Why Brandon Sanderson Keeps Elves Out of the Cosmere
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson explains in a recent YouTube video why he deliberately leaves traditional elves out of his Cosmere universe, tracing the decision back to his college essays about escaping the shadow of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Fantasy heavyweight Brandon Sanderson recently dove into a creative rule he set for himself nearly thirty years ago. In a recent installment of his SanderFAQ YouTube series, reported by Polygon, the bestselling author explained why readers will never find traditional elves anywhere in his sprawling Cosmere universe. Back in his university days in the late nineties, Sanderson grew so frustrated with generations of authors simply recycling J.R.R. Tolkien templates that he wrote an essay titled Kill the Elves. While he admits his old online polemic titled How Tolkien Ruined Fantasy leaned heavily into clickbait territory, his actual point was that Tolkien set a standard so towering that it accidentally boxed in the entire genre for decades.
Rather than populating his worlds with standard fantasy tropes like trolls, goblins, or elves, Sanderson focused his storytelling on human experiences and original worldbuilding. The Cosmere features massive crustaceans known as Greatshells and shape shifting societies like the Parshendi instead of traditional fantasy races. The one exception to his anti Tolkien rule is the inclusion of dragons, with Sanderson noting that finding a substitute with the same mythic weight is nearly impossible. Even his approach to magical entities relies on self aware fragments of fundamental universal forces rather than classic fae.
Sanderson's perspective on the foundation of modern fantasy has softened over the years. Though he found The Lord of the Rings too dense as a child, he now enjoys the audiobooks and appreciates fresh creative takes on classic races, even giving a nod to the hit anime series Frieren: Beyond Journey's End in his latest video. For players and readers who love deep lore and complex worldbuilding, understanding why creators make these deliberate design choices offers a fascinating look at how modern fantasy continues to evolve past its historical blueprints.
Tags: Brandon Sanderson, Cosmere, Fantasy, Books, Tolkien
Original article: Polygon