Hi all,
agree, my hunting proposal is largely speculation.
Cheers Mark12.30! And in the second quote Gandalf does mention elven 'scouring' as well as 'scouting'.
If the elves indeed went a-hunting, I think that this might , if you like, have spiritual or psychic significance. (Beep beep beep speculation alert state 2!). As well as scouring the land of orcs and wolves etc, could they have also scoured the land of malign entities 'from the other side'?
Certainly all remark on the 'wholesomeness' of the lands that elves inhabit, even realms lacking one of the Three, or an abandoned country such as Hollin. What do I mean by malign entities? We-elll, er, hooom, naturally things that go bump in the night, maybe including minor wights, left-over victims of Morgul blade stabbings, Mewlips perhaps, houseless fea and whatnot, you know, generally dark, shadowy, malevolant sort of customers.
I'd expect that, what with great elf lords such as Glorfindel 'revealing themselves on the other side', such unpleasant types would slink back to their holes in the Mountains or the Darkwood, leaving behind a lighter, happier atmosphere in their absence. Therefore the Hunt could be a duty as well as a pleasure, and the world just that bit less sparkly in the absence of the Quendi.
(PS Legate and everyone- see if you can guess my riddle in the Quiz Room - shameless plug
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