War.^[4] The founders of amagical and advanced civilization which at its peak spanned the breadth ofancient Kalimdor, the night elves came into a horrific conflict with theBurning Legion but achieved a Pyrrhic victory that ended in theGreat Sundering, turning Kalimdor's landmass into the continents of the present age. The devastation wrought by the chain of events birthed in conceit caused a wholesale shift in direction. Until very recently, the night elves abandoned and completely outlawed the use ofarcanemagic, fearing its use would draw the Legion back to their world.

The main survivors of the Sundering crafted a radically different society centered arounddruidism, striving to live in harmony and co-existence with nature and its inhabitants, and essentially becoming "venerable guardians" of the natural world as well as theWorld TreeNordrassil instead of ruling most of Azeroth as its foremost superpower, in addition reconnecting with the widespread worship of their moon goddessElune, under the guidance of their leadersMalfurion Stormrage andTyrande Whisperwind. The night elves established their newest capitalDarnassus in the boughs of the World TreeTeldrassil off the coasts of northwestern Kalimdor in recent times, where it stood as a living symbol of the night elves' rich culture and glorious history.^[5]

The far-reaching and ancient legacy of the night elves shaped them into a race of very self-sufficient and self-conscious individuals, who often display strong streaks of isolationism and eons of accumulated ancientwisdom. The night elves ended a long period of seclusion referred to as theLong Vigil in the aftermath of theThird War, standing with refugees from theEastern Kingdoms during theBattle of Mount Hyjal. They then began to associate themselves with theAlliance, at least partly in response to theHorde's continued presence inAshenvale.

History[]

Emergence of the night elves[]

Around 15,000 years ago a tribe ofdark trolls^[6] unconcerned by the battles for land and power and longing for a peaceful connection to the world, came to settle near the translucent waters of theWell of Eternity, the prime source of all magic on the planet. Over time, the Well's cosmic power affected this nocturnal and independent tribe, suffusing their flesh and bones, elevating their forms to match their graceful spirits. They transformed into highly intelligent and virtuallyimmortal beings. Their skin turned various shades of violet, and they grew stronger and taller in stature. The tribe gradually abandoned their ancient heritage and tradition. The mystics began worshiping the moon goddessElune, who they believed slumbered within the fount's depth during daylight hours. The former trolls also discovered the name "Kalimdor" and other titan-forged words from communing with Elune and investigating strange artifacts scattered around the Well's periphery. They adopted the name kaldorei, which meant "children of the stars" in their native tongue.^[7][8]

The early night elf priests and seers studied the Well with an insatiable curiosity, driven to plumb its untold secrets and power. As their society grew, the night elves explored the breadth of Kalimdor and encountered its myriad denizens. The trees, flowers, and woodland creatures watched the night elves flourish, whispering news of them to theWild Gods ofMount Hyjal. In time, the night elves' curiosity led them to meet and befriend a number of powerful entities, not the least of which wasCenarius, a mighty demigod of the primordial forestlands. The great-hearted Cenarius grew fond of the inquisitive night elves, claiming kinship with their race^[9] and spending a great deal of time teaching them about the natural world. Cenarius adored the night elves and believed they had the potential to become great caretakers of nature. He befriended the fledgling race and taught them about the natural world. It was Cenarius' hope that the night elves would strive to live in harmony with the wilds. Some night elves were so transformed by the teachings of the demigod that they never left his realm, choosing to remain by Cenarius' side as his defenders. These few would cease to be elves and became woodland guardians physically altered forever.^[9]

The tranquil kaldorei developed a strong empathy for the living forests of Kalimdor and reveled in the harmonious balance of nature. This grew alongside their curiosity of the Well and their continuous draw to its arcane essence. For many centuries, the night elves lived in harmony and balance with the world and their natural affinity for the arcane. They built a graceful society around the Well of Eternity and the capital of their small nationElun'dris or "the Eye of Elune" sat on the shores of the font of power, where they continued uncovering the secrets of the Well and honing their ties with the surrounding woodlands and their myriad inhabitants. The only creatures that gave them pause were the ancient and powerfuldragons. Though the great serpentine beasts were often reclusive, they did much to safeguard the known lands from potential threats. The night elves believed that the dragons held themselves to be the protectors of the world, and that they and their secrets were best left alone.^[4] Cenarius guided the night elves when necessary, pleased by the wisdom and benevolence that thrummed in their hearts.

Rise of the Kaldorei Empire[]

In time, many of the night elves yearned for a different life, drawn to the arcane, they became obsessed with unlocking the Well of Eternity's secrets. They rigorously studied the fount's arcane energies becoming learned sorcerers. They harnessed the powers of the arcane lake and constructed wondrous temples and roadways around it. Magic became an inseparable part of life as the night elves reveled in the power at their fingertips. Pushing the boundaries of their intellect became the driving force of their culture. It was during this era of unprecedented growth thatQueen Azshara came to power. She was adored by night elves of every social standing, seemingly immune to the ire the lower castes developed against some of theirHighborne nobles. The elves were so enamored with her that they renamed their wondrous capitalZin-Azshari, or "the Glory of Azshara". Sharing the priests' curiosity towards the Well of Eternity, Azshara pushed the educated Highborne to plumb its secrets and reveal its true purpose in the world. The Highborne buried themselves in their work and studied the Well ceaselessly.

The night elf empire then started their rise to power by defeating the nearby troll tribes.^[10] Against their enemies, the kaldorei used overwhelming military power, their armies supported by Elune's blessings. The night elves' greatest soldiers were bestowed the goddess' fury through dangerous rituals, and these Night Warriors secured Kalimdor for the empire.^[11]

The empire saw the creation of such marvelous wonders that Azeroth would never see its like again, even in the modern age. Expeditionary forces, too, would be sent to explore and spread the empire's borders, bringing back tales of far-away lands and races.^[12]

But only the openly hostiletroll nations drew the full attention of the elves. Despite their battles with the trolls, the night elves had built up the mightyKaldorei Empire that expanded rapidly across Kalimdor. Not since theBlack Empire in ages past had a territory grown so vast in size and scope. The immense influence Azshara held over the world and its denizens eclipsed evenLei Shen's wildest dreams of power.^[13] Empowered by the Well and wielding fierce magics never before imagined by the trolls, the night elves soon threatened the two greatest empires on Azeroth: theAmani andGurubashi.^[4]

The night elves systematically dismantled the troll's defenses and supply chains. Unable to counter the elves' destructive magics, the trolls buckled under the onslaught. The territories of the Gurubashi and Amani empires fragmented within only a few years. The elves however were not interested in more conquest. In the eyes of Queen Azshara, the trolls were a minor nuisance, their battle lust a symptom of primitive and unenlightened minds. Ultimately, the queen struck an accord with theZandalar tribe, which held immense influence over all other trolls. In exchange for ending troll incursions into night elf territory, theZandalari would be allowed to keep the sacredZandalar Mountains south of the Well of Eternity. Fully aware they stood no chance against their enemies' arcane powers, the trolls begrudgingly agreed. The night elves' shockingly quick victory and the trolls' shameful acquiescence fostered the trolls' deep resentment and eternal hatred toward night elves,^[14] lasting to this very day.

Yet, as the seemingly endless ages passed, thenight elves' civilization expanded both territorially and culturally. Their temples, roads, and dwelling places stretched across the breadth of the dark continent.Azshara built animmense, wondrous palace on the Well's shore that housed her favored servitors within its bejeweled halls. There the most powerful nobles, whom she called the Quel'dorei or "Highborne", doted on her every command and believed themselves to be greater than the rest of their lower-caste brethren.^[4] The leaders of regions in the night elf empire were called prince/princess, such asPrince Tortheldrin ofEldre'Thalas,Prince Farondis ofAzsuna, andPrince Toreth ofLoreth'Aran.

They continued developing the ability to manipulate and control the Well's cosmic energies to great heights and power not wielded before. Azshara believed the night elves so far had only tapped a small portion of its power. As their reckless experiments progressed, the Highborne found that they could wield the cosmic powers of the universe to either create or destroy with devastating effect at their leisure. Although they agreed thatarcane magic was inherently dangerous if handled irresponsibly, Azshara and her Highborne began to practice their spellcraft with reckless abandon performing increasingly dangerous experiments causing waves of arcane energy cascading into theTwisting Nether.

Cenarius and many of the wizened night elf scholars warned that only calamity would result from such abuse. Cenarius had watched the night elf empire expand with growing unease. Year by year, he became increasingly frustrated with the hubris and thoughtless actions of the sorcerous Highborne. The majority of night elf society continued honoring the old ways of revering the wilds. The fact that these folk still lived in harmony with the land alongside their great magical advancement warmed Cenarius' heart, but he knew that they had no influence over Azshara and her arrogant followers whose regard for living in harmony lessened as their power and arrogance grew. As time passed, the night elves began eschewing diplomacy and largely ignored Azeroth's other cultures. Azshara's dogmatic beliefs regarding racial purity seeped into the night elves' psyche, creating an atmosphere rife with xenophobia. But, Azshara and her followers stubbornly continued to expand their burgeoning powers.^[15]

War of the Ancients[]

Main article:War of the Ancients

Thus began thecorruption of the elves. As their powers grew, a distinct change came over Azshara and the Highborne. The haughty, aloof upper class became increasingly callous and cruel towards their fellow night elves. A dark, brooding pall veiled Azshara's once entrancing beauty. She began to withdraw from her loving subjects and refused to interact with any but her trusted Highborne priests. Thepandaren, long-time allies of the night elf people, saw this change overcoming the night elves and decided to sever all ties.^[16]

Before they left, the pandaren decided to offer the Highborne a gift, a chest of pandaren design, said to contain all the arcane magic they would ever need. The gift was accepted and taken down into a royal vault in theTemple of Zin-Malor inEldarath. However, when the chest was opened, it was found to contain absolutely nothing. The pandaren's gift was actually a message of advice and wisdom to the Highborne: all the arcane magic they needed was nothing, or in other words, they did not need it at all. The chest and the message it represented continued to exist in the vault even 10,000 years later, but as history would record, the pandaren's wisdom fell on deaf ears.^[17]

Posing as a venerablegod,Sargeras managed to contactAzshara. Sargeras convinced Azshara, and her most loyal assistant, the Lord CounselorXavius, to open a gateway to Azeroth that this mighty "god" might come forth and "bless" their whole race (meanwhile eradicating all races deemed "unworthy"). In their insolence, those born to nobility, theHighborne, sought to use and control this source of unimaginable power and unspeakable evil; and for their pride, they were consumed by the magic they so eagerly wished to wield.^[4]

As theportal into the mortal world grew larger, Sargeras sent ever more numerous "emissaries" to aid with the portal and bring the word of their god from the beyond. Thesedemons were members of Sargeras's immortal army, known as theBurning Legion, and they had put to the flame countless worlds throughout the cosmos. As the portal grew close to its completion to allow the dark titan entry to Azeroth, a small band of kaldorei led byMalfurion Stormrage, the firstdruid,Tyrande Whisperwind, the high priestess of Elune, andJarod Shadowsong realized the threat posed to their entire world by this nameless evil and the now-crazed Azshara. Realizing his seemingly imminent victory could be threatened by these few elves, Sargeras commanded that his Legion make war upon Azeroth and destroy the unworthy, which included the entirety of the kaldorei race.^[4]

As war raged across the young world, many protectors of the world emerged to aid the young Malfurion Stormrage in closing this portal to theTwisting Nether and the malevolence which now stood poised to destroy them all. ThedemigodCenarius and his fellowAncient Guardians, theDragon Aspects, theEarthen, theancients, thetauren and thefurbolg clashed head on with the advancing Legion. Having learned much about the power and beauty of nature from hisshan'do, Cenarius, Malfurion was able to disrupt the nearly completed portal spell and close his world off from the invincible Sargeras.^[4][18]

Suramar's rebellion[]

Main article:Nightborne

"The city of Suramar became the center of night elf worship and home to theSisterhood of Elune. This order, composed of female night elves, dedicated itself to venerating the moon goddess. The sisterhood's priestesses had a hand in nearly all aspects of early night elf civilization, from acting as spiritual leaders to helping defend their burgeoning territories from outside threats."^[19]

In time the beautifulcity of Suramar, jewel of the night elven empire would become its foremost center for magical research and cutting edge advancements surpassing that of the executive and legislative center of the Empire and rival city,Zin-Azshari.Suramar would host the fabledNar'thalas Academy inFarondale on its most distinguished province ofAzsuna, and would become the foremost center for magical learning, where night elves and even members of the fabledblue dragonflight^{[citation needed]}  would ponder together the mysteries of the cosmos and the arcane. Under the wise and strong influence of the sisterhood complexly and totally intertwined with the advanced arcane society, Suramar grew and prospered in excellence, knowledge and discipline alongside faith. The marvels of the arcane alongside the serenity and ethereal beauty of the prayers to Elune that would ascend from its numerous temples such as Falanaar, Faronaar and their headquarters of theCathedral of Eternal Night. It is this region that would produce the heart of the night elven resistance to Queen Azshara and her new demonic allies. It started with the rebellion ofPrince Farondis who on discovering the nature of the Queen's new allegiance, devised a bold plan to rid the world of the demons in one fell swoop by destroying the means they entered the world: the Well of Eternity.

He would have succeeded if he was not betrayed by a young nobleVandros too enamored with the Queen. Furious at this betrayal, in display of unparalleled power, Queen Azshara unleashed a spell of devastating proportions in retribution against the elves of Farondis' court that doomed the entire Suramar province of Azsuna to an eternal curse of unliving. Azshara meant this to serve as a warning against any dissenters and quell any ideas of rebellion amongst her subjects empire wide. However as the invading forces of the Legion marched across the hapless cities and territories around the world, the seeds of rebellion would blossom amongst the night elven population in the battle for their souls and the very survival of their world. The heart of rebellion was spearheaded in this region of the night elf empire and the fight would be picked up by LordKur'talos Ravencrest ofVal'sharah, another province of Suramar. It is to his banner that many citizens of Suramar City and its provinces, including city folk like Malfurion and Illidan Stormrage, Tyrande Whisperwind who would become High Priestess of Elune during the conflict, Jarod Shadowsong and many others from Suramar City itself and surrounding regions would mount a resistance and march towards the capital of Zin-Azshari to stop the Legion and the Highborne of the palace who they at first believed were forcing the hand of the Queen against her will.

The Pillars of Creation[]

As battles raged across central Kalimdor, one group of Azshara's servants grew increasingly concerned for their own future. This small sect of Highborne sorcerers acted as an extension of the queen's will in the city. From their headquarters in Suramar, they engaged in covert activities aimed at securing Azshara's rule and strengthening the empire.

Of the many duties that these Highborne performed, they excelled at hunting down and acquiring artifacts of great power. Most of these relics were stored in theVault of Antiquities in Suramar. Amongst them, an extraordinary set of relics that the ancientkeepers had used to shape and order Azeroth in ages past. Though Suramar's elite Highborne had pledged their undying loyalty to Azshara, their views on the queen began to shift as the war dragged on. The group's leader, Grand MagistrixElisande, feared that the Legion did not have the Highborne's best interests in mind. The monstrous demons had already destroyed much of the night elves' glorious empire and poisoned the surrounding land with their fel magics.

Elisande's distrust of the Legion only deepened when she discovered that demons were planning to transform Suramar into a new staging ground for the war. Legion agents had begun forming a gateway to the Twisting Nether within the city's most prominent structure, the Cathedral of Eternal Night. Once open, this portal would allow the Legion's reinforcements to storm into Azeroth and crush the night elf resistance on a second front.

Yet Elisande thought that such a portal would likely destroy Suramar and everyone who dwelt within. Thus the grand magistrix and her followers formed a plan to sabotage the Legion's efforts. They severed their ties with the other Highborne and moved to seal the demons' new portal. To do so, Elisande and her allies sought out the potent artifacts they had gathered over the years. In particular, they knew that thePillars of Creation possessed the raw power that they would need to neutralize the Legion's portal.

With these artifacts in hand, Elisande and her Highborne led an assault against the demons in Suramar. Just as the Legion's new portal began roaring to life, the sorcerers channeled their magic through the Pillars of Creation. They wove a great spell that closed the howling gateway and locked it with a set of unbreakable seals.

Though they had thwarted the attempt to create a new portal, the rebellious Highborne had no plans to join the night elf resistance and continue fighting the Legion. Fearing calamity, Elisande and her followers worked to fortify their holdings in Suramar rather than push with the rest of the resistance to Zin-Azshari. They harnessed theEye of Aman'Thul, one of the Pillars of Creation, to create an immense fount of arcane magic. Known as theNightwell, this source of power would nourish the sorcerers and protect them from future threats. In the millennia to come, the fount would also change Elisande and her allies transforming them into a new race of night elves called the nightborne.^[20]

The Sundering[]

With so much power in flux, theWell of Eternity imploded in a magical cataclysm known as theGreat Sundering, sending untold numbers to their doom. Many kaldorei were dragged to the bottom of the sea, only to be twisted and transformed into the sea serpents now known as the vilenaga. The catastrophe tore the continent apart, its remains now separated by a massive ocean, and left a permanent storm known as theMaelstrom where the well once stood. With the majority of the Highborne dead, the kaldorei turned away from their arcane legacy and began a new culture focusing on attunement with nature and their surroundings, settling in the sacred glades aroundMount Hyjal.^[4]

Illidan, Malfurion's twin brother, seeking to maintain arcane magic in the world even after the destruction of the well of eternity had also traveled to Hyjal. Here, he poured three vials filled with water from the original well of eternity into a lake, imbuing it with great power and turning it into a new well. When Illidan refused to give up his magical powers, he was captured by his brother and imprisoned within theBarrow Deeps under the watchful eye ofMaiev Shadowsong.^[21]

Meanwhile, the night elves of Suramar were fully shielded from the effects of the Great Sundering due to the efforts of Elisande's group of Highborne. Elisande would come to lead the night elf society under a shield that would both serve as a refuge and prison. Cut off from all events outside, they apparently at first believed they were the only kaldorei survivors of the breaking of the world and under the eternal shroud of night and an artificial sky, these kaldorei would distinguish themselves as shal'dorei, continuing the legacy of the Kaldorei Empire under the shroud of eternal night produced by the Nightwell rather than the starlit night of before.

Far away from the center of events on Hyjal and the night elven society that would develop there, another group of Highborne dwelt in the city ofEldre'Thalas, which survived the War of the Ancients mostly intact. Although they took a long time to do it, the Highborne ofHouse Shen'dralar who had processed the Queen's special projects rebelled against the Queen towards the end of the war when their city was besieged by the demons and it was clear the Highborne would not be exempt from their purge. The wolf godGoldrinn had fought bravely besides the city defenders and though he was ultimately slain, the Highborne were successful in defending their city. Far to the south of Mount Hyjal, the Shen'dralar did not draw the attention of the kaldorei. They powered their city by trapping a demon of immense power,Immol'thar, and used its energies to fuel their addiction and lifestyle in the absence of the power of the original well. However, despite their clever efforts, the imprisoned demon that they drew power from would come to require increasing amounts of power on its own until the net power gain became a loss. Subtly twisted by the demonic energies he was using, the Shen'dralar Prince would come to sacrifice his subjects to restore the net gain. This tug of war eventually drove this once bastion of arcana into ruin, with only a few survivors remaining, most of which were zealous supporters of the Prince.^{[citation needed]} 

For many years, the main night elven body atop Mount Hyjal worked tirelessly to restore what they could of their shattered ancient homeland. Leaving their broken temples, cities and roads to be overgrown, they largely chose to live on the land, out in the open or in barrow dens. They constructed very few new homes constantly on the move in patrols, although a small collection of structures were constructed amidst the verdant trees and shadowed hills at Hyjal's base calledNighthaven and served as the administrative centre from which the High Priestess Tyrande led.^{[citation needed]}  In time, the dragons that had survived the great Sundering came forth from their secret abodes.Alexstrasza the red,Ysera the green, andNozdormu the bronze descended upon the druids' tranquil glades and surveyed the fruits of the night elves' labors. Malfurion, who had become an arch-druid of immense power, greeted the mighty Dragons and told them about the creation of the new Well of Eternity. The great Dragons were alarmed to hear the news and speculated that as long as the Well remained, the Legion might use it to findAzeroth once more.^[4]

Furion and the three dragons made a pact that the night elves would serve as guards of this new well. Alexstrasza brought an enchanted acorn, a remnant ofG'hanir, and placed it in the well, where it grew intoNordrassil, the firstworld tree. This tree would serve as a means to regulate the power of the new Well masking its energies ingeniously from radiating out into theTwisting Nether to serve as another beacon for the Legion. The tree would also mask its power signature from would-be magic users in the hope of preventing any other society from learning arcane secrets and repeating the disastrous error of the elves. The tree would forever serve as a symbol of the connection between the arcane and nature, the night elves and the natural world, and would use the energies from the well to heal the world after the devastation of the Sundering. Partly in reward for their effort in repelling the Legion invasion, Nozdormu then blessed tree, so that, as long as the tree stood, the night elves would never age or fall prey to disease. Ysera also placed an enchantment upon the World Tree by linking the spirits of the night elves to her own realm, the ethereal dimension known as theEmerald Dream. The night elf druids, including Furion himself, were bound to the Dream through the World Tree. As part of the mystical pact, the druids agreed to sleep for centuries at a time so that their spirits could roam the infinite paths of Ysera's Dreamways and the spirits of the night elves. Though the druids were wary of losing so many years of their lives to hibernation, they agreed to uphold their bargain with Ysera.^[4]

The Long Vigil[]

Tyrande Whisperwind, high priestess ofElune, had become the leader of the night elf populace. For thousands of years, she led the night elves in their vigil. Much of this time was spent apart from her love,Malfurion Stormrage, who, alongside his fellow druids, upheld the balance of nature from within the Emerald Dream. However, whenever a crisis came, the druids would awaken.^[4]

One such crisis came from the remaining Highborne. The Highborne that had survived the Sundering and had settled alongside their night elf brethren initially tried to assimilate into the new druidic society, but over time they could not ignore the burning addiction to arcane magic their whole race suffered from. These Highborne, led byDath'Remar, declared the druids cowards for refusing to wield the arcane. Malfurion and the druids warned the Highborne that any use of magic would be punishable by death. Yet, in an attempt to protest the druid's law, Dath'Remar and his followers unleashed a terrible magical storm upon Ashenvale. The night elves could not bring themselves to put so many of their kin to death, so they decided to exile the reckless Highborne from their lands.^[22] So the Highborne left Kalimdor, sailing across the sea to the other, newly-formed continent. Now calling themselveshigh elves, they established the nation ofQuel'Thalas.^[23]In the wake of the group's departure, the remaining night elves deliberately withdrew from the rest of the world. A veil of mist descended upon their entire continent, shrouding its presence from passing sailors.^[24][25]

Another such incident was theWar of the Satyr, a devastating war that exacted a heavy toll from the night elves. During this war, the night elves fought against the unified satyr forces of Kalimdor. In desperation, some of the night elf druids even started using thePack Form, a dangerous druidic transformation that had been forbidden byMalfurion Stormrage. These druids would form theDruids of the Pack, who tried to use the mysticalScythe of Elune to gain control over their forms. However, this failed, and they became the firstWorgen, before being sealed away in a pocket of the Emerald dream. Though losses amongst the night elves were great, the satyr eventually lost and they lost nearly all of their lands, being forced to survive as isolated sects.^[26]

During the next several millennia, the night elves were not left entirely isolated.Emmarel Shadewarden fought alongside the quel'doreiTalanas Windrunner,^[27] andShandris Feathermoon collaborated withRanger Captain Areiel several thousand years before current times.^[28]

During their long vigil, the biggest conflict the kaldorei fought on was probably theWar of the Shifting Sands. In ancient times, thetroll empires defeated theaqir, forcing a group of the latter to retreat intoAhn'Qiraj, an ancientTitan facility. Over the centuries, these aqir developed into theqiraji and came to serveC'Thun, theold god at the heart of the facility. TheSilithid, another insect race related to theaqir, also came to serveC'Thun. The night elf forces, led byFandral Staghelm andShiromar, fought the armies ofC'Thun, but retreated after the death ofValstann Staghelm, son of Fandral, and the loss ofSouthwind Village.^[29]

It wasn't until the night elves called for the aid of thedragonflights that theqiraji were driven back.Anachronos,Merithra,Caelestrasz andArygos, children of theDragon Aspects, led armies of dragons against the forces ofC'Thun. Together, the night elf and dragon forces were able to force the insect armies back to the gates of Ahn'Qiraj. While the battle seemed to turn against them once more, Merithra, Caelestrasz and Arygos flew into the city to create theScarab Wall, though they were captured as a result. The scarab wall was capable of containing the insectoid armies, trapping them in the city. To one day reopen the gates and truly beat the qiraji, Fandral Staghelm was given a scepter. However, enraged by the death of his son, Fandral shattered the scepter, forever damaging the bond between the night elves and the dragonflights.^[29]

Rediscovery and the Third War[]

Main article:Third War

The night elves' isolated existence was shattered during the third war, when refugees from the Eastern Kingdoms arrived on the continent in large numbers. Theorcs, newly fled from theEastern Kingdoms and seeking resources, had sent theWarsong clan toAshenvale, unaware of the area's inhabitants. The night elves took great offense to the orcish presence in their lands and attacked. While the orcs had some initial victories, that ended whenCenarius arrived, mistaking the orcs for demons and destroying most of their outposts. In desperation, the Warsong clan once more consumed demon blood, becoming powerfulfel orcs and proceeded to kill Cenarius.^[30]

At the height of this conflict — known as theThird War — the Legion and its terrifying undeadScourge assaulted the night elves' lands. Tyrande rallied the night elf defenders and awoke Malfurion and his druids to combat the resurgent threat. For the vast majority of the third war, the night elves remained hostile to the alliedHorde andAlliance Expedition. Only during the final battle, theBattle of Mount Hyjal, did the night elves join with the mortal races, standing to defend the world tree. In the end, even this alliance didn't manage to stop the invading demons, but it managed to delay them long enough forMalfurion Stormrage to complete a magic ritual.Archimonde, the leader of the demonic invasion, was torn apart by thousands ofWisps, finally being killed by the world tree itself.^[30]

Post-Third War[]

Although victorious, the night elves suffered greatly from the battle with Archimonde at Mount Hyjal. Their beloved World Tree Nordrassil, created and blessed by the Dragon Aspects Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Nozdormu to grant the night elves immortality, had been sacrificed to elicit a massive blast of energy to slay Archimonde. With Nordrassil's destruction, so went the night elves' sole source of protection from aging, disease, and frailty.^[31]

Over time, Nordrassil slowly began to heal its wounds, but a number of druids led byFandral Staghelm desired to create another World Tree that would restore the night elves' immortality. Malfurion warned against this act of self-interest, but when he suddenly fell into a coma, his spirit lost within the Dream, Fandral forged ahead with his plans unopposed, becoming the new leader of the druids. The second World Tree,Teldrassil, was planted off the northern coast of Kalimdor, and eventually it towered among the clouds. Within this tree, the night elves founded the great city ofDarnassus. However, Teldrassil failed. Though it grew, it was corrupted, and the dragon aspects refused to bless this new tree.^[31][32]

After the Third War, the night elf nation also joined theAlliance, although the exact moment at which they joined is unknown. They were apparently motivated to do so by the continued logging operations of the Horde inWarsong Gulch.^{[citation needed]}  As a result of the Third War, corruption and madness had taken hold of many of the night elves' former lands and allies, severely weakening the strength of the night elf nation. As members of the Alliance, the night elves partook in multiple conflicts, most notably theAhn'Qiraj War.^[33]

Not all night elves actively joined the Alliance, however, with the druids of the neutralCenarion Circle and settled in the city ofNighthaven. Though individual druids still have roles in the night elf nation, the druids as an organization remain neutral to this day, even accepting and training members of the Horde. TheCenarion Circle joined in several conflicts, directing the united Alliance and Horde forces during theAhn'Qiraj War, launching theCenarion Expedition after theOpening of the Dark Portal and fighting on the front during theWar Against the Nightmare.^[33][34][35]DEHTA, a radical group within theCenarion Circle is also active inNorthrend, seeking to stop the large-scale hunting of the native animals through violent means.^[36]

Stormrage[]

This section concerns content related to theWarcraftnovels,novellas, orshort stories.

As the corruption of Teldrassil worsened, theEmerald Nightmare spread further and further. By the time thewar against the Lich King ended, people throughout the world started slipping into comas, their spirits drawn into theEmerald Dream. It turns out that the nightmare was led byXavius, an ancient Highborne noble and the firstsatyr, thought to have been forever sealed into a tree form during theWar of the Ancients.Fandral Staghelm was also involved in this plot, having been responsible for Malfurion's coma, using [Morrowgrain], and the corruption of Teldrassil, having grafted a branch from Xavius' tree-body toTeldrassil.^[35]

With the aid of other druids and theGreen dragonflight, the nightmare was defeated and most of its' corruption cleansed. In the aftermath,Ysera andAlexstrasza blessedTeldrassil, restoring nature's ancient bond with the night elves. Malfurion and Tyrande got married, now sharing rulership of the night elf nation.^[35]

Cataclysm[]

This section concerns content related toCataclysm.

Since the Shattering of the world, a group ofHighborne known as theShen'dralar successfully appealed toTyrande Whisperwind to be allowed to make a return to kaldorei society. After theSundering, the night elves had outlawed arcane magic on the pain of death.^[7] However,some time before the Cataclysm a Highborne archmage namedMordent Evenshade sought an audience with Tyrande and proposed to set aside long-standing differences and to combine resources, skills and numbers to prepare the wider night elven race for the challenges it faces. Despite the doubts of certainSentinels,^[37] this proposal was accepted. The Shen'dralar were allowed a cautious return among their kaldorei brethren, with some young night elves being trained by them to become new night elven mages, and, conversely, some of the Highborne taking up thedruidic arts or being initiated intoElune'spriesthood, major societal changes that marked the first steps towards reconciliation between the Highborne and wider night elven society.^[38]

After an outbreak spread theworgen curse uncontrollably across the war torn nation ofGilneas, theShattering also destroyed the reefs which protected thishuman kingdom from naval attacks, causing theForsaken to launch aninvasion. The night elves intervened, assisting the worgen in acquiring theScythe of Elune, helping them to understand and deal with their transformation and holding back the Forsaken's assault, allowing the surviving Gilneans to escape toTeldrassil.^[39] After this, the kaldorei integrated theGilnean Worgen into their culture; granting them asylum withinDarnassus itself,^[40] allowing several female worgen warriors to join theSentinel army^[41] and bringing worgen druids into theCenarion Circle.^[42]

Night elf territory was one of the main fronts during theAlliance-Horde war. TheShatterspear tribe ofjungle trolls joined the Horde and assaulted northernDarkshore, though the night elves were able to fend off the attack.^[43] Two separate Horde offensives were launched againstAshenvale, both stopped by the night elves with assistance from the rest of The Alliance,^[44][45] and, by the timeTheramore was destroyed, the Horde had been fully driven from the forest.^[46] However, the night elves were not completely successful in their war efforts. Their assault on the new settlements of theBilgewater Cartel inAzshara was held off,^[47] and a massive Horde-constructed bomb destroyedThal'darah Grove in theStonetalon Mountains.^[48]

ThoughMalfurion Stormrage had become the co-ruler of the night elves, hisCenarion Circle remained a neutral organization, intent on restoring balance following the cataclysm. Malfurion himself halted the slow collapse ofDarkshore, with aid fromThessera theGreen Dragon,Aroom theWildkin andElder Brownpaw theFurbolg.^[43] InDesolace and theSouthern Barrens, members of theCenarion Circle investigated the new out-of-control vegetation.^[49][50] InFelwood, a large portion of corrupted soil was cleansed to buildWhisperwind Grove. Though most of theCenarion Circle turned a blind eye to the goblin wood-cutting going on in the region, theWorgen ofTalonbranch Glade refused, and broke away from the neutral organization to fight them.^[51] Malfurion's neutrality, in an attempt to unite the factions against the Cataclysm's devastation, would ironically have unfavorable consequences on its other fronts, whenLeyara, whose daughter was slain by Horde invaders intoAshenvale, joinedFandral Staghelm and hisDruids of the Flame after being overwhelmingly disillusioned by the Archdruid's apparent ongoing passivity.^[52]

However, the biggest contribution for the night elves following the cataclysm was atMount Hyjal, whereRagnaros invaded to try and destroyNordrassil and theCenarion Circle, theShadow Wardens and theGreen Dragonflight united against him, forming theGuardians of Hyjal. The guardians were successful in fighting off the initialfire elemental invasion, resurrecting several of theAncient Guardians. When the fire elementals invaded again, aided byFandral Staghelm and his newly formedDruids of the Flame, the guardians were not only successful in fighting them off, but even managed to infiltrate theFirelands, killingRagnaros and many of his lieutenants, including Staghelm, as well as constructing theSentinel Tree to keep watch over the area.^[53]

Mists of Pandaria[]

This section concerns content related toMists of Pandaria.

To restore the immortality of the night elves,Lorekeeper Vaeldrin was looking for thePools of Youth, created byan ancient civilization that predated evenQueen Azshara. Using a series of ancient magical scrolls, he opened a portal to theKrasarang Wilds. Tyrande Whisperwind, having had a vision of some sort of light, sent a groupSentinels, led by Vaeldrin's daughter,Lyalia, with him. However, the target of the spell had been warded using lostMogu magic, imprisoning the expedition in a magic bubble that slowly drained their life. Luckily for the expedition, an Allianceadventurer freed them with the help ofKang Bramblestaff, and the freed expedition constructed a base camp to search for the pools.^[54]

However, it turns out that the pools do not grant their immortality freely. Instead, they are used to transfer life energies from one person to another. During one battle with the mogu, Lyalia is captured and killed. Vaeldrin, using some of the water from the pools, uses his own life energy to save her, resulting in his own death. Despite these setbacks, the expedition is not without achievements, helping thePandaren fight off theDojanimogu and aiding in the defense ofStoneplow.^[54] Later on, being one of the largest Alliance forces on the continent prior toLandfall, the night elves gained a strong presence at theShrine of Seven Stars.^[55] Shortly after the Alliance lands onPandaria, a powerful artifact called the [Divine Bell] was discovered. The night elves moved it to their capital for study and safekeeping. However, the city was infiltrated and the bell was stolen by the Horde.

During theSiege of Orgrimmar, Tyrande had mustered an army of her people in Ashenvale and began a slow march towards Orgrimmar. After the Alliance and Horde rebel armada landed at Bladefist Bay, Tyrande's forces appeared from the west and, using glaive throwers, managed to destroy the front gate of Orgrimmar. She and her Sentinels then distracted Garrosh's Kor'kron, allowing Alliance forces and Darkspear rebels to invade the city.

Warlords of Draenor[]

This section concerns content related toWarlords of Draenor.

Please add any available information to this section.

SeveralSentinelguards accompanied the Alliance intoShadowmoon Valley, guardingStarfall Outpost. They also had a small presence inNagrand and inStormshield onAshran. If chosen, they can also guard theLunarfallgarrison.Naron Bloomthistle tended to Lunarfall'sHerb Garden, and some night elves such asYanas Seastrike also lent their expertise and talents to theGarrison Shipyard.

A contingent ofwardens, includingCordana Felsong, was sent byMaiev Shadowsong to accompany and protect ArchmageKhadgar on thealternate Draenor.^[56] Cordana was, however, corrupted byGul'dan and joined theBurning Legion's side.

Legion[]

This section concerns content related toLegion.

Various night elves that remained when the Burning Legion began launching their third attempt to take Azeroth, joined theclass order halls to battle the demons.

Notably,Broll Bearmantle aided the rest of theCenarion Circle and theDreamweavers inVal'sharah;Shandris Feathermoon joined other elite rangers and hunters from around the world includingEmmarel Shadewarden to substantially bolster the ranks of theUnseen Path inHighmountain; andTarelvir of the Shen'dralar traveled to theHall of the Guardian to assist theTirisgarde. SeveralGrand Priestesses of Elune traveled to theNetherlight Temple to help other priests as well, includingDelas Moonfang who later joined the ranks of theKnights of the Silver Hand with her uncleNerus Moonfang, making them the only known active paladin night elves and the first to join the order. Overall, the night elves, as a race, had representatives in nine of the twelveClass Orders throughout the campaign.

Maiev Shadowsong herself freed thedemon hunters from their long imprisonment, leading to their joining with the Alliance and the Horde; despite Malfurion's initial misgivings,Jace Darkweaver personally helped save King Anduin's life in Stormwind.The Wardens, holding a base off the coasts ofAzsuna, played a crucial role fighting against the subsequent invasion, cooperating with the Illidari on several occasions, and Maiev even fought alongside the returned Illidan himself at the Tomb of Sargeras. She also reconciled with her brotherJarod Shadowsong inVal'sharah'sBlack Rook Hold where she was captured, and together the two confronted the shades of some of their old friends such asDesdel Stareye although they were unable to recognize them.

Elsewhere in Azsuna, the demon hunters, includingJace Darkweaver,Kor'vas Bloodthorn, and several others, also establishedIllidari Stand. The ten thousand night elves of theCourt of Farondis, led byPrince Farondis in their ruined city ofNar'thalas,^[57] also resisted the Legion's invasion as well as thenaga assaults sent byQueen Azshara, both of whom were interested in the [Tidestone of Golganneth].Kallistia Starlance andOlothil Starlance, night elf magi fromDalaran who were apparently born in Azsuna before theWar of the Ancients, finally reunited with the spirits of their long-deceased parents after over ten thousand years.^[58]

Tyrande Whisperwind andMalfurion Stormrage themselves returned to the Broken Isles, specifically the ancient lands of Val'sharah, a verdant region where Malfurion was originally born, and where he first received his druidic instruction fromCenarius long ago. Although captured by theShade of Xavius, Malfurion would later aid adventurers and the Dreamweavers in cleansing theEmerald Dream from corruption, and rescue his old teacherCenarius. After successfully defending theTemple of Elune from the forces of theEmerald Nightmare and mournfully slaying the corruptedYsera, Tyrande and the other priestesses and druids witnessedElune cleansing Ysera's spirit and creating a constellation in the sky, in the process purifying theTears of Elune (one of thePillars of Creation which the night elves had found and protected for thousands of years).

Tyrande, leading kaldorei forces, later returned toSuramar, the ancient and much-changed city where she and Malfurion grew up in thousands of years prior, allying with the likes ofVereesa Windrunner andLady Liadrin, as well asFirst Arcanist Thalyssra. Despite her apparent mistrust for her estranged kin, remembering how the Highborne had stood behind Azshara in their ancient war, she nevertheless led the main charge against her former city's ruler,Elisande, who mocked the night elves as having disgraced their glorious past and becoming as savage as thetrolls which stalked Kalimdor's forests. Eventually, Tyrande witnessed Thalyssra allowing theNightwell to perish, expressing her hopes that the nightborne would find a way to survive without its assistance. After the Suramar campaign, she and Malfurion apparently journeyed back to Val'sharah, her to the Sisterhood's Temple, and Malfurion to his home village ofLorlathil, where they would later receive last messages of farewell and attempted reconciliation from Illidan.^[59]

The greatest eventual contribution of the kaldorei to the conflict would be ending the Burning Legion which they once helped usher in, with the Illidari repeatedly striking decisive victories against their forces from theFel Hammer, and Illidan himself playing a critical role in helping defeatKil'jaeden, and journeying toArgus and essentially sacrificing himself to forever imprisonSargeras at theSeat of the Pantheon.

Battle for Azeroth[]

This section concerns content related toBattle for Azeroth.

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Following theWar of the Thorns, theForsaken raised numerous fallen night elves, turning them intoDarkfallendark rangers under the lead ofDelaryn Summermoon, who acts as their new captain in undeath. They later participated in theBattle for Darkshore as part of the Horde forces.

Shadowlands[]

This section concerns content related toShadowlands.

The souls of many night elves who died in theBurning of Teldrassil were saved from torture in theMaw and brought toArdenweald, an afterlife for servants of nature.^[60]

After theRuins of Lordaeron were cleansed of theBlight by the Forsaken,Dark Ranger Velonara of theDesolate Council announced that some kaldoreidark rangers raised by Sylvanas'Val'kyr wished to return among their people, and that if Tyrande would have them back, they were free to rejoin them.^[61] As some of them ended up joining the Alliance, it seems that Tyrande has indeed decided to accept their return among her people.

Culture[]

For more than ten thousand years, the night elves have been bound to nature, shaping their culture into what it is now. Modern night elf society was founded on the very grounds of protecting nature, signified by their connection to the world tree.^[4] As one of the longest living races in Azeroth, night elves tend to be slow to change. Slow to anger and slow to cool off, the night elves experience emotions as deeply, or perhaps more so, than the younger races. While generally slow to respond emotionally, their minds have seen much and tend to have a honed wit and sense of humor.^[62]

Faith[]

The night elves use the word "god" in plural ("Gods help us all"; "May the gods have mercy"), and the Temple of the Moon in Suramar had frescoes and murals depictingElune and many other gods (actual gods, notdemigods) shaping the world.^[63] This demonstrates that night elf religion is possibly polytheistic, but most of their religion is centered aroundElune, the moon goddess. This is likely confirmed when Tyrande herselfsays "Perhaps we can never truly know the ways of the gods", even after becoming anavatar of Elune, reinforcing that the night elves arehenotheistic. The priests of the moon goddess, theSisters of Elune, are the leaders of the night elf military, and her high priestessTyrande Whisperwind is the official head of the night elf nation, formerly ruling from theTemple of the Moon inDarnassus.Moonwells are also deeply revered and commonly used by almost all segments of kaldorei society, primarily for their extraordinary healing and restorative properties.^[64] The night elves also worship their ancestors. This worship takes the form of offerings, traditionally rice cakes that are blessed in the Temple of the Moon.^[65] While Elune is a goddess of peace, she is not a pacifist. One of her aspects is the Night Warrior, who takes the valiant among the dead and sets them riding across the sky as stars.^[66] This is likely the origin of the name "kaldorei", as night elf ancestors are thus believed to become stars upon death. Elune considers the night elves her "favored children", and manifested herself by channeling her voice and presence through Tyrande Whisperwind.^[67]

The night elves, especially the druids, also have a close kinship with most of theAncient Guardians, as all known living ancient guardians were last seen onMount Hyjal.Cenarius is one of the most ancient allies of the night elves,^[4] with some night elves believing that he personally created the majestichippogryphs as a gift to them.^[68]Aviana is the patron of theDruids of the Talon,^[69] whileUrsoc andUrsol are the patrons of theDruids of the Claw.^[70]Malorne,Aessina andTortolla are also allies, having assisted theGuardians of Hyjal in the protection of the world tree.^[71]Omen, while still corrupted, lies at the heart of theMoonglade.^[72]

The night elves also have close bonds with theRed,Green andBronze Dragonflights. The greatDragon Aspects,Alexstrasza,Ysera andNozdormu, were the ones to create and blessNordrassil, where most of the night elf race made their home for thousands of years, and their combined blessings provided them with renewed strength and vitality, easy access to theEmerald Dream, andimmortality until the end of theThird War.^[4] Two of them, Alexstrasza and Ysera, later blessedTeldrassil as well after attending Tyrande and Malfurion's wedding inDarnassus, protecting it from corruption forevermore,^[35] and the night elves have worked with the Aspects and their dragonflights on many occasions since.^{[4][29][35][71]}

Ysera is particularly important and revered, as all druids assist her dragonflight in guarding theEmerald Dream,^[4] and even after her death at Tyrande Whisperwind's hands, she has expressed regret at her inability to aid the kaldorei whenTeldrassil burned, and has resolved to aid Tyrande however possible.^[73] Most green dragons, including Ysera herself, to this day even generally prefer to take on the form of kaldorei, and they have allowed night elves to ride them as mounts into battle in the ancient past, as Ysera did with Malfurion Stormrage during theWar of the Ancients, and as her dragonflight did withPrince Toreth and theDragon Riders of Loreth'Aran.

The night elves revere themoonsabers because their shimmering coats symbolize the goddess of the moon, Elune,^[74] and they once believed that seeing thedawnsaber breed in the wild was an ill omen.^[75]

Thedark-feathered bird of prey is often seen as a harbinger of doom amongst thedruids ofTeldrassil.^[76]

According to the tales of the night elves, the firstred-tailed chipmunk was colored so after the theft and consumption of a sacred apple.^[77]

It is said that theHorn of Cenarius holds the power to call the spirits of all night elves.^[78]

The souls of most deceased night elves are carried across theveil to theShadowlands, like any other mortal race. However, some linger in the mortal realm aswisps. The reasons for this are not entirely understood.^[79]

"May Elune light your path" is a common night elf blessing, uttered as a friendly farewell and well-wish among friends and strangers alike.^[80]

Origins[]

Long ago, a tribe of nocturnal humanoids came to live on the shores of the firstWell of Eternity, and the Well's cosmic energies changed them into the night elves.

Certainly manytrolls do believe that the humanoids who developed into the night elf race were trolls. The theory does have some credibility, for there is at least a superficial physical resemblance between trolls and night elves. Furthermore, the troll race dominated much of ancientKalimdor several millennia before the night elves came into power.

Nevertheless, many night elves find this theory preposterous and abhorrent. They are quick to point out that the first night elves began their rise to power by defeating a number of nearby troll tribes. As a consequence, the trolls came to fear and respect the might of their new rivals. The troll theory of night elf ancestry may have been a direct result of this early conflict. The trolls hated the night elves—a sentiment that persists to this day—and may have wished to marginalize the night elf race and its accomplishments. Also, attributing the night elf race with a troll heritage likely helped the trolls come to terms with their own shocking defeat.^[7]

It was only afterCataclysm thatBrann Bronzebeard had independent, reliable sources (namely the repairedTribunal of Ages, the restored WatcherFreya, and the resurrectedCenarius himself) to explain the truth: that the night elves had evolved from a tribe ofdark trolls who had found and come to live beside the Well of Eternity. Brann notes that this confirmation will be sure to ruffle some feathers.^[6]

Gender roles[]

Prior to the conclusion of the Third War, night elf society was sharply divided by gender, with the vast majority of men, including Malfurion himself, originally being spellcasters in ancient times, and then largely becoming druids. Most women serving as warriors, hunters, priestesses, or a combination thereof.^[7] These gender roles more or less defined the culture of the kaldorei for ten thousand years.^[81][82] Many years ago, the two genders were even forbidden to take the opposite role. When this was finally lifted, it was a tremendous and tumultuous societal change, witha pair of statues created to commemorate the first male priest and the first female druid. Even so, the gender divisions remain strong, and only at the end of the Third War were female night elf druids welcomed into theCenarion Circle.^[7][82]

In the years since the end of theThird War, this overall gender division has eased considerably in favor of more practical concerns,^[81] and many factions have set aside the historical strictures on membership.^[7] More women have taken up the mantle of the druids,^[82] just as men have begun to choose either the path of priesthood or more widely the path of war and have affiliated with theSentinels, although male priests and Sentinels remain relatively uncommon,^[81] with there only three named male Sentinels,Lylandor,Xanon, andIyneath, thus far known.

Aging and lifespan[]

Most night elves are, by the standards of other races, ancient. Because of their previousimmortality, some night elves are more than ten thousand years old, which is older than the entirety ofhuman anddwarven civilization put together.^[83] Though the immortality of the night elves has ended, much of its cultural impact remains, and some amongst the night elves sought a way to regain it,^[32][54] although others like Malfurion Stormrage andJarod Shadowsong believe that it was perhaps for the best, and that it was time for their people to actually live and truly be a part of their world.^[35]

After the Cataclysm, both Malfurion and Jarod, alive during the War of the Ancients and with more than a thousand years age difference between each other, have been feeling minor, but increasingly consistent aches and pains due to aging, although this has not been mentioned elsewhere. Jarod's wife, also from the same era, passed away due to illness tied to aging.^[84] The night elves are now aging normally,^[85] rather than at an accelerated rate, and most still retain average lifespans of at least several thousand years comparable with their cousins, thehigh elves.^[7]

Reunification[]

Before the War of the Ancients, magic was once as revered as Elune herself.^[87]

For thousands of years, arcane magic has been outlawed amongst the night elves, with its repeated use punishable by death.^[4] Even when the night elves joined the Alliance, they still avoided arcane magic.^[88] However, just before theCataclysm, this changed.Archmage Mordent Evershade of theShen'dralar traveled fromFeralas toDarnassus, seeking an audience withTyrande Whisperwind. Sensing a coming change (likely the Cataclysm), the archmage offered his wisdom and knowledge to the high priestess.^[89]

The night elves emerged from their 10,000-year long isolation in the forests of Northern Kalimdor to discover prolific use of magic without the use of the Well of Eternity, something unknown to them but made possible by the implosion of the Well that had dispersed magic from its concentration in the well to the atmosphere. This, along with the demons already returned and defeated, Tyrande Whisperwind, finding her people in desperate need of reinforcements and power beyond their current means to face the new challenges to their territories by their enemies and the Cataclysm, and the entire reason for the ban on the use of arcane magic which was to hide Azeroth from the Legion in the hopes of preventing a return), was no longer a necessity.

She andMalfurion Stormrage accepted, lifting the millennia-long ban of the use of arcane magic for spell and on the Highborne, and allowing several of theShen'dralar to return to night elf society where they entered an alliance that would allow them to train night elves as mages. Although the restriction on magic finally ended, the rift between the people and the Highborne due to the actions of the majority of the Highborne at Azshara's palace that led to the War of the Ancients would take longer. Mordent understood that the gradual reintegration of magic to their society would be a slow process, something the couple likely appreciated. Under the agreement, the Highborne became part of night elf society once more, but were allowed also to maintain their own identity.

The millennia have not stripped the people's memories of the final days of theGreat Sundering and the role of the Highborne. That has caused some difficulty with the re-integration, and some night elves have been hostile towards the returned Highborne. These few extremists, stirred up and led byMaiev Shadowsong, targeted and killed several of them in an attempt to purge night elf society of any remnants of the arcane, but her brotherJarod Shadowsong, although acknowledging that they had much to atone for, helped save their lives, and such actions were considered crimes against fellow Darnassian citizens.^[44] The new night elf mages have shown remarkable promise and made incredible strides in the short period of time they have re-embraced their arcane legacy. Such promise and desperate need forced new trainees to the front lines in the campaigns that immediately followed the Cataclysm, however despite their phenomenal progress were still very inexperienced, and was exploited by enemies of the night elves to devastating effect.^[91]Maiev Shadowsong has since apparently reconciled with Tyrande and Malfurion, as well as Jarod and Mordent Evenshade himself, implying that some night elves' views towards the Highborne have also changed.^[92]

This section concerns content related toLegion.

The region ofSuramar (known as theBroken Isles) is home to a number of night elven societies including thenightborne ofSuramar City who were in isolation for 10,000 years. In the wake of thethird invasion of the Burning Legion, Suramar, which rebuffed the Legion's first invasion 10,000 years ago, served as the principal staging ground of its final invasion of Azeroth. Many of the surrounding regions have faced invasions from Legion forces, most notable was the city of Suramar which had until that moment been isolated and secluded under their protective shield. The nightborne were strong armed by the Legion into bringing down their shield and forced to re-enter the affairs of the world as their allies or face destruction. Suramar City itself was occupied by the Legion who planned to use theNightwell's immense power to herald Sargeras into Illidan's body on Azeroth, in order finally achieve the victory that had twice eluded them.

The night elves of the region rose up in defense alongside the heroes of Azeroth, converging on the Broken Isles. Many ancient night elven orders and forces such as theValewalkers or Keepers,^[93] theMoon Guard, theCourt of Farondis have all combined their efforts with thenightborne resistance to end the occupation of the Legion, liberate the people of Suramar and ultimately the world, freeing the elves from their addiction to arcane magic and the Nightwell. Most recently, a kaldorei army led by High Priestess Tyrande joined forces with theKirin Tor, high elven and blood elven allies to assist the nightborne resistance drive out the Legion overthrow its once brave leader. It is the first time all the divergent groups of elves have worked together.

Government[]

For thousands of years, theSisters of Elune held by far the most power; as one of a small handful of kaldorei organizations to survive theWar of the Ancients, with membership based upon aptitude and not lineage, high priestessTyrande Whisperwind reorganized the order to direct theSentinels. She herself became the sole ruler of the night elf nation, remaining that way for thousands of years.^[81]

TheCenarion Circle, before his death still under the direction of Cenarius himself, took no active part in governmental affairs, as their numbers included druids from several other species. Though Archdruid Stormrage did take part in the government on occasion, the druids typically remained aloof, although this has significantly changed in recent years after theThird War and Malfurion Stormrage's awakening.^[7]

After Elune and her loverMalorne conceivedCenarius, he inherited a powerful blend of his mother's unconditional love for Azeroth's living beings, and his father's ancient ties to theEmerald Dream. The natural world is intimately connected to the moon goddess as a result, and over the past several millennia, the night elves have reflected this by arranging their society according to a harmonious balance between the druids and priestesses, which was embodied in the present age by the union ofTyrande Whisperwind andMalfurion Stormrage, the latter of whom became co-ruler of the night elves as well as head of theCenarion Circle he founded, the first change in official leadership in the past ten thousand years.^[35]

Flags and banners[]

After theThird War and joining theAlliance, the night elves ofDarnassus andKalimdor have generally used a simple purple banner depictingTeldrassil under a crescentmoon to represent their main political faction for nearly a decade, and their other factions and organizations have used a wide assortment of different flags and banners, although usually with similar lunar and nature-themed iconography. The older and traditionalIcon of Wisdom, theirracialicon used in theThird War, is far less frequently seen at night elf settlements and bases around Kalimdor.

However, after theBurning of Teldrassil, and around the time ofBattle for Darkshore, most of the surviving night elves have formally adopted the ancient [Pre-War Highborne Tapestry] of theKaldorei Empire, one of their civilization's ancestral banners, previously found in places such as theCrumbled Palace and theNar'thalas Academy ofAzsuna, theTemple of Elune,Ashamane's Fall, and theBlack Rook Hold of theHouse of Ravencrest inVal'sharah, and in ancient settlements aroundSuramar City such asTel'anor. This development is likely partly due to reconnection with theShen'dralar and other previously isolatedHighborne groups in recent years (which began reshaping their entire society by slowly introducing thearcane back into their life) - as well as the night elves, having lost most of their population at Teldrassil, now actively fighting to preserve not only the memory of a single tree, but both the ancient legacy of their people, and the precarious future of their entire race.^[94]

The night elves have openly displayed the Kaldorei Empire banner at theRuins of Auberdine and the entrance of their new base of operations atBashal'Aran inDarkshore after reclaiming their outposts from the Horde, as well as on the walls and corridors ofAshenvale'sSilverwing Hold inWarsong Gulch, removing Silverwing's previous flags and banners. A banner is located in theCaverns of Time during the most recentWarcraft's Anniversary celebrations, opposite theForsaken flag'sIcon of Torment, and several are prominently displayed inStormwind itself, most notably in theWizard's Sanctum near the permanent portal to Azsuna maintained by theNar'thalas Magi. The remnants of the night elf military have even used the banner in some of their other fronts in theFourth War beyond Kalimdor, such as at theMangrove Shore.^[95]

Warfare[]

By the time of the Great Sundering, military service for the night elves had become more a matter of bloodline than ability. Almost all high-ranking officers were nobles, and the night elves had lived in peace for so long that very few of those officers, however privileged and well educated, possessed even a basic knowledge of tactics. Joining the army, once a selfless choice to defend the night elf people, had been reduced to a status symbol. The War of the Ancients made the army's deterioration all too clear. After the night elves and their allies had achieved victory, High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind decreed sweeping changes throughout night elf society. As part of these changes, Tyrande disbanded the old army, comprised from theKaldorei Resistance, most of whom had no desire for further battle, and after the kaldorei slowly expanded from Mount Hyjal toAshenvale, she formally established the Sentinels. She forged the predominantly female Sentinels from the ranks of theSisterhood of Elune, which had emerged relatively unscathed from the conflict. The Sentinels, composed of devout and highly trained warrior women, became the fledgling night elf nation's primary protectors and guardians, especially after Malfurion Stormrage and most of his druids isolated themselves in centuries of slumber in theEmerald Dream, and befriended the native creatures of Kalimdor as they patrolled the wilds and forests under Tyrande's leadership.^[96][81]

Although the night elves sacrificed theirimmortality, theirhomeland, and apparently "much of their power" at the end of theThird War,^[7] the night elfSentinels are still considered great warriors, fighting with savagery and skill that amazed even the greatest of warriors.^[97] In the past, Sentinels cared little for melee combat, instead relying on their trusted bows and throwable three-tippedglaives, although melee weaponry seem to have become considerably more common in recent years.^[98] Swords,^[99][100] scimitars,^[101] daggers^[102] and the two-tipped glaives more commonly associated withdemon hunters^[103][104] are seen only in isolated cases. The founder and current leader of the Sentinels,Tyrande Whisperwind andShandris Feathermoon respectively, are themselves highly skilledrangers andarchers who prefer the bow and arrow as their primary weapon before all others. In theThird War, Sentinels were composed ofShadowleaves,Moonhunters,Starseekers, andNightblades, but these units have mostly not been mentioned since, implying they might have been re-organized or absorbed into the broader ranks of the night elf military afterDarnassus was founded. The night elves have also usedSentinel spies andoutrunners to infiltrate, scout, or patrol unfriendly territories.

Supporting the Sentinels in battle are thedruids, theSisters of Elune, and theWatchers, all of whom bring powerful abilities and resources to aid in battle. While affiliated with theCenarion Circle, notable druids such asBroll Bearmantle,Master Thal'darah,Elerethe Renferal,Telaron Windflight,Gaivan Shadewalker,Corvine Moonrise,Talran of the Wild,Balren of the Claw,Qiana Moonshadow,Janthes Shadeleaf,Thisalee Crow,Ferryn,Lieutenant Ivyth,Archdruid Andrenius and theirshan'doMalfurion Stormrage himself have all fought alongside their kaldorei kin against the Horde in recent years, acting in versatile roles ranging from scouts and warriors to guardians to healers, with most traditionally working separately from the Sentinels but cooperating effectively with them when in need.^[105] Several druids includingSentinel Amarassan have even joined their ranks, and most of theAlliance druids are predominantly night elf or trained by them, with the night elves' powers overnature described as being second to none.^[106]Priestesses of the Moon have also helped the night elves' military efforts, primarily in support and healing roles, but can also call uponElune's power to actively defend themselves and others, such as in the Third War, Ashenvale and the War of the Thorns. In addition,huntresses are the elite cadre of the Sentinel military, supported by theirowl scouts, and usually serve as mounted warriors onnightsabers, providing support to non-mounted Sentinels in battle, most recently notably serving astanks alongside the Sentinels and druids during the Battle for Darkshore.

There are also male and femalehunters in night elf society, their people being naturally attuned to the wild outdoors, most distinctly the archers who serve in the Sentinels. These hunters are largely distinct from the predominantly female and more formally militarily integrated huntresses, who typically prefer to engage in close-range melee combat while wielding moonglaives and riding theirnightsabers, although some of their roles seem to overlap with each other (for example,Huntress Kella Nightbow serves as an unmountedhunter trainer,Huntress Sandrya Moonfall is a Sentinel archer riding on a nightsaber, and there areDarnassian Huntresses part of the Sentinel spies). After the War of the Ancients,Namuria Gladesong herself founded theUnseen Path after leaving Hyjal forHighmountain with her fellow hunters, and after her death, her successorEmmarel Shadewarden re-established the order in modern times, to be joined by her fellow huntersShandris Feathermoon,Raene Wolfrunner, andRanger Glynda Nal'Shea.

The "way of the hunter", though seemingly less well-known, is just as ancient and venerable as that of the druid and Sentinel.^[107] According toAyanna Everstride ofAldrassil, training as a night elf hunter involves taming beasts to aid them in battle, using a bow with unerring accuracy, and respecting the lands both at home and beyond,^[108] and all hunters are expected to respect nature as not something bent to their will, but a power stronger than their very existence.^[109] Night elf hunters such asEmmarel Shadewarden,Jeen'ra Nightrunner,Dorion,Kaerbrus, andKamatari Whisperwind have successfully tamed all forms of animals to assist them in their duties as pets and companions, ranging fromeagles,^[110]nightsabers,^[111]wolves,^[112][113]panthers,^[114] andriverbeasts.^[115][116]

There also exist individualwarrior trainers in Teldrassil such asAlyissia,Sildanair,Elanaria,Darnath Bladesinger, andKyra Windblade, as well as individual male warriors such asJarod Shadowsong,Valstann Staghelm,Dalan Nightbreaker,Protector Arminon,Protector Endolar,Captain Elendilad,Lieutenant Lonadin,Marius Tanolaar,Yumanis Oakengrip, andTell'machrim Stormvigil, although it is unclear whether they are directly affiliated with the Sentinels.

Shandris Feathermoon leads the Sentinels fromFeathermoon Stronghold inFeralas, andSu'ura Swiftarrow leads theSilverwing Sentinels, a specialized sub-group, in repelling ongoing Horde incursions intoAshenvale, most notably seen inWarsong Gulch. TheDarnassian City Guard was previously responsible for the protection of their capital inTeldrassil and surrounding lands, but suffered massive losses in theWar of the Thorns. Together, these different groups collectively comprised theDarnassian Army.

Aside from beingagile and nimble in combat and able to avoid attacks with greater ease than most, night elves aregenerally resistant to nature magic andblessed by Elune's power during the night and day; their druids and rogues are able tomove more quickly than those of other races when stealthed. They can also frequentlyslip into the shadows to hide themselves from enemies, and theirspirits move and travel far more quickly than ordinary ones.

Other forces and allies[]

Night elf technology is apparently somewhat limited, and the only commonly employed technological war equipment seems to be theGlaive Thrower, a powerful long-range vehicle capable of cutting through reinforced armor, as seen throughout night elf territory. Rather than rely on technology in battle for the most part, the night elves instead bring their natural allies. Amongst these various allies areowls,sabers,hippogryphs,dryads,keepers of the Grove,nymphs,treants,chimaeras,faerie dragons,mountain giants andancients.^[117][118]Furbolg,wildkin,green dragons andstorm crows are also allies of the night elves,^[4] but don't appear to be integrated in their armies. The night elves even befriended abog beast,Rethiel the Greenwarden, who is tended to by some of their druids, includingFerilon Leafborn, at theGreenwarden's Grove in theWetlands.

Wisps can also be found among the crews of night elven boats, as well as used to gather wood resources and repair broken structures. The night elves summoned wisps atMount Hyjal to successfully destroy demons on several occasions, and Malfurion summoned thousands of them to hold off the Horde in their invasion of Ashenvale and Darkshore.^[119] Moonwells are used to create blessings that offer protection against fire,^[120] and are used to bless [Warden's Arrow].^[121] They are widely revered as shrines to Elune, their mystical powers respected and widely utilized by the Sentinels, druids, and the Highborne alike, for their extraordinary restorative and healing as well as other properties.^[122]

TheGilneans today are among the closest allies of the night elves, several even joining theCenarion Circle and theSentinels due to the kaldorei's assistance, and were alone among the Alliance nations who directly aided them in theBattle for Darkshore, withKing Genn Greymane and his family remaining personally close friends of Tyrande and Malfurion to this day. Thedraenei, whose arrival the night elves first noticed, are their closest neighbors geographically, and theirProphet Velen was honored and held in the highest esteem by the night elf rulers.^[44] They have also recently sent paladins and other forces to assist them in places such asBattlescar Valley andForest Song, with several ambassadors such asEmissary Valustraa found inDarnassus itself before its destruction.

TheWatchers, especially thewardens led byMaiev Shadowsong, have fulfilled their duties as the marshals and jailors of night elf society for millennia, serving occasionally as trained assassins and bounty hunters, and also played a part in bolstering night elf forces in recent times. They were known to have historically kept Kalimdor's greatest threats in theirVault of the Wardens, a massive underground prison built off the coast ofAzsuna, and whose entrance is located at theIsle of the Watchers. While they apparently were relatively non-aligned and were open to Horde assistance during theCataclysm events ofMount Hyjal as well as in theBroken Isles, they have also openly aided the other Darnassian elves and the Alliance onalternate Draenor and in theBattle for Darkshore, where Maiev herself served as the Alliance commander, aided by her brotherJarod Shadowsong, and led the kaldorei to successfully reclaimDarkshore. Maiev's most prominent wardens, includingMarin Bladewing,Mirana Starlight,Drelanim Whisperwind,Malace Shade andShalis Darkhunter, all actively participated in the Battle for Darkshore.

TheHighborneShen'dralarmagi led byArchmage Mordent Evenshade, as well as their night elf students, have become fairly integrated into the kaldorei military as of theFourth War, and for several years have aided the Alliance operations in Kalimdor, especially inFeralas, theStonetalon Mountains,Ashenvale andAzshara, as well as in Kul Tiras and Zandalar as part of other Alliance groups such as the7th Legion. Some of them, such asLorekeeper Amberwind andEstulan, have even helped established new outposts, such as theDarnassian Base Camp in Azshara and theTower of Estulan in Feralas. Most recently, Highborne night elves such asSarvonis andRalara contributed immensely to the night elves' initial efforts in holding off the Horde advances in theWar of the Thorns, enabling other night elf magi to portal some ofTeldrassil's civilian population to safety inStormwind and saving their people from extinction; several night elf magi were found at theBattle for Lordaeron; andLieutenant Golras and Mordent Evenshade himself helped lead the Alliance effort against the Horde in Darkshore. Kaldorei magi also openly contributed their efforts to theAlliance-Horde war as well as theWar in Draenor and the war on the Broken Isles, and during theFourth War, severalNar'thalas Magi traveled to Stormwind'sWizard's Sanctum, providing a portal to theCrumbled Palace of theCourt of Farondis.

Rogues such asIlliyana Moonblaze, although part of night elf society for years, have long been traditionally mistrusted by some segments of formal night elf society as little more than pirates, and were not officially integrated into theSentinels or other parts of their military for a long while, although the Cataclysm's upheaval also gave them opportunities to become "trusted fighters of the Alliance". A female rogue served as theSentinel Leader for the night elves'spies in Quel'Thalas. Illiyana herself was personally responsible for rescuing CommanderSu'ura Swiftarrow during the events of theAshenvale war,^[44] and some night elf rogues have joinedStormwind'sSI:7, most notablyRell Nightwind, who accompanied the small, elite force sent byKing Varian Wrynn to securePandaria and successfully rescueAnduin Wrynn.^[123] Other SI:7 rogues from the night elves includeCaelvana Duskwalker,Darkblade Cyn, andVeruca Darkstream, Stormwind's newestrogue trainer, andScout Commander Barus cooperated withSI:7 agents in Kalimdor in an effort to prevent the Horde'sbombing attack against Thal'darah Grove.Lynore Windstryke was a leader of theMight of Kalimdor who later became a commander in the7th Legion andValiance Expedition;Nitrana was a mace-wielding rogue atStormshield Stronghold withinAshran;Tavar, a runner skilled at disguise was slain during theWar of the Thorns while attempting to lure Varok Saurfang himself into Malfurion's trap atAstranaar; and former Darnassian rogue trainerErion Shadewhisper helped constructglaive throwers in theBattle for Darkshore.

Pandaren visitors such asLaoxi andLanfen, Brewer of Fine Teas also taught the Darnassian elves the ways of themonk after theTushui Pandaren joined the Alliance, and were apparently welcomed openly by the night elves into Teldrassil.^[124] Several night elf monks includingOrrindis Raindrinker,Gwynlan Rainglow andEvanra Cloudchant joined their brethren in their campaign to alternate Draenor;Sylara Steelsong aided theOrder of the Broken Temple as its Windwalker monk champion; and at least one female kaldorei monk joined the rest of the night elf military in opposing the Horde's invasion of Ashenvale in the War of the Thorns, notably nearly knockingVarok Saurfang unconscious with a single blow to the temple in their brief struggle.^[125]

Despite the Alliance's reluctant acceptance of both groups, bothdeath knights anddemon hunters are apparently quite rare in the formal night elf military, with their backgrounds being largely anathema to night elf culture. However, several night elf death knights joined the ranks of the7th Legion asSkybreaker Dreadblades, and in at least one other instance, several night elf death knights, includingSylalleas Frostwind,Arebia Wintercall,Lleanya Mourningsong andRaevyn Sorrowblade, associated themselves with the Alliance and journeyed with their military forces to alternate Draenor. Tyrande and Malfurion acknowledgedJace Darkweaver's presence in Stormwind, with Malfurion expressing unease at his presence and recalling the demon hunters' imprisonment since his brother's fall,^[126] but Tyrande more receptive and even regarding them as "a valuable weapon" in their coming war.^[127] The Illidari night elves have yet to significantly aid their kin in their military operations against the Horde, although several death knights and demon hunters, includingCaladon Leechblade,Nylaria the Haunted, andRaize Shadespear, have recently aided the Alliance inArathi Basin.

Military units[]

Members of the Sentinel Army can be proficient in a wide variety of skills, fromnightsaber andhippogryph riding to the use of siege weaponry. As such, the army is able to fill many unique roles on the battlefield. Primary examples of these include:

• Archers compose the first rank of the Sentinel army. These night elves are expert marksmen and use the concealing forests ofKalimdor to their advantage. Their lightning-quick ambushes are legendary, for few warriors can match the proud archers' speed and cunning. These are the basic sentinel type, and have formed a key part of kaldorei armies since the days of theWar of the Ancients.^[18]
• Huntresses are the elite cadre of the Sentinel army. Drawing their strength from the moon goddess,Elune, these warrior women ride the feralnightsaber panthers into battle. Huntresses are strong and swift, and merciless to those who would defile the sanctity of the forests. Huntresses also have a close bond with theowls of the forest. These owls relay information and spy for the Sentinel army. They are themounted warrior version of sentinels, and often act as heavy shock troops.
• Hippogryph riders provide aerial support in battle, as well as scouting and reconnaissance. Hippogryph-mounted sentinels usually act as airborne archers, and form an effective mobile rapid-response unit.^[128]
• Glaive throwers serve as the main siege weapon of the Sentinels, and can be operated by a single individual. Hurling imposing metal glaives across large distances, they can be used to punch through even the toughest of fortifications. Glaive throwers can also be turned to the skies as an effective anti-air deterrent.^[129]

Interactions with the Alliance[]

In the past, there appeared to be some culture clashes between the night elves and the other races of the Alliance. Some kaldorei expressed thinly veiled contempt for the other cultures or mortals of the world. Traditionalists within night elven society, notably former ArchdruidFandral Staghelm^{[citation needed]}  and WardenMaiev Shadowsong, as well as some of the Highborne such asVar'dyn Skyseeker, showed open antagonism or contempt for what they consider to be "lesser races" and "outlanders".^[44] The shadowy nature and the wild conservative ways of the night elves have also led to awkward or strained interactions between the kaldorei and other races. For example, the night elves seem to be uncomfortable with the Alliance's obnoxious use of technology while the Alliance view the night elves' primal form of warfare and lifestyle as somewhat primitive.^[130]

Even so,Malfurion Stormrage andTyrande Whisperwind saw merit in maintaining ties with the younger races within the Alliance, for they have shown resilience in the face ofterrible adversity, and have even earned the favor ofElune andWild Gods such asGoldrinn.^[44] As a result, the night elves have positioned themselves as a peculiar mixture of observers, teachers and arbiters; watching silently from the sidelines and stepping in without warning to 'correct' any dangerous mistakes or 'naive' courses of action. In addition, the younger cultures do seem to possess one quality the kaldorei have been missing for quite some time: the enthusiasm of youth. Adventure and exotic locales have renewed their appeal to many night elves, and the kaldorei again have more than a few who brave leavingTeldrassil and Ashenvale to seek out intrigue in the far-off lands their people have not set foot on for ten thousand years. With the recent loss of their immortality, the mortal races of the Alliance have also shared their experience with the night elves on how to cope with death, frailty, and sickness.^{[citation needed]} 

In line with Malfurion's stance on the races of the Alliance, druids such asTalar Oaktalon advocate living in harmony with all life and the interconnectivity of all living things. Thus the druids have encouraged the sharing of ideas and the lending of mutual aid.^[131] Indeed, the kaldorei have become increasingly involved in many Alliance affairs that focus on the protection and restoration ofAzeroth's natural world. In thePlaguelands, the night elves have made it their mission to cleanse and restore life to the land, whereas the other races focus primarily on eradicating the lingeringScourge. InNorthrend, kaldorei can be seen empowering the wildlife in thevery heartland of theLich King's seat of power. InThousand Needles, there was an instance of night elf sentinels temporarily joining forces withtauren refugees to rout the maraudingGrimtotem tribe. Most notably, after thehumankingdom of Gilneas was jolted back into the outside world in the Cataclysm's wake, theForsakenlaunched an invasion of its lands. The kaldorei, being well aware of the druidic origins of the curse afflicting the Gilneans, lent their aid to the besieged kingdom and granted theworgen asylum within Teldrassil's borders.

Night elves have a fairly close relation with draenei, having been the first race to meet the draenei after their arrival to Azeroth, with Prophet Velen being held in high regard by Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage,^{[citation needed]}  and a draenei ambassador being close to Tyrande herself in Darnassus. Draenei have assisted the night elves in several areas and conflicts against the Horde, and a portion of Darnassus refugees was welcomed on Azuremyst Isle after the burning of Teldrassil.

Some night elves would even join other Alliance organizations over the years, withRell Nightwind joining his fellow rogues inSI:7, andElise Starseeker participating in the dwarven-majorityExplorer's League.Pained served asJaina Proudmoore's personal bodyguard for years after theBattle of Mount Hyjal, and was adept enough in combat to single-handedly fightMalkorok and laterBaine Bloodhoof during thebattle for Theramore. TheHighborne themselves would come to offer their services inStormwind,Ironforge, theExodar, andDalaran.Lynore Windstryke, a rogue and former leader of theMight of Kalimdor, andThaumaturge Moonspire, a night elf mage, also became commanders in the7th Legion, fighting inNorthrend andPandaria respectively.

Relations with other elven groups[]

High elves and other Highborne groups[]

In the past, a particularly lingering grudge existed between the kaldorei and theirThalassian descendants, night elves generally viewed thehigh elves andblood elves with disgust, suspicion, or outright hostility.^[132] After some high elves rejoined the Alliance following theThird War, the night elves saw it as their duty to warn their new allies about theHighborne's part in bringing about theWar of the Ancients figured heavily in the night elves' retelling of high elf history.^[133]

However, the high elves and the night elves collaborated on several occasions in the past during the Long Vigil, withEmmarel Shadewarden and her forces helping the high elves underTalanas Windrunner fight off anAmani troll incursion,^[134] andShandris Feathermoon fighting "side by side" withRanger Captain Areiel two or three thousand years ago.^[135]

There are also indications that relations have improved at least somewhat in recent years, due to their mutual long-term associations with the Alliance, as well as possibly the return of theShen'dralarHighborne kin to kaldorei society, which essentially ended the reason which caused the rift between Malfurion and Dath'Remar in the first place. Tyrande herself accepted the Shen'dralar's return, having also acknowledged the high elves' contributions to theBattle of Mount Hyjal after she and Malfurion encounteredKael'thas Sunstrider, the last descendant of the Highborne mage who freed her during theWar of the Ancients long ago.

Although some of the Shen'dralar were aware thatDath'Remar Sunstrider had departed Kalimdor and intended to follow his people to theEastern Kingdoms,^[136] there have been limited interactions between the Shen'dralar and the quel'dorei today, withDaros Moonlance traveling fromFeralas to theSilver Enclave,^[137]Archmage Aranhir Starsinger and the high elfEnchanter Nalthanis having a cordial relationship, and theLorekeeper Lydros not objecting toTelmius Dreamseeker's presence inEldre'Thalas, despitePrince Tortheldrin incinerating the latter. The Highborne's current relationship with the blood elves is more hostile due to the faction war, withLorekeeper Amberwind and her students apparently killed on the orders ofAndorel Sunsworn, butMalynea Skyreaver acknowledged their role in the War of the Ancients and expressed concern regarding their return.^[138]

First Mate Wavesinger was second-in-command ofThe Bravery, a ship which sailed toRut'theran Village, andArcanist Dulial was also briefly allowed into Darnassus itself.Vereesa Windrunner allowedMoonbell into theSilver Covenant andMuran Fairden, a night elf druid, into theSilver Enclave, and she and her half-elven children were invited as guests to Tyrande and Malfurion's wedding inDarnassus, her husbandRhonin having helped them win theWar of the Ancients. She and her rangers would later work with Shandris and her Sentinels in an attempt to hunt downThalen Songweaver before the destruction ofTheramore, as well as further working together as fellow leaders and hunters in theUnseen Path. Tyrande's night elves andVereesa Windrunner's high elves shared the same camp in Suramar and were apparently able to cooperate fairly well without significant tension.

Alleria Windrunner portaled herself toAn'daroth while seeking outMagister Umbric to recruit thevoid elves, and theBurning of Teldrassil caused her to openly express regret at not having killed her sisterSylvanas the last time they met.^[139] Both she and Umbric cooperated quite well on several occasions withShandris Feathermoon (who previously went as far as travel toalternate Draenor as theCowled Ranger seeking news of Alleria's whereabouts) in the subsequent military campaign of theFourth War.

Some night elf ghosts, both Highborne and non-Highborne, have aligned themselves with the Darnassian elves, such asAsterion ofBashal'Aran, theRemorseful Highborne ofKel'Theril,Prince Toreth ofLoreth'Aran andThelar Moonstrike ofMathystra (who fought against Horde adventurers during theBattle for Darkshore), along withYalda andOben Rageclaw.

The night elvesghosts of theCourt of Farondis, led byPrince Farondis himself, still reside today inAzsuna on theBroken Isles. SeveralNar'thalas magi traveled to Stormwind to provide portal services toAzsuna'sCrumbled Palace for Alliance players, apparently affiliating themselves with their Darnassian kin.

Blood elves[]

Initially, the night elves and blood elves had joined forces inWarcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and Tyrande, Malfurion, and even Maiev worked cordially withKael'thas Sunstrider and his troops, who treated their older brethren with respect despite their peoples' past conflict. Tyrande grieved for the deaths of Kael's brethren, encouraging the blood elf prince not to allow vengeance to poison his heart, and to instead focus on leading his people into a brighter future.^[140] However, when Kael'thas Sunstrider allied with Illidan Stormrage who was still then regarded as a traitor and the mysterious serpentine naga later fleeing to Outland and believed to be in league with the Legion. Relationships soured and the night elves warned the Alliance about the blood elves' past.^{[citation needed]}  The last of the good overtures vanished when the night elves sent an espionage and quasi-military expedition to Quel'thalas, a move that was deemed hostile and answered with force by the blood elves. This was the first recorded killings between the two groups, escalating the negative aspects of their relations to open and violent conflict.

Since then, the night elves and blood elves have clashed in several confrontations under the banner of the Alliance and Horde, in particular the Horde invasion ofAzshara,Ashenvale andDesolace shortly after theCataclysm. Years later, to aid theNightfallen rebellion withinSuramar,Khadgar called on the kaldorei and sin'dorei to assist their long-estranged brethren. Although they now faced a common enemy, some of the elven groups remained bitterly divided over historical, racial, and cultural differences.Lady Liadrin insisted that while her scouting was useful, Tyrande knew little of the type of open warfare which was needed to besiege her former city, deeming only herBlood Knights capable of withstanding Elisande's forces, and later told Thalyssra that the blood elves were "scorned" by Tyrande, arguing that her people fought to save their world while the kaldorei "slept in dens or hid in trees".^[141]

Broll Bearmantle andValeera Sanguinar, despite their initial hostilities, came to form a deep and lasting friendship, saving each others' lives on various occasions.

Illidan Stormrage andKael'thas Sunstrider were formerly close allies inOutland, with Illidan accepting his blood elves as the only other race he trained asdemon hunters. Although Kael'thas became disillusioned by Illidan later, most of his blood elves who trained with Illidan remained loyal to his cause, withKayn Sunfury becoming one of his closest and most loyal followers even after Kael'thas's death, even openly opposingAltruis the Sufferer when the latter criticized Illidan's decisions.

Malfurion Stormrage was notably surprised byLorash's willingness to join the other Horde races invadingAshenvale, calling him a "brother", arguing that their invasion was senseless, that the night elves and their Highborne kin once lived together and died for one another, both in theWar of the Ancients and during the war in theBroken Isles, and pointing out that despite the years of conflict between their factions, the kaldorei had never invaded Quel'Thalas, nor dreamed of doing so (as far as he was aware). Lorash retorted that the kaldorei had not aided their exiled brethren during their long ordeal in the Eastern Kingdoms, nor in their centuries of warfare against the trolls and most recently against theLich King and theScourge during the high elf genocide in theThird War.^[142]

Nightborne[]

The kaldorei's relationship with thenightborne, already tense after Tyrande and her people apparently distanced themselves fromThalyssra and her brethren after the liberation of Suramar, has also likely worsened despite Thalyssra's initial hopes to rekindle their ancient bonds of kinship, especially after the nightborne joined the Horde around the time of theBurning of Teldrassil and continuing to openly participate in operations against the Alliance during theFourth War.

Elisande accused her former subject Tyrande (who once lived as a priestess inside her city) and her kaldorei of cloaking themselves in "false piety" and becoming as savage as the trolls, abandoning their ancient customs and traditions, and Thalyssra also accused the night elves of harboring unwarranted "arrogance and mistrust" towards the nightborne of Suramar, in contrast with the blood elves who showed greater empathy and understanding for their plight.^[143]

The kaldorei in turn apparently found little reason to sympathize with a group which seemingly abandoned theKaldorei Resistance, and largely aligned themselves once again with the Legion, their ancient enemies, with Tyrande raising the possibility of Thalyssra herself becoming the nextQueen Azshara.^[144]Shandris Feathermoon cooperated with Thalyssra inNazjatar, the remnants of their ancient capital, where she also expressed displeasure at Suramar having isolated themselves from the rest of the kaldorei during theWar of the Ancients, to which Thalyssa replied that Suramar sealed itself off to keep thePillars of Creation free from Azshara's grasp.^[145]

Deceased night elven ghosts can also be raised intobanshees andspectres.

Relations with the Horde races[]

Orc[]

Though many within the kaldorei still felt bitter about the role orcs played inCenarius's death, hostilities were apparently not renewed until the Horde continued their lumbering operations inWarsong Gulch.^[146] These Warsong incursions into Ashenvale renewed the night elves' animosity towards the orcs and have therefore functioned as the catalyst for their participation in the Alliance's military endeavors. Despite this, diplomatic relations with fellowdruidtauren and their respect for WarchiefThrall tempered the night elves' wrath.

To avoid an all-out war, the night elves even allowed open trade with the Horde until theWrathgate incident strained their trust, consequently leading to a withdrawal of all trade contracts as well as the barring of all Horde members fromAshenvale.^[147] When the orcish territory ofDurotar suffered from a terrible drought, the orcs' new warchief,Garrosh Hellscream, son ofGrom Hellscream, launched a full-scale invasion ofAshenvale to sustain his people, leading to a devastating back-and-forth conflict over sovereign land and resources in theAshenvale war.^[148] The conflict between the orcs and the kaldorei since then escalated so fiercely into open warfare that it even began to involve several of theancients^[149] and theChildren of Cenarius.^[150]

Tauren[]

Of all the Horde races, the night elves share the closest and most friendly relationship with the tauren by far. Although some of the more traditional night elves such asDesdel Stareye were initially mistrusting of them (and most other races), some of the tauren includingHuln Highmountain, fought alongside them in theWar of the Ancients, and were eagerly welcomed byJarod Shadowsong as reinforcements. They were the first non-kaldorei race to be welcomed into theCenarion Circle and theMoonglade, withHamuul Runetotem developing a particularly close bond withMalfurion Stormrage, whom he sought out and learned the teachings of Cenarius from, as well as other prominent Archdruids such asBroll Bearmantle andElerethe Renferal. WhileFandral Staghelm was displeased at the idea of the tauren becoming druids, eventually even he slowly developed an outwardly courteous and cooperative relationship with Hamuul, who is given access toDarnassus itself.^[35] The tauren would help the kaldorei repel the Legion once again in theThird War after Medivh convinced the Alliance and Horde to ally with the night elves.

Despite the faction war, the tauren and night elves have even jointly establishedCenarion Expedition outposts inNorthrend as well as other worlds such asOutland, and their two races seemed to have very rarely come into direct conflict, at least before theCataclysm, after which tauren warriors were seen invadingAshenvale. TheDisciples of Naralex, include tauren druids such asNalpak,Muyani, andMuyoh, the latter of which risked his life to save his teacherNaralex from theEmerald Nightmare after the night elves and tauren attempted to regrow theBarrens.Scholar Runethorn consideredSage Korolusk her associate inFeralas, and they simultaneously attempted to uncover knowledge of the whereabouts ofTelmius Dreamseeker inDire Maul.^[151] As an apprentice toMaster Thal'darah,Galena Stormspear was seemingly the only tauren permitted atThal'darah Overlook, an Alliance settlement. The Sentinels permittedLoh'atu to shareTalrendis Point with them, and the tauren subsequently aided them in cleansingAzshara of Highborne spirits and satyrs. The tauren even revereElune asMu'sha, as one of theEarth Mother's eyes, with Hamuul heavily influenced by Moonglade's elven teachings, although eventually they would extend their reverence toAn'she as well, seeking balance between the Moon and the Sun.^[152]

Their opinions and viewpoints were not completely without tension or disagreement, however. The tauren shamanBraug Dimspirit acknowledged the goblins' negative impact on the environment, but argued that the Forsaken and the orcs were not the only ones to blame for the misfortunes found throughout Kalimdor and Lordaeron,^[153] while the tauren druidGart Mistrunner insisted that the kaldorei's pride limited their sight, despite the common bond the two races shared via druidism.^[154]

Baine Bloodhoof, noting he trusted "that this one chosen by a friend of my people will act will honor toward all", was able to convince the Horde members of theresistance against theEmerald Nightmare to acceptVarian Wrynn's leadership afterMalfurion Stormrage declared that Varian would lead them.^[155] The failed meeting between Hamuul and Elerethe inAshenvale to help establish trade links between their peoples shortly before the Cataclysm, which theTwilight's Hammer disguised as Horde members killed nearly a dozen total druids from their respective races, also likely strained night elf-tauren relations, and led to an enragedCairne Bloodhoof challengingGarrosh Hellscream to amak'gora, leading to his death at the hands of the latter. However, Malfurion, Hamuul (who helped save him from the Nightmare) and other members are seen cooperating without significant tension atMount Hyjal, and this ruse was apparently discovered by Malfurion and others eventually.^[156] The druidsAnren Shadowseeker andTholo Whitehoof are apparently extremely devoted best friends who unhesitantly fight with each other at Hyjal.^[157] Even despite their tensions elsewhere in Kalimdor, night elves cooperate with the tauren atFreewind Post against theGrimtotem.Aramar Thorne later recalled theThalyss Greyoak's friendly interactions withWuul Breezerider, noting how he had said "very nice things about tauren", and was confused at why some of the night elves were enemies with the tauren, despite their opposing political affiliations.^[158]

Sometimes, such bonds continued to transcend even the faction war, and tauren and night elves alike have openly gone against their commanding officers in the face of unprovoked aggression. For example,High Chieftain Cliffwalker opposedOverlord Krom'gar's aggression against the kaldorei druids ofThal'darah Grove, whom Krom'gar accused of harboring a secret Alliance weapon, resulting in the deaths of his wife and son as well as the tauren ofCliffwalker Post. Not long after this incident, the night elf druidLintharel, who believed the divisions between their factions were false ones, likewise defied her human commanderMarco Heller by saving her friendNita, almost losing her own life in the process.^[159] InPandaria,Lorekeeper Vaeldrin andSunwalker Dezco fought together against themoguGroundbreaker Brojai and afterwards refused to fight each other,^[160] and Tyrande and Baine faced off against each other in the Trial of Garrosh Hellscream, with Tyrande notably displaying great reluctance to harm Baine's reputation during the course of the trial.^[161]

Thunder Bluff Shaman andThunderous Braves were seen fighting against the night elves inDarkshore during theWar of the Thorns. Even during and after theFourth War, not all bonds were discarded, with Anren and Tholo continuing to fight with each other at Hyjal.Tiala Whitemane, still guarding the World Tree along with the other druids, was apparently able to negotiate safe passage for Thrall, Baine, and Calia Menethil, when they sought a meeting with Tyrande, Malfurion, and the night elves atNordrassil, implying the kaldorei have not broken all ties with their Cenarion Circle members at least.

While the night elves of Kalimdor apparently distanced themselves from their tauren neighbors following theSundering, even refraining from intervening on their behalf against thecentaur, the night elf hunters who later left Mount Hyjal and returned to theBroken Isles after the War of the Ancients to establish theUnseen Path worked extensively once again with theHighmountain tauren, even establishing their primary baseTrueshot Lodge in their territory after the Highmountain offered them their friendship and support.^[162]Huln Highmountain's descendantArien Highmountain founded theUnseen Path withNamuria Gladesong, and their two races "learned much from each other", as they remained ever vigilant and stood constant guard against the Legion's return.^[163] Huln himself recently reaffirmed his friendship withJarod Shadowsong, telling Shandris Feathermoon that he considered any friend of Jarod a friend of his, and aiding her in her attempt to save Tyrande Whisperwind by seeking out other Night Warriors throughout the Shadowlands,^[164] his relentless efforts ultimately resulting in Tyrande being saved from Elune's forbidden power.^[165]

Other Horde races[]

The night elves' most long-lasting hostile relationship seems to be with the orcs, their primary rivals in Kalimdor, with hostilities between their two peoples beginning even prior to their joining the Alliance, dating back to their first clashes inAshenvale even during theThird War, where the newly arrived Horde races attempted to harvest lumber for their necessities, unaware of the kaldorei's presence and objections. Their continuing disputes over the region's land and abundant resources, culminating in theWarsong Gulch, appear to have been one of the primary reasons the night elves opted to formally join the ranks of the Alliance, and worsened further after the kaldorei broke all trade ties with the Horde, andGarrosh Hellscream became the new Warchief and escalated the hostilities in Ashenvale into open war, as well as into other regions such as theStonetalon Mountains. A notable exception is Tyrande and Malfurion's very close friendship withBroxigar, the first orc the night elves would ever encounter, during theWar of the Ancients, with Tyrande personally vouching for his entry into Suramar's Temple of the Moon and healing him with her powers, and still recalling him as "Brox" even millennia later after meeting his nieceThura.^[35] Tyrande also later acknowledgedVarok Saurfang as his brother, seemingly regarding the latter as an honorable warrior.^[161]

The materialistic and highly technologically advancedgoblins of theBilgewater Cartel, with their blatant disregard for nature and wildlife, both of which the night elves long regarded as sacred, are likely the second-most hostile Horde race with the night elves. Their presence inAzshara, the remnants of their ancient capital, and their significant contributions to Garrosh's war machine in Ashenvale and other night elf lands in Kalimdor, further contributed to their enmity,^[44][166] although Tyrande has allowed the goblins the use of Azshara's lumber in return for the Horde withdrawing fromAshenvale.^[167]

TheDarkspear trolls were formerly of the ancientGurubashi Empire which attempted to challenge the ancient kaldorei, but their modern-day interactions, aside from the usual faction conflicts by association, appear to be relatively limited, although Tyrande openly aidedVol'jin in theSiege of Orgrimmar.

TheForsaken likewise have a limited presence inKalimdor even after joining the Horde, and their contacts with the night elves seem to be about as limited as those of the trolls, although their cultures have nearly opposite values, and the night elves were mentioned as having "little use for the abominations that were the Forsaken" despite their deep respect for life.^[94]

They clashed primarily in Ashenvale, where the Forsaken claimed an ancient kaldorei ruin as their outpost atBathran's Haunt, with the Forsaken mageSarilus Foulborne fillingMystral Lake with taintedwater elementals,^[168] the ancientBathran being killed by the Forsaken who sought to harvest his resources for their schemes,^[169] and the Forsaken managing to murder or drive insane all the druids ofDor'Danil Barrow Den after experimenting upon their spirits while they slumbered.^[170] The Forsaken apparently sought to spread lethal disease throughout the land of the night elves, creating potent poisons to use against the people of Ashenvale.^[171]

TheWar of the Thorns in whichSylvanas Windrunner destroyed most ofTeldrassil's population, and the subsequentFourth War, in which the two races fought theBattle for Darkshore to control the region, seems to have all but destroyed the Forsaken-night elf relationship, especially given the use of theBlight in their sacred lands, including theirmoonwells, and the destruction ofLor'danel and many of their settlements in the region at the hands of the Forsaken. EvenCalia Menethil, due to her undead nature, was not sparedTyrande Whisperwind's rage, despite the fact that she was not part of the Horde during the conflict.^[172]

Despite the bulk of their forces being deployed toDarkshore, the night elves clashed once again with their formerZandalari neighbors during theBattle of Dazar'alor, withan entire battalion of kaldorei troops joining the Alliance to act as a necessary diversion in order to help besiege the ancient troll capital (some openly vowing to punish Zuldazar for aiding Sylvanas and the Horde), and although they would suffer considerable casualties, their efforts helped lead to a major Alliance victory.^[173]

Relationship with other races[]

Pandaren[]

Most of the night elves appeared to have all but forgotten about theirpandaren neighbors, with evenElloric's parents only vaguely recalling "a strange, furry folk that lived far to the south" of their ancient homeland before theSundering.

Before the kaldorei were addicted to arcane magic, the pandaren were a close ally to the night elves, possibly due to their shared enmity with thetroll empires. Some of them even lived with the night elves and witnessed the power of theWell of Eternity, yet after the night elves became obsessed with the Well, and afterEmperor Shaohao had a vision of the Legion invading Azeroth, the pandaren decided to sever their ties and used the Mists to separate their land from the rest of Kalimdor, formingPandaria.^[174][175]

Before they left, the pandaren decided to offer theHighborne a gift, a chest of pandaren design, said to contain all the arcane magic they would ever need. The gift was accepted and taken down into a royal vault in theTemple of Zin-Malor inEldarath. However, when the chest was opened, it was found to contain absolutely nothing. The pandaren's gift was actually a message of advice and wisdom to the Highborne - all the arcane magic they needed was nothing, or, in other words, they did not really need it at all. The chest and the message it represented continued to exist in the vault even 10,000 years later, but as history would record, the pandaren's wisdom fell on deaf ears.^[17]

The induction of theTushui Pandaren into the Alliance, and the presence of kaldorei forces inPandaria, such as theShrine of Seven Stars, seems to have rekindled a measure of friendship between the two ancient civilizations, with several trainers,Laoxi andLanfen, Brewer of Fine Teas, being welcomed into Teldrassil and their capitalDarnassus itself, teaching the kaldorei the harmonious ways of themonk.

Languages[]

The primary language of the night elves isDarnassian. Due to ideological differences between the night elves and their distant kin a linguist must take great care in drawing comparisons between Darnassian and its two cousin languages (Nazja andThalassian), because the night elves find such comparisons offensive.^[176]

All night elves have also learnedCommon in order to better relationships with theAlliance.^[177]

	Nightsong https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/File:Nightsong.mp3
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Naming[]

• Sample male names: Caynrus, Oso, Caelyb, Bretander, Darnall, Mardrack, Hammon, Heralath, Fyldren, Jarod
• Sample female names: Haidene, Elerethe, Saynna, Elyssa, Naisha, Faeyrin, Keldara, Sarinei, Raene, Ferlynn, Ysiel
• Sample last names: Winterdew, Blackforest, Skyshadow, Raincaller, Trueshot, Featherbow, Lightmane, Bluewater, Darkheart, Rapidstrike

Like humans, elves are often addressed by just their first name, or with their rank/position and their last name. However, there are a number of elves that use single names and don't fit this pattern.

• Sample single names: Pained, Moonshadow, Treesong, Nightbloom^[178]

Technology[]

Compared to their peers in theAlliance, the night elves are rather limited in their use of technology. Instead, they rely on their magic and the benefits of the natural world. That doesn't mean the night elves are primitives, however. Traditional night elf architecture shows that the elves are quite skilled at building and stonecraft,^[179] and traditional night elf weapons include the metal glaives. In battle, the night elves also deploy simple mechanical weaponry, most notablyGlaive Throwers.^{[117][180][181]}

The night elves' lifestyle is not necessarily against technology, however, but rather one where technology is not the goal. Apparently, night elf Sentinels have even shown themselves capable of using guns,^[130] but still seem to prefer their bows and throwing glaives.

Highborne used memory crystals created by ancient sorcery to store stories, music, history, and even memories.^[182]

Cuisine[]

One of the night elves' most important basic ingredients is rice flour, with most families keeping at least one basket of rice in their houses.^[183]Wild ricecakes are made in the north ofKalimdor according to a traditional night elf recipe.^[184] The most well-known night elf recipe is kimchi, made of fermented vegetables and sold by vendors throughout night elf territory. To ferment these vegetables, night elves bury pots with vegetables.^[185]Spice bread is also common, eaten almost every day.^[186] Pine nut bread is an ancient kaldorei staple;^[187] as the night elves ofDarnassus revere nature, it is no wonder that their signature bread features ingredients foraged from the forests of Kalimdor: wild hive honey, pine nuts, and mixed herbs. Additionally, it is often formed into the shape of a leaf to honorTeldrassil, theWorld Tree. Passed down from the night elves' forebears, this ancient recipe makes for a scrumptious accompaniment to pastas and stews.^[184]

Ribs,^[188] spider kabobs,^[189] sweet potatoes,^[190] lunar pears,^[191] moonberries,^[192] eyes of Elune,^[193] (seemingly an apple, grown by the moonwell and harvested by kaldorei), sunfruit^[194][195]Darnassian bleu cheese,^[196] baby octopi (sometimes eaten while still alive),^[197] herring,^[198] clams,^[199] and whitefish^[200] are also known to be part of night elf cuisine.Bean soup is a popular dish among the night elves.^[184]

While nowhere near the partaking of libations that thedwarves are known for, the night elves are familiar withalcohol. Even in ancient times, the kaldorei made Darnassian wine, distilled fromginger and which was mixed and/or stored inamphorae.^[201] In theBroken Isles, the vintage continues to be produced by thenightborne.^[202]Moonberry juice is another kaldorei beverage.^[196] Starfire espresso^[203] is a rather common caffeinated beverage that can help you sober up from an alcoholic beverage. Cenarion spirits^[204] is an alcoholic beverage, presumably a spirit liquor from its name, another alcoholic beverage named [Moonglow], though it is traditionally sold around theLunar Festival.

Vegetarianism is known to the night elves and apparently practiced by some.^[205]Malfurion Stormrage himself is a hunter, tellingVarian Wrynn that the hunt is an essential part of nature, that the druids did not condemn the wolf or bear for their part in it, and if those who hunted took what they needed and respected where that bounty came from, there is no real contradiction in their beliefs.^[44]

Moonwells are used by night elves to bless food stores.^[120]

Customs[]

• Night elf burial is done naturally, returning the deceased to nature.^[44] Priestesses begin by ritualistically cleansing the body in amoonwell, and they use nature and arcane magic to mend the body for a final viewing. The priestesses sing arias from their temples highlighting the deceased's life, after which the remains are placed on a flower-draped bier, carried to a grove, and placed on a patch of grass. A druid then spurs on the growth of plants around the corpse, creating a wide spectrum of colorful blooms which surround and then entirely encase the body.^[79] Disturbing the remains of those who have fallen is gravely looked down upon, but sometimes viewed as necessary based on circumstances.^[206]
• When a night elf's mount perishes, it is custom for the rider to keep one of thesaber's great fangs as a token of remembrance.^[207]
• Night elf children are given anowl feather on their first birthday as a token of good luck.^[208]
• Prior to the proliferation of druidism, most night elves slept during much of the day when their link to theWell of Eternity was at its weakest.^[209]

Notes on culture[]

• While now attuned to nature, prior to theWar of the Ancients night elves were an urbanized people, ill-prepared for life outside their cushioned world.^[210]
• Bracers of Kinship are symbols of a sacred bond of friendship, trust, and love among night elves.^[211]
• Superstitious elves believed tarot cards could reveal the future.^[212]
• The night elves harbor a deep respect for life. They do not torture prisoners, nor do they take delight in unnecessary casualties.^[213]
• The night elves are primarily nocturnal, and are stronger at night as the sun dampens their abilities,^[214] though apparentlydruidic powers are not affected by night or day cycles.^[215] They are used to hunting in the nighttime hours, and apparently have enhanced vision and hearing during the night.^[216]
• They also maintain a friendly and symbiotic relationship with most animals in their lands, and are generally able to co-exist peacefully with them, regarding them as their "wild kin" and respectfully addressing them with names such as "brother bear".^[94]

Appearance[]

Ever since night elves made first contact with the Alliance races, there's been a long-standing debate as to whether they had any relation to trolls. Responses from either of the two races reside on opposite ends of the spectrum. Night elves will flat-out deny any sort of ancestral ties to their historical mortal enemy. On the other hand, tribes like the Zandalari and the Darkspear may begrudgingly admit that at one time the kaldorei were indeed their kin.

Proof of a common ancestral link was discovered by Brann Bronzebeard, the famous dwarven archaeologist. He confirmed night elves descended from none other than the fabled dark trolls of Kalimdor. Refer back to the early beginnings of the Kaldorei, and you will notice their physical forms resemble very little of the exotic beings seen in modern times.

As a tribe, the dark trolls were nomadic in nature. A sect of these nomads settled on the shores of a vast lake known today as the Well of Eternity. The waters of this fount were profoundly magical in nature. As they remained exposed to the Well's energy for long periods of time, the appearance of the dark troll settlers eventually transformed.

Dark trolls were darker in complexion compared to most other trolls. Their skin was a deep violet with complimenting black or dark blue hair. They stood upright with lean, corded muscles; bearing tattoos which covered their faces and bodies. As they changed, their slenderness became accentuated. Hands and feet evolved into more fingers and toes. Ears that were once large and wide became longer, thinner and more tapered. Even in their eyes, a curious silver glow emerged which mirrored the light of their loa goddess, Elune. With the dark trolls' new form came a new name for themselves: kaldorei. This is the form we are familiar with today.

Where dark trolls had mainly dark violet skin, the skin tones of night elves fall into a broad range of the purple spectrum. Colors may vary from the darkest orchid to the faintest pink. Some individuals may even appear various hues of cerulean or bear a pale milky, opalescent shade of white. In rare cases, you may come across a night elf with a ruddy, almost rouge-like skin.

Hair color has also extended into more variants over the dual tones attributed to dark trolls earlier in this section. Starting out with sapphire or even obsidian hair, night elf hair has sprouted into a panorama of azures and violet; followed closely by greens and even silver that boarder on white. Autumnal tinctures such as red, amber, blonde and brown were, for a time, common colors; though this striking feature was found primarily among the Highborne ruling class. Hairstyles among night elves are similar to those of the Quel'dorei and Sin'dorei, albeit a bit more wildly and free-flowing. Unlike most of their elven cousins, Kaldorei men often have thick, elaborate beards and bushy eyebrows.

Over the past fifteen millennia, a tall stature and long, tapered ears have become favored traits in all bloodlines. While the reasoning for this may be a lost tradition to celebrate their identity as night elves, their exotic appearance has had a tendency to be initially greeted with admiration, fear or mockery by other races. Much time has passed since the Third War when night elves first met the Alliance, however. The presence of night elves, especially of the young adventuring variety, has become more commonplace in cities like Stormwind.

For the average Kaldorei, peak physical health is one aspect of achieving overall personal harmony. Individuals can spend centuries sculpting their form to perfection for both aesthetic appeal and battle prowess. Through generations of this practice night elves have developed a slender, athletic frame that carries them with each graceful stride.

Night elves are natural warriors built for deadly combat, and their dense musculature packs a punch with the heft they throw behind it. If weight and height ratios are similar to humans, we can expect an average kaldorei female to weigh about 200 lbs and a male roughly 250 lbs. Male Kaldorei are sinewy, with broad chests and shoulders, indicative of the strength within both their minds and bodies. Female night elves are lithe and curvaceous, yet still muscular and strong.

The average height for a female night elf is around 6'9" tall while the average height of a male is approximately 7'3" tall.^[217] A full-grown Kaldorei under 6'5" is nearly unheard of, and would be considered unnatural, or even an abomination by some.^{[citation needed]} 

Females will tend to bear facial tattoos that frame their eyes. The style of the tattoos usually have deep meaning to them. Males may have tattoos on their chests, and uncommonly around their eyes like Malfurion Stormrage.

Like other elves, most night elves are generally slim, athletic and graceful, and have large pointed ears which tend to be greeted with admiration or mockery by other races, and have unusually acute senses, able to see clearly even in low-light conditions.^[7]

Their perpetually glowing eyes are the result of their race's ancient connections to theWell of Eternity, which "caused the night elves' eyes to glow with a silver or golden radiance" not unlike how mostdraenei's eyes are glowing to signify their connection with thenaaru and theLight, making their vision "preternaturally sensitive to light and motion". Contrary to what a casual observer might believe, night elf eyes still have pupils, just as the eyes of many other humanoid races do. These pupils can be difficult to discern, particularly under certain lighting or from certain angles.^[7] When a night elf dies, the glow fades from their eyes.^[218]

Although in-game models show female night elves with glowing silver eyes, while the male's eyes have an amber glow to them, the two eye colors are not exclusive to gender, and golden eyes are starting to become more common. While not noticeable while the mouth is closed, when speaking to a night elf one can often spot the long canines they possess.^[219]

When a night elf is embarrassed, their cheeks darken to black^[9] or a darker shade of purple.^[220][221]

While gathering lumber from Ashenvale forThrall's war effort,Grom Hellscream, unaware of the night elves' identity, remarked that they looked "likeelves, but they're far too tall, and far more savage".^[97]

Golden eyes[]

Before the Sundering, golden eyes were extremely rare among the night elves. Golden eyes thus came to be regarded as a sign of future greatness. Night elves born with them were recruited into the Moon Guard.^[222] Both Queen Azshara and Illidan had these unusual eyes. Unfortunately, the falsehood of this widespread belief was only to become clear after these two infamous individuals had reached their dark fates.

In truth, golden eyes were a sign of strong druidic potential. Little wonder that pre-Sundering night elves, with their emphasis on the arcane, did not understand the significance of these unusual eyes. Simply having this potential did not guarantee that the potential would be sensed or understood, much less wielded with skill and compassion. Despite his golden eyes, Illidan struggled with the druidic arts, though he, like Malfurion, was tutored by Cenarius.

Innate druidic power does not necessarily lead to becoming a druid, and lacking that innate power does not preclude becoming a druid. Indeed, Malfurion was born with eyes that glowed silver, but he studied druidism, and his wholehearted dedication gave him a power and skill far beyond most druids. As he continued to use druidic magic, his eyes acquired the golden incandescence that had once been so coveted by other night elves.^[7]

Golden eyes quickly became far more common. After the Sundering, night elves abandoned their former obsession with bloodlines, and so the number of night elves born with golden eyes increased significantly. In addition, the night elves resolved to be more respectful of Azeroth, and a number of night elf men followed in Malfurion's footsteps; these new druids eventually also had golden eyes.^[7]

Traditionally night elf women served their people as warriors, hunters, and protectors. Many spellcasting vocations, on the other hand, were generally considered the realm of night elf men. Only since the devastating casualties of the Third War have these conventional gender roles been set aside. Because druids only recently opened their ranks to women, golden eyes remain somewhat more prevalent among night elf men than their female counterparts.

Facial tattoos[]

The symmetrical markings worn by many night elf females do have some meaning. They choose their facial markings sometime after adulthood, and they can mark an earlier rite of passage.^[35] Though they don't necessarily have to, some night elves feel they should.^[223] It is not yet clear what the rite of passage consists of or whether the act of tattooing itself is the rite of passage. Elves who perform notable deeds can be honored by receiving embellishments to their existing tattoos.^[224]

Tattooing represents their close ties with nature.^[225] Stylized claw marks are a typical shape.^[226]

Antlers[]

Seen as an extremely rare gift of nature and a sign of future greatness, a night elf may be born with antlers.^[227] They begin as small stumps on the young one's head, growing larger as the night elf matures into adulthood.^[228]

Night elves such as Malfurion Stormrage andThalyss Greyoak possess antlers, howeverBroll Bearmantle is the only night elf shown to have been born with this extraordinary gift so far.

Racial offshoots[]

•  Satyr/Shadow satyr
•  Naga
• Nightborne
  • Felborne
  • Fal'dorei
  • Nightfallen
    • Withered
•  High elf / Blood elf
  • Darkfallen
    •  San'layn
  • High elfbanshee / High elfspectre
  •  Wretched
  •  Felblood elf
  • Illidari
  •  Void elf
• Night elfbanshee / Night elfspectre
• Crystal satyr
• Illidari
• Darkfallen night elves

Altered night elf druids[]

•  WorgenDruids of the Scythe
• Druids of the Flame

Notable[]

Name	Role	Affiliation	Status	Location
Tyrande Whisperwind	High Priestess ofElune, co-leader of the night elves, leader of theSisterhood of Elune	Darnassus,Sisterhood of Elune	Alive	Various Locations
Malfurion Stormrage	Archdruid of the Kaldorei, co-leader of the night elves and theCenarion Circle	Darnassus,Cenarion Circle	Alive	Various Locations
Shandris Feathermoon	General of theSentinel Army	Sentinels,Alliance	Alive	Various Locations
Mordent Evenshade	Leader of theHighborneShen'dralar who rejoined kaldorei society in Darnassus	Darnassus,Highborne	Alive	Various Locations
Maiev Shadowsong	Leader of theWardens, former jailer ofIllidan Stormrage, main commander at theBattle for Darkshore	The Wardens,Alliance	Alive	Various Locations
Jarod Shadowsong	Leader of theWatchers, last leader of theKaldorei Resistance, recruiter at theBattle for Darkshore	Watchers,Guardians of Hyjal,Alliance	Alive	Various Locations
Broll Bearmantle	Champion of theCrimson Ring, companion ofVarian Wrynn,druid representative on theNew Council of Tirisfal	Cenarion Circle,Alliance,New Council of Tirisfal	Alive	Various Locations
Raene Wolfrunner	Female hunter and Sentinel ruler ofAshenvale	Sentinels ofAshenvale	Alive	Astranaar,Ashenvale
Su'ura Swiftarrow	Warsong Gulch Battlemaster and leader of theSilverwing Sentinels	Silverwing Sentinels,Sentinels	Alive	Silverwing Grove,Ashenvale
Lord Fallowmere	Leader of the major night elf forces atWindshear Hold inStonetalon Mountains	Darnassus,Alliance	Alive	Windshear Hold,Stonetalon Mountains
Telaron Windflight	Druid leader ofDreamer's Rest inFeralas	Darnassus,Alliance	Alive	Dreamer's Rest,Feralas
Astarii Starseeker	Formerpriest trainer and last of theSisters of Elune in theBurning of Teldrassil	Sisterhood of Elune,Darnassus,Alliance	Active	Various Locations
Prince Toreth	Former leader of theDragon Riders of Loreth'Aran	Dragon Riders of Loreth'Aran,Kaldorei Empire, Darnassus,Alliance	Active	Wyrmscar Island,Bloodmyst Isle
Prince Farondis	Leader of theCourt of Farondis inAzsuna	Court of Farondis	Active	Various Locations
Kur'talos Ravencrest	Lord ofBlack Rook Hold, first leader of theKaldorei Resistance	Kaldorei Resistance	Deceased	Various Locations
Fandral Staghelm	Majordomo ofRagnaros, leader of theDruids of the Flame, former Archdruid of Darnassus	Druids of the Flame,Old Gods' forces	Deceased	Various Locations
Altruis the Sufferer	Demon hunter of theIllidari	Illidari	Alive	Various Locations
Cordana Felsong	FormerWarden and companion ofKhadgar, later corrupted by theBurning Legion	Burning Legion	Deceased	Various Locations
Leyara	Lieutenant ofFandral Staghelm	Druids of the Flame	Deceased	Various Locations
Kor'vas Bloodthorn	Demon hunter of theIllidari	Illidari	Alive	Various Locations
Sira Moonwarden	Dark Warden	Banshee loyalists	Active	Various Locations
Delaryn Summermoon	Dark Ranger Captain	Forsaken	Active	Various Locations

Former elves[]

The following were once kaldorei, but have been transformed into other races through magical means.

Name	Role	Affiliation	Status	Location
Queen Azshara	Queen of thenaga, former ruler of the night elves	Nazjatar Empire	Alive	Various Locations
Elisande	Grand Magistrix ofSuramar, ruler of thenightborne	Suramar,Burning Legion	Deceased	Various Locations
First Arcanist Thalyssra	Former advisor to Elisande, founder and leader ofThe Nightfallen	The Nightfallen	Alive	Various Locations
Chief Telemancer Oculeth	Teleportation network inventor and expert	The Nightfallen	Alive	Shal'Aran
Naisha	Lieutenant ofMaiev Shadowsong	Watchers	Deceased	Tomb of Sargeras
Ralaar Fangfire	The firstworgen, leader of theDruids of the Scythe	Druids of the Scythe,Wolf Cult	Deceased	Unknown
Illidan Stormrage	The Betrayer, Lord of theIllidari, former Lord ofOutland	Illidari	Alive	Various Locations
Lady Vashj	Coilfang Matron, leader ofIllidan's Naga	Coilfang tribe,Illidari	Deceased	Serpentshrine Cavern
Xavius	First of thesatyrs, ruler of theEmerald Nightmare	Burning Legion	Deceased	Various Locations

Leadership[]

Night elf factions and allies[]

Throughout the extensive history of the night elves, they have garnered support from many different kinds of creatures on Kalimdor, and in addition to the recently alliedworgen of Gilneas are:

• Factions

  • Kaldorei Empire
  • Kaldorei Resistance
    • Rooksguard
    • Dragon Riders of Loreth'Aran
  • Darnassus
    • Sisterhood of Elune
    • Sentinels
      • Silverwing Sentinels
      • Sentinel spies
    • Council of the Forest
    • Circle of the Ancients
    • Auberdine Village Council
    • HighborneShen'dralar
    • Watchers
      • Wardens
      • Shadow Wardens
  • Wintersaber Trainers
  • Druidorganizations
    • Cenarion Circle
    • Dreamweavers
  • Illidari
  • Court of Farondis
    • Nightwatchers
  • Moon Guard

• Allies ofnature

  • Ancients
  • Chimaeras
  • Children of Cenarius
  • Faerie dragons
  • Hippogryphs
  • Nightsabers
  • Mountain giants
  • Wisps
  • Owl scouts
  • Furbolgs
  • Wildkins
  • Green dragonflight

In the RPG[]

This section contains information from theWarcraft RPG which is considerednon-canon.

History[]

Night elven society has changed since the battle of Mount Hyjal, and the Sentinels now function in an entirely different manner. As the Burning Legion threat has been averted, at least for now, the night elves are no longer considered in a state of war.^[229]

After the events of theBattle of Mount Hyjal, the night elves severed all ties with the Horde in response to Cenarius' death at the hands of theorcish championGrom Hellscream, maintaining a tentative relation with the Alliance alone. Directly afterward, manysentinels,druids andwarriors of the kaldorei began a great wild hunt of orcs acrossKalimdor as a retaliation for Cenarius' murder.^[229]

Realizing they needed help to survive in this new world and to oppose theHorde, which chose their continent as its new home, the night elves reluctantly joined theAlliance. Commerce began betweenTheramore and the night elves, as the two cultures shared values and ideas. The night elves remained withdrawn, however. There are still many places considered too sacred for dwarves or humans to venture into, and only when they’re drunk do they really loosen up around other Alliance races.^[230]

Faith[]

The night elves worship the Ancients, who are nature deities attuned to the forest and the hunt. Elune the moon goddess and Malorne the Waywatcher are the most prominent figures of worship. While Cenarius has died, and the night elves will never forgive the orcs for this, his children live on and gain power each passing year. The night elves venerate the children of Cenarius as he was venerated, and perhaps one day these children of the slain demigod will aid the night elves in repaying the orcs for the transgressions of the past.^[229]

Some night elves also worshipdragons. TheSect of the Dragons hosts many kaldorei adherents. It is not currently known how many kaldorei actually worship the dragons.^[231]

Language[]

The night elves once worked with orcs to halt the Burning Legion, and now they retain knowledge of the race's language for tactical reasons.^[229]

Naming[]

Night elf names always have a special meaning. First names derive from an elven word or the name of a famous hero having a totemic or ancestral connection. Surnames are indicative of the family line and often date back millennia.

• Male names: Ilthilior, Mellitharn, Khardona, Andissiel, Mardant, Tanavar
• Female names: Keina, Deliantha, Meridia, Freja, Alannaria, Nevarial
• Last names: Moonblade, Glaivestorm, Proudstrider, Oakwalker, Nightwing, Staghorn^[232]

Art of war[]

Rather than drawing from the chaotic and darker side of magic, theirs is pulled from Azeroth itself. Stone, root, flora and fauna all are avenues through which their magic travels. Druids are able to change into animal forms, snare their foes with roots or harden their skin like tree bark.^[229]

Their warriors are not to be taken lightly either. The night elves are among the most deadly adversaries to be found anywhere, due to a combination of their proficient skill with a bow, their stunning agility, and the ability to melt away into the shadows of the night. Few use common weapons such as swords, most preferring the mighty glaives (triple-bladed swords) they have grown accustomed to. War panthers,hippogryphs and even the mightychimaeras andmountain giants have all been known to aid the night elves in battle.^[229]

For ten thousand years, all night elven war and "foreign policy" has been based solely on the safety of Ashenvale Forest and Mount Hyjal from outside incursion. The Sentinels, hidden safely among Ashenvale's leafy trees, effectively sealed off the region from unwanted interference for ten millennia. The Sentinel's method of deterrence was successful until the invasion of the Legion-endorsed Scourge; at which point the night elves were forced to awaken the Druids and accept aid from the Alliance and the Horde.^[229]

Appearance[]

Night elf males are very tall, range between 6'6" (198 cm) and 7'6" (229 cm),^[233] with broad shoulders and a lithely muscular torso whereas females are far more slender. The men are typically of a slim-waisted yet firm, muscular build including long, muscular arms and large hands. The women are quite different, standing between 6'2" (188 cm) and 7' 2" (218 cm) in height.^[233]

Night elves are imposing in stature, males being on average 7 feet tall. Male kaldorei are very muscular, with broad chests and shoulders, indicative of the strength that lies within both their minds and bodies. Female night elves are lithe and curvaceous, yet still muscular and strong. The race's prominent eyebrows, long pointed ears and natural aspects imply a feral grace. Skin tones range from pale white to blue or even ruddy red, and their hair ranges in color from bright white to woodland green to lustrous black.^[229]

In the TCG[]

This section contains information from theWorld of Warcraft Trading Card Game and is considerednon-canon.

While there are examples of elves with golden eyes,^{[234][235][236]} certain night elvendruids have been seen with glowing green eyes, usually while casting or under the influence of a druidic spell.^{[237][238][239]} Glowing green eyes have also been seen on a night elfwarrior however, so the color may be a natural occurrence.^[240]

Notes and trivia[]

• Several items introduced in theLegion expansion used to spell kaldorei as "kal'dorei."^{[241][242][243]} Most of these were corrected inpatch 7.2.0, though some errors like the on-use text for the [Kaldorei Light Globe] remain.
• According toMedivh, the kaldorei sometimes captured the nascenthumans and used them to buildtheir empire.^[244]
• One of the male jokes is "Who wants to live forever?" This is aQueen song written for the movieHighlander, in which the last immortal being of good must battle an equal force of evil for "The Prize"—ironically, mortality—which is what the night elves receive in the destruction ofNordrassil.
• Night elves will randomly do a front flip whenjumping. They were originally the only race in the game that had a random jump flourish.
• The night elves are opposite theblood elves in many ways, such as how the night elves' beliefs are linked to the moon, while the blood elves' beliefs are linked to the sun.
• Night elves' eyebrows clip with nearly every hat in the game. This is because only hair is changed upon wearing a hat and the face remains the same. The same applies forblood elves andhigh elves.
• Female night elves are voiced byDebi Mae West. The voice actor for the night elf men is not yet known.

Development[]

• The night elves were created early on in the development ofWarcraft III when the developers were arguing over whether to makedwarves andelves their own standalone playable factions. They could never get the majority of the team to agree to make elves a standalone race until one developer suggested "dark elves." The team was enticed by the idea but since they didn't want to do a traditional dark elf race based on thedrow fromDungeons & Dragons, they instead took the best of wood elves and dark elves and combined them into a single race, which became the night elves.^[245] The developers wanted to stay true to the elf archtype, while adding new ideas to make the concept feel fresh.^[246]
• The night elves remained heavily based on the drow in early development,^[247] at one point being envisioned as jungle-like insect riders.^[248] The gender divisions (warrior and ruler women and magically-inclined men), darker-hued skins, and avery powerful goddess are the only elements of this that survive. According toSamwise Didier, many developers within Blizzard were initially skeptical toward the night elves since "people were used to theLegolas types, the elves that are your typical elves – blondish, brownish hair, while we were going blues and greens and purple." It took a good picture to help sell the concept, with Didier adding that "if you have a good picture, you can sell almost anything. If we had a bad picture for it, we probably would have just had wood elves."^[249]
• The night elves were actually referenced several times inWarcraft lore long before their unveiling as the fourth race inReign of Chaos. There is a reference to the night elves inDay of the Dragon,^[250] and the dark elves mentioned in the same book could be night elves. InThe Last Guardian (published before the unveiling of the night elves), Medivh actually narrates the story of the kaldorei, the Well of Eternity and the War of the Ancients toKhadgar, as a warning againstmagocratic arrogance.
• DuringWorld of Warcraft's development,Chris Metzen was adamant that night elves should only ride sabers in dark colors like black or purple, after he had seen promotional material of a night elf riding an orange tiger.^[251] This may be why various brightly-colored saber mounts in the database, such as theGolden Sabercat, were never released.
• The male night elf's dance is based onMichael Jackson'sBillie Jean.
• Alizée's dance from "J'en Ai Marre" was the influence for the night elf female dance.
  •  [Brazie's Notes on Naughty Night Elves] mentions that female night elves are rumored to strip and dance on top ofmailboxes to pay fornightsaber riding training, a reference to the player meme ofmailbox dancing.
• Night elves are likely a conglomerate of various East Asian peoples, Korean, Greek and Roman architectural motifs, Celtic mythos, Shintoism, and Neopaganism.
  • The architecture of the night elves, according to an interview withChris Metzen, draws its influences from both Nordic and Japanese building styles.^[252] Metzen specifically based elements of the night elves' architecture on the city ofAsgard from Marvel Comics (in turn based on therealm of the same name from Norse mythology) as depicted inWalter Simonson's run onThe Mighty Thor.^[253] The sacred trees in night elven culture are based on both Norse and Japanese cultural motifs.
  • Japanese architecture particularly that ofShinto andJapanese Buddhist tradition, e.g. pagoda ofYakushi-ji andTorii gates around moonwells.
  • Byzantine architecture andAncient Greek architecture via domes and large single interior, use of Doric columns.
  • Their cuisine is mostly Asian, such as rice cakes, Korean mandu and fried plantains, with wild rice being a staple. Cabbage Kimchi and Radish Kimchi is KoreanKimchi.
  • Their domestic clothing styles such as hanboks and dangui are traditional Korean garments.
  • Cenarius as "Lord of the Forest" with a green beard, and Malfurion as his student, as well as their relation to the stag wild god Malorne, resembleGreen Man andCernunnos motifs. Druidic beliefs are based on the Shinto religion, such as "Alara'shinu", inspired by Wabi-Sabi and other Shinto concepts.
  • For Elune-specific inspirations, seeElune#Notes and trivia.
  • The night elven Lunar Festival is based on theChinese New Year, which is the Lunar New Year, and feature many in-game elements of real-world traditions.Omen is also a figure most likely inspired by Chinese mythology. SeeOmen#Notes and trivia.
  • Tyrande's transformation upon becoming the Night Warrior into a woman dressed in white seeking vengeance resembles manyBanshee andWhite Lady myths.
  • The Frostsaber white tiger motif comes from the Korean peninsula, also called the "Land of tigers", in particular Baekho and the Dangun myth. Both bears and tigers are sacred to Korean culture.

Gallery[]

World of Warcraft

• 
  Original night elf male model.
• 
  Original night elf female model.
• 
  Night elf male model from 6.0.
• 
  Night elf female model from 6.0.
• 
  Night elf male demon hunter.
• 
  Night elf female demon hunter.
• 
  Queen Azshara
• 
  Tyrande Whisperwind
• 
  Illidan Stormrage
• 
  Maiev Shadowsong
• 
  Malfurion Stormrage
• 
  Shandris Feathermoon
• 
  Elise Starseeker
• 
  Ysera in her night elf form.
• 
  Merithra in her night elf form.
• 
  ADruid of the Moon at the Temple of Elune
• 
  'Night Warrior' night elves (with black eyes)
• 
  Night elfbaby.
• 
  Ghost night elfboy with the same model as anightborne boy.
• 
  Ghost night elf girl with the same model as a nightborne girl.
• 
  Night elf druid of the flame with red skin.
• 
  Undead night elf in Black Rook Hold.
• 
  Male and female pre-release models from 2000.
• 
  Shalandis Isle inQuel'thalas.
• 
  House Ravencrest crest and statues.
• 
  Rooksguard armour.
• 
  Rooksguardballista.
• 
  Glaive thrower.
• 
  Malfurion, Tyrande and other night elves inDarkshore
• 
  Night elfwardens
• 
  Warcraft reforged night elf village
• 
  Night Elf Village

Cinematic stills

• 
  Malfurion sounding the Horn of Cenarius.
• 
  Illidan summoning the naga.
• 
  A night elf druid seen in theWorld of Warcraft cinematic.
• 
  Ditto
• 
  Illidan in theThe Burning Crusade cinematic.
• 
  Illidan in theLegion cinematic teaser.
• 
  Night elf archer on the right at theBattle for Lordaeron.
• 
  Burning the night elves home theWorld TreeTeldrassil bySylvanas.

Flags andbanners

• 
  Old night elf banner previously founded inSilverwing Hold
• 
  Old night elf banner found in theAthenaeum (and previouslySilverwing Hold)
• 
   [Darnassus Banner]
• 
  Shen'dralar ofEldre'Thalas
• 
  Black Rook Hold, non-Ravencrest
• 
  Highborne/Court of Azshara
• 
  Druidic banner atSkysea Ridge
• 
  Banner ofHouse Ravencrest and theRooksguard
• 
  Pristine Pre-War Highborne Tapestry
• 
   [Pre-War Highborne Tapestry] of the ancientKaldorei Empire
• 
  Cenarion Circle banner
• 
  Dreamgrove banner of the Cenarion Circle
• 
  Dreamgrove troop recruitment banner of the Cenarion Circle
• 
  Nar'thalas Magi in theWizard's Sanctum opening a portal toAzsuna'sCrumbled Palace
• 
  The night elves using the olderKaldorei Empire banner atBashal'Aran in theBattle for Darkshore, following the Burning of Teldrassil

Art

• 
  World of Warcraftbox art.
• 
  Night elfarcher anddruid.
• 
  Night elf female.
• 
  Night elf female.
• 
  Night elf fromBlizzCon 2005 Warcraft key art.
• 
  Night elf hunter vs blood elf rogue.
• 
  Night elfdeath knightWrath of the Lich King concept art.
• 
  Night elf concept byGlenn Rane.
• 
  Night elf byPhroilan Gardner.
• 
  Night elves moments before the Sundering inWarbringers: Azshara.
• 
  Battle for Azeroth concept art.
• 
  A night elf on theLegends Volume 2 cover.
• 
  Lord Ravencrest art in the TCG.
• 
  A night elfassassin stalks her victim in the TCG.
• 
  Sentinels attacking orcish invaders
• 
  The Horde burning the forests ofKalimdor in theWar of the Thorns
• 
  Night elf civilians hiding from the Horde
• 
  Night elfrefugees fromDarnassus escaping to Stormwind
• 
  Night elf archer with the Alliance at theBattle for Lordaeron
• 
  Night elves fighting theForsaken inDarkshore

Hearthstone

• 
  Elise Starseeker
• 
  Illidan Stormrage
• 
  Kurtrus Ashfallen
• 
  Maiev Shadowsong
• 
  Malfurion Stormrage
• 
  Tyrande 'Hearthstone" Teaser
• 
  Tyrande Whisperwind
• 
  Queen Azshara
• 
  The KaldoreiVashj

RTS series

• 
  Warcraft III: Reign of Chaosbox art.
• 
  Eternity's End campaign menu background.
• 
  Terror of the Tides campaign menu background.
• 
  Early night elf concept art.
• 
  Early night elf concept art.
• 
  Early night elf concept art.
• 
  Early night elf concept art.
• 
  Early night elf concept art.
• 
  Night elfassassin concept art.
• 
  Night elfassassin concept art.
• 
  Night elfPriestess of the Moon concept art.
• 
  Night elfSentinels concept art.
• 
  Night elfArch-Druid concept art.
• 
  Night elfDruid of the Talon concept art.
• 
  Night elfDruids of the Claw concept art.
• 
  Concept art of a night elf with antlers and swords.
• 
  Night elf archer inWarcraft III: Reforged.
• 
  Tyrande inReforged.
• 
  Tyrande and Illidan inReforged
• 
  Sentinels units.
• 
  Night elf symbol, theIcon of Wisdom, inWarcraft III.
• 
  Enchanted gemstone obelisk
• 
  Aszune
• 
  Shandris
• 
  Naisha
• 
  Night elf runner
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
  Priestess of the Moon
• 
  Warden
• 
  Shandris
• 
  Archer
• 
  Huntress
• 
  Hippogryph Rider
• 
  Assassin
• 
  Sentinel
• 
  Night Elf Runner
• 
  Demon Hunter
• 
  Furion
• 
  Furion
• 
  Druid of the Claw
• 
  Druid of the Talon
• 
  Beta model Druid of the Talon
• 
  Ballista
• 
  Glaivethrower
• 
  Prison Wagon
• 
  Watcher Mystics
• 
  Night elf shipyard
• 
  Barrow den
• 
  Den of wonders

Fan art

• 
• 
  A night elf timewalker.

Videos[]

• Val'sharah Epilogue
• Tyrande's Darkening - Night Warrior Transformation
• Terror of Darkshore
• Night Warrior - Tides of Vengeance Soundtrack 8.1
• Isil Elun'falo - Ancient Night Elf Darnassian Song
• The Queens Gift In Game Cutscene
• A Seed of Hope

See also[]

• Azeroth magic
• Alliance technology
• Origin of the races
• Life spans
• Moonglaive

References[]