Science fiction and fantasy: Xenite.Org -- Worlds of Imagination on the Web!

The White Council

Re: Wonderfully erudite, but...

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

Archive index

Tolkien and Inklings Forum
Middle-earth Mailing List
LoTR movie news
LoTR collectibles
Liv Tyler is Arwen
Elijah Wood is Frodo Baggins
Tolkien Middle-earth at Suite101
LoTR movies forum
All Forums

  Posted by Alexander on May 06, 2000 at 02:52:40
In Reply to: Re: Wonderfully erudite, but... posted by Tar-Elenion on May 05, 2000 at 19:08:09:



: : : Yes, but though there is no transition between my statement concerning Elrond's table at the Council and Bilbo's song the night before, my point was that Elrond wasn't bereft of stools and yet it seemed the Elves preferred to sit on the floor.

: : And they prefer to ride bare-back as well, which sounds *extremely* uncomfortable to me. Is it part of their unfallen (or at any rate less-fallen) nature to have less concern than men do about physical comfort, part of they`re being less decadent? Or is it part of the natural strength of an immortal body that it`s quite indifferent to ordinary discomforts?

: If you read the discription of, for example, Glorfindel and Asfaloth, the passage concerning mounting Frodo on Asfaloth, you will see that the Noldor do use saddles. In 'Letters' JRRT comments (in response to a readers query on how Legolas rode Arod bareback and without bit and bridle, yet the description of Glorfindel and Asfaloth was at odds with this) that he should not have put a bit and bridle on Asfaloth, merely a (decorative) headstall. He (pointedly) makes no comment on saddles. Saddles and stirrups are too useful in combat for even the Eldar to do without. Unfortunately my copy of Letters disappeared long ago so I can't provide an exact quote.

Thankyou. I`d forgotten that. Still, most people use saddles for reasons of comfort as well as for their usefulness. When Gandalf rides Shadowfax bareback, he calls it "elf-fashion," so it must have been the elvish way, at least a lot of the time; Gandalf would not have used that description out of ignorance, or if it were untrue.

Of course, it might be that the customs of the Silvan elves were different from those of Noldor such as Glorfindel - the former were always more inclined to "fit in" with the natural world, and the latter more in the business of taming it.

My point is that they either didn`t find it uncomfortable, or they didn`t really care about whether they felt comfortable or not - and I was wondering which it was.



Tip: Earlier messages, if they are missing when you click on the links, may be in a lower-numbered archive. Edit the URL in your browser window to change the archive number. Ex. archive_02/ becomes archive_01/.
Tip: Click on the Tolkien and Inklings Forum link to followup to archived messages. You'll need to copy the text from this message and repost it in your new message.


The Tolkien and Inklings Forum is an SF-FANDOM Web site.

SF-FANDOM is a part of the Xenite.Org network.

Xenite.Org is home to Lord of the Rings movie news. The Tolkien and Inklings Forum is the Web's oldest fan-run forum dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Xenite.Org has been providing the most comprehensive Lord of the Rings movie news on the Web since February 1998.

Xenite.Org also brings you Xena Online Resources. Xena Online Resources is the Web's largest directory of Hercules and Xena-related content.

The Xenite.Org network is home to more than 100 science fiction and fantasy Web sites.



The Tolkien and Inklings Forum is an independent, moderated forum provided as a courtesy to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and the Inklings, including C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, et. al., by Xenite.Org. Please be sure to review our Posting Policy before participating in our forums. This archive is provided as a courtesy of Xenite.Org and in no way implies or imparts any liability or obligation on our part to uphold or maintain the content provided herein. This message and other archived messages from Xenite.Org forums may contain content not necessarily endorsed, reviewed, or approved by Xenite.Org and/or its moderation staff. All opinions expressed in these archives are those of the original posters and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Xenite.Org, its owner or owners, moderators, administrators, and/or other volunteer staff or agents. All content is copyright the original poster unless otherwise noted. This page is copyright © 1997-2001 Michael L. Martinez. All rights reserved. No reproduction, electronic or otherwise, may be made without the express permission of the copyright holders, except as occurs in normal browser caching and search engine indexing. You may print one copy of this page for your personal use.