[SilverMoonLady]

And while some do indeed become 'wiser', some fools are fools all their lives, no matter how long:) But that is indeed rarely true of the elves. Certainly the ones we know who lived into the Third Age, like Elrond, Galadriel etc, are certainly not the type to simply leap into a situation. They know better by now, though they once did that very thing.
So, I guess we all agree that while elves are more than capable of passion, they are certainly, by the time the Third Age rolls around, far more likely to be 'wise' and consider all the options and consequences.

[miriel361]

It probably made them depressed in much the same way as teachers and parents become depressed. With the wealth of our experience we try to stop our young from repeating our mistakes.

Alas, they cast our advice to the wind....

The elves tried to do the same thing and in the end they simply decided to live along side and yet apart from the other inhabitants of Middle Earth.

That is my thruppence.

[SilverMoonLady]

Gathering quite the wealth of wisdom here, aren't we?
I must agree with the parental analogy. Very apt.

[BittenBuggy]

Yes, I'll chime in there for the parents. Poor little kiddies, think Mummy and Daddy are complete idiots...

[DragonEyes]

LOL....I didn't know that piece of info...*peaks in*

hmm elves do also have idvidualism among them....Legolas had a sort of rude humor going on....which a person wouldn't normally asociate to maturity....*runs off now*

[BittenBuggy]

Legolas was our only 'real' look at the-day-in-the-life-of-an-elf. And yes, he did have a rather... immature... *ducks the flying Lego-posters* attidute. I happen to think it made him rather endearing. He was down-right mean sometimes, though nobody knew it because he said it in a 'nice' way.

Most stories about elves were extremely impersonal. Though I happen to think Elrond had a wicked sense of humour at the Counsil, and I can't read it without laughing. Elrond was a cool character for me. He was just such a dad! Telling off Aragorn and all that about not being good enough for her. Well duh - that is just such a father-looking-at-his-little-baby-girl characteristic. *Elrond fan*

Tolkien used a lot of subtle humour, which I never appriciated until I read the books as an adult.

[DragonEyes]

yes exactly....I felt like smackin legolas alot of times...particulary when he called the hobbits sluggards...I'm not especially fond of hobbits...but hey I would be very tired and sleepy if I were in their shoes....and i generally seemed to get the impression that most elves aren't what they seem to be!

[BittenBuggy]

Well, I think being a immortal being that was able to stand long periods of exertion and ranging tempuratures and being stuck with four hobbits, two men and a dwarf would be hard! And Legolas really wasn't an old elf to begin with - and most of us become more patient with age. I think I would be rather snappy to.

However, who was it that noticed Frodo and Sam were wounded after leaving Moria, eh?

[sindohte]

[BittenBuggy]

Hey, there is absolute truth in that Sind. I tried to start jogging with Dan when we got married - I had not been out of the military long and he was an old crochety business lump. It was very irritating to have to stop every five minutes because he was afraid he was going to pass out

It also amused the other joggers.

[sindohte]

I think being around the Fellowship helped to humanize Legolas as an individual. Because when you think about it, he probably didn't have a whole lot of contact with humans living up there in that trailer park called Mirkwood with all the scary pit bull spiders.

[BittenBuggy]

Actually Sind, I would think just the opposite. Mirkwood did lots of trading with Laketown - he had problem been on quite a few diplomatic "Thats MY damn scented-shampoo!" missions.

[sindohte]

Hmm, that is the beauty of interpretation. I had always imagined Legolas as running around playing nature boy more than being the suave diplomat.

[BittenBuggy]

Nature boy? Why does that ooze innuendo? I dont understand!

And yes, I see Legolas as a bratty, spoilt, only-child - much like Daddy probably was! But he was a pretty brat

[Saralitazie]

That does ooze innuendo...can you say, going commando?

See, Legolas never was one of my favorite characters. I always liked Merry and Pippin the best and Treebeard and all his 'hooming'. But Orlando Bloom is just so darn cute *whimpers* It weakens my resolve, precious! I think Leggy was a bit of a jerk in the books, quite frankly. But hey - maybe he ran out of testosterone and couldn't beg any off anyone else....mmmm PMS....

Oi. Now I'm grossing myself out.