Tyrande has been the leader, not the Society itself, and that’s because Malfurion spent all those years in an extended naptime.
You don’t seem to be aware of something that should be obvious. When a military looks towards another organization for leadership, that organization is that military’s government. The Sentinels were female only for a very long time because Tyrande, the High Priestess of the Temple of Elune, wanted it that way. Male kaldorei within the Sentinels is a new thing. Male priests within the Temple of Elune is a new thing. It took major losses within the Third War to bring about this. The Cenarion Circle is outside of kaldorei society, the Temple of Elune and the Sentinels are it’s leadership and it’s guardians.
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The military did not look for leadership from the Sisterhood of Elune. The military was wiped out when Ravencrest was killed. It was Malfurion and Jarod Shadowsong who were the military leaders during the War of Ancients, it was Jarod Shadowsong who was the night elf leader during Cataclysm.
Jarod Shadowsong left with his wife and did not come back until the Cataclysm, well after the Third War. In the War of the Ancients he lead a coalition army that even included dragons. He also was not the leader of the night elves. He was the leader of the Watchers, appointed by Tyrande (hooray, I have a copy of Wolfheart) and the Molten Front against Ragnaros. Malfurion stepped aside to focus on druidism. When the Sentinels were formed after the War of the Ancients, Tyrande Whisperwind was the High Priestess and the leader of the then newly formed Sentinel Army. This remains to this day, after thousands of years.
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Just to pitch in here, the comic Blood states Tyrande Whisperwind is the Co-head of the night elf government, and we already know she’s the leader of the Sisterhood of Elune as well. The two are definitely bridged.
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No worries Cannibal! It’s located under “Options” when you type out a post. Highlight the text you wish to hide, and select the > hide details option under the cogwheel. Hope that helps! ![:+1:](https://d38bqls1q93fod.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/+1.png?v=6" ":+1:")
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Huh...
How did I miss this…
Thanks!
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That does not make the Night Elves a matriarchal society where men are relegated to a secondary role. It just makes it a society where a woman happened to be in charge in certain areas and males in charge in others. Tyrande for instance, played no part in the War of the Sands, that was fought under Fandral Staghelm.
You say this and then immediately cancel it with this,
Think about that.
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That’s not a matriarchy. That just means that there are roles that have been taken by both men and women at different times in Night Elf society, including leadership. When it came to the Exile of the Highborne, and the sentencing of Illidan Stormrage, it was Malfurion, not Tyrande who had the last word in those matters. When it came to fighting the War in the Sands, it was Fandral who was in charge. Tyrande did not have the lead role in War of the Ancients. She commanded the Sisterhood of Elune, but that was not command of the entire Night Elf or allied forces, that was Jarod Shadowsong. In present Night Elf society, certain duties are split between the Sisterhood, the Night Elf Druids, and a couple of smaller groups. Tyrande is the lead because she is a leader and because she’s been pulling the load while Malfurion was asleep, not because she is female.
Yes, it is matriarchy.
Also this, see Jarod Shadowsong. One allied campaign doesn’t mean that he was leading all of his people.
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You do realize that I have acknowledged this right? You do also realize that I have been talking about after the War of the Ancients right?
Yes in present, not before the Third War.
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ma·tri·ar·chy
noun
- a system of society or government ruled by a woman or women.
Tyrande is:
1: Co-head of the night elf government, [1]
2: Co-ruler of the Night Elves [2]
3: Leader of the Kaldorei [2]
4: The new queen of the night elves [3]
Furthermore:
- “The night elves made Darnassus their new capital city, and with Malfurion gone, Tyrande became the sole leader of the night elves, priestesses, Sentinels and Darnassus.” [4]
Separately, on the note of Jarod being leader of the night elves, he was the designated “Ruler of the Kaldorei,” unofficially, during the War of the Ancients. He was preceded by Desdel Stareye and Kur’talos Ravencrest, both of which also had unofficial leadership. The only official changes of power we know of from within the organized kaldorei society went from Queen Azshara, to Tyrande, to Tyrande + Malfurion.
Sources
[1] Blood comic
[2] World of Warcraft: Ultimate Visual Guide, pg. 88 - 89
[3] Seeds of Faith
[4] World of Warcraft: Game Manual
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England has had 3 very powerful female rulers in it’s history. Two of them were so infuential that the period of their rule had ages named for them.
The country is still a patriarchy.
The UK has a long history of men ruling, the Kaldorei are the opposite. The males rule briefly, or with a female, but females have ruled for the vast majority of their existence. You should stop ignoring that their government, their religion, and their military have all been female only from the War of the Ancients until the Third War. Lucky males had to go outside of their own people to the Cenarian Circle get some sort of prestige and power for themselves.
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We don’t know that. we have none of the histories of the Kal’dorei empire before before the reign of Azshara, assuming there even is such a history. After her we have leadership by both men and women at different times. Tyrande is certainly not the sole leader during the War of Ancients, nor is she the sole voice afterwards. It was Malfurion who set the sentences on both the Betrayer and the Highborne, it was Fandral who fougth the War of the Sands. Tryande does not have a significant role to play by herself intil the events of the Reign of Chaos.
What we do know is that Azshara commanded intense personal devotion and loyalty from all of the Kaldorei, even Malfurion found it nearly inconceivable to believe that she would have acted against her people until the conclusion became unavoidable. She is an outsize figure who can not be used to judge a norm, assuming a norm even exists.
Yes we do.
You know that this is not the bulk of their history right?
She is literally the leader of their church and military, and it’s a theocracy.
Would have gone nowhere without her support.
You really need to stop with this one. You chose a figure who made his way in an organization outside of his people’s society to lead an alliance consitsting of more than one organizations and races.
She was the Queen of the Kaldorei, don’t pretend that she is an outlier.
Why do you think that matriarchies and patriarchies are bad things?
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Because they are mechanisms of gender oppression. We have knowledge of EXACLTY one ruler of the ancient Kal’dorei Empire. That empire ended with her reign and we have virtually no knowledge of anything before her reign. We know that Azshara herself is a singular personality so declaring that she represents the “norm” is idiotic if there hasn’t been a line of rulers to establish one.
That’s the problem when you have immortals ruling things. When you don’t have a history of a succession of rulers (such as the twelve kings of Quel’thelas) you can’t say that you have an established system or any “archy”.
I figured that you would say this, it’s rather closed minded honestly.
And we should not forget that she was proceeded another female, who’s heir is a female.
You have a constant to judge by. You cannot put your own values into something that is not like anything you have experienced yourself. When you go from one female leader to another with a clear female successor, you can see a clear trend. When you see an extremely long term system of a certain gender ruling over a society and the other gender having only one outlet to raise up from where he wants to be, then we can safely say that you are wrong.
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Tyrande did not succeed Azshara. Azshara’s empire technically is that of the Naga and she continues to rule the same people she did when they both were Night Elves. And they command a considerably more expansive range than Tyrande’s Night Elves did at their post-Sundering height. Tyrande does not even rule all of those who remained Night Elves, She and Malfurion were leaders of just one group of survivors. That does not include the Druidic communities that survived in the Broken Isles. Nor does it include Farondis’ people either.
Now you could make a far stronger case for matriarchy in the case of the Naga considering the intellectual devolution of Naga males.