I Found the Entwives!

[Raynor]

Originally Posted by the phantom

Substitute "amazing natural skills" for "magic" in that sentence.

Well, I think we need to define magic for our discussion. I would call it abilities to interact with the world that go beyond the purely phisical possibilities of the body; these abilities come from the power of the spirit, first and foremost. I believe it is safe to presume that the elves were capable to make this difference for themselves.

Originally Posted by the phantom

divine intervention is used merely to create a feel-good moment? I

It wasn't purely symbolic, it also had a practical aspect, and even the emotional effect may not be that insignificant; after all, belief in the interventions of the 'invisible hand' is what drove the quest from the start. Since you haven't addressed the other part of that paragraph, I presume you agree that need can be perceived differently, according to circumstances, and if ability to interact with magical objects is positively influenced by the degree of need that is felt, then we can't discard magic-interaction explanation.