History Characters / ElfQuest

* DomesticAbuse: In one prequel arc, Bearclaw is spending all his time below ground, coming back either drunk or hungover from the trolls' dreamberry wine. When Joyleaf tries to prod him into actually doing his job as chief, he turns around and hits her, hard. She promptly dumps him, particularly notable since they're ''life''mates. To try and win her back, he orders her on a bear hunt and then manipulates the hunt to put himself in danger, knowing she'll react with worry and come running. At that point, Recognition apparently figured it had better grab this chance and hits both of them, resulting in Cutter. Notable is the Wolfriders pretty much consider Bearclaw to be in the wrong, although at least one tries to dismiss it as another of their every-few-decades spats. Joyleaf shuts him down.

* IncestIsRelative: Recognizes her distant descendant Skywise.

* TeamMom: Becomes one for the entire elven race.

* RhymesOnADime: A symptom of his mental illness. Stops after Leeta's partial cure.
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * TheTrickster

* YouNoTakeCandle: Along with all the other preservers.

* HonoraryUncle: An unwilling variation- Tinker has declared Ekuar to be a secondary papa, much to Ekuar's bemusement and Picknose's fury.

* TheMentor: Served as this for Rayek, helping him to hone his powers.

Descendants of an elven band that migrated to a harsh desert region. Unthreatened by humans or other dangers, they remained relatively pureblooded, other than developing darker colors to cope with the scorching sun, and became gentle farmers.

* HealingHands

* TheseHandsHaveKilled
* {{Tsundere}}: More "dere" than "tsun".

* MindOverMatter: Capable of levitation.

* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler:Volunteers to become the "can" for Winnowill's hateful spirit after she is beheaded by a human. So as long as he stays awake, Winnowill will stay trapped forever]].

* BadassAdorable: Stood up to ''Winnowill'' of all people, and entered her mind to save Savah's soul.
* ChildProdigy: Is a very adept psychic unlike any other elf, even as a young boy.

* NonActionGuy: In contrast to Ember's ActionGirl.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Towards Cutter; he wanted to prove he can be a wolfrider like his father's people, but nearly ends

* AnythingThatMoves: If you're an elf and physically capable of sex, Mender will seduce you eventually. Even willing to have sex with humans[[note]]Other elves view this more or less like bestiality[[/note]] ForScience
* CombatMedic

* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold

* GenkiGirl: From the beginning as a Sun elf.

* SassyBlackWoman: Shenshen in human form, considering her natural skin colour, comes out as this sometimes.

* {{Biomanipulation}}: She started out as a healer but became this over time, she became able to shapechange herself and create mutant monstrosities. Her power to heal is comprehensive enough that she can reshape organisms into mutant horrors.

* FantasticRacism: Considers the existence of the Wolf Riders an abomination because they're genetically related to their wolves. Also fairly hypocritical when you consider her own activities, which produced Two-Edge.
* FurAndLoathing: Wears white fur on her outfit, and she's a villain.

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Becomes utterly love-sick for Skywise and ventures all over the world searching for him... then finds out he's been snatched thousands of years into the future.

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: For Skywise... until she goes through round after round of BreakTheCutie.
* WhatBeautifulEyes: Become DullEyesOfUnhappiness when [[spoiler:Lord Voll is murdered and most of the Gliders die. She eventually recovers while living with the Wolfriders]].

* DealWithTheDevil

* RedOniBlueOni: With Kahvi.

* BoisterousBruiser
* TheLadette

* [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Race Gal]]

* [[spoiler:DyingMomentOfAwesome]]
* WellDoneDaughterGirl

Daughter of Rayek and Khavi. Raised as a Wolfrider. BarrierMaiden who possesses anti-magic. Lovemate of Zhantee.

* MysticalWhiteHair

* BoisterousBruiser
* [[spoiler:DyingMomentOfAwesome]]
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl

* BoisterousBruiser
* [[spoiler:DyingMomentOfAwesome]]
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: At least after CharacterDevelopment.

Medieval girl who first encounters Leetah on the brink of death, and becomes somewhat of zealous a freedom fighter due to her experience. Ends up leading an army against the Djun, subsequently gets adopted by Cutter and Leetah. Married to Nunkah (though it didn't go well), later married to Bee, mother to Shukopek.

* ActionGirl

* NaiveEverygirl

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Whether the High Ones didn't really notice their pets were becoming people, treated the proto-trolls like servants who are better seen and not heard, or flatout enslaved them, the proto-trolls did not like it, and screwed with the Palace's guidance system at a crucial juncture of space and time, landing the High Ones in Abode's distant past, thousands of years before the intended landing point.

* UnfortunateName: According to WordOfGod, his name is a very respectable one in trollish, as it refers to the size and shape of his pronounced nose. [[InMyLanguageThatSoundsLike Unfortunately]], humans tend to read as a reference to a nasty personal habit.

* BadassDecay: An in-universe example- in his youth, Greymung was an ambitious firebrand who personally led his supporters into rebellion against Guttlekraw, removing his monarch from power and becoming king himself. By the present time, centuries of kingly living have taken their toll, leaving Greymung fat, lazy and cowardly. By the time Guttlekraw and his forces invade, he is described by Picknose as not being fit to lead his warriors into battle.

* KarmicDeath: Ousted Guttlekraw and usurped his kingdom. Centuries later, he would die at the hands of Guttlekraw.

* ProperLady: In one story, a besotted elf tries to mold her into one. She eventually puts on a PimpedOutDress to make him understand this just ain't her.
** In the Final Quest, she dons a silken gown made from preserver webbing, which she swiftly adapts to.
* UndyingLoyalty: Prefers exile or death to being parted from Strongbow, even when he's wrong. She gets quite irritable when she has to go off with Ember's group while her mate engages Djun's citadel.

* StatuesqueStunner: Moonshade in the form of a Palace Dweller and high one.

* EyepatchOfPower: Subverted.

* BoisterousBruiser

* CombatMedic
* HealingHands
* PosthumousCharacter: Became Madcoil's first victim in the attack that decimated the Wolfriders.

Half-sister of Pike, Lifemate to Woodlock, mother to Newstar, Wing and Mender.

* BabyFactory: From an Elf point of view, three children make her this.

* CheerfulChild
* RapunzelHair

* BoisterousBruiser

* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold

* RedOniBlueOni: Blue to Bearclaw's Red.
* WomenAreWiser: Helps Bearclaw control his temper

* ActionGirl: Most of the female Wolfriders are this, but she's the most prominent example.
* BetterAsFriends: Her and Cutter.
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Her and Redlance.

* BewareTheNiceOnes
* CowardlyLion

* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: With Nightfall.

* RedheadInGreen
* WifeHusbandry: To Nightfall.

* FriendToAllLivingThings
* KissingCousins: With Scouter.

---

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Views her father Cutter as this. With some lessons, she learns to be her own person.

* FieryRedhead
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Shares this dynamic with her magic-inclined brother Suntop, as she's boisterous and bossy.

* {{Tomboy}}

* AnAxeToGrind
* BadassBeard

* RomancingTheWidow: To Clearbrook.

* CoolSword: New Moon.

* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:And he does ''not'' take this well.]]

* LovableRogue

* TheTrickster

Lovemate to Redlance, later Lifemate when Leetah helps them force Recognition. Mother to Tyleet. Cutter's cousin and Leetah's best friend.

* KissingCousins: With Cutter.

* CameBackWrong: Clearbrook tries to get him healed ''long'' after his passing. It works, but this traps his soul in his effectively brain-dead body, causing Clearbrook to then give him a MercyKill.

* BigBad: Perhaps the biggest one in the entire series, due to her extreme power, even greater insanity, and personal animosity to main character Cutter and his Wolfriders. Not even [[spoiler: her death changed this, as now she is a malevolent spirit who Rayak can barely contain.

[[folder:Khavi]]

* IllGirl: How she starts out. She got better thanks to [[HealingHands Leetaj]].

* FatBastard: Probably the poster child for this trope in the entire series. In retaliation for Cutter humiliating him, he attempted to have both Cutter and the entire Wolf Rider tribe killed via exposure by tricking them into the desert and then trapping them there. Before that, he was responsible for the loss of Ekuar's leg, a punishment for when Ekuar overheard him scheming against Greymung, to say nothing of the abuses he continued to heap upon the old elf after he became king.

Only daughter and child of Picknose and Oddbit. Becomes friends with Ember.

* FreudianExcuse: Oh gods yes! He's essentially a ChildByRape born of DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale. His mother tortured his father, the troll Smelt, to death apparently for kicks after he tried to kidnap the male Door, and then locked him up and tortured him both physically and with her PsychicPowers until he escaped from the prison cell she locked him in. He knew he would not be accepted by either species, so he began to play tricks on both in return, ultimately leading to his attempt to ignite a full-blown racial war between the two, so he could decide which race he should identify with.

* UnfortunateName: According to WordOfGod, his name is a very respectable one in trollish, as it refers to the size and shape of his pronounced nose. Unfortunately, humans tend to read as a reference to a nasty personal habit.

* OldPeopleAreNonsexual: Averted, he's depicted enjoying lovemaking a time or two. During the "Kings of the Broken Wheel" arc, when they visit the Sun Village, several ladies invite Rayek and Ekuar for some group sex. When Rayek bows out, ''Ekuar'' gives a disappoint3ed "awwww."

* TheChessmaster

* BaldofAwesome: There isn't a single hair on that head of his.

* IronWoobie: Probably the most singularly abused individual in all of Elfquest, Ekuar manages to maintain a sunny disposition and kind attitude despite everything he has been through in his long life.

%%* SidekickCreatureNuisance: Cutter definitely views Petalwing as this at first.
* TeamPet: Arguably.

Hybrid son of Winnowill and a troll. Mad as a hatter and very upset about his life in general.

* FreudianExcuse: Oh gods yes! He's essentially a ChildByRape born of DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale. His mother tortured his father, the troll Smelt, to death apparently for kicks, and then used to torture him both physically and with her PsychicPowers until he escaped from the prison cell she locked him in. He knew he would not be accepted by either species, so he began to play tricks on both in return, ultimately leading to his attempt to ignite a full-blown racial war between the two, so he could decide which race he should identify with.

Oddbit's grandmother, the local troll mystic in the Wolfrider's forest. She used to trade her tonics and medicinal skills with the Wolfriders before the forest was burned down, as they had no healers of their own.

* AlchemyIsMagic: She brews magical potions in an alchemical fashion.

* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal

* {{Jerkass}}

* LoveTriangle: With Leetah and Cutter. She chose Cutter, leading to Rayek's downfall.

%%* PsychicPowers

* TheStoic
* SupernaturalGoldEyes

* SmallAnnoyingCreature: Cutter definitely views Petalwing as this at first.

* TheBard

* ArcherArchetype: His entire tribe are expert marksmen, but they still call him when they absolutely need something dead in one shot.