What races lived among humans?

[Riverwolf]

By races I mean entirely different races such as giants, dwaves elves, ect. Do you think any races, be it alien or indigenous actually interacted with humans?

..."races"? Giants, Dwarves, and Elves in Lore aren't different "races"; they're different types of wights.

In mythology I don't see it as fiction but legend and there is always some truth to legends. Otherwise they wouldn't be legendary in the first place. Perhaps beings from outer space or another dimension, like the Annunaki or other gods came and other races interacted with humans or even interbred with them. Some might be extinct but perhaps some still do exist and are in hiding. After all we haven't explored every square inch of Earth? How do we know there's no intelligent race living in the depths of the cold arctic or underwater or underground in the mountains?

Well, if that's really what you're after... they did exist. Once. Long ago. But as far as we can tell, they're all gone. We're the last.

Some small parts of them still exist in some of us, sure. But it's not enough for meaningful distinctions to be made.

BTW, they were just as biological as us. They didn't come from another dimension, or another planet, or deep inside Earth, or the Poles.

 

[Sonofason]

By races I mean entirely different races such as giants, dwaves elves, ect. Do you think any races, be it alien or indigenous actually interacted with humans?

In mythology I don't see it as fiction but legend and there is always some truth to legends. Otherwise they wouldn't be legendary in the first place. Perhaps beings from outer space or another dimension, like the Annunaki or other gods came and other races interacted with humans or even interbred with them. Some might be extinct but perhaps some still do exist and are in hiding. After all we haven't explored every square inch of Earth? How do we know there's no intelligent race living in the depths of the cold arctic or underwater or underground in the mountains?

Yeah, giants existed. And I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we should find that dwarves and elves existed as well.

"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." (Genesis 6:1-4)

 

[Theweirdtophat]

Well we still got lots of idiots.




Depths of the arctic: And there they eat what exactly?
Underwater: Same question, they need enough nutrition to form a brain like ours.
Underground: Because its hot there. Like really hot. And again what do they eat?





And you are now literally on the purge list. Congrats.

The thing is we cannot assume that the species must be like us in order to exist in harsh environments. There may be a race that can survive on little food, or withstand harsh cold weather or boiling heat. We may not survive, but it does not necessarily mean they can't. Some animals can withstand the heat and the cold better than we can. I don't see why another intelligent species can't do the same.

 

[Willamena]

By races I mean entirely different races such as giants, dwaves elves, ect. Do you think any races, be it alien or indigenous actually interacted with humans?

So, like, capitalists, CEOs, public relations, accountants, politicians, that sort of people?

We don't allow any of them in our establishment.

If you're talking just about skin colour or the pointiness of their ears, that encompasses all breeds of CEO, public relations, accountants, etc.

 

[Riverwolf]

The thing is we cannot assume that the species must be like us in order to exist in harsh environments. There may be a race that can survive on little food, or withstand harsh cold weather or boiling heat. We may not survive, but it does not necessarily mean they can't. Some animals can withstand the heat and the cold better than we can. I don't see why another intelligent species can't do the same.

Do you know what food does to our bodies?

 

[Theweirdtophat]

Do you know what food does to our bodies?

Food does a lot of things. What are referring to? I was saying that people seem to assume that if a human couldn't survive such conditions, that must mean no other race can which isn't really true. Some animals can handle the heat or cold better than humans can, why can't there be a race that can live in extreme heat or cold?

There were a lot of races and species apparently. I would find it surprising that all of them happen to be extinct and can't be found anywhere else. We haven't looked everywhere.

 

[Riverwolf]

Some animals can handle the heat or cold better than humans can, why can't there be a race that can live in extreme heat or cold?

Because biologically there's no such thing as "race." It's a purely social construct.

 

[Theweirdtophat]

Because biologically there's no such thing as "race." It's a purely social construct.

I think we arguing semantics here. Race, species, other people, creatures, ect. You know what I mean when I refer to race or species. I was referring to non-human humanoids. Dwarves, elves and giants aren't human. If they are related they can be cousins, but no human is going to be 15 feet.

 

[Riverwolf]

I think we arguing semantics here. Race, species, other people, creatures, ect. You know what I mean when I refer to race or species.

That's the thing, though. If you're using "race" synonymously with "species", I don't know what you're talking about.

I was referring to non-human humanoids.

Technically, chimps fit that classification.

Dwarves, elves and giants aren't human. If they are related they can be cousins, but no human is going to be 15 feet.

You do know that in some of the earlier Lore, Giants aren't necessarily tall?

Dungeons and Dragons has sort of skewed the American perception on what the historical conceptions of these wights were. Rather than being supernatural entities, they were depicted in those games as "races", which isn't surprising seeing that they came out of American culture, and furthermore with the Civil Rights Movement in full view.

The word "Elf" comes from a word that meant the color white, and among some peoples referred to male ancestors (female ancestors being called disir in Old Norse). In other words, they were human.

The etymology of the word "dwarf" is uncertain, though it does go back to Proto-Germanic. From what I've seen of the original wights, however, they seem to bear more close resemblance to modern (fantasy) conceptions of demons or devils, than of modern high fantasy dwarves.

As for giants, allow me to switch over to the Anglic word, ettin (Old Norse, Jotunn.) This time, we do have an etymology all the way back to PIE, and it's from a word that meant, "to eat." In other words, an "ettin" could variously refer to any human-eating animal, or alternatively a human who eats a lot, and thus unusually large.

You're right in that legends tend to be based on something in reality. However, that reality that inspired the legends is going to be mundane.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

The etymology of the word "dwarf" is uncertain, though it does go back to Proto-Germanic. From what I've seen of the original wights, however, they seem to bear more close resemblance to modern (fantasy) conceptions of demons or devils, than of modern high fantasy dwarves.

So dwarves evolved from goblins? Man, Thorin Oakenshield is spinning in his grave!

 

[Riverwolf]

So dwarves evolved from goblins? Man, Thorin Oakenshield is spinning in his grave!

...maybe? Depends on how kobolds (apparently the word "goblin" comes from a Greek word that also gave us "kobold") were viewed, which I don't know.