The Gifts of The Hand
*This post will be about Elves and the gifts they received from The Hand. You can read the previous posts about the creation of the world through the links below.*
[*The Words of Creation*](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/fpyzm1/the_words_of_creation/)
[*The Ordering of The Cosmos*](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/fqjsu7/the_ordering_of_the_cosmos/)
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[The Metaphysical Anatomy of Elves](https://preview.redd.it/z60ahteiomp41.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=355a08c9e1cddc426adf348a41e2d8bcaaf13655)
After the creation of the ***Cosmos***, the ***Hand of Primus*** saw a flaw in their design. Where the Sun doesn't shine, chaotic energy from the ***Dream*** seep into the world and rewrite elements of ***The Great Story***. The Hand resolved to create beings that would revert the effects of the Dream and preserve the state of the world. These beings were the Elves and each ***Prime Idea*** gave them a gift to help them in this task.
# A wise mind
was given by ***Verum*** to help them seek ***Truth***. Through one's mind, an elf could access and process all information about the world, specifically by interfacing with the Ideas from the Sun. It also gave them enhanced perception of the world and perfect memory. They communicated with each other solely through their minds.
# A patient heart
was given by ***Tempus*** to help them seek ***Love***. The heart allowed elves to empathize with each other and even with other living creatures. As the heart feels an emotion, it can alter the flow of energy in the body. Its primary purpose was to allow an elf to quickly respond to the event that caused the emotion.
# A courageous soul
was given by ***Potentia*** to help them seek ***Justice***. The soul determines personality, although all elves were born with the same personality. It is also the house of conscience and allows elves to judge something with the help of the mind and the heart. The three are collectively called the spirit, which is believed to persist after death.
# A graceful body
was given by ***Materia*** to help them seek ***Beauty***. The body is purely material and allowed elves to interact with the material world. All elves looked exactly the same and cannot be distinguished from men except for their charming appearance and movements.
# A resilient vita
was given by ***Anima*** to help them seek ***Being***. All living creatures have vita, which gives them their instincts and is maintained by feeding. Unlike other living creatures, an elf's vita was nourished directly by the Sun. As a consequence, they were immortal and had no need to procreate. Elves were active during the day and became dormant just before sunset.
Through these gifts, Elves had direct access to the holy energy of the Sun, which helped them undo the effects caused by the chaotic energy of the Dream. They were careful not to leave any trace of their presence since they deem themselves not part of the world, and merely its stewards. For most of the ***First Age***, the Elves successfully performed their duties in accordance to the Hand's design. However, this peace would not last as another gift was given to some elves that eventually led to their downfall.
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*I mentioned in the previous post that the gifts of The Hand were considered in the design of The Hand and I hope this post helps in painting a clearer picture of what each Prime Idea stands for. The metaphysical anatomy actually holds precedence over the other concepts though I still consider the Prime Ideas as the core concept of my world.*
*I'm not really comfortable calling the Precursors as Elves, since that word has a lot of connotations. I considered calling them Fae, Angels and Ancients but Elves fit the description best so I stuck with it. I'm also not satisfied with the names of the gifts, especially the heart, which can be easily confused with the cardiovascular organ. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have better suggestions for names. In the next post, I will tell more about the sixth gift and the fall of the Elves who received it.*
[*The Sixth Gift*](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/frtixd/the_sixth_gift/)