High Elf
High elves are the elves of Atarin. They are one of the two major factions of elves that split from each other as the forest began to diminish. The wood elves moved with the forest and continued to make it their home despite its dimished borders, while the high elves began to build cities and take to a more human-like lifestyle.
Naming Traditions
Family names
Names are very important to elven nobility. More often than not, the older a noble's name, and the higher the number after it, the more prestigious is that name. The first-born child of an elven noble is almost always named after one or the other of the parents.
High elves typically have long names by the standards of other cultures. Three and four-syllable names are common, and high elves rarely shorten them, often taking offense if members of other cultures attempt to use a shorter nickname instead of their proper name. Nobles usually have three names, while those not of noble blood can have two or three.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Almost all high elves speak Elvish and Kyrantian, and most learn other languages according to their interest and upbringing.
Art & Architecture
Art is one of the most important aspects of high elven culture. All elves are artists of one form or another, and their art can take many forms. Dancing, music, gardening, spellcraft, archery, and swordplay are all forms of art for elves, as are painting, sculpting, poetry, and all forms of creation. Every year, there is a festival in Atarin to commemorate the practice of art and display all the beautiful creations of the elves. They take great care and pride in what they create, so much so that, even in a marketplace in Strevlost, a creation of elven make is worth a gold medallion.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
High elves use concepts of simplicity in art and take them to grander scales. Elven architecture uses circles and curves, elegant elven dress is composed of swatches of singular colors in flowing silks, and slenderness and agility are considered qualities of personal beauty.
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