Lament for the Elves

[The Saucepan Man]

... as one acquainted with the books, you must know that, with the exception of Legolas and Gimli, dwarves have little love of elves. This came out duly and not inappropriately.

I have to agree with Angmar that the references seem rather inappropriate. Not because they involve Dwarves insulting Elves, since that has clear precedent in Tolkien's works. But rather because they (or at least some of them) are modern phrases and terms of construction such that I would not imagine denizens of Middle-earth using. But I suppose it is no worse than film Gimli calling film Legolas a "pointy-eared Elf" or referring to an Orc's central nervous system.

[Amanaduial the archer]

True, some of them are maybe not entirely appropriate - but then, when exactly are the books based? There is no set time for them, and the language over the thousands of years Tolkien's works run over never actually seems to change - maybe there are specific elven insults. But I don't speak elvish, and neither do the majority of players on the game Imladris and I are running - sure, elvish insults may be more appropriate, and could be more amusing to an elf...but we aren't elves. An RPG needs a touch of humour here and there - the insults exchange with the dwarves was simply a way of creating one of these 'touches'

[mark12_30]

Even in LOTR, Frodo had to check Lobelia's umbrella.

In The Hobbit, Thorin's dwarves had no problems throwing insults... "As soon as I saw the little fellow puffing on the mat... looks more like a grocer than a burglar."
In terms of the RPG, these were trespassing Dwarves insulting Mirkwood elves. If the dwarves were throwing insults at ther Vanyar, that would be different, no? Or at Elrond or Galadriel, perhaps.

In The Hobbit (which, really, this RPG is more based on than the LOTR) Thranduill's elves have their laughable moments. The butler and jailer snore together in a drunken stupor; the portcullis elves sing "Roll roll rolling down the hole, Heave-ho, Splash- Plump, Down they go, Down they bump."

Legolas's power and elegance notwithstanding, the Mirkwood Elves are a humbler, simpler, and more humorous race than the stuffy Noldor. At least, I always thought so.

[Bêthberry]

An RPG needs a touch of humour here and there - the insults exchange with the dwarves was simply a way of creating one of these 'touches'

Really, Aman, for shame. As if only the Seventh Age could produce humour. And as if there weren't humour enough in The Hobbit for gamers to mine.

[Lord of Angmar]

Saucepan Man, you said exactly what I meant. It is fine and enjoyable to use humor in RPGs, but I cannot see a Dwarf of Middle-earth using the term "nancy boy". "Lassie," maybe, since I believe it is Middle English in origin, but it is still a stretch.

[Imladris]

I just looked up the word "Nancy." *stunned silence* If I had known it meant that before hand I would definitely had asked the person to edit immediately. Actually, I think that I will ask them edit just because of what it means and because it is definitely anti- canonical.

Just throwing this out because I'm intensely mortifyed, has Tolkien in any of his insults called a man girlish?

[Will Witfoot]

Well I do recognize those quotes *hangs head in shame*, as I am the culprit behind two of them.

I guess I'm just used to the way the Elves are portrayed in Warhammer world (which is one of my obsessions), where they are (at least by my interpretation) quite fastidious and cocky.

My appologies. I shall edit immediately.