[silverglass]

Subject title should pretty much give you the lowdown of what I need to know
I mean spare time as in when they're not out kicking arse, or sleeping, or practising with weaponry.
Thank you so much!

[daw]

What a good question! Tolkien shows them singing, so making music is probably one thing, along with telling stories.

The Noldor seem to be big into making things, jewels for instance, but perhaps they also do things like carve designs in objects for daily use or something like that -- create art that's part of daily life rather than fine art meant to be set aside.

There would be useful things to be done too of course. Cooking, hunting and gathering food, spinning, weaving, etc.

What else? I'm always looking for good ideas on this too. My elves need to be doing something while my story is going along.

[Eyborg]

I've always imagined elves doing something like singing, dancing & playing various instruments, or reading, writing & telling stories. Or doing various crafts like sewing, weaving, spinning or carpenter work. Just the usual stuff nobles did in the middle ages.

[silverglass]

Thank you guys so much That's really helpful.

[inglor]

I read a fic once where the character (elf) said it had taken him 30 years to make a harp. Here is my point: they had time to perfect things. Like a simple carving, it might take them weeks to cut one shaving. It may not sound exciting but when you are immortal, what is a few weeks to find just the right stroke to cut, studying the grain of the wood, noting each little detail that mortals don't have time or patience to do. Here's a good suggestion: Read Boz's Don't Panic. She apparently did a lot of research into pre-electricity life and it appears that without all the labor saving devices we have, the only folks with spare time were nobility. And it is one of the best pieces of Fanfic on the Net, should be required reading.

Here are some things I have seen in fanfic:
Galadriel: needle work/embroidery
Arwen: same (canon)
Elrond: writing and reading
Finrod: sculpture (canon) stone and wood
Erestor: writing
Lindir: singing in one horse master in another
Celebrimbor: jewelry...

Here is a point you might consider: without electricity, EVERYTHING had to be made by hand from spoons to cloth to furniture, candles, soap, shoes...everything, so making useful common things could be made. And unless they were nobility, they didn't have much spare time.

Any hobby today could be a hobby for elves, as long as no electricity/machinery is involved. But generally, the Noldor tended to like to make things and the Teler like to sing and play music.


Inglor

[NobleBone]

You might try some modified form of chess; that seems to be the sort of game an elf would play. You remember in the hobbit the elves were out merrymaking and dancing and feasting, that would be synonimous with our modern nightclubs or something. Also, just a small thought I've been toying with, you know how we have coffee shops all over today? Well, how about elves with wine shops where they can get the latest Merlot?

What about pets? I bet they'd have some pets that would be useful against spiders, or maybe birds.

Reading, maybe?