The elves in Warhammer Online: yin, yang and Jung

The lore of the Elves in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is a rich one, no doubt. What you probably may not realize is that there’s a lot more to these long-lived characters than story. A lot of the lore is grounded in Chinese philosophy and Jungian psychology as well.

Join us as we take a look at how the characteristics of the elves line up with the principles of yin-yang and analytical psychology. More psychobabble awaits after the jump!

If you recall, fellow blogger Charles D. wrote an article last January about the appeal of the Druchii in EA Mythic‘s Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR). He was right on track, and yet, this blogger has discovered another side to the story.

In this blogger’s opinion, the appeal of the Dark Elves goes beyond the appeal of their faction alone. It is precisely the intertwined fates of both High Elf and Dark Elf that make both factions so fascinating.

You may not have realized this, but the Dark Elves draw their appeal from the principles of yin and yang, and the psychology of Carl Gustav Jung as well. Allow us to elaborate further on this matter.

In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang stand for the unity of opposites. The thing to remember here is that these opposites not only oppose each other – they  complement each other, too. Likewise, the Asur and the Druchii are two sides of the same Elvish coin.

It’s hardly surprising, because the Asur and the Druchii were once one race, according to EA Mythic’s WAR lore. Unfortunately, circumstances and power struggles between two Elven generals tore the once unified race apart.

The important thing to note here is that, while opposed to one another, both High Elves and Dark Elves serve to balance each other out. Each one serves a the perfect foil to the other, from their principles all the way down to their respective character classes.

This results in a kind of dynamic equilibrium that, paradoxically, is as tense as it is balanced. For a clearer picture, it is necessary to link it to the principles of C.G. Jung as well.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Jungian psychology, allow this blogger to briefly elaborate on the matter. In a nutshell, Jung posited that the quest for every person is that of wholeness, unity and balance – as symbolized by the Self.

In spite of this, there are many aspects of the human psyche that make this effort rather complicated. These aspects are called archetypes. In layman’s terms, they are models for particular ideas or concepts (For example, a dove may be recognized as the symbol for peace.)

Two particular archetypes stand out for this blogger as far as the elves are concerned: the persona and the shadow. The persona is the “socially acceptable” side that we show to the world at large.

The shadow stands for that part of the unconscious human mind that consists of repressed weaknesses, instincts, and shortcomings. It is the “dark side” that we would rather keep under wraps and not reveal to anyone.

The person’s job is to move toward the realization of Selfhood. It is in this quest that the persona and the shadow both have a role to play. In Jungian psychology, however, neither archetypes are to be shunned.

Both must be accepted for what they are, for both are important. They and all other archetypes need to be integrated into the fully whole, healed Self. In the same way, that’s what the Asur and the Druchii are like – the “good” persona in conflict  with the “evil” shadow.

The current war between both factions is reflective of the move to back into what was once a unified race – a unified Self. Admittedly, that’s not the direct intention of either side, but the constant tension between the two is what makes them so interesting.

Which brings this blogger to his final point: EA Mythic Elven lore is interesting precisely  because it reminds us of ourselves and our own quest for Selfhood.

The conflict between Asur and Druchii somehow touches an inner chord in us. It’s as if EA Mythic took the idea of our own inner conflict, idealized it in the persons of the Elves, and narrated it in terms that we can understand and appreciate.

And that’s the way it is with life, in general, is it not? The tension in the strings of any stringed  instrument helps produce beautiful music. The stress on the cables of a suspension bridge is what helps hold it together.

Likewise, the very differences between High Elves and Dark Elves are paradoxically what draw them together, in some strange sort of way. In turn, the conflict between the various aspects of our psyche makes us who we are.

Whatever form it takes, it makes for great, romantic, idealized storytelling – and this is what we seek. In EA Mythic’s Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, we are both High Elf and Dark Elf, good and evil, light and dark, en route toward balance and wholeness. As Jung himself put it:

The unconscious is not just evil by nature, it is also the source of the highest good: not only dark but also light, not only bestial, semihuman, and demonic but superhuman, spiritual, and, in the classical sense of the word, “divine.”