>>280495821Indeed, Heiter and the others didn't even know what it was, but saw it as something very old. Given that after getting styled on by Macht 600 years ago, Frieren retreated to a life of seclusion in the forest for 500 years until Himmel dragged her back out into the world, it stands to reason that Frieren received recognition as a great mage over half a millennium ago.
The great mages we know of are Serie, Flamme, Frieren, and Minus. With an implication there for another for the leader of the court. Genau calls Frieren "the last great mage" suggesting that no one has earned the title since Frieren earned it. Which means that currently there are no human great mages around, unlike Flamme, and that any elven great mages around are ones that earned the distinction before Frieren did.