Who do you reckon is the braver race in general, men or elves?

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Originally Posted by Bêthberry

These cross racial highlights are what made me wonder if, ultimately, it would be counterproductive to make comparisons across the races.

I think that, when we are talking about the different races, we are talking about the typical/stereotypical specimen. Populations are bell curves - most individuals are average, in the middle, and on the ends you have the interesting ones. For the elves, these extremes may be Finrod Felagund and Maeglin; one faithful while the other faithless. Most elves were somewhere in between.

So, to me, the average elf is less brave than the average human. And I'm using the word 'less' cautiously, as we all understand what the word means, but when used with bravery, 'less' just seems like the wrong word. The soldier who lives daily in a combat zone is somehow 'less brave' than a soldier who dives on a grenade? Both are more brave than I ever will be. Anyway...

To begin again, then, in battle, humans may have shown more bravery as they had more to lose. They were more easily slain, had no idea what happened 'next,' and never got to see even an earthly heaven, unlike the elves. And, in regards to dying, wasn't one of the sins of the latter day Númenóreans the fear of death? Remember all of the tomb building and embalming and searching for a deathless land? These people, the best of the best, feared death, and yet the average shmoe still went into battle.

But on the other hand, maybe the humans just didn't understand it all. For example, do children truly understand death? Have they lived long enough to fully comprehend what, if they died, what life they would be missing? How did their interactions with the elves, who had no clue about this (but knew so much about everything else), influence this? Did they tend to believe, even wrongly, that they (the humans) were somewhat like their elvish cousins, and so were going to Mandos at death and so it was no big deal - and if they made a big splash going out, maybe they could win some kudos in Aman.

Or were the elves like some elderly, who, so old and tired of the changed world, looking for something new, and so to rush out into battle, even with the high probability of being slain, at least offered the chance of seeing something new under the sun?

Dunno.