The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum


Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page

Go Back   The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum > Middle-Earth Discussions > Novices and Newcomers
User Name
Password
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-05-2007, 01:13 PM   #1
Durelin
Estelo dagnir, Melo ring
 
Durelin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,063
Durelin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.Durelin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
This should be a rhetorical question...

But it's not. I want it answered!

The night before last, I came upon a shocking revelation.

I have never heard of a fat Elf. Ever. And I could never really imagine one.

Why on earth is that?

Obviously their diet and/or digestive system might very well differ from Men's, but can either really be that different? All we ever hear about are Elves eating lembas, but surely they ate other things. But were they perhaps vegetarians?

We certainly see Elves as extremely environmental, and so possibly keep animals out of their diet (not that being a vegetarian, vegan, etc. is required for being environmental!).

And even if their diet is extremely selective, perhaps even to the point of a true Jainist's diet, might they even enjoy their food?

If this is belongs in "Middle-Earth Mirth" or perhaps specifically on the "Ask a Stupid Question" thread, I apologize. But though I do find it amusing, I do seriously wonder why this is.
Durelin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2007, 01:17 PM   #2
Legate of Amon Lanc
A Voice That Gainsayeth
 
Legate of Amon Lanc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 7,431
Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.
I think that Tolkien says somewhere about elves, that they can more or less look like they wish. Or, better said, that they are not so much bound by the material world in these terms. Possibly neither of them wants to look fat
__________________
"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories
Legate of Amon Lanc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2007, 01:26 PM   #3
Durelin
Estelo dagnir, Melo ring
 
Durelin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,063
Durelin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.Durelin is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
Well, that was a simpler (and yet not) answer than I expected.
Durelin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2007, 02:10 PM   #4
Estelyn Telcontar
Princess of Skwerlz
 
Estelyn Telcontar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles)
Posts: 7,500
Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!Estelyn Telcontar has reached the Cracks of Doom and destroyed the Ring!
No, that would be Maiar who can choose their appearance, not Elves.

According to The Hobbit, the Wood-Elves were feasting at a fire, and Bilbo and the Dwarves found that
Quote:
The smell of the roast meats was... enchanting...
Since the Elves did not welcome their unexpected guests, it is to be assumed that they planned to eat the meat themselves. The Wood-Elves also went hunting in the forest, we are told - and that word normally refers to animals, not vegetables!

The way Galion, the butler, is described, I could imagine that he would be well-rounded, since he loved drinking and feasting.

Now, we can quibble about The Hobbit not being quite canonical for Middle-earth as it is written in LotR. We could also debate whether the other Elves in Rivendell and Lothlorien might have had other eating habits than the Wood-Elves. And of course, it is possible that the Elves in the Undying Lands had changed their menus completely. At any rate, this is all the written evidence I could find concerning the diet of Elves in Middle-earth.

Perhaps HoME has more...
__________________
'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'
Estelyn Telcontar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2007, 02:29 PM   #5
Lalwendë
A Mere Boggart
 
Lalwendë's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: under the bed
Posts: 4,737
Lalwendë is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.Lalwendë is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Durelin
We certainly see Elves as extremely environmental, and so possibly keep animals out of their diet (not that being a vegetarian, vegan, etc. is required for being environmental!).
Well I certainly know a lot of overweight vegetarians and vegans so I doubt that would keep an Elf biologically slender! I suppose if they live in two worlds at once (being temporally challenged) they could hide their big butt in one world?
__________________
Gordon's alive!
Lalwendë is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-05-2007, 02:39 PM   #6
The Might
Guard of the Citadel
 
The Might's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxon
Posts: 2,205
The Might is a guest at the Prancing Pony.The Might is a guest at the Prancing Pony.
1420!

I think that due to the special link between their bodies and their souls they were not so easily ifluenced by such pleasures such as food, drink, or..,you know what I mean

Quote:
They are not easily deceived by their own kind; and their spirits being masters of their bodies, they are seldom swayed by the desires of the body only, but are by nature continent and steadfast. ~ Laws and Customs of the Eldar, Morgoth's Ring
Still, this comes a little bit in conflict with the image of Elves drinking Dorwinion wine in the Hobbit

Considering however why and how Tolkien wrote the Hobbit and the Laws and Customs of the Eldar, I am inclined to think that such abuses were only possible among more uneducated Silvan Elves, and that Noldor, Vanyar, Falmari or Sindar would have never done something like this. Still, I doubt that Thranduil's folk did that on a daily basis, and so it might have been a single case.

So no, no fast food Elves I'm afraid
__________________
“The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike.”
Delos B. McKown
The Might is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:45 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.