Elf Elves , much like their living ancestors , the eladrin , who are also commonly called elves , are a long lived race of the Tel - quessir found most commonly in forests , shrublands , and other wildernesses . From time to time the elves have organized strong nations , though with far less frequency than eladrin , in some cases adopting even a nomadic lifestyle . Almost all elves worship the Seldarine , otherwise known as the elven pantheon , and the elves are generally , though not always , good in nature . Ecology . Physical characteristics . Elves stand at average from 5 ' 4 " – 6 ' 0 " ( 1 . 63 – 1 . 83 meters ) and weighing in from 130 – 170 pounds ( 59 – 77 kg ) . Usually , true elves are a naturally slender and athletic race . Elves have a similar range of complexions to human s , with wood elves typically coppery or pale skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentations . Often , elven hair is dark , either brown or black , with copper red or blond hair also found amongst wood elves . , although orange or even green hues are not completely unheard of . Elven eyes are commonly brown , hazel , or an emerald green . Elves , like their cousins the eladrin , are fair and beautiful , handsome , and have pointed ears and no body hair except eyebrows , eyelashes and hair . Elves mature at roughly the same rate as humans , though they are not usually considered past adolescence until they reach 110 years of age . Unlike humans , elves do not age dramatically as their lifespan comes to a close , with the most obvious changes being a change in hair color , alternatively graying or darkening . Most elves remain healthy and full of life up until their death , which , if age - related , is usually between two and nine centuries . Abilities . Elves have a number of abilities that set them apart from other humanoid races . Like their kin the eladrin , elves are agile , dexterous creatures . However , elves can move slightly faster than their eladrin kin and can move swiftly through even the roughest terrain . Elves are also more preternaturally aware of their surroundings than eladrin , as well as possessing better common sense . This aids elves in many ways , allowing elves a high degree of perceptiveness that they can lend partially to allies . Additionally , elves are extremely accurate in their attacks , having a degree of precision that would be unusual for other humanoids . Many elves do not sleep , instead finding their rest in a meditative state called “ reverie ” , which is as restful as true sleep but leaves them aware of their surroundings . This is similar to an eladrin ’ s ability to enter a trance . Psychology . Elves commonly possess strong but swiftly passing passions , moved easily to laughter , anger , or misery and as quickly calmed . Elves are known for their impulsive behavior and , as a result , many races see them as flighty or impetuous . However , elves are not as flaky as others may interpret them to be , and are typically responsible in spite of their almost whimsical nature . Partially due to their long lifespan ( though not entirely , since many long - lived races act differently ) , elves have difficulty taking some matters as seriously as other races , but when threats they recognize " do " arise , elves are strong friends and allies to those they are loyal to . Elves make strong and uplifting friends . Most elves love simple joys such as dancing , singing , footraces , or contests of skill . Elves find a natural aversion to that which they see as uninteresting tasks and are fun - loving by nature . However , despite how unpleasant some things such as war can be , elves can become grimly serious if a threat to their friends , family , or livelihood makes such actions necessary . History . The elves branched away from the eladrin in a long forgotten age , and no one is exactly sure which race came first , though most scholars believe the eladrin did . Of the Tel - quessir , those who would become the elves were the first to arrive on the then united worlds of Abeir - Toril . At that time there were only the green elves , known as the Sy - tel - quessir in their own language . Millennia passed and the fey ancestors of the elves and eladrin together ruled over much of Toril in relative peace until - 12000 DR , when the eladrin nation of Aryvandaar invaded the dark elf and green elf nation of Miyeritar , starting the first of five Crown Wars which , in total , lasted for 3000 years . The green elves suffered many defeats in the Crown Wars and by the end of the conflict had lost all of their former territory . Driven into the wilderness , the green elves gradually changed over generations , with the gap between them and eladrin widening until they became a distinct race . This change caused the elves to gradually lose their talent for the arcane and grow even closer in their connections to the wilderness , becoming as much a part of the landscape as the wild beasts with whom they shared it . The green elves who remained in isolation became the wild elves and lost their taste for civilization and nation - building , becoming nomadic wanderers . It was also around this time that the first of the wood elves ( or Or - tel - quessir ) emerged , when some of the wild elves migrated into the lands of the eladrin and bred with their kin race , creating a new hybrid culture . The wood elves , unlike the wild elves , continued to build civilizations , though on a smaller scale than the eladrin . In the eastern High Forest the wood elves founded the kingdom of Earlann , a contemporary and ally of Netheril . However , when Earlann fell , the wood elves too abandoned the concept of nation - building , leaving it to the other races . Elves as a whole ignored the Retreat to Evermeet , though some followed their eladrin brethren to the land across the Trackless Sea . Most elves remained in Faerûn , embracing the world around them rather than rejecting it , though a few tribes of wild elves also chose to withdraw from the world , hiding in remote places like the Chondalwood in order to evade the notice of the other races . Homelands . Elves are usually found in small tribes throughout the forests of Toril as well as windswept plains and mountain vales . The elves , as a whole , prefer these secluded places of nature to the cities and nations of the civilized world , living in harmony with their natural surroundings . Cautious and cunning warriors , particularly of the bow , elves secure these homelands through guile and tactics . Subraces . There are at least five different sub - races of elves : While not strictly a sub - race of elves , the result of a human and elven mating is a half - elf , whereas the offspring of an elf and a half - fiend is a fey ' ri .