[The Saucepan Man]

Kalimac, I think you make an excellent point using the example of the English and the French (I speak as an Englishman).

We have been allies in two World Wars in the last 100 years and, in the last 50 years or so have developed an increasingly close trading relationship (as members of the European Union). Many English people regularly visit and take thir holidays in France. And yet, there remain people in England who are wary or distrustful of the French or who just plain dislike them for whatever reason (and vice versa, I'm sure). In fact a close trading relationship brings its own reasons for disagreement (the Common Agricultural Policy, for example).

So the analogy with the relationship between the Elves of Northern Mirkwood and the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain is an extremely good one. They have fought together and traded together, and yet there is still bound to be distrust and enmity between individual members of each society.

Perhaps the friendship between Legolas and Gimli can give hope that people of different cultures and traditions can learn to get on with one another.

Oh, that got way too deep. [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img] Sorry!