Meeting Elves - How would you have coped?

[Liriodendron]

It would depend on the elves.....if they came across as snooty and uncaring, I'd plobably start turning grey/black .....if they (particularly the females ) were warm and caring, despite being perfect, I would probably look up to them and want to get closer.

[narfforc]

If I met an Elf I'd ram my Orc Scimitar through his back, that would teach him not to hug trees.

[Roa_Aoife]

I've always disliked the Elves in general (snobby, self-righteous, arrogant... *grumble grumble*) but, having never been bothered by mortality and the inevitability of death, doubt I would ever turn black.

In my opinion, Elves ought to envy humans. The brevity of our life spans allow us to maintain a sense of wonder. This may be morbid, but ask a terminally ill patient who has come to terms with their diagnoses- life is much sweeter, much more vibrant, when one takes into account that everything could end tomorrow. Or even a few decades, for such a length of time would be insignificant to such long lived beings.

Really, if Elves existed, I would say they ought to be pitied.

[Boo Radley]

Boo Radley meets an Elf while walking along... Let's listen in, shall we?

Elf: "Greetings, Man!"

BR: "Man? What are you, a Hippie?"

Elf: "Err.. no. I am an Elf! Gendolar is my name and I have lived in this land for 5,000 years!"

BR: "5,000 years? Yeah, I'll need to see some ID."

Elf: "What?"

BR: "Nothing. Never mind. So... you're an Elf, eh? Hmmm... so... Orcs, huh. What's up with them, anyways?"

Elf: "What do you mean? They are evil and an abomination unto the land!"

BR: "Kind of like Steeler's fans."

Elf: "What?"

BR: "Nothing. So.. Oh, OK... Stop me if you've heard this one. These three Orcs walk into a bar and they're each carrying a duck under their arm."

Elf: "What?"

[Lalwendë]

How do we know we'd even recognise an Elf if we saw one? And what does one look like anyway? Just a human with pointy ears? I personally think they are so much more than that.

My dad thinks that aliens, if they exist and have come to Earth, live amongst us. His reasoning is that if they can get to this planet then they have superior knowledge and will certainly know that to survive they will realise they must disguise themselves. Maybe Elves are the same? The Istari after all knew to disguise themselves as something unobtrusive, as old men...be careful and take note to be especially nice to pensioners in flat caps and car coats.

[Elmo]

Elves don't actually have pointy ears you know... see I can be a pedant too

An elf could never get into a night club though, even a bouncer wouldn't believe that Gendolar had a driving license which showed he was older than the wheel

[narfforc]

Hi Lal, didn't Stepen King base The Tommy Knockers on a Alien people/Fairy folk story. All over Britain there are stories of Faerie, today they would be called UFO stories'

[Folwren]

An interesting question, to be sure... perhaps a bit pointless, but interesting all the same.

I don't know how I would react. I'm inclined to think I would be very quiet and would listen a lot to what they said, as they spoke to someone else. I don't speak much to people older than I. I've been brought up with all the 'respect your elders' and letting them talk, not interrupting, listening carefully, and all the rest. Even though I'm becoming an adult myself, I still listen a lot, especially when it's an older person.

With an elf, I think it would be fascinating. Have you ever been around an old man who still has all his wits about him? You can learn so much from just listening to what a man like that has to say! And an elf...who doesn't grow old and who doesn't become feeble or looses his mind with age would be amazing.

No, I wouldn't envy their long life.

-- Folwren

[Raynor]

Originally Posted by hewhoarisesinmight

Elves don't actually have pointy ears

A matter not solved so far. In HoME V, Tolkien states:

Originally Posted by Lost Road

The Quendian ears were more pointed and leaf-shaped than [?human].

Subsequent research on the papers, such as those appearing in Vinyar Tengwar #45, confirm that Tolkien was indeed reffering to "human".

[Boo Radley]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

...be careful and take note to be especially nice to pensioners in flat caps and car coats.

I think that goes without saying.
But, do the Istari women also dress up like old men, because if they do, that's just wrong on so many levels.

Conversation continued...

BR: "Oh, by the way... love your cookies."

Gendolar: "Right! That's it, human... it's GO TIME!!!"

[Roa_Aoife]

You know, strictly from a scientific point of view, I'd be dying to get my hands on their mitochondria.

And possibly have them try to make snow angels....