Tolkien himself addressed the silliness of the dwarf-greeting elves right there in the passage; "even dwarves ... think them foolish, which is a very foolish thing to think."<P>What we have in the Hobbit, I think, are elves who are out in the trees, relaxed, joking, having a good time, avoiding profound topics for the moment. Even the more profound posters on The Downs can crack some pretty silly jokes; I don't see why Elves would be any different. <P>Sam on Galadriel: "Proud and far-off as a snow-mountain, and as merry as any lass I ever saw with daisies in her hair in springtime."<P>I wonder what Elrond was like in his lighter moments.<P>What bothers me more than the elves "tra-la-la-lally " in Rivendell is Thranduil's selfish behavior later on in the story. Thranduil!! But then, elves aren't perfect; look at Feanor; I guess we're all lucky Legolas turned out to be such a good boy.
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...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.
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