: I'm not sure I buy that. They were attempting to secure aid for
: their plight. They were lost, frightened, and hungry. They were
: waylaid and imprisoned for trying to secure aid. This is not a
: friendly act. Now, granted, perhaps Thorin could have been more
: forthcoming, but Thranduil had done nothing to inspire trust. I
: think both parties were at fault.

Thranduil had tolerated the Dwarves' presence in his realm without harrassing them. He was under no obligation to help them on their way without knowing something of their business.

The whole misunderstanding (which is how Gandalf characterized it at Elrond's council -- meaning it wasn't due to any supposed Elf-Dwarf hostility) was strictly the Dwarves' fault.

: : I can point to many cases of friendship between Elves and
: : Dwarves, but I have long known the evidence won't be accepted
: : by many people. It's no big deal for me. I just answer the
: : questions when they come up.

: Please don't misunderstand. I greatly enjoy these debates. In
: my opinion, we both have valid points. I fully agree that there
: is little documented conflict between the races. I accept that
: portions of the two races were allied at various times. My main
: contention is that despite these alliances, the average Elf
: disliked the average Dwarf. Prejudice is an ugly, stupid thing,
: but it does exist.

The average Elf had absolutely no reason to dislike Dwarves, and Tolkien never portrayed them that way. Tolkien's Elves were indeed capable of prejudice, but they didn't all behave the same way.

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