Elam (エラム Eramu? ) was Narsus' attendant and a member of the Camp of Arslan that fought against the Lusitanian invasion.
Appearance[]
Elam was a boy who appeared to be around the same age as Arslan, if not a bit older. In the anime and 2013 manga adaptation he is shown with short brown hair and large green eyes. He wears a light tan, short sleeved tunic over a long sleeved black shirt, a long brown scarf, green pants, and black thigh high boots.
In the OVA, he is depicted with darker skin and long black hair which he keeps tied in a low ponytail.
Personality[]
Cunning in his own way, he acted as spy to gather useful information through various disguises. He was attentive and careful and he was fairly skilled with both a sword and a bow. He was also good at cooking, as he had been praised for his culinary skills repeatedly by Narsus, Daryun and Arslan. He was very loyal. He was very proud, but also sensitive about his position as a servant.
He was polite towards his teammates (especially Arslan) and worked well with others. On occasion, he has been a bit immature, as shown when he argued with Alfarīd over whose food Narsus liked better.
History[]
He and his parents were liberated by Narsus from slavery. Afterwards, Elam continued to serve Narsus as an attendant rather than a slave. He lived with Narsus who treated him like his own son, he was disciplined and taught by Narsus such as spanking him or scolding him.
Relationships[]
Narsus[]
Elam intends to serve his "master", Narsus, who liberated him from slavery, until he is old enough to live on his own. He states that Narsus is hopeless without him as Narsus can't handle laundry, cleaning, and shopping for painting items. This shows that they are quite close as he is not hesitant about chastising Narsus. He also gets very jealous when Alfarīd is near Narsus. He is extremely loyal towards him, as shown when he refused to leave Narsus' side and live with Narsus' friend in the port of Gilan. He also holds Narsus' opinion in high regard. Despite his respect for Narsus, he claims that Narsus is useless without him.
Daryun[]
It seems that Elam and Daryun knew each other before Narsus left the Parsian court. [1] They are both protective of Arslan.[2]
Arslan[]
Elam is respectful and formal towards Arslan when they first meet, but as the story goes on he and Arslan become more like friends. Elam is loyal to Arslan and is willing to die to protect him. He is very proud but also sensitive about his position as a servant, for which reason he initially refused Arslan's help as he believed he should be the one serving Arslan. However, after Arslan saved him, although he was initially ashamed of it, he started warming up to Arslan and seeing him as a friend and equal.
Gieve[]
Elam did not appear to trust Gieve initially, but after being saved by him and safely reunite with Daryun and Farangis before they reach Peshawar, he changed his mind.
Alfarīd[]
Alfarīd brings out the jealous side of Elam. They argue over who Narsus likes more. Elam dislikes her casual attitude towards Narsus and holds his knowledge of Narsus over her head to support his argument that he is more important to Narsus.
Etymology[]
Elam comes from Sumerian elam(a), and in Hebrew it means "hidden" or "eternity."
Inspiration[]
Elam shares his name with the historical Kingdom and Empire that preceded the Persians. Southern Iran was known as the territory of Elam from the 30th century BCE to the Persian conquest in 540 BCE. Afterwards a province in Southwestern Iran of the core territories of former Elam bore the name as well.
In the Bible, Elam is also the name of one of the sons of Shem, who in turn was one of the sons of Noah. According to the Bible, Elam was the founder of the Elamite Kingdom.
Notes
References