Legolas...question!
 

I have a question... is Legolas immortal? A friend and I were talking about that, and we thought he was because he's an elf. Anyone have an answer for me?

All elves are immortal, Legolas is an elf, you do the math [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

Thingol is right, all elves are immortal, I think unless they love/marry a mortal. But if Legolas doesnt do that or get hacked up or trampled by an Oliphaunt he will live for-ever.

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Gandalf pic

Actually, it takes more than love or marriage to make an elf mortal. It takes Valaric (or even higher?) intervention, and there were very few of those throughout the long history of Arda.

Yes, even higher. Eru was the only one who could alter the fate of one of his Children. And he only allowed one Elf to change fate, that being Luthien Tinuviel.

I believe elves can only die in battle or from a broken heart.

Elves can be slain or die of grief.

Tar Elenion, you are forgetting about Arwen. And also, what about Earendil, Earendil's wife (sorry about forgetting her name [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]), Tuor, and such. Dont you think Eru had something to do in all the mens changes as well?

Elwing was Earendils wife. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Earendil, Elwing and all their descendants were part mortal, and they were given the power to choose their destinies themselves. No direct intervention from Eru was needed, only the decision of the certain individual.

No, I am not forgetting. Luthien was the only _Elf_ allowed to change fate, as I stated above, JRRT refers to her as an 'absolute exception'. The others you named above are not Elves. They are Peredhil (Half-elves), except Tuor, who is a Man (and the only Man allowed to change his fate, JRRT refers to him as a 'unique exception'). However you are correct in that Eru was the one who allowed the exceptions and special position of the Peredhil.

Tuor was allowed to change his fate? Manwe granted the Peredhil the choice of fate. Would that have included Elurid and Elurin as well?

Yes. In theory, it would also have included Elrond's sons.

However, once someone chose to be mortal, their descendents no longer were given the choice (ie-tough luck for the Numenoreans).

- Cirdan / Maglor68

P.S. - Illuvatar DID intervene, and gave Manwe the power to decide the fate of all half-elves, and it was HE who gave each the choice.

Elladan and Elrohir were Elronds Sons, not Elured and Elurin. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[ January 12, 2002: Message edited by: Elrian ]

According to Letter 153 Eru changed Tuor's fate, and thus he was accounted among the Elves.

Manwe granted some of the Peredhil (Earendil, Elwing, Elrond, Eros, Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen) a Choice. Dior, Elured and Elurin are not said to have been granted a Choice, and died before there was any Choice given. It is not unlikely that they were considered mortals and granted the Fate of Men, though some argue otherwise.

Allow me to start by saying that everyone who has posted a reply so far on this subject is WRONG. Elves are Not immortal. at least the kind in the lord of the rings are not. Elves DO live an extreamly long time though, and so in some ways they might be considered Immortal. For instance, Elrond was one of the Elves created by Illuvatar at the Begginning of the world, and he is still alive. But in a way Elves ARE immortal, becauise if one is killed, or dies of old age (highly unlikley) They go to the Caves of (I have forgotten the name, they are ruled by one of the Anuir, the Faunter of Death) Where all souls of all go when they die. There ELF souls (and elf souls only) Wander for about the life span of a man, then are reborn into the world AS THEMSELVES. Not like a reincarnation. Answer your question? if not, Write me.

Elrond was the SON of Earendil and Elwing, who at the end of the First Age chose to belong to the Firstborn, and remained in Middle-Earth until the end of the Third Age. Oh by the way Elrond was half-elven.

Taken from the Silmarillion

What was the title of the book you read this in?


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