Resurrection of Haudh-En-Ndengin thread "Rivendell or Lothlorien"

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by blantyr

Aragorn forbade men access to the Shire, and thought this a good thing, a favor to the hobbits.

Just a note here (I couldnt resist): I think it's better to forbid men to enter the Shire's borders than to have men pour into it to google at hobbits after they appeared from the legends. There would be many curious folk. So yes, he's doing the hobbits a favour.

He's not forbidding interaction between the two "species" - he encourages it. But it should not be something enforced on all hobbits, rather something that the more adventurous hobbits choose.

Though, in general, I agree with your thoghts about isolated communities and states.

Originally Posted by Flim

Curiously, Haldir comments on halflings and their evil nature. He mentions not having heard of halflings for many years, but that these halflings (in the Fellowship) did not look evil, so persumably these are the tales he knows of concerning halflings from the past--that they are an evil race (in looks originally? or perhaps both in looks and demeanor?).

No, I don't think so. He says that they don't look evil because he knows what evil could look like, not because he thought hobbits were evil.

Is Galadriel with the white a more powerful opponent of Sauron than Elrond with the blue? Tricky but I'd imagine so, regardless of the rings as Galadriel is significantly older, had been to the Undying lands and was personal friend of Melian

Agreed, though I would add that she is so powerful (with the help of Nenya and the Elessar perhaps) that she can read Sauron's mind without opening her own. She might have learned this from Melian, who played a similar trick on Morgoth. But still, to be able to defeat a Maia as mighty as Sauron....

Elrond's power lies in a different field. As has been mentioned, he is more communicative to the Free Peoples. He is closer to them, and thus more respected - and more obeyed, I'd assume. People come to him for a word of advice (eg Boromir) but most are afraid of Lothlorien.