Primal Being Descriptions may Prove that not all Elves Hate Humans

Yes, technically Rayla is an elf who no longer hates humans and Lujanne doesn’t appear to be averse to them; but I’m thinking on a larger scale, like as factions (moonshadow, sunfire, etc.). Since I’m a firm believer in showing not telling, I’ll start off with analyzing the primal affinity descriptions (courtesy of the dragon prince official website):

Moonshadow Elves:

We’ve seen this sort of behaviour displayed in both Rayla and Runaan on multiple occasions (Rayla’s suspicion towards Callum and the supposed miracle healer, along with her reluctance to tell the boys about the meaning of her wristband, for instance). In a way this also explains their dislike of humans who, as I’m sure we’re all aware, are obsessed with keeping up appearances and hiding their intentions/feelings/thoughts (why do you think so many of us get anxious around people?); they probably became even more suspicious of humans after the creation of dark magic and the dragon king incident (that’s fair). I believe this point is further supported by Ezran and Rayla’s relationship; unlike Callum, Ezran has never tried to deceive her, thereby easing her suspicious nature and earning her trust.

Sunfire Elves:

We won’t know more about these guys until S.2 is released, but from what I can gather from the sun primal description and their character artwork, these guys are the imperial force in Xadia. (I mean, look at that samurai sunfire elf. If that doesn’t scream imperial authority, then I don’t know what does!) These guys are the politicians and generals of Xadia. And like politicians IRL they probably only care about the people who put them there (reality hurts man). Thus they wouldn’t like humans because they’re a threat to elven society and way of life.

Sky Elves:

I honestly think these guys will be like the air tribe from Yona of the Dawn (a really laid back society with no real goals other than to enjoy life), so it doesn’t seem like they’d be as against humans as their allies are. In fact, I’d be willing to bet they’re not fans of the whole Xadia-Katolis split as it would hinder their ability to go wherever they please! But it’s likely that the sunfire elves (being politicians) convinced them that humans are the ones to blame for this lack of freedom; thus earning their disapproval. Despite their involvement, I’m hopeful that the sky elves will be a more neutral faction in the coming season.

Star Elves:

Yeah, there’s already enough speculation concerning the star elves- er, elf, so I’m not gonna go too in depth with him. All I have to say is this: Prophets can mislead and betray even those they claim to protect; be wary when dealing with them.

Moving on to the purpose of this post:

Earth Elves:

I’m going to be frank with y'all; I don’t believe that Xadia is the united front as we’ve been led to believe, and this is where it began.

These elves are noted to be patient and stubborn, which are great traits to have in a military force. So why aren’t they featured alongside the Sunfire, Moonshadow, and Sky Elves? You could argue that their talents make them more suited for harvesting food and raw materials; or the animators just didn’t have their designs ready. But read a little further and these excuses are tested by a theory so crazy, it might just be true! “Earth elves care deeply about history and balance of the natural world.” Where do humans come from? The natural world. Humans may have used dark magic (anti-natural world), but it’s likely the earth elves wouldn’t hold it against them as they also value history and would be well aware that not all humans would be willing to strip a creature of its life force. Now, you could say that they might hate humans for this very same reason (e.g. earth elves hold a grudge because they know humans are capable of harming other natural creatures) that’s your choice to make.

But, that would undermine the significance of my next point…

Ocean Elves:

Remember, humans once lived in Xadia too, and human civilizations always begin by a source of water. So it’s likely that ocean/river/swamp/etc. elves had the most contact with humans than any other elf faction. Imagine the bond these two people’s must have formed! Imagine ocean elves teaching human children how to swim, humans trading fine cloth and other goods in exchange for fish and seaweed. Imagine elves, whose only notable trait is forming strong connections to other creatures, being told that the humans they’ve lived with for countless generations are being forced out of their homes just because some foolish wizard decided to use dark magic!

DO I EVEN HAVE TO SAY IT?!?!

This could be why they (and possibly the earth elves) weren’t featured alongside the Sunfire, Moonshadow, Sky, and Star elves; not simply because they weren’t there, but because they REFUSED to be there!!!

In Conclusion:

Yes, I could be wrong. Yes, it’s possible that all elves are against humans and will only change their mind upon meeting the protagonists, learning that humans and elves aren’t so different after all. Yes, it’s possible that they’ll defeat the ultimate, bady, bad guy as a united front and live happily ever after! (Can you hear the sarcasm? Cause it’s there.)

Let’s not forget that Aaron Ehasz is one of the men who gave us atla; which displayed many instances of internal political disputes and divereging cultural values. I don’t know about ya’ll, but this is reason enough for me to conclude that not all elves hate humans, and I look forward to seeing this come to pass in future episodes.

~Thank you for reading!~