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One of the chief characteristics of the Elves we meet in Lord of the Rings is their passivity, their reluctance to suggest solutions to others.
"Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes." says Frodo to Gildor. Galadriel tells the Fellowship, "I will not
give you counsel, saying do this, or do that." It must have been rather frustrating for the other Free Peoples. The Elves were the eldest and wisest of them, and have more experience fighting Sauron and even Morgoth than anyone else. So surely a bit of advice might be welcome? I know that they are passing into the West but can't they at least give some certain advices to those who will be left to Middle-earth?
Was it ever thus? Were Elves like this since they were in Cuivienen? Or is it a symptom of their fading? Or do they just believe that no advice is "good"? Or perhaps, have long ages of struggle against Morgoth and Sauron, spirits who were determined to subjugate all to their wills, driven the Elves to take a position of extreme 'laissez faire' - that they have an aversion to "advice" which, however mild and well-meaning, is after all an attempt to persuade others to follow your arguments and recommendations?

Wise people always speak in riddles.

Well, yeah. But the Fellowship don't need any riddles to ponder now, do they? They are in need of advice from the ones who know their stuff and it would be helpful, even for a little if they could actually give some advice.

Well in their own ways the elves do give advice, but not straightout like "Never do blah or always think of blah...."

Well, yeah..it wasn't really a problem for me. Maybe I'm just asking too much.

Maybe you just think too much shadowy

i guess they want them to think for themselves,find out for themselves and thus mature and become wiser,all by themselves...
better than guiding them every step of the way,innit?they wun learn anyth that way........

Hm, great topic idea, shadowy... interesting thought.

I think the elves had enough time in their lives to realize that there is never a "real, true, best" answer... see Matrix - Neo: "And she's never wrong?" - Morpheus "Try not to think of it in terms of right and wrong..."

"There are always four sides to each story: your side, their side, the truth and what really happened..." (Rousseau)

to be honest I thought the Elves were a bit greedy and too "big headed" in the Salmarillion when the race of Elves came into being, they seemed to have surpassed the race of men.

elves dont give advice because simply i feel they dont care....i mean sauron gets the ring, perfect excuse to go to valinor.....lol


the elves......sorry to say but they do think too much of themselves....'wisest and fairest' far from it i would say......they dont seem to understand that down the ages they have faded, elrond 'the race of en is failing, the blood of numenor all but spent' ok qquiet smithy who asked you......do you not realise that elves have deteriorated ALOT more than men down the ages.....in the silmarillion they were involved in every battle....they were warriors and heroes......elron himself in the last alliance was a warrior, now he takes to wearing his daughters tiara.......elves forsake middle earth when its in its greatest need....so in my mind they are worthless




and no-one say, well if it wasnt for elves morgoth would be ruling over middle earth anyway, because morgoth DID win the war, he had won and that is the ONLY reason the valar came


yes....the valar who dont do anything about middle earth anymore at all....ulmo is said never to forsake it and he thinks about all....well yes he THINKS but he doesnt act....


the only race in middle earth worth anything was men! that is why we dominated

dwarves- locked themselves in mountain halls.....didnt do much else, werent even supposed to BE HERE!!! stupi aule

hobbits- no-one had heard of them.......until frodo and sam came along....merry and pippin too........


so ok the race of men and four hobbits are the only ones worth anything





oh wait maiar....ok ungoliant...get back! your a spider someone should just roll up some paper!

gandalf- only maia who did anything in the third age

saruman- look at me im evil, give me the key to orthanc yey...i want the ring for my own...wheres that palantir..hmmmm im going to go attack gandalf now

radagast- *20 seconds silence* oh hello mr birdy.......oh look its gandalf....hello gandalf, evil looking saruman wants to kill you, go see him





men, 4 hobbits and a wizard.......only ones worth living





*throws hundreds of 2 cent coins around the room*

I think I'm agreeing with Exa here...

Also, the Elves do not want power, of any kind. They don't want to tell people what to do, they want people to decide for themselves. As soon as decision is taken from you, then you are powerless.

All and all elves are still prissy and all they do is be blonde and comb their long hair and talk about misc. stuff not really bothering the other people inhabiting Middle-Earth.




































Don't kill, elf lovers. *bows*

Heehee...I like Sauron's comments
Yeah, what was with the Valar? Why didn't they do anything?

The Valar did do something, they sent over 5 wizards....3 of them useless and 1 turned evil.

yeah but it took them an age to do it!

one who looked like dracula and was plainly evil......one who was totally the best of the lot....one who wasnt even supposed to go until the rest said you should let him come too....and two who just turned evil or died....




how very clever of them

Looked like dracula

Lol obviously men also thought the Valar were useless... see Andreths comments

Elves just wanted to be cool and look like knowing everything so they didnt give real answers as they just didnt know

exactly!!!!

possibly seeing as the elves knew the Vala did nowt, they saw it as their job to be the "high order" of middle earth in their absence.

I enoyed saurons comment and it is quite true, the race of men bassically defeated the dark sauron and his armies.....elves just wanted to flee (bar helms deep),

also the 2 blue wizards just vanished, but saruman didnt, I assume saruman asked them to join the dark lord (just like he asked Gandalf), they refused and oh well bye bye

*pokes*

but they look good when they're prissy...