The Parallels Between Namekians and J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves

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flipcakes
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The Parallels Between Namekians and J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves

Post by flipcakes » Tue Mar 09, 2021 2:42 am

I have always thought that Namekians were the"Elves" of the Dragon World. They both have mystical abilities, long lifespans, and of course pointed ears. But Dragon Ball Super ch. 69 has validated this for me even more. Since it's been revealed that the Namekians came to Universe 7 (and presumably 6 but more on that later) from another "realm".

Lets get into the nitty gritty of their similarities.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves
Mystical Abilities
- Elven medicine/Healing
- Immortality
- Able to construct magical objects/weapons

Physical Attributes
- Pointed ears
- Enhanced sight and hearing
- Resistant to harsh environments
- Little sexual dimorphism
- Generally quite tall
- Reach mental maturity sooner

Culture
- Native language
- Simple/Natural living
- Peaceful by nature

Origins
- Came to Middle Earth from Cuiviénen, which can be considered another realm
- Born/Created/Brought/Etc. into the world by Eru Ilúvatar

Miscellaneous
- Other races speak of their unusual abilities
- Separate pockets of Elves existed in the First Age

Namekians
Mystical Abilities
- Healing powers (Only some) [DBZ ch. 110]
- Very long lifespans [DBS ch. 69]
- Able to create Dragon Balls [DBS. ch 69]
- Able to materialize weapons/clothing [DBZ ch. 14]

Physical Attributes
- Pointed ears
- Enhanced hearing [DBZ ch. 141]
- Resistant to harsh environments [DBZ ch. 155]
- Only one sex [DBZ ch. 66]
- Generally quite tall

Culture
- Native language [DB ch. 181]
- Simple/Natural living [DBZ ch. 65]
- Peaceful by nature [DBZ ch. 49]

Origins
- Came to Universe 7 from another realm [DBS ch. 69]

Miscellaneous
- Other races speak of their unusual abilities [DBZ ch. 20]
- Separate pockets of Namekians still exist throughout Universe 7 [DBS ch. 69]

I got the information about Tolkien's Elves from my girlfriend as she's a much bigger fan of his works than I am. That being said I could have misunderstood some things and had no idea how to even begin sourcing the information for the Elves. So if any of the Elf facts are inaccurate please let me know!

But as you can see while not exactly the same they are quite similar. Could Namekians have been somewhat based on Tolkien's Elves? It could just be a coincidence, but for now, let's say it's not.

Sidetracking for a moment, did the Universe 6 Namekians come from this same "realm"? Were the Universe 6 and 7 Namekians actually originally one singular group that split up into different universes when they left that realm? I for one am starting to think so.

Back on topic, the Elves were brought to Middle Earth by Eru Ilúvatar, so who brought the Namekians to Universe 6 and 7?

Let's see.

Given how Dragon Balls seem to be ingrained into Namekian society, I don't think it's that much of a leap to say that their origins are closely tied. The Universe 6 and 7 Namekians actually whittled down fragments of the Super Dragon Balls to create their own sets. The Super Dragon Balls themselves are split up between these two universes, furthering my theory that the Namekians could be offshoots of the same group. So, could it have been the creator of the Super Dragon Balls, the Dragon God Zalama, who brought the Namekians to their respective universes?

Could Granolla's live-in Namekian buddy, Monaito, shed more light on this? Possibly, but only time will tell. Regardless, I am super pumped for the rest of this arc and am loving all of this new in-universe info we're getting!
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Re: The Parallels Between Namekians and J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves

Post by Berserker1921 » Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:58 am

Zalama might be the true creator of all the DB. Zeno is just the guy who took over or was appointed. I could see Zalama creating Zeno (Valar), Angels (Maiar), and GoDs (Balrogs/Ainur). Now the GoDs aren’t evil, they just tasked to destroy and created.

But I do see the similarities. And I agree to a point.

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Re: The Parallels Between Namekians and J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves

Post by SupremeKai25 » Tue Mar 09, 2021 5:02 am

The Kais remind me more of the fantasy elves. Aside from their appearance (obviously), the Kais also have healing magic and medicine, such as when Shin used healing herbs to heal Trunks and Mai after they were crushed by Black. They are basically immortal (since they can live for millions of years, so they have very long life-spans) and they can create magical objects which they use as weapons (like the katchin blocks).

Though I guess storywise they are more similar to the Valar/Maiar, since they are the Gods who watch over the ningens and the world. Zamasu even reminds me of Sauron because he was an "angel" obsessed with order and perfection and became twisted because of his fastidiousness.

Honestly I don't really care about this new arc or its story, but I hope we get more answers about the whole origins of the Gods, Zalama, the Kais, the Dragon Balls, and also the Namekians, who always seemed to have a privileged relationship with the Gods.

It could even be that the Kais and Namekians have similar ancestry, but maybe one group degenerated into ningens while the other group retained their God status. It's interesting how the Kais and Namekians stand out as very magic-oriented species that live in lush worlds surrounded by nature, but that could just be a coincidence.

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Re: The Parallels Between Namekians and J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves

Post by Polyphase Avatron » Tue Mar 09, 2021 7:51 am

In the Silmarillion, the elves were portrayed as very flawed, being tempted by evil and killing each other in civil wars. Whereas (aside from the non-canon Slug), the only really evil Namekian we've seen was the result of another Namekian literally expelling the evil side of his soul and manifesting it into a physical being. There's also the history of the elves teaming up with men, dwarves, and other races to all fight together against Morgoth and Sauron. It would be interesting if there had been some kind of alliance between Namekians, Humans, and Saiyans in the far past against something so evil they were all required to stop it.
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