Gliders (Elfquest)

The Gliders are a fictional tribe of elves in the comic book series Elfquest. They were closer to the High Ones in looks and magic abilities than all other tribes encountered. Their home were the artfully shaped insides of Blue Mountain, and they were worshipped by a human tribe.

History and Characteristics

The Gliders were a group of elves - some of them children of the High Ones - with strong magic powers. Their leader, Voll, wanted them to have a safe home, thus their rockshapers built a home inside Blue Mountain after the memories of the Palace of the High Ones. After Lord Voll's lover and confidant Winnowill created the Chosen Eight - a group of hunters that rode the Giant Hawks that nested in Blue Mountain - no one but those hunters left the mountain.

They treated humans like any other prey, until a human shaman made her way near the peak of Blue Mountain and sang and talked to them. The Gliders then agreed not to hunt humans, if they in turn received offerings and worship.

Cut off from new impulses, the Gliders' culture turned on to itself. They created intricate art, such as the Egg of Six Spheres, which recorded the elves' history, but stopped growing. For millennia no children were born. Some of the rockshapers were put into permanent trance, and do nothing but fulfill a certain function. Winnowill manipulated Voll, so that his plans to leave Blue Mountain again never grew to fruition.

He came to believe that the elves were doomed to wither, and that there would never any children be born. Only the arrival of the Wolfriders with their children and the Preservers could wake him up. He was then determined to return to the Palace of the High Ones as soon as possible - but was killed before reaching it, leaving Winnowill as new Lord of the Gliders.

She put all Gliders but the Chosen Eight into deep sleep, and attempted to use their magic powers to shape Blue Mountain into a vessel to leave the World of Two Moons. This plan was foiled by the Wolfriders. The already re-shaped Blue Mountain shattered, and nearly all Gliders were killed - as a people or tribe, the Gliders do not exist anymore.

Glider Characters

Lord Voll

Male, deceased; long-time lovemate of Winnowill, he states he is the child of High Ones, possibly Deir and Gibra, who had birthed a son called Vol in the years after the Palace fell. He was the leader of the Gliders for many years, and died when he forced the Wolfriders to follow him to the palace. A projectile fired by trolls from a giant ballista, impaling Voll and his bond-bird, Tenspan.

Winnowill

female, deceased, but still active; lovemate of Lord Voll and Rayek, mother of Two-Edge

She was a healer, but after the Gliders retreated into the safety of Blue Mountain her gift was not needed and festered. She controlled the Chosen Eight, and secretly the lives of all Gliders. When the arrival of the Wolfriders threatened to lead to her tribe returning to the outside world, she tried to prevent this. Later she tried to annihilate the Wolfriders. She spent about ten thousand years creating monsters and playing with the humans in the new land, known to some of them as Lady of the Waves. The Palace of the High Ones was destroyed when she tried to conquer it, and was thwarted by Rayek and his daughter Venka; immediately before it could be restored, she let herself be killed to free her soul. However, it was captured by Rayek, who drew her soul into her body, claiming since he once held all the spirits of the Gliders, he could hold her. Winnowill is gradually gaining more control over her magic, but the two elves are in constant struggle.

Aroree

female, alive; lovemate of Skywise

Aroree was one of the Chosen Eight. Even after falling in love with Skywise and wanting to be free she was loyal to Winnowill and did not leave the Gliders - until she could kidnap Windkin, Tyldak's son, whom she left to Winnowill as replacement for herself. Later she joined the Wolfriders and became a respected member of the tribe, and a teacher. After the restoration of the palace she accompanied Venka, hoping to find Tyldak.

Appearances: Original Quest, Siege at Blue Mountain, Kings of the Broken Wheel, Dreamtime, storyline Shards

Tyldak

male, missing; lovemate of Kahvi, recognized the Wolfrider Dewshine, father of Windkin

Tyldak loved flying so much that he asked Winnowill to re-shape his body to have wings instead of arms, so that he could truly fly. He was very loyal to Winnowill, partly because he felt he owed her for this favor. She later betrays him, chaining him to the throne hall floor, never again to fly. He is freed by Two-Edge during the frenzy of the Fall of Blue Mountain.

Appearances: Original Quest, Siege at Blue Mountain, Kings of the Broken Wheel, Going Back, Kahvi

Aurek

formerly known as Egg; male, alive

He was one of the rockshapers that were in a permanent trace, living only to fulfill their purpose. His was shaping the Egg of Six Spheres, a floating stone egg that showed in pictures the history of the elves - this was only possible because he had knowledge of it. After the death of Lord Voll he had a vision of Timmain, charging him with remembering, and starting to wake him up. He survived the fall of Blue Mountain with the help of Two-Edge and built a more humble home in the remains. He shaped a new, smaller version of the Egg of Six Spheres, which was stolen by Kahvi after Aurek revealed her own past and the origin of the Go-Backs to her.

He stayed on the World of Two Moons even after the Palace left the planet, and became teacher of Jink.

Appearances: Original Quest, Long Dream's Ending, Kahvi, Jink

Kureel

male, deceased

He was one of the Chosen Eight, loyal to Winnowill, and very hostile toward the Wolfriders - the latter in part because they killed a young giant hawk that would have been his bond bird when grown. After the fall of Blue Mountain he tried to kill Dart and his human friend Geoki, and was in turn killed by Strongbow. Deeply guilty for this albeit necessary act, Strongbow sought Kureel's soul in the Palace to ask for forgiveness. For his part, Kureel was now at peace, barely remembered the circumstances of his death, and did not hesitate to give it.

Door

male, deceased; recognized to Dodia, father of No-Name

He shaped Winnowill's secret chambers, and was put into a permanent trance after he had nearly let Two-Edge's father escape. He stayed loyal to Winnowill, trying to keep the chambers secured even while Blue Mountain was collapsing, but Cutter forced him to make a way to the outside.

The Hoan G'Tay Sho took him with them on their search for a new home and worshiped him. However, it took him millennia to return to lucidity, which immediately slewed to rage and hatred. He lured Windkin and some of the Jack-wolf riders to the Forevergreen, where he tried to draw Windkin on his side, to help him rebuild the Gliders, and to rule the humans. He Recognized Dodia, but even before their child was born she killed him.

Appearances: Original Quest, Siege at Blue Mountain, the Forevergreen storyline in the series New Blood

Others

• Reevol (male, deceased) - He was the one who took Dewshine out of Blue Mountain when the Wolfriders wanted to exchange her and Windkin for the Preservers.
• The other Chosen were Eresir, Talno, Oroleed, Hoykar (all male and deceased) and Yeyeen (female, deceased).
• Door (female, deceased) - a rockshaper in permanent trance, in charge of the main gate of Blue Mountain.
• Brace (male, deceased) - a rockshaper in permanent trance, in charge of keeping a particular part of roof from destabilizing.

There were many more Gliders, but they have not been named.

• Two-Edge (male half-troll) was born and raised in Blue Mountain, helped build Winnowill's secret chambers and was allowed to come and go there as he pleased, but he never belonged to the Gliders.
• Windkin (male, alive) Son of Tyldak and the Wolfrider Dewshine, stepson of Scouter, Dewshine's lovemate. He has his father's floating ability, and looks very much like his father before Winnowill's mutation of him. Raised in the Sun Village, he becomes the lovemate of Savah's handmaiden, Ahdri.
• No-Name (male, alive) Son of Door and the Sun Villager, Dodia. He is raised by his psychotic mother in a cave, as she is convinced that he is in danger from the spirit of his (apparently) deceased father. No-Name later escapes with Chot of the Go-Backs and the Sun Villager, Jethel.