# "Elves" are discovered to exist. How does the world react? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elves-are-discovered-to-exist-how-does-the-world-react/548923 "2010-08-02T19:56:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elves-are-discovered-to-exist-how-does-the-world-react/548923/41 "2010-08-04T01:21:16Z")
Have you been stealing from [C J Cherryh?](http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/c-j-cherryh/foreigner.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elves-are-discovered-to-exist-how-does-the-world-react/548923/42 "2010-08-04T02:37:29Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > I would also see pan-theists such as Hindus, animists, Daoists, etc. adjusting far better than monotheists. To the Hindus, they probably would be considered devas or some such. One of my first thoughts (after, like almost everyone else, “We’d probably try to kill them”) was that many Christians and Jews would identify the Yon as [Nephilim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephilim). The Nephilim are only mentioned briefly a couple of times in Genesis and the meaning of these passages is open to interpretation, but they are described as unusually large, long-lived, and perhaps not entirely human. That fits the Yon well enough. **Skald** has left the question of whether their men would be sexually interested in human women open, but if they are then that would further strengthen the association with the Nephilim. Those who take a non-literal interpretation of Genesis would probably not attribute great significance to the similarities between the Yon and the Nephilim, they’d just think “Huh, I guess encounters with the Yon may have inspired that story like so many others.” Biblical literalists are likely to fear that the Yon will lust after human women and will be generally hostile to humanity or God’s followers. The Yon may even be seen as fallen angels or the descendants of fallen angels and human women. Since the Nephilim are first mentioned in Genesis just before the story of the flood, a certain stripe of fundamentalist Christian may take their “return” as evidence that we’re living in a sinful era and that God will soon wipe away the wicked. Those who believe this will probably feel it’s best to just avoid the Yon and prepare for the end times. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elves-are-discovered-to-exist-how-does-the-world-react/548923/43 "2010-08-04T04:23:52Z")
Lawyer up. There’s going to be a bunch of cases being filed in order to determine what the legal status of Yon are. Starting with whether or not they are legally people. And while we’re at it, we should be looking into what our legal status is under Yon law. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elves-are-discovered-to-exist-how-does-the-world-react/548923/44 "2010-08-04T09:29:50Z")
Ummm…elves don’t already exist? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elves-are-discovered-to-exist-how-does-the-world-react/548923/45 "2010-08-04T23:05:30Z")
> [@missred](#): > > Ummm…elves don’t already exist? > > 😛 No. [del]We[/del]The orcs ate them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elves-are-discovered-to-exist-how-does-the-world-react/548923.md?page=2)