The Hobbit - Chapter 10 - A Warm Welcome

[Tuor of Gondolin]

I believe (Strachey?) makes an observation that the Hobbit
begins in a middle class world, moves on to the heroic,
and then returns to the middle class genre at the end.
The Master actually is a solid civil servant (if also rather
tending towards corruption) but it's of the "ordinary"
world. He has actually kept his people safe and
prosperous, wisely avoiding the dragon and it's
lair. There is an analog to the restlessness of the
laketown people and the restlessness of the
post-War of the Ring Gondorians (who in JRRT's started
Fourth Age Tale) are restless after 100 or so years of
peace and the children begin playing at being orcs.

[Formendacil]

And so I slip farther and farther behind...

Perhaps a slight lack of things to say regarding this chapter is the main reason.

Perhaps the strangest thing in this chapter, from my way of thinking, is the casual way in which the Wood-Elves interact with the people of Laketown, like it's no big deal. And it isn't, I suppose- to the Wood-Elves or Men of Esgaroth.

However, if you think about the way the Rohirrim and Gondorrim feel about the "Enchantress in the Golden Wood" (Eomer and Boromir are both excellent examples), one will see that the Men of Laketown are rather unique in their close friendship with an Elven people.

The Dúnedain of the North have a similar relationship with the people of Rivendell, but the Dúnedain are rather unique in other ways as well.

To the people of Laketown, the Dwarves are more exotic than the Elves- or, more accurately, Thorin King-Under-the-Mountain is. The people of Laketown historically, and again after the Battle of the Five Armies, had been closely entwined with the Dwarven people. They are probably unique in the history of Middle-Earth as a race of Man with close, continual ties to both an Elven nation and the Dwarves. Certainly, I can think of no other example. Even in the First Age, Men and Dwarves did not interact regularly, at least not in Beleriand, and those outside Beleriand who DID interact with the Dwarves (the forefathers of the Northmen- and the Lakemen) didn't have contact with the Elves.

[deal_with_it]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

And so I slip farther and farther behind...

Perhaps a slight lack of things to say regarding this chapter is the main reason.

Perhaps the strangest thing in this chapter, from my way of thinking, is the casual way in which the Wood-Elves interact with the people of Laketown, like it's no big deal. And it isn't, I suppose- to the Wood-Elves or Men of Esgaroth.

However, if you think about the way the Rohirrim and Gondorrim feel about the "Enchantress in the Golden Wood" (Eomer and Boromir are both excellent examples), one will see that the Men of Laketown are rather unique in their close friendship with an Elven people.

The Dúnedain of the North have a similar relationship with the people of Rivendell, but the Dúnedain are rather unique in other ways as well.

To the people of Laketown, the Dwarves are more exotic than the Elves- or, more accurately, Thorin King-Under-the-Mountain is. The people of Laketown historically, and again after the Battle of the Five Armies, had been closely entwined with the Dwarven people. They are probably unique in the history of Middle-Earth as a race of Man with close, continual ties to both an Elven nation and the Dwarves. Certainly, I can think of no other example. Even in the First Age, Men and Dwarves did not interact regularly, at least not in Beleriand, and those outside Beleriand who DID interact with the Dwarves (the forefathers of the Northmen- and the Lakemen) didn't have contact with the Elves.

Well maybe the Men didn't fear the Wood Elves because Thranduil is defintely no Galadriel. He's not a wizard or one of the elven ring bearers. Nor do the Mirkwood elves shoot travelers in their woods. Thranduil's people seem much happier and open than do the People of Lothrlorien, who seem more suspicious and have a shoot on sight policy. I'd be scared of the Galadrim too. On top of that, the Men probably realize that Thranduil keeps the evil in Mirkwood at bay.

Lastly, the Dwarves of Erebor actually seemed more magical in regards to their works. The Mirkwood Elves don't seem as mysterious and wonderous as thier southern cousins or those in Imladris.

Just my thoughts on that. Good points you made.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by deal_with_it

Well maybe the Men didn't fear the Wood Elves because Thranduil is defintely no Galadriel. He's not a wizard or one of the elven ring bearers. Nor do the Mirkwood elves shoot travelers in their woods. Thranduil's people seem much happier and open than do the People of Lothrlorien, who seem more suspicious and have a shoot on sight policy. I'd be scared of the Galadrim too. On top of that, the Men probably realize that Thranduil keeps the evil in Mirkwood at bay.

No "shoot on sight" policy, eh?

Well, perhaps not, but I think that the treatment the Dwarves suffered at the hands of Thranduil and his men ought to be a pretty clear demonstration of the exact nature of the Mirkwood Elves- good to their friends, such as the Lakemen, but woe betide any unknown travellers...

[Tuor of Gondolin]

No "shoot on sight" policy, eh?

Well, perhaps not, but I think that the treatment the Dwarves suffered at the hands of Thranduil and his men ought to be a pretty clear demonstration of the exact nature of the Mirkwood Elves- good to their friends, such as the Lakemen, but woe betide any unknown travellers...

Treatment of the dwarves could be considered a special case,
especially since Thranduil was a Sindar, and had, no doubt,
heard tales of the dwarves behavior against elves in the First Age.
It's interesting that Tolkien has two positive (exceptional?)
cases of peoples interaction/organization in the Hobbit not (I
believe) seen as such in other works, specifically the governmental
structure in Laketown and the view of races by the Laketown polity.
And weren't the Laketowners (Laketownites ) Edain related
who either didn't go into Beleriand or came back while not going to
Numenor?