Lament for the Elves

[Imladris]

It's not that I didn't enjoy the insults on the game, because I did. I'm just wondering if it was canonical or not with Tolkien. I personally think that Aman and Saucepan Man explained it very well and I honestly had not thought of it that way before.

So elves are prime material for being made fun of then? Good for parody?

[Amanaduial the archer]

In a spoof, every little thing has potential to be exaggerated. For example, in a few of the spoofs I have seen, Gandalph's pronunciation of Mordor has been played upon (so that every time he says it he has to take a huge breath before and then say "Morrrrrrrr*gasp*dorrrrrr"; as the spoof carried on, this just continued to get longer and longer). This is because someone has obviously picked up upon the fact that in the films, Ian Mckellan does, on several occasions, elongate the 'r' sound in Mordor, and it is perfect to play on. And as just about anyone who has seen the films is aware, Orlando Bloom does possess "boyish good looks", as do "the chorus line" (thank you, Saucepan ), and this is perfect to play upon in a spoof.

Originally Posted by Saucepan man

And, when I drew a picture parodying the Fellowship some 20 or more years ago, I depicted Legolas with angular features, preening his hair and admiring himself in a compact mirror.

Begod, the man is a psychic! Ahead of your time indeed, sir!

[Guinevere]

Well, after all, Legolas is described as "fair of face beyond the measure of men" in "The last Debate". But what is "fair" ? As long as we only had the books, it was up to the individual reader's imagination and taste.(which could differ widely)
And then there's the fact that elves have no beards (except Cirdan)...
As far as I remember it isn't mentioned in the books how they were dressed, or what length (or style) their hair was. (Except Glorfindels long golden hair streaming behind him when he came riding along)

[Lord of Angmar]

Elves are tall and fair, they talk to trees and are in tune with nature, they delight in dancing and singing and generally have good fashion sense. Spurred on by Legolas's portrayal in the Lord of the Rings movies and the common notion of elves as fairies with long pointy ears and Tinkerbell-wings, Middle-earth's Elves are as close to metrosexuals as you will find in Middle-earth, at least to that majority of the moviegoing public who are no more acquainted with the literature of JRR Tolkien prior to the release of the movies than they are with Caedmon's Poem or Gilgamesh.

I am unfamiliar with your RPG Imladris, but anyone who refers to Elves as "nancy-boy" and "lassie," even in the context of a game, does not seem fit to be participating.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Originally Posted by Lord of Angmar

am unfamiliar with your RPG Imladris, but anyone who refers to Elves as "nancy-boy" and "lassie," even in the context of a game, does not seem fit to be participating.

Lord of Angmar, the point in the game is that it is not the players who are referring to the elves as such, but the dwarves who they were writing on behalf of; 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.

[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'