Are Elves vegatarian?

[Leaf]

Originally Posted by Tar-Jêx

To put this question in different context; Are Germans sober?

A great deal many are, but there are also a great deal who stay in pubs and bars all day.
It's similar to asking whether humans are vegetarians. The response you get will be different depending on who you ask.

I don't think that this analogy is very helpful. Elves are a literary concept and thus constructed in a certain way. This is especially important when it comes to a writer like Tolkien who seldom tried to write certain societies as diverse as a real society would be. On the contrary, the societies, people and persons in middle-earth are described in a mythological manner and can share the same properties. I guess one should not try to examine or explain middle-earth like it was real. Nonetheless I don't see vegetarianism as a commonly shared ideology among elves either. I guess it's a more recent fantasy trope (maybe even dating back to those LOTR readers/fans in the 60's; darn hippies!) that elves have to be
in total sync with nature, in every way.

[Tar-Jêx]

Originally Posted by Leaf

I don't think that this analogy is very helpful. Elves are a literary concept and thus constructed in a certain way. This is especially important when it comes to a writer like Tolkien who seldom tried to write certain societies as diverse as a real society would be. On the contrary, the societies, people and persons in middle-earth are described in a mythological manner and can share the same properties. I guess one should not try to examine or explain middle-earth like it was real. Nonetheless I don't see vegetarianism as a commonly shared ideology among elves either. I guess it's a more recent fantasy trope (maybe even dating back to those LOTR readers/fans in the 60's; darn hippies!) that elves have to be
in total sync with nature, in every way.

While the question is different, the nature of the answer is the same. It would depend entirely on the tribe of elves. I could see that higher class elves like Elrond would refrain from eating meats, but travelling elves would eat it just as much as a human would.

Questions which have cultural variables don't have one set answer.

[Leaf]

Originally Posted by Tar-Jêx

While the question is different, the nature of the answer is the same. It would depend entirely on the tribe of elves. I could see that higher class elves like Elrond would refrain from eating meats, but travelling elves would eat it just as much as a human would.

Questions which have cultural variables don't have one set answer.

Well, when it comes to Tolkien's writings many question with cultural variables have exactly one set answers. For instance: The dwarven societies are structured and characterized in the same way. They are outstanding craftsman and merchants. They stick with themselves and are secretive about their own cultur. I'm trying to explain that it wouldn't be out of line or surprising if all of Tolkien's elves shared the same attitude when it comes to eating meat. If you answer this question by simply refering to the diversity of people in the real world you're ignoring this. To give a proper and satisfactory answer we would have to examine the texts instead of projecting a realistic or logical view on the matter.

Your very examples show that this is a problem. The only elven tribe we could more or less) reasonably suspect to be all vegetarian are the Laiquendi, the evles of Ossiriand. The text hints that they have a problem with killing animals and yet they live scattered and withdram in the woods. Beren wandered and lived in the woods of Doriath for a very long time but he vowed not to eat animals. This doesn't make sense from a realistic point of view but from a literary or poetic one. The Noldor and Sindar, on the other hand, are civilised, wiser and by all means a higher class of elves and we do find great and prominent huntsman among them.

[Tar-Jêx]

Originally Posted by Leaf

Well, when it comes to Tolkien's writings many question with cultural variables have exactly one set answers. For instance: The dwarven societies are structured and characterized in the same way. They are outstanding craftsman and merchants. They stick with themselves and are secretive about their own cultur. I'm trying to explain that it wouldn't be out of line or surprising if all of Tolkien's elves shared the same attitude when it comes to eating meat. If you answer this question by simply refering to the diversity of people in the real world you're ignoring this. To give a proper and satisfactory answer we would have to examine the texts instead of projecting a realistic or logical view on the matter.

Your very examples show that this is a problem. The only elven tribe we could more or less) reasonably suspect to be all vegetarian are the Laiquendi, the evles of Ossiriand. The text hints that they have a problem with killing animals and yet they live scattered and withdram in the woods. Beren wandered and lived in the woods of Doriath for a very long time but he vowed not to eat animals. This doesn't make sense from a realistic point of view but from a literary or poetic one. The Noldor and Sindar, on the other hand, are civilised, wiser and by all means a higher class of elves and we do find great and prominent huntsman among them.

While your point on dwarves stands, Tolkien had few references to vegetarianism among the elves. Dwarves were stereotypically greedy craftsmen, and this stands for most of them in Middle Earth. Elves were never really given vegetarianism as a defining trait like the dwarves were to craftsmanship.

The defining elven trait would be musicianship, as there is reference to it in a lot of older media.

[Mithalwen]

Unless by sober you mean teetotal I don't think it is analogous. Sobriety is a state which fluctuates for the individual usually, on a continuum from those who never are never the least intoxicated to never not. Unless you are a total abstainer or incipient alcoholic it will vary. Vegetarianism is a way of life a perpetual state through religious or moral conviction or necessity.

Fact is that choosing ones diet is a luxury not available to many people throughout history or even now in much of the world. People ate what there was and didn't waste it. Modern food waste is pure decadence.. we fly out of season food round the world or grow it in artificial convictions and then often it is left to rot.

I think many think elves might be vegetarian because of their affinity with animals. However we know they hunt and they use wood though they love trees too. If you look at Legolas' comment about the orkish love of destruction then it seems to me that they would eat meat as they use wood. Not killing more that they need and eating "nose to tail". It seems inconceivable that they would hunt merely for sport.

[Aiwendil]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

It seems inconceivable that they would hunt merely for sport.

As Aganzir pointed out, this commits you to saying that Elves ate Petty-dwarves before realizing that they were sapient people.

Moreover, I have the distinct impression that Celegorm, Curufin, Amrod, and Amras hunted for sport. That is to say, maybe they ate what they killed, but they definitely went out and killed it for fun, not because they were hungry.

[Mithalwen]

Does it? Sport and food not only reason for hunting - potential threat elimination also possible. Gimli and Legolas hunted many orcs and that was neither sport nor food. I still think it likely that most elves would eat what they hunted and I don't think the sons of Feanor are necessarily typical Elves. Kinslayers are hardly likely to have qualms about shedding animal life. Anyway hunting for sport is hardly evidence of vegetarianism. I can quite see there might be moral objections to killing animals but not eating them once they are dead is just wasteful. No doubt Dean Swift might have made a modest proposal re eating dwarves though I think you would have to cook them very slowly and they would be a nightmare to skin...

[Galin]

Quendi And Eldar relates that the Petty-dwarves attacked the Eldar by stealth at night, or if they caught them alone in wild places...

... thus (in my opinion) the Petty-dwarves were hunted -- although it does say the Eldar at first thought them a kind of cunning animal too, noting that they rarely saw them in good light.

Well that's how I interpreted this much anyway.