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» proudfoot - Elves & their stuff

The Noldor put their hearts and minds into the crafting of their items, yet they were not manufacturers. (That distinctive honor goes to the Dwarves, who could make 100 spears or coats of mail all to the same standard & pattern, and be proud of each one.)The Noldor & other Elves made individual masterworks, each item crafted with vision and purpose designed beforehand, or creatively altered along the way. Mere functional use was not enough for the Elves; they had to have art! The real grief of the Elves over the loss of their ancient cities and treasures was that they lost things made dear and precious to them beyond any price tag or heirloom significance. They were 3-D embodiments of the Elven desire for unending beauty in all ways of life.

Now that I think of it, your article goes a long way towards explaining why Feanor and his sons were so fierce in their pursuit of the Silmarils. It was Feanor's pride and pain which twisted his Oath, and turned an otherwise noble quest for lost master-works into a never-ending series of vendettas.

-- posted by proudfoot

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