Scholar-princes were prominent figures in the governance of the ancient elven nation of Eita, subordinate to the monarch, who carried the title of scholar-king. Appointed by the monarch to lead cities or territories, scholar-princes were almost always learned figures, as just as with the king or queen the legitimacy of the scholar-princes was derived in large part from their support of, and participation in, intellectual endeavors. Scholar-princes were expected to be active participants in the endless debates that took place in Eitan scholar-halls. Failure to do so, or failure to present convincing arguments or evidence to support one's position, was seen as a sign of a lack of rigor or curiosity, and therefore a lack of the ability to govern. In this way the scholar-halls served political as well as educational purposes.
Though the title of scholar-king disappeared with the decline of Eita, that of scholar-prince did not, though the direct inheritors of Eita, the inhabitants of Hinthial, do not use it. Instead, it has persevered through the global Eitan diaspora in communities and peoples carried far away by the aeroliths. Most notably the rulers of Yurukan in the Aban Steppe, far to the north and east of Eita, still call themselves scholar-princes, as do certain leaders of other landed aeroliths elsewhere.