Fantasy races and gender
No more two gender elves and dwarves! Here are some headcannons for them
Disclaimer I am only a cat with a vague understanding of humans so if something is off to you please let me know!
Elves
Have four or more genders depending on which culture group.
The most common genders are linked to the elements because elves are very connected to nature
First gender is linked to fire, while humans think this is the most masculine because these elves are fighters and commanders, they are also known for passionate poetry, wearing their emotions on their sleeves, and being big flirts.
Second gender is linked to air and these elves are known for their intelligence, focusing on knowledge, their connection to their gods, and understanding the world around them.
Third gender is linked to water and these elves are mediators, great with words and persuasion, family focused, and like keeping large books documenting their family history.
The fourth gender is connected to earth, and while these elves are usually seen as more feminine, humans are often shocked by what they do. These elves are the planners for their tribes. They plan buildings, keep track of money, and organize trade.
Elves have a ‘gender reveal’ party for their kids when the kid is around 12 and gets to choose their gender.
Elves are also able to switch between genders whenever they want.
Elves link gender more with societal roles than with sex. So elves can have a variety of masculine or feminine traits within one gender but all use the same pronouns.
Elves have a multitude of pronouns! They have the standard I and you pronouns with a singular and plural they for each gender. They also have pronouns for a group of mixed gender elves that signify which gender is the largest part of the group and if their are multiple or only one of each elf. Humans have charts for figuring out elf gender pronouns and it is very difficult for them to understand.
Elves believe that a child needs a strong parental figure from each gender group to be a successful person so children are raised communally.
Dwarves
Drawers don’t have the concept of gender and use the same pronoun for everyone. They have I, you, them (singular), and them (plural).
Dwarves don’t have a lot of sexual dimorphism so both male, female, and intersex dwarves all have beards, large muscles, and very stout builds.
Dwarves think humans assign too much significance to their genitalia. And they think elves get a little too involved with their gender groups.
Drawces do have many different sex groups which can be seen as genders but have no social, pronoun, or aesthetic signifiers. Intersex is very common for dwarves and they create many terms for the spectrum.
This is a fun dive into how different human-esque groups can have gender and sex ideas that humans don’t have. I encourage anyone writing fantasy with human and non- human characters to explore what gender and sex even are but also not to restrict lgbtq characters just to the non human group!
