Meta: LotR, Elves and Death
I didn't understand this before.
Forgive me for being slow, I'm sure some one has mentioned it. But it took me four (five? I think five) viewing of the second movie before I figured this out.
Elves are afraid of death.
I'm serious - death and dying and mortality freaks elves out to no end. They don't die. They live in huge ancient trees. They don't have truck with 'mortal' races.
It's all there - the way Arwen tears up when her father talks about Aragorn dying and leaving her alone, her father's urging her to break an oath and dump Aragron. Halidir (?)'s smug, we're so good and you should be so happy we decided to help you attitude at Helm's Deep - and the way he forgets to watch his six.
The pole-axed look Legolas gets every time someone dies - as if he really can't understand that Gandalf won't be back next year.
Elves don't die. They aren't practiced at it. And so it freaks them out - collectively, as a race - so much they can't bear to be around people who do drop over dead after a set number of years.
They think dying is the worst thing that could happen to a person.
Poor, foolish, ignorant babes. Bright as dawn, beautiful as star light, empty as a stone
I can't believe I didn't figure this out before.
Forgive me for being slow, I'm sure some one has mentioned it. But it took me four (five? I think five) viewing of the second movie before I figured this out.
Elves are afraid of death.
I'm serious - death and dying and mortality freaks elves out to no end. They don't die. They live in huge ancient trees. They don't have truck with 'mortal' races.
It's all there - the way Arwen tears up when her father talks about Aragorn dying and leaving her alone, her father's urging her to break an oath and dump Aragron. Halidir (?)'s smug, we're so good and you should be so happy we decided to help you attitude at Helm's Deep - and the way he forgets to watch his six.
The pole-axed look Legolas gets every time someone dies - as if he really can't understand that Gandalf won't be back next year.
Elves don't die. They aren't practiced at it. And so it freaks them out - collectively, as a race - so much they can't bear to be around people who do drop over dead after a set number of years.
They think dying is the worst thing that could happen to a person.
Poor, foolish, ignorant babes. Bright as dawn, beautiful as star light, empty as a stone
I can't believe I didn't figure this out before.