Composer : Didier Merlateau Title : "taking out for a walk" Time : 0:35 Formation : ambiance

The Elves of Ripewood are quite simply magnificent. Slim and fine featured with long flowing hair they seem insubstantial almost unreal. Those fortunate men who have met them or even just caught a glimpse of them through the trees remember that moment all their lives. Good natured and friendly, they live there where the forest is still a place of magic respected by all .

Elves embody the concepts of love and loyalty.

Their chief, Pegael and his wife Alearel are breathtakingly graceful. Often, at the edge of the forest you can hear an enchanting melody; a love song such as only elves can sing. The sweet music floats on the wind, rising into the sky to become one with the sun. The voice which carries the song on high is clear and true, like the song of lovers, the beauty of a flower or melancholy like a journey which has reached it's end. If you have come here looking for a fight stranger, then you'd better go on your way for if these creatures are marvellous free spirits they are nonetheless formidable adversaries. Their magic powers and their agility have kept them alive all this while and it is not you who will see their end.

For the elves, art almost a religion. Their poems warm the heart, walking they seem to dance, the least object made by them shines like a diamond and the beauty of their music such that you want it to go on forever.

At the very heart of this forest, beautiful Celene is bathing :

Drawing by Ferber

Her body is sublime and, naked in the water, she improvises a song, a hymn dedicated to this enchanted place. From behind a clump of trees Ewyn watches her attentively. His heart beats for her alone. He moves closer and suddenly she notices him. With a gracefully wave of her hand she beckons him to join her. The handsome young man smiles as he takes her in his arms for a lingering kiss. That is how it is with the elves, from beauty comes beauty. Their entwined bodies regain the banks of the lake looking like the great swans who sometimes rest here on these magical waters. A sunbeam pierces the overhead branches and dries their warm bodies. Let us leave them to their lovemaking.

Celene.mov (800 Ko)

Clic to the link for see the beauty of Celene in 3 D. (Original animation, format QuickTime)

Further on, at the village perched in the trees, Pegeal reigns and each day is filled with music and singing. A system of pulleys permits our friends to construct their houses high in the treetops. These habitations are almost invisible to the untrained eye and it is certain that a picnic could be eaten right below the village without anyone being any the wiser.

Elves live for the most part on plants and fish. Sentinels are stationed throughout the forest to guard against the arrival of potential enemies or at least warn of any encroaching problem. They are protected by powerful spells and if by chance you notice a slight movement in the branches of the tallest trees, hear a faint rustling behind a bush, or (if you are really lucky) a sweet melody from out of nowhere, it will be that the elves are watching you. So sit back and close your eyes, take a deep breath and who knows, maybe the miracle will happen and one of them will come and speak with you.