Post by MajahTR on Jan 17, 2009 1:11:57 GMT -6
Pearlbloom would like to track Legolas. She will be responsible to post, however everyone is welcome to give their comments.
DA
Ok, at the risk of sounding silly… what I'd personally like to track is Legolas's 'aerial'/'ethereal' nature, how it contributes to his character, how it helps the Fellowship, how and when and why it clashes with Gimli's 'earthly' nature. Elves' bonds with nature are exceptionally strong (eg with trees, stars, sea etc.) - it fascinates me to see how well they fit in, how nature perceptibly reacts to them. I realize I shall have to go back a few chapters, but if you don't mind, I won't either…
Pearlbloom Greenleaf
"There was also a strange Elf clad in green and brown, Legolas, a messenger from his father, Thranduil, the King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood." (BII, Ch2)
This is how Legolas is introduced to us, attending the Council of Elrond. I remember thinking three things the very first time I read this: 1. Oh so he is a prince? 2. Green and brown - nature, trees, camouflage colours? 3. Why "strange"?
By now, more than ten years later, I have gotten quite used to the first two things: of course he is a prince, of course he wears green and brown, what else?! But the third thing still puzzles me, "strange". The only more or less satisfying explanation I can come up with is that Legolas is "strange" in Frodo's eyes, since Frodo had already met many High Elves. Thranduil's folk was a mixture of Telerin and Sindarin Elves, and if I remember correctly, they were the largest group, at that time anyway; therefore, High Elves must have been more scarce. Then again, Wood-Elves feel more 'secretive' to me, in greater need of hiding perhaps, which could account for a smaller chance for a traveller to meet (one of) them. Strange, how a word sticks to your mind for ten years or more...
Pearlbloom
I remember reading The Hobbit when Bilbo and the Dwarves encounter the Elves of Mirkwood. The Elves were having a woodland feast and kept disappearing when Bilbo and company approached them for food and then they reappeared elsewhere a short while later. This happened several times.
While reading this the first time, I remember thinking that the Elves were very secretive and mysterious and also that they were not very friendly or helpful. I could understand their secretive, mysterious nature but the unfriendly nature puzzled me. Now that I know that Sauron was camped out at Dol Guldor in Southern Mirkwood, I can understand their behavior.
So perhaps Legolas, who comes from Mirkwood, was strange because of the influence of Sauron the Necromancer residing so close to Legolas' father's Kingdom.
Stormrider
So, 'strange' could hint at the careful, suspicious attitude... Yes, I tend to agree. Now I think about it, I realize that to me the Wood-Elves seem more gloomy than, for instance, the Rivendell Elves. Again, this may have to do with honed survival instincts. There were/are many dangers in Mirkwood, beside the Dark Lord and/or his minions; spiders, among other things... <shudders>
Pearl
One of the things about Legolas that I find fascinating is his aerial/ethereal nature. For some reason, perhaps this one, Elves remind me of birds, strong, graceful ones, capable of flying high, out of everyone's reach, seeing farther than any other ME species. Beside birds, Elves are much like cats: imperturbable (most of the time) and psychic to a degree. Legolas sees things the others of the Fellowship don't, feels danger coming closer etc. His awareness, like his alertness, is extraordinary. Also, his balance, both mental and physical, is usually perfect.
Perhaps it is for this reason that I find Legolas' first words at the Council uncharacteristic for him:
"Alas! alas!" cried Legolas, and in his fair elvish face there was great distress. "The tidings that I was sent to bring must now be told. They are not good, but only here have I learned how evil they may seem to this company. Sméagol, who is now called Gollum, has escaped."
On the other hand one might argue that Legolas' distress shows how much he cares, his secret heart momentarily visible through words.
As Legolas continues his story of Gollum's escape, he mentions that the Elves, being (overly) kind, allow Gollum to climb a high tree, so that he "felt the free wind" - once again a reference to the Elves' recognition of air being of great importance to one's health, which, by the way, has cost them dear, since Gollum escapes because of this (with the help of Orcs). Would you agree that the Elves were led astray by their own great need of fresh air, which caused them to assume other creatures shared this need, eventually allowing Gollum to escape "through over-kindliness"?
One of the things about Legolas that I find fascinating is his aerial/ethereal nature. For some reason, perhaps this one, Elves remind me of birds, strong, graceful ones, capable of flying high, out of everyone's reach, seeing farther than any other ME species. Beside birds, Elves are much like cats: imperturbable (most of the time) and psychic to a degree. Legolas sees things the others of the Fellowship don't, feels danger coming closer etc. His awareness, like his alertness, is extraordinary. Also, his balance, both mental and physical, is usually perfect.
Perhaps it is for this reason that I find Legolas' first words at the Council uncharacteristic for him:
"Alas! alas!" cried Legolas, and in his fair elvish face there was great distress. "The tidings that I was sent to bring must now be told. They are not good, but only here have I learned how evil they may seem to this company. Sméagol, who is now called Gollum, has escaped."
On the other hand one might argue that Legolas' distress shows how much he cares, his secret heart momentarily visible through words.
As Legolas continues his story of Gollum's escape, he mentions that the Elves, being (overly) kind, allow Gollum to climb a high tree, so that he "felt the free wind" - once again a reference to the Elves' recognition of air being of great importance to one's health, which, by the way, has cost them dear, since Gollum escapes because of this (with the help of Orcs). Would you agree that the Elves were led astray by their own great need of fresh air, which caused them to assume other creatures shared this need, eventually allowing Gollum to escape "through over-kindliness"?
As I read The Ring Goes South, especially now I am tracking Legolas, I consciously noticed that attention has been paid to the smallest detail. At the Council, Gimli's father interrupted Legolas, pointing out that the Wood Elves had been kinder to a wretch like Gollum than once to him, a respectable Dwarf, which makes us aware of the fact that Dwarves and Elves don't get along. When the members of the Fellowship are described, including the weapons they carry, first Gimli is mentioned, wearing a "short shirt of steel-rings", carrying a "broad-bladed axe" in his belt. Gimli is short and square and squat, seems heavy (despite his height) and has a firm, physical contact with the earth. Legolas, on the other hand, is tall and slender (although this information is not literally there in BII Ch3) and seems light, despite his height, barely touching the ground at all - which of course later is so nicely demonstrated when he walks on top of the snow while the others nearly get stuck battling through it. Legolas weapons are "a bow and a quiver, and at his belt a long white knife". Long, slender, light-coloured weapons, much in accordance with Legolas' physical appearance.
Gimli and Legolas are clearly opposites, and, as becomes apparent soon enough, not only in physical sense; yet, they find one another eventually and a strong bond friendship is forged. Among so many moving and delightful things in LotR, this is one of the most appealing elements to me. Would it be a good idea to discuss Legolas' and Gimli's friendship (and of course their initial dislike of one another) in a separate thread? Or Gimli's 'earthly' nature, so that we gain a deeper understanding with relation to the unusual bond between the Dwarf and the Elf?
Pearl
The incident with Gollum seems to show another interesting idea in the LOTR as a whole - the theme of pity and the far-reaching consequences it can have. Remember Bilbo's pity for Gollum in The Hobbit, and how it affects the whole quest in the end?
I think that elves tend to show a lot of pity - even the defensive wood-elves empathized with Gollum when he was deprived from the fresh air. Perhaps they didn't give the dwarves similar treatment in The Hobbit because dwarves like it underground, so they didn't have the same need. But of course, elves are presented completely differently in The Hobbit than in the LOTR, as was mentioned earlier.
Legolas' friendship with Gimli reveals a lot about his character and seems to make him special in a way among all the elves - so that topic is in the same thread as this one. On the other hand, it's a pretty broad topic as well, so maybe it needs its own space...oh, I don't know. I guess that's the marvelous thing about Tolkien - everything is at once so closely interconnected and so universal.
Eleandune
> I think that elves tend to show a lot of pity - even the defensive
wood-elves
> empathized with Gollum when he was deprived from the fresh air.
Not just the Elves. Eomer gets a Get Out Of Jail Free card in RotK (sorry for jumping ahead) and before that in TTT (shh, can't give that one away (or any newbies!). Plus Melkor in The Silmarillion. Oh, and many hobbits of the Shire were imprisoned unjustly by "Sharky" (or Lotho?). Maybe when we get to RotK, we can talk about these imprisonments and compare them?
Diana
"If Gandalf would go before us with a bright flame, he might melt a path for you," said Legolas. "The storm had troubled him little and he alone of the Company remained still light of heart." (BII, Ch 3)
This is one of the scenes I have often enjoyed envisioning for myself; Legolas' nature is - well, in this particular instance one could think it was mocking the others, who are so unfortunate as to lack Elven strength and talents. Elves are arrogant, I suppose - would you agree?
"If Elves could fly over mountains, they might fetch the Sun to save us," answered Gandalf.
It is typical of Legolas, I think, to not react to this at all (initially). Instead he shows his maturity a little while later:
Legolas watched them for a while with a smile upon his lips, and then he turned to the others. "The strongest must seek a way, say you? But I say: let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming, and for running light over grass and leaf, or over snow - an Elf."
Although he may have travelled relatively little, Legolas knows the ways of the world, and where he fits in. But apparently, Gandalf's somewhat irritated reaction has still triggered a reaction, for Legolas remembers the Wizard's words.
"With that he sprang forth nimbly, and then Frodo noticed as if for the first time, though he had long known it, that the Elf had no boots, but wore only light shoes, as he always did, and his feet made little imprint in the snow.
"Farewell!" he said to Gandalf. "I go to find the Sun!"
Personally, I find this very amusing. Although the Elves, including Legolas, highly esteem Mithrandir, even love him, the Wizard's irritated response cannot sour the Elf's mood. Again Legolas' physical lightness goes hand in hand with his mental balance; note the return of the word "light", accompanied by phrases like "sprang forth nimbly" (especially now the others are struggling) and "his feet made little imprint in the snow". And as if to underline this:
"Then swift as a runner over firm sand he shot away, and quickly overtaking the toiling men, with a wave of his hand he passed them, and sped into the distance, and vanished round the rocky turn."
Would you say there's mockery here?
Pearl
Not mockery per se, but a gentle "dig" to keep things lite. In either regard, what he did, needed to be done, so there is no faulting him there. All the races had pride, the hobbits spoke of their country and ways with love and longing, Gimili spoke of the feats of the dwarves and their wonderful caves and mining. Legolas demonstrated Elvish skills. Boromir spoke of the strength of men, and their protection of ME thru holding the front with the enemy.
Interesting to note, that only Aragorn and Gandalf seemed to keep pride in check, and they were the greatest of them all in actual stature and rank.
Glor
Yes,
a litle gentle mockery but without any malice.
Some members of the Fellowship take themselves too seriously.
It also shows that Legolas has a sense of humour, something that Elves don't show very often.
Selmo.
Selmo,
I heartily agree with you. Elves don't show humour often, and even then it is often very subtle.
I love it.
Pearl
As the Companions move on to Moria, Legolas becomes even more quiet than he has already been. After all, this is the Dwarf's territory (if anyone's now evil has taken control of the Mines, but at this point, we don't know this yet), and, obviously, it is below ground - a place not natural for an aerial creature, despite the fact that Legolas' people once had an exquisite underground city, Menegroth, which was very 'airy' and forestlike - also, of course, Legolas' father Thranduil has an underground palace. These places, however, are said to resemble forests and are hardly comparable to the Mines.
Legolas, when asked, honestly says he does not wish to go to Moria, but one can feel he will nevertheless follow the others if it is decided that they go (by the way, I cannot help thinking of RotK at this point, when again Legolas follows his companions underground, and Gimli, who is so eager now to enter the Mines of Moria, is so afraid to go then, that he is the last to go in; very amusing, I think!). Another reason of Legolas' reluctance to go to Moria may be that he fears to encounter worse things than Orcs. Switching to the FotR movie for a moment: has anyone noticed the Elf's body language when Gandalf tells them to beware, "for there are fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world"? I don't know if this was done consciously (perhaps my 'Legolas-antennae' are too fine-tuned lol), but I think it is priceless. Wow!
The first time we hear Legolas after this, he is arguing with Gimli.
"It was not the fault of the Dwarves that the friendship waned," said Gimli.
"I have not heard that it was the fault of the Elves," said Legolas.
Despite his great age, experience and maturity, Legolas cannot resist arguing with the Dwarf. In fact, these two are mentioned walking together more than once, in spite of their differences. Is it true, then, that opposites attract? Why can't Legolas be more mature with Gimli? It almost seems as if the Dwarf brings out the child in the Elf. Later on, when they discover the ithildin doors to Moria, both Gimli and Legolas see their own peoples' emblems first. Even though they are not friends yet, already one can sense a bond between the two of them - the first shaky steps of it, anyway.
Moving on to Chapter 5: once again, when Legolas speaks, Gimli is there too.
"They are coming!" cried Legolas.
"We cannot get out," said Gimli.
Both have been listening to Gandalf closely - who, by the way, I sometimes feel acts like a father to keep them from arguing too much. I am not saying that the rest has not, but Legolas and Gimli often (seem to) supplement each other. Even in fights, they are mentioned together, as it were:
Legolas shot two through the throat. Gimli hewed the legs from under another that had sprung up on Balin's tomb.
Their fighting techniques, like their outward appearance and their characters, contrast sharply. Curiously (but I think it is also touching), Legolas is the one who, one might say, saves Gimli as they leave the Chamber of Mazarbul:
… but Gimli had to be dragged away by Legolas: in spite of the peril he lingered by Balin's tomb with his head bowed.
As the Companions try to find their way out of Moria, Legolas sees his nightmare come true:
"Ai! ai!" wailed Legolas. "A Balrog! A Balrog is come!"
Gimli stared with wide eyes. "Durin's Bane!" he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
"A Balrog," muttered Gandalf. "Now I understand."
Once again: first Legolas comments, then Gimli, then Gandalf. There's a pattern here, wouldn't you agree?
As the Companions approach Lothlórien, Legolas' heart is filled with joy and anticipation. The first description of Lórien we get from him, is centered around its wondrous trees (NB the tree is an ancient symbol with a profound meaning; its roots closely connect it to the earth, but its leaves are high up in the air. Its stem is the connection between these two, Earth and Heaven. As has been suggested earlier, the composition of the Fellowship bears a resemblance to a tree as well: earthly and 'heavenly' or airy characters, connected by a 'stem' of, as the book on symbolism in LotR calls them, 'noble' Hobbits).
Upon entering the woods (after the song of Nimrodel), Legolas expresses the wish to familiarize himself with the Elven Wood's 'magical' trees, Mellyrn:
" I will climb up," said Legolas. " I am at home among trees, by root or bough, though these trees are of a kind strange to me, save as a name in song. Mellyrn they are called, and are those that bear the yellow blossom, but I have never climbed in one. I will see now what is their shape and way of growth."
I have often imagined myself in his place, or rather, what it would be like to be in his company and enter the Elven Wood. I'd probably take a close look at such wonderful trees (I should add that I love nature and greatly enjoy walking in the woods), but not half as close as Legolas, who apparently wants to touch them to get to know them, almost as if they were persons. What a sight would that be, to see such a graceful, uplifted creature like Legolas jump up, catching a branch high above his head and swinging there… After which he'd drop back to earth and talk to the Elves hiding up in the tree (I must say, I would have loved to see this scene in the movie…). Of course, all turns out to be well - after a little consternation about the one of the Companions being a Dwarf.
Although Lothlórien is obviously not Legolas' home, still him being there, among his fellow Elves, feels undeniably right. Whenever I read this chapter, I literally bask in the peace and quiet and the magic of the Elves, resting after the ordeal in Moria and preparing for the long and hard journey ahead; definitely one of my favourite chapters/places in Middle Earth.
Again, typically Elven characteristics are displayed in this chapter. Legolas' lightfootedness and ability to jump high, lightly and seemingly effortlessly, are emphasized once more (think of the climbing of the rope-ladder and the crossing of the rope-bridge). Also, his - how shall I put it - arrogance, perhaps? As was mentioned in another thread, Elves can be condescending sometimes, even though they don't mean to; it is part of their character. For instance, when Legolas tells Pippin to dig a hole in the ground "if that is more after the fashion of your kind", after the Hobbit complained about not being able to sleep high up in a tree. Then again, they should be happy they're still alive and well after passing through Moria, and that the secretive Elves of Lórien offer them a safe place to sleep.
Of course, there's this little incident with the Dwarf. After Legolas has sung about Nimrodel, he mentions the awakening of evil in the mountains, by the Dwarves. Gimli immediately reacts:
"But the Dwarves did not make the evil," said Gimli.
"I said not so; yet evil came," answered Legolas sadly.
Legolas' attitude towards Dwarves has changed compared to when they set out from Rivendell. Yet, when the Lórien Elves prepare to blindfold the Dwarf, Gimli is obstinate, which almost leads to bloodshed. I think Legolas is right to feel upset, after all the trouble that has been taken, and also when he grows angry as Gimli demands Legolas be blindfolded as well. I realize I am not impartial, but still, Legolas has a point. What do you think? I have had some discussions about this with people in my surroundings, but since none of them is really Tolkienite, there was no point, really. I know this topic has been touched upon in other threads, but I think it's worth spending some more time and space to this particular incident… (For the record, I have grown to like Gimli as a character - after all those years reading and rereading… - and do certainly not enjoy seeing him singled out to be blindfolded).
"Frodo looked up at the Elf standing tall above him, as he gazed into the night, seeking a mark to shoot at. His head was dark, crowned with sharp white stars that glittered in the dark black pools of the sky behind." (Book 2, Ch. 9)
A hint at Legolas' royal blood and his future as a king?
In chapter 9 (The Great River), we gain some insight into what it must be like to be an Elf:
"Nay, time does not tarry ever [in Lorien]," he (Legolas) said; "but change and growth is not in all things and places alike. For the Elves the world moves, and it moves both very swift and very slow. Swift, because they themselves change little, and all else fleets by: it is a grief for them. Slow, because they do not count the running years, not for themselves. The passing seasons are but ripples ever repeated in the long long stream. Yet beneath the Sun all things must wear to an end at last.”
Immortality seems wonderful at first, but is it, really? Some of the sadness of the Elves becomes clear here...
Pearl
DA
Ok, at the risk of sounding silly… what I'd personally like to track is Legolas's 'aerial'/'ethereal' nature, how it contributes to his character, how it helps the Fellowship, how and when and why it clashes with Gimli's 'earthly' nature. Elves' bonds with nature are exceptionally strong (eg with trees, stars, sea etc.) - it fascinates me to see how well they fit in, how nature perceptibly reacts to them. I realize I shall have to go back a few chapters, but if you don't mind, I won't either…
Pearlbloom Greenleaf
"There was also a strange Elf clad in green and brown, Legolas, a messenger from his father, Thranduil, the King of the Elves of Northern Mirkwood." (BII, Ch2)
This is how Legolas is introduced to us, attending the Council of Elrond. I remember thinking three things the very first time I read this: 1. Oh so he is a prince? 2. Green and brown - nature, trees, camouflage colours? 3. Why "strange"?
By now, more than ten years later, I have gotten quite used to the first two things: of course he is a prince, of course he wears green and brown, what else?! But the third thing still puzzles me, "strange". The only more or less satisfying explanation I can come up with is that Legolas is "strange" in Frodo's eyes, since Frodo had already met many High Elves. Thranduil's folk was a mixture of Telerin and Sindarin Elves, and if I remember correctly, they were the largest group, at that time anyway; therefore, High Elves must have been more scarce. Then again, Wood-Elves feel more 'secretive' to me, in greater need of hiding perhaps, which could account for a smaller chance for a traveller to meet (one of) them. Strange, how a word sticks to your mind for ten years or more...
Pearlbloom
I remember reading The Hobbit when Bilbo and the Dwarves encounter the Elves of Mirkwood. The Elves were having a woodland feast and kept disappearing when Bilbo and company approached them for food and then they reappeared elsewhere a short while later. This happened several times.
While reading this the first time, I remember thinking that the Elves were very secretive and mysterious and also that they were not very friendly or helpful. I could understand their secretive, mysterious nature but the unfriendly nature puzzled me. Now that I know that Sauron was camped out at Dol Guldor in Southern Mirkwood, I can understand their behavior.
So perhaps Legolas, who comes from Mirkwood, was strange because of the influence of Sauron the Necromancer residing so close to Legolas' father's Kingdom.
Stormrider
So, 'strange' could hint at the careful, suspicious attitude... Yes, I tend to agree. Now I think about it, I realize that to me the Wood-Elves seem more gloomy than, for instance, the Rivendell Elves. Again, this may have to do with honed survival instincts. There were/are many dangers in Mirkwood, beside the Dark Lord and/or his minions; spiders, among other things... <shudders>
Pearl
One of the things about Legolas that I find fascinating is his aerial/ethereal nature. For some reason, perhaps this one, Elves remind me of birds, strong, graceful ones, capable of flying high, out of everyone's reach, seeing farther than any other ME species. Beside birds, Elves are much like cats: imperturbable (most of the time) and psychic to a degree. Legolas sees things the others of the Fellowship don't, feels danger coming closer etc. His awareness, like his alertness, is extraordinary. Also, his balance, both mental and physical, is usually perfect.
Perhaps it is for this reason that I find Legolas' first words at the Council uncharacteristic for him:
"Alas! alas!" cried Legolas, and in his fair elvish face there was great distress. "The tidings that I was sent to bring must now be told. They are not good, but only here have I learned how evil they may seem to this company. Sméagol, who is now called Gollum, has escaped."
On the other hand one might argue that Legolas' distress shows how much he cares, his secret heart momentarily visible through words.
As Legolas continues his story of Gollum's escape, he mentions that the Elves, being (overly) kind, allow Gollum to climb a high tree, so that he "felt the free wind" - once again a reference to the Elves' recognition of air being of great importance to one's health, which, by the way, has cost them dear, since Gollum escapes because of this (with the help of Orcs). Would you agree that the Elves were led astray by their own great need of fresh air, which caused them to assume other creatures shared this need, eventually allowing Gollum to escape "through over-kindliness"?
One of the things about Legolas that I find fascinating is his aerial/ethereal nature. For some reason, perhaps this one, Elves remind me of birds, strong, graceful ones, capable of flying high, out of everyone's reach, seeing farther than any other ME species. Beside birds, Elves are much like cats: imperturbable (most of the time) and psychic to a degree. Legolas sees things the others of the Fellowship don't, feels danger coming closer etc. His awareness, like his alertness, is extraordinary. Also, his balance, both mental and physical, is usually perfect.
Perhaps it is for this reason that I find Legolas' first words at the Council uncharacteristic for him:
"Alas! alas!" cried Legolas, and in his fair elvish face there was great distress. "The tidings that I was sent to bring must now be told. They are not good, but only here have I learned how evil they may seem to this company. Sméagol, who is now called Gollum, has escaped."
On the other hand one might argue that Legolas' distress shows how much he cares, his secret heart momentarily visible through words.
As Legolas continues his story of Gollum's escape, he mentions that the Elves, being (overly) kind, allow Gollum to climb a high tree, so that he "felt the free wind" - once again a reference to the Elves' recognition of air being of great importance to one's health, which, by the way, has cost them dear, since Gollum escapes because of this (with the help of Orcs). Would you agree that the Elves were led astray by their own great need of fresh air, which caused them to assume other creatures shared this need, eventually allowing Gollum to escape "through over-kindliness"?
As I read The Ring Goes South, especially now I am tracking Legolas, I consciously noticed that attention has been paid to the smallest detail. At the Council, Gimli's father interrupted Legolas, pointing out that the Wood Elves had been kinder to a wretch like Gollum than once to him, a respectable Dwarf, which makes us aware of the fact that Dwarves and Elves don't get along. When the members of the Fellowship are described, including the weapons they carry, first Gimli is mentioned, wearing a "short shirt of steel-rings", carrying a "broad-bladed axe" in his belt. Gimli is short and square and squat, seems heavy (despite his height) and has a firm, physical contact with the earth. Legolas, on the other hand, is tall and slender (although this information is not literally there in BII Ch3) and seems light, despite his height, barely touching the ground at all - which of course later is so nicely demonstrated when he walks on top of the snow while the others nearly get stuck battling through it. Legolas weapons are "a bow and a quiver, and at his belt a long white knife". Long, slender, light-coloured weapons, much in accordance with Legolas' physical appearance.
Gimli and Legolas are clearly opposites, and, as becomes apparent soon enough, not only in physical sense; yet, they find one another eventually and a strong bond friendship is forged. Among so many moving and delightful things in LotR, this is one of the most appealing elements to me. Would it be a good idea to discuss Legolas' and Gimli's friendship (and of course their initial dislike of one another) in a separate thread? Or Gimli's 'earthly' nature, so that we gain a deeper understanding with relation to the unusual bond between the Dwarf and the Elf?
Pearl
The incident with Gollum seems to show another interesting idea in the LOTR as a whole - the theme of pity and the far-reaching consequences it can have. Remember Bilbo's pity for Gollum in The Hobbit, and how it affects the whole quest in the end?
I think that elves tend to show a lot of pity - even the defensive wood-elves empathized with Gollum when he was deprived from the fresh air. Perhaps they didn't give the dwarves similar treatment in The Hobbit because dwarves like it underground, so they didn't have the same need. But of course, elves are presented completely differently in The Hobbit than in the LOTR, as was mentioned earlier.
Legolas' friendship with Gimli reveals a lot about his character and seems to make him special in a way among all the elves - so that topic is in the same thread as this one. On the other hand, it's a pretty broad topic as well, so maybe it needs its own space...oh, I don't know. I guess that's the marvelous thing about Tolkien - everything is at once so closely interconnected and so universal.
Eleandune
> I think that elves tend to show a lot of pity - even the defensive
wood-elves
> empathized with Gollum when he was deprived from the fresh air.
Not just the Elves. Eomer gets a Get Out Of Jail Free card in RotK (sorry for jumping ahead) and before that in TTT (shh, can't give that one away (or any newbies!). Plus Melkor in The Silmarillion. Oh, and many hobbits of the Shire were imprisoned unjustly by "Sharky" (or Lotho?). Maybe when we get to RotK, we can talk about these imprisonments and compare them?
Diana
"If Gandalf would go before us with a bright flame, he might melt a path for you," said Legolas. "The storm had troubled him little and he alone of the Company remained still light of heart." (BII, Ch 3)
This is one of the scenes I have often enjoyed envisioning for myself; Legolas' nature is - well, in this particular instance one could think it was mocking the others, who are so unfortunate as to lack Elven strength and talents. Elves are arrogant, I suppose - would you agree?
"If Elves could fly over mountains, they might fetch the Sun to save us," answered Gandalf.
It is typical of Legolas, I think, to not react to this at all (initially). Instead he shows his maturity a little while later:
Legolas watched them for a while with a smile upon his lips, and then he turned to the others. "The strongest must seek a way, say you? But I say: let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming, and for running light over grass and leaf, or over snow - an Elf."
Although he may have travelled relatively little, Legolas knows the ways of the world, and where he fits in. But apparently, Gandalf's somewhat irritated reaction has still triggered a reaction, for Legolas remembers the Wizard's words.
"With that he sprang forth nimbly, and then Frodo noticed as if for the first time, though he had long known it, that the Elf had no boots, but wore only light shoes, as he always did, and his feet made little imprint in the snow.
"Farewell!" he said to Gandalf. "I go to find the Sun!"
Personally, I find this very amusing. Although the Elves, including Legolas, highly esteem Mithrandir, even love him, the Wizard's irritated response cannot sour the Elf's mood. Again Legolas' physical lightness goes hand in hand with his mental balance; note the return of the word "light", accompanied by phrases like "sprang forth nimbly" (especially now the others are struggling) and "his feet made little imprint in the snow". And as if to underline this:
"Then swift as a runner over firm sand he shot away, and quickly overtaking the toiling men, with a wave of his hand he passed them, and sped into the distance, and vanished round the rocky turn."
Would you say there's mockery here?
Pearl
Not mockery per se, but a gentle "dig" to keep things lite. In either regard, what he did, needed to be done, so there is no faulting him there. All the races had pride, the hobbits spoke of their country and ways with love and longing, Gimili spoke of the feats of the dwarves and their wonderful caves and mining. Legolas demonstrated Elvish skills. Boromir spoke of the strength of men, and their protection of ME thru holding the front with the enemy.
Interesting to note, that only Aragorn and Gandalf seemed to keep pride in check, and they were the greatest of them all in actual stature and rank.
Glor
Yes,
a litle gentle mockery but without any malice.
Some members of the Fellowship take themselves too seriously.
It also shows that Legolas has a sense of humour, something that Elves don't show very often.
Selmo.
Selmo,
I heartily agree with you. Elves don't show humour often, and even then it is often very subtle.
I love it.
Pearl
As the Companions move on to Moria, Legolas becomes even more quiet than he has already been. After all, this is the Dwarf's territory (if anyone's now evil has taken control of the Mines, but at this point, we don't know this yet), and, obviously, it is below ground - a place not natural for an aerial creature, despite the fact that Legolas' people once had an exquisite underground city, Menegroth, which was very 'airy' and forestlike - also, of course, Legolas' father Thranduil has an underground palace. These places, however, are said to resemble forests and are hardly comparable to the Mines.
Legolas, when asked, honestly says he does not wish to go to Moria, but one can feel he will nevertheless follow the others if it is decided that they go (by the way, I cannot help thinking of RotK at this point, when again Legolas follows his companions underground, and Gimli, who is so eager now to enter the Mines of Moria, is so afraid to go then, that he is the last to go in; very amusing, I think!). Another reason of Legolas' reluctance to go to Moria may be that he fears to encounter worse things than Orcs. Switching to the FotR movie for a moment: has anyone noticed the Elf's body language when Gandalf tells them to beware, "for there are fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world"? I don't know if this was done consciously (perhaps my 'Legolas-antennae' are too fine-tuned lol), but I think it is priceless. Wow!
The first time we hear Legolas after this, he is arguing with Gimli.
"It was not the fault of the Dwarves that the friendship waned," said Gimli.
"I have not heard that it was the fault of the Elves," said Legolas.
Despite his great age, experience and maturity, Legolas cannot resist arguing with the Dwarf. In fact, these two are mentioned walking together more than once, in spite of their differences. Is it true, then, that opposites attract? Why can't Legolas be more mature with Gimli? It almost seems as if the Dwarf brings out the child in the Elf. Later on, when they discover the ithildin doors to Moria, both Gimli and Legolas see their own peoples' emblems first. Even though they are not friends yet, already one can sense a bond between the two of them - the first shaky steps of it, anyway.
Moving on to Chapter 5: once again, when Legolas speaks, Gimli is there too.
"They are coming!" cried Legolas.
"We cannot get out," said Gimli.
Both have been listening to Gandalf closely - who, by the way, I sometimes feel acts like a father to keep them from arguing too much. I am not saying that the rest has not, but Legolas and Gimli often (seem to) supplement each other. Even in fights, they are mentioned together, as it were:
Legolas shot two through the throat. Gimli hewed the legs from under another that had sprung up on Balin's tomb.
Their fighting techniques, like their outward appearance and their characters, contrast sharply. Curiously (but I think it is also touching), Legolas is the one who, one might say, saves Gimli as they leave the Chamber of Mazarbul:
… but Gimli had to be dragged away by Legolas: in spite of the peril he lingered by Balin's tomb with his head bowed.
As the Companions try to find their way out of Moria, Legolas sees his nightmare come true:
"Ai! ai!" wailed Legolas. "A Balrog! A Balrog is come!"
Gimli stared with wide eyes. "Durin's Bane!" he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
"A Balrog," muttered Gandalf. "Now I understand."
Once again: first Legolas comments, then Gimli, then Gandalf. There's a pattern here, wouldn't you agree?
As the Companions approach Lothlórien, Legolas' heart is filled with joy and anticipation. The first description of Lórien we get from him, is centered around its wondrous trees (NB the tree is an ancient symbol with a profound meaning; its roots closely connect it to the earth, but its leaves are high up in the air. Its stem is the connection between these two, Earth and Heaven. As has been suggested earlier, the composition of the Fellowship bears a resemblance to a tree as well: earthly and 'heavenly' or airy characters, connected by a 'stem' of, as the book on symbolism in LotR calls them, 'noble' Hobbits).
Upon entering the woods (after the song of Nimrodel), Legolas expresses the wish to familiarize himself with the Elven Wood's 'magical' trees, Mellyrn:
" I will climb up," said Legolas. " I am at home among trees, by root or bough, though these trees are of a kind strange to me, save as a name in song. Mellyrn they are called, and are those that bear the yellow blossom, but I have never climbed in one. I will see now what is their shape and way of growth."
I have often imagined myself in his place, or rather, what it would be like to be in his company and enter the Elven Wood. I'd probably take a close look at such wonderful trees (I should add that I love nature and greatly enjoy walking in the woods), but not half as close as Legolas, who apparently wants to touch them to get to know them, almost as if they were persons. What a sight would that be, to see such a graceful, uplifted creature like Legolas jump up, catching a branch high above his head and swinging there… After which he'd drop back to earth and talk to the Elves hiding up in the tree (I must say, I would have loved to see this scene in the movie…). Of course, all turns out to be well - after a little consternation about the one of the Companions being a Dwarf.
Although Lothlórien is obviously not Legolas' home, still him being there, among his fellow Elves, feels undeniably right. Whenever I read this chapter, I literally bask in the peace and quiet and the magic of the Elves, resting after the ordeal in Moria and preparing for the long and hard journey ahead; definitely one of my favourite chapters/places in Middle Earth.
Again, typically Elven characteristics are displayed in this chapter. Legolas' lightfootedness and ability to jump high, lightly and seemingly effortlessly, are emphasized once more (think of the climbing of the rope-ladder and the crossing of the rope-bridge). Also, his - how shall I put it - arrogance, perhaps? As was mentioned in another thread, Elves can be condescending sometimes, even though they don't mean to; it is part of their character. For instance, when Legolas tells Pippin to dig a hole in the ground "if that is more after the fashion of your kind", after the Hobbit complained about not being able to sleep high up in a tree. Then again, they should be happy they're still alive and well after passing through Moria, and that the secretive Elves of Lórien offer them a safe place to sleep.
Of course, there's this little incident with the Dwarf. After Legolas has sung about Nimrodel, he mentions the awakening of evil in the mountains, by the Dwarves. Gimli immediately reacts:
"But the Dwarves did not make the evil," said Gimli.
"I said not so; yet evil came," answered Legolas sadly.
Legolas' attitude towards Dwarves has changed compared to when they set out from Rivendell. Yet, when the Lórien Elves prepare to blindfold the Dwarf, Gimli is obstinate, which almost leads to bloodshed. I think Legolas is right to feel upset, after all the trouble that has been taken, and also when he grows angry as Gimli demands Legolas be blindfolded as well. I realize I am not impartial, but still, Legolas has a point. What do you think? I have had some discussions about this with people in my surroundings, but since none of them is really Tolkienite, there was no point, really. I know this topic has been touched upon in other threads, but I think it's worth spending some more time and space to this particular incident… (For the record, I have grown to like Gimli as a character - after all those years reading and rereading… - and do certainly not enjoy seeing him singled out to be blindfolded).
"Frodo looked up at the Elf standing tall above him, as he gazed into the night, seeking a mark to shoot at. His head was dark, crowned with sharp white stars that glittered in the dark black pools of the sky behind." (Book 2, Ch. 9)
A hint at Legolas' royal blood and his future as a king?
In chapter 9 (The Great River), we gain some insight into what it must be like to be an Elf:
"Nay, time does not tarry ever [in Lorien]," he (Legolas) said; "but change and growth is not in all things and places alike. For the Elves the world moves, and it moves both very swift and very slow. Swift, because they themselves change little, and all else fleets by: it is a grief for them. Slow, because they do not count the running years, not for themselves. The passing seasons are but ripples ever repeated in the long long stream. Yet beneath the Sun all things must wear to an end at last.”
Immortality seems wonderful at first, but is it, really? Some of the sadness of the Elves becomes clear here...
Pearl