[davem]

Perhaps its down to a question of what kind of statement Legolas is making - is it a 'primary' statement on Elvishness, equal to 'Elves at death do not pass beyond the circles of the World' - ie, a 'fact' about their nature, or is it simply a turn of phrase? Change it to 'Elves at death need not pass beyond the circles of the World' & it changes an essential statement about them.

But, in a sense this change does exactly that - 'Elves do not count the running years' says that no Elf, ever, for any reason, counts the running years. Elves need not says 'some may, some may not - its optional'. It may be that need is a more accurate reflection of Tolkien's thought, but we'll never know, & for that reason I'm uncomfortable with the change.

Also, in changing Legolas' words, don't we change his character? Its not simply a question of whether the statement is technically correct about how Elves think, its also a matter of what the character Legolas is saying, the idea he's trying to communicate.