It's a valid concern, and one I've been chewing on. But there are a few ways around it...
There are examples of multiple creatures filling a given role ... there are wolves, coyotes, tigers, lions, cheetahs, etc., even though they all fall roughly into the same category, ecologically speaking, and many of them share territory. In the case of the neanderthals, I rather suspect there's more going on than just homo sapiens elbowing them out of the way in competition for food. It could have been genocide (given how the Taliban reacts to Americans, you can just imagine how they'd react to neanderthals, for instance), it could have been absorption, it could have been some kind of plague that struck them but not us ... I haven't done enough research on the subject to put forth a meaningful theory.
In the case of humans vs. elves, they are balanced such that neither one has a tremendous advantage over the other. Elves are effectively immortal, meaning they can become very, very skilled at what they do over centuries, they don't have to keep re-learning the mistakes of history over and over again, and they don't have an "expiration date." On the other hand, humans breed like rabbits, take to everything they do with great enthusiasm, and so forth. Plus, they're not necessarily in competition. (If creatures can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, they're basically the same species, cosmetic differences notwithstanding.) I rather see elves as being something like humanity's "older brother," so to speak.
Also, you mention the overlap between the time of neanderthals and us ... that means that both were around together, once upon a time. :) The gradual disappearance of elves is a common motif in fantasy. Who knows what the fate of any intelligent beings might end up being?
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branchandroot
Re: A few thoughts...
Date: 2002-02-06 02:05 pm (UTC)There are examples of multiple creatures filling a given role ... there are wolves, coyotes, tigers, lions, cheetahs, etc., even though they all fall roughly into the same category, ecologically speaking, and many of them share territory. In the case of the neanderthals, I rather suspect there's more going on than just homo sapiens elbowing them out of the way in competition for food. It could have been genocide (given how the Taliban reacts to Americans, you can just imagine how they'd react to neanderthals, for instance), it could have been absorption, it could have been some kind of plague that struck them but not us ... I haven't done enough research on the subject to put forth a meaningful theory.
In the case of humans vs. elves, they are balanced such that neither one has a tremendous advantage over the other. Elves are effectively immortal, meaning they can become very, very skilled at what they do over centuries, they don't have to keep re-learning the mistakes of history over and over again, and they don't have an "expiration date." On the other hand, humans breed like rabbits, take to everything they do with great enthusiasm, and so forth. Plus, they're not necessarily in competition. (If creatures can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, they're basically the same species, cosmetic differences notwithstanding.) I rather see elves as being something like humanity's "older brother," so to speak.
Also, you mention the overlap between the time of neanderthals and us ... that means that both were around together, once upon a time. :) The gradual disappearance of elves is a common motif in fantasy. Who knows what the fate of any intelligent beings might end up being?
-The Gneech
PS: The gods decreed it. ;)