A Proposed Family Tree of the Trollish Races
By Weshindi, of the TooSka Tribe.
Point Number One: Elves are Trolls
First, in the canon, we are told the Night Elves are descended from a group of tribal humanoids that were shaped by living near the Well of Eternity:
"In time, 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 tribe, making them strong, wise, and virtually immortal. The tribe adopted the name Kaldorei, which meant "children of the stars" in their native tongue. To celebrate their budding society, they constructed great structures and temples around the lake's periphery." [1]
Second, I have read manuscripts of an ancient book, titled The Twin Empires to be found in Booty Bay and Gadgetzan, describing the ancient history of the Trolls. In this book, it identifies who exactly those tribal, nocturnal humanoids were: "...ancient texts speak of a small faction of trolls that broke off from the Amani Empire and founded their own colony in the heart of the dark continent.
There, these brave pioneers discovered the cosmic Well of Eternity which transformed them into beings of immense power. Some legends suggest that these adventurous trolls were the first Night Elves, though this theory has never been proven."[2]
Neither of these passages by themselves positively identify the first Night Elves as Trolls. When taken together, though, I think it strains credibility to think that these are two unrelated groups of tribal humanoids transformed by the Well of Eternity into beings of power in rapid succession Even more so when the physical resemblance of the Night Elves to the Trolls is taken into account.
Once the Kaldorei are placed in the Troll family of races, the High Elves, the Blood Elves, the Naga, and the Satyrs obviously go along with them. In all, I think this establishes a precedent of relatively few beginnings for the main sentient races native to the world of Azeroth. This is further upheld by the links recent research has established between dwarves, troggs, and gnomes.
Also, since canon repeatedly emphasizes the link between the Well of Eternity and demonic magic[3], I think we can definitively state at this point that the first Night Elves were a group Forest Trolls who were corrupted by demonic magic.
Further circumstantial evidence for this is that, of all Elves, the Night Elves (who are those Elves closest to the ancestral Elves) resemble Trolls more than their brethern who have been further corrupted by demonic energies. The Night Elves at least have some color to their skin, not the sickly, human pallor of the High Elves (now Blood Elves).
Some people have proposed that Elves are in fact descended of a common ancestor with Trolls, rather then being descended from Trolls themselves. Note however that Elves appear after the Troll empires reach their height.
Others make a great deal of the description:
"The reclusive Night Elves were the first race to awaken in the World of Warcraft. These shadowy, immortal beings were the first to study magic and let it loose throughout the world nearly ten thousand years before Warcraft I. The Night Elves' reckless use of magic drew the Burning Legion into the world and led to a catastrophic war between the two titanic races."
This statement is often interpreted as meaning the Elves were the first sentient species on Azeroth. This however is one thing we can be nearly sure isn't true. In the canonical history[4], there are mentioned first the races empowered by the Titans: the Earthen, the Sea Giants, and the Dragons. Next, it says "That landmass, known as Kalimdor, was home to a number of disparate races and creatures, all vying for survival amongst the savage elements of the waking world." Then finally, it talks about the origins of the Night Elves, prefaced with "in time".
Clearly, the Night Elves are not first sentient race. It may be that "awaken" in this passage refers to the magical awareness which is taken up in the next line. Or it may be simply elf propaganda.
Point Number Two: Goblins are Trolls
Once we have established both that Elves are a sub-group of Trolls, and that there are relatively few origins for the races of Azeroth, it seems obvious that the goblins are also a race of Trolls. The distinctive ear shape of the Trolls is shared not only by the Elves, but by the goblins as well.
The goblins have not been nearly so distorted though. Goblins retain a healthy shade to their skin, as well as well-shaped noses, though, like the Night Elves, they have lost their tusks.
Loss of tusks is an obivous correlate to Goblins' reduced size and sexual dimorphism in comparison to their presumed Troll ancestors. Goblins seem at some point to have that placed a premium on energy conservative bodies.
The exact placement of the goblins within the Trollish races is harder than the placement of the elves. Goblins keep their secrets well, and little is known regarding their early history. I am fairly confident of their ties with the Southern Trolls, but grouping any more specific grouping is speculative.
Further commentary is forthcoming.
Based on:
- "The History of Warcraft"
- "Lore of the Trolls" by GrooveNeedle
- "The Twin Empires", book found in Booty Bay
- Geographical, morphological, and societal evidence gathered by the observations of Tooska adventurers.
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