I’ll be the party pooper and say I don’t actually like this.
Fantasy tends to present the human form as sort of default, to the point that unrelated races, sometimes even from different worlds or planes of existence, end up looking like humans with exotic skin colors and/or extra bits. (Looking at you, Shadowlands.) This makes humanization look like the fantasy equivalent of carcinization.
I understand that it’s because most real-life writers are human, but in-universe it makes no sense.
My belief is that races that look similar should also share a common ancestry. It doesn’t necessarily mean common ancestry in the evolutionary sense; for example, in my world, humans, elves and dwarves trace their ancestry to one pantheon of gods, and dragonborn, kobolds, and lizardfolk to another. In-universe it’s not known if the races were created like that ex nihilo or evolved from common ancestors, with different scholars advocating different theories.
I certainly have friends whom I’d call living proof of that.
the thing is, the Jotun claim the norn share ancestry with them, and with the ancient giants that once ruled over the worlds before the gods of humanity came. we know the Jotun once looked diffrent, even if we dont know exactly how much so, and when their society collapsed they over the years came to look less and less regal.
sad issue is, of all the races, norn have the least lore and its hard to say what exactly is fact with them. mayhaps there is a common ancestor with humanity that diverged with the influence of the spirits of the wild whom the norn can take the shape of. we just sadly dont know.
I’m really hoping for some Sauron action! To see him as the master schemer he is meant to be is something I am excited for.
I do like how there’s also effectively two theories over the humans and their gods. Theory one is they were made in their image, very Old God like. The other theory which I think we got partial hints as if I recall, is that the gods are some sort of ascendant humans that gained their position.
I tend to find the latter more plausible in my books at least. Weve had at least three confirmed cases of someone of near human status taking the mantle of a god. Balthazar took the mantle of god of war after slaying his father and denying his brother Menzies. Grenth, the son of Dwayna and a human, mantled godhood over death after taking it from Dhuum and Kormir took the mantle of god of wisdom from deposing Abbadon. Its a set precedent and makes me wonder is that how the remaining gods came to their position too.
Peeve: Having a boomer moment as my phone browser siezes up and won’t let me bring up the favourites tab as it does at random, not remembering how to fix it besides rebooting the browser.
Don’t listen to edgy youngsters to whom everything created more than two years ago is ancient, and to whom everyone more than five years older than them is a boomer.
Live your life your way and take pride in it. Technology fads are fleeting, and the best things in the world are timeless.
In darkness seek joy. Surrender not to sadness, and– sorry, wrong note.
At the same time, I can understand not wanting to become so out of touch with modern technology that you end up like the US Congress, who struggle to even comprehend the concept of TikTok.