Ralph and the Pixie

‘Badly overmatched, Bellandor was forced to retreat, until he was utterly driven from the Northern Provinces, or the Orna I Morag, as they were called in those days. (That is about the only part of the tale that is true, that we Elves were driven from the Northern Provinces).

‘When it appeared that the Elves might fall, however, aid came in the form of Men and Dwarves from the South and South-East, though what part they supposedly played is unclear. I think the tellers of these old myths were careful to skirt such specifics so that they could avoid answering embarrassing questions. It seemed to have made for a more credulous audience by placing the tale in a far-off corner of the world, of which they knew little. As well, it made their tales seem more glamorous to their Human listeners, I think.

‘Regardless, to return to the story; the battles fought were so horrific, the losses so great, that few survived to tell the tale, often returning to their homelands in obscurity because the world had changed in their absence (a common theme in the past, whereby the bards of Men of old would gain credulity- though actually nothing more than travelling vagrants, they would claim to have just returned from some far-off place. Their stock-in-trade seems to have been self-pity mixed with such tall tales- I mean, storytelling!).