Elf An elf is a member of one of the longest lived species on Azeroth known for keen perception , grace , and great spellwork . Elves were once believed to be the first race to awaken on Azeroth , but some ancient histories believe that elves were originally troll s that were transformed by the Well of Eternity . Racial history . There are several groups of elves in the Warcraft universe , but all are derived from one group : the Kaldorei , also known as night elves and its upper caste the Highborne . Kaldorei , the night elves . " . . . a primitive tribe of nocturnal humanoids cautiously made their way to the edges of the mesmerizing , enchanted lake . The feral , nomadic humanoids , drawn by the Well ' s strange energies , built crude homes upon its tranquil shores . Over time , the Well ' s cosmic power affected the strange tribe , making them strong , wise , and virtually immortal . The tribe adopted the name Kaldorei , which meant " children of the stars " in their native tongue . " Quel ' dorei , the Highborne . The magocratic society that the night elves developed split into two castes : a body of the majority of the Kaldorei and the elite caste , the Highborne , known as the quel ' dorei ( " noble children " , " highborne " , or " high elves " ) . These were the favorites of and most loyal to the beautiful Queen Azshara , queen of the elves . They sought to understand the energies of the Well of Eternity , gaining exhilarating power from the arcane energy siphoned from the Well ' s depths . The night elves ( and in particular the quel ' dorei ) would go on to expand across ancient Kalimdor , shattering the empires of the Gurubashi and Amani troll s in the process and inspiring awe in those who witnessed their might . However , the arrogance and carelessness of the quel ' dorei would spell doom for their civilization , attracting the attentions of the Burning Legion . Azshara and some of her Highborne opened a portal from the Well of Eternity into the Twisting Nether , enabling the demons to enter into Azeroth and wreak havoc upon Kalimdor . Some of the Highborne grew terrified of Queen Azshara ' s undying loyalty to Sargeras and the demons of the Burning Legion . Quickly , they escaped to aid the rest of the night elven civilization in banishing the demons back into the Twisting Nether in a catastrophic war now called the War of the Ancients , ending in the implosion of the Well of Eternity and the Sundering of Kalimdor . Quel ' dorei , the high elves . The Highborne were never fully trusted by the rest of the night elves who had abandoned magic to pursue druidism . The surviving night elves would end up banishing the Quel ' dorei for the acts leading to the Sundering as well as more wanton waving of arcana . The quel ' dorei were forced into exile and eventually settled in Quel ' Thalas . Becoming known as " high elves , " they took up a diurnal cycle instead of nocturnal and over time , their skin became a pale color instead of their former blue - green hues . Sin ' dorei , the blood elves . After the destruction of Quel ' Thalas , the majority of the quel ' dorei changed their nation to the sin ' dorei , or " blood elves " , in memorium of those who had fallen in the siege . Some , believing that their culture was eroding and were horrified at the new extreme measures taken by their prince , Kael ' Thas , chose to continue calling themselves quel ' dorei ( high elves ) and remained loyal to the Alliance . A notable difference between the high elves and blood elves is that , while the high elves combat their addiction to magic , the blood elves sucumb to it . The high elves spend at least one hour a day meditating , trying to restrain their addiction , while the blood elves drain the mana out of many creatures , including demons . This addiction sommetimes has grave consequences . Shal ' dorei , Nightborne , the dark elves . After cutting themselves off in their city behind a magical shield , this enclave of highborne became utterly dependent on their source of magic , the Nightwell . Over time this dependence and isolation changed them so their skin became a dark , gray - blue . Fal ' dorei , the spider elves ? Corrupted by the power of the failed Arcan ' dor these elves are now a mockery of their once former nobility . Anatomy and physiology . The Well of Eternity ' s arcane energies are the primary reason for the existence of the elves , so it makes sense that they would be magical in nature . All elves are exceptionally long lived and , at one point , were immortal , though the main races of elves have lost their immortality . Further , all elves possess glowing eyes , a sign of the use of great spells — a being of any race can exhibit glowing eyes while focusing or casting a particularly powerful spell , but the trait is innate in only a few races , most of which are demons or undead . Elves have several characteristics in common . All have unusually acute senses and are able to see clearly even in low - light conditions . As a general rule , elves are also slim , athletic , and graceful . Furthermore , they all have large pointed ears that tend to be greeted with admiration or mockery by other races . From the Official Encyclopedia Typically , night elves have longer ears than high / blood elves , whereas the latter ' s point upward rather than backward . A characteristic of elves on Azeroth are their unusual eyebrows , which extend beyond their faces , resembling either whiskers or antennae . There has been no official coverage of this anatomical oddity , despite it being present in all official artwork . Though it may be speculated that this is due to the elves extreme longevity ; the brow ' s continuing growth over the life of the individual to its extreme length . Races . It has been hinted that there are four or five races of elves ( dark elves , night elves , Highborne elves , ( caste ) high elves , and blood elves ) , but to date only four have debuted in the games . Those four are the night elves , Highborne elves , high elves , and blood elves . Hybrids between elves and humans such as half - elves , half - night elves , and half - blood elves are also mentioned in lore . Of these , only one known half - elf has appeared in - game , Arator . The blood elves are the survivors of Quel ' Thalas who , in mourning for their slain brethren and without the energies of their Sunwell , went to desperate lengths to satisfy their hunger for vengeance and magic . Through their experiments , they have developed the vampiric ability to siphon energy off of others , particularly demons , and physically changed to include glowing green eyes , and pale or ruddy skin . Those who have succumbed to this hunger have degenerated further , becoming violent addicts known as the wretched . It has been suggested many times that the blood elves are on their way to becoming an entirely separate race , perhaps even becoming demons . However , now that the Sunwell has been restored , which provides Light energy to the Blood Elves , this is unlikely . Such a claim is not new — some of the quel ' dorei , prior to the War of the Ancients , aligned themselves with the Burning Legion . They became the demonic , caprine satyr s , mockeries of the elven form who feast upon magical energies to sustain their otherwise immortal lives . Other perversions of the elven species include the naga and harpies . The naga are the remnants of those Highborne who were trapped in the implosion of the Well of Eternity but who survived by mutating into horrific beasts . They retained their immortality and dwelt beneath the great Maelstrom , though they were reawakened by Illidan Stormrage in the wake of the Third War and are now bent upon reclaiming the land , attacking any night elves they find . Similarly , the feral harpies attack anyone they see , being brutal cannibals . These bird women are descended from the night elves , though their origins are not clear : some say that they were cursed by Azshara while others say that they " gave themselves over " to Aviana , the bird demigoddess , suggesting that their violence is derived from their lost " mother . " Other potential cases of night elves giving themselves over to demideities include the Children of Cenarius , who could just as easily be the literal children of the demigod Cenarius . These " children " are the keepers of the grove and dryad s , who bear the upper bodies of night elven men and women ( respectively ) . The related centaur s are the bastard offspring of Cenarius ' eldest son and the earth elemental princess , but they do not bear much resemblance to the night elves and look closer to humans . Another race of elves has arisen on the face of Azeroth : the half - elves , the hybrid descendants of human s and high elves . Reports of half - night elves exist , but most of these would be in their infancy , given the recent rediscovery of Kalimdor . There is one half - kaldorei — — but her parentage is unknown . It is not certain if there are any half - blood elves , as the high elves ( and their blood elven survivors ) were prejudiced against half - elves , so there wouldn ' t be any initiated into blood - elvendom and the chances of a blood elf mating with a human , especially after their removal from the Alliance and joining the Horde , are slim to none . While they cannot be said to be separate races , the undead and spectral remnants of the elves — members of the Forsaken undead as well as numerous ghost s , wraith s , and banshee s — haunt those lands that they once occupied in life . Notable elves . A number of elves have played a significant role in the lore of Warcraft .