Concerning Elf-friends

[A_Brandybuck]

Going back to the topic.
I am sure that much of my post was mentioned before, but I need this for my explanation. ;-)

It is obvious that the "title" elf-friend changed in the different times in the History of Middle-earth.

In the First Age, the "elf-friends" were Men, who helped the Elves fighting against Morgoth. That was the first time, that the “title” elf-friend was assigned to someone. But the “title” elf-friend could only be given with a counterpart. Not all Men helped the Elves in their struggle. The title was a form of ennoblement from the other ones. Without other, there is no need to ennoble.

The Second Age is parted in two different branches concerning elf-friends. The keyword is here of course Numenor. We notice, that Gil-galad has called Aldarion the greatest Elf-friend that now is among Men. That implies for me, that there were much other elf-friends. Probably, those people descending from the Three Peoples, which are called elf-friends in the First Age. If this has been the case, then the Elves were keeping the “title” elf-friend generally for that people of Men, which had helped them in the First Age.
But we notice also, that calling Aldarion greatest Elf-friend is a form of ennoblement, too. There is a need to ennoble Aldarion from the other elf-friends, which were called perhaps (probably) only of traditional reasons elf-friends.
Having this in mind, we could compare the two Ages regarding the aspect of awarding the “title” elf-friend. Aldarion and the Three Houses of Men helped all the Elves in great need and were ennobled in a way from other Men.
The second branch is the time, in which the Numenorians rebelled against the Valar. In that time, there were a group of Men in Numenor, which were called Elendili – elf-friends. Sadly I don't know, whether the title was given by the Eldar or given by themselves (the latter I think). Important is, that the Eldar has broken (with the obvious reasons) with their tradition to call all Numenorians elf-friends.

At the end of the Third Age, the Elves were fading in Middle-earth. They disappears in the minds of Men. Most of the inhabitants of Middle-earth haven't ever seen any elf. They don't know, what the Elves do and don't care about them. Sometimes they were feared (-> Galadriel in Lothlorien). Shortly, they the time for the Elves in Middle-earth is over.
Bringing the word ennoblement in the context of the Third Age is the central aspect I think of explaining elf-friend in the Third Age. There are not much Elvish-affairs at the end of the Third Age. Even the war against Sauron is mostly an affair of Men, especially for those Elves, who are leaving Middle-earth like Gildor. Calling Frodo an elf-friend expresses, how Gildor admire that Frodo care about the Elves. He has learned the language and and and...
It is again a kind of ennoblement. But the circumstances are other. It is not important, that elf-friends are helping the Elves in a great need. It is rather important, that they care about the Elves, because there aren't a great need for the Elves, who are fading. Of course the upcoming war against Sauron occupies them, but the world is in the hands of Men and the Elves are rather helping Men than the opposite. It was very different in the First and Second Age. Middle-earth is no longer an Elvish affair.
The Elves ennoble those, who hasn't forgotten them and occupies with them.

I hope my argumentation was understandable, because English isn't my native language.