Aelfinn and Eelfinn are fictional races in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series.
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The Aelfinn are a race of creatures which are humanoid in form, but with snakelike characteristics. They are described as tall and thin with unnatural grace, having straight black hair and pupils of vertical slits.[1] They speak the Old Tongue and exist in a realm which is not part of the ordinary every day world of "Randland" (much like the ″Wolf Dream″ or ″Tel'aran'rhiod″ are not part of the every day world of Randland). This realm can be entered either by passing through a special ter'angreal, which was once a possession of Mayene but is now held in the Stone of Tear, or by entering the Tower of Ghenjei.[2] One enters the Tower of Ghenjei much as one starts the play of the children's game "Snakes and Foxes". At the beginning of the children's game one draws a triangle in the air bisected by a squiggly line: the triangle represents the foxes, the squiggly line represents the snakes. To enter the Tower, one uses a bronze object to draw this symbol on the side of the Tower itself.[3] Once inside of the realm of the Aelfinn, one may ask three questions to which the Aelfinn will give true answers. The answers may, however, be in a form that is hard to understand, and questions concerning the Shadow may be extremely dangerous.[4] The Aelfinn are afraid of fire, can only be harmed by iron, and are soothed or mesmerized by music. They ask those entering their realm through the arched ter'angreal if they carry iron, instruments of music, or devices that can make fire.[5] Aside from Iron, fire and music, the only protections available to people who enter this extremely dangerous and tricky realm are as provided for in the treaties and agreements which apply to those entering by the special ter'angreal.[6]
The Eelfinn are a race who live in a dimension outside of "Westlands" accessible only by use of a ter'angreal found at Rhuidean (first used by Mat Cauthon) and the Tower of Ghenjei. They exhibit fox-like characteristics and will grant any visitor three gifts. However there is a price for these gifts, and if it is not agreed before the gifts are given, then the Eelfinn will set the price themselves—a price that the visitor will usually come to regret paying.
The Aelfinn and Eelfinn live in twisted worlds, which allow them to read the Pattern more effectively than humans may. The Aelfinn and the Eelfinn are not believed to be evil, but their point of view and intelligence are so different from humans and so thoroughly alien that they might as well be (compare to the Great Old Ones from Lovecraftian fiction). It is believed that an individual can only visit each species once, through their corresponding ter'angreal. Moiraine and Lanfear fell battling into one of these portals, and while Lanfear has been resurrected by the Dark One, Moiraine remained trapped in the world of the Eelfinn. Following the instruction of a letter written by Moiraine, Thom has brought Mat and Noal into the strange realm by way of the Tower of Ghenjei. They rescue Moiraine at the end of Towers of Midnight.
According to the "Snakes and Foxes" game and to other sources (including Birgitte Silverbow), the Aelfinn and Eelfinn show weakness towards fire, musical instruments and iron. Fire can scare off them, iron can bind them or hurt them, and music can calm and put them into kind of trance. Therefore, Aelfinn and Eelfinn disallow bringing to their realm the means to exploit those vulnerabilities.
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