Where do elves get metal?

[Alcuin]

There are certainly bridges built by the Noldor. The stone bridge over the Narog built at the behest of Turin in Nargothrond is one. But the construction techniques of the Noldor were unrivalled by any but the best of the Dwarves: Gondolin with its repurposed tunnel through the Encircling Mountains, an echo of the Gate of the Noldor that Turgon left behind; Finrod’s fortress at Tol Sirion; Tirion upon Túna in Eldamar; Fëanor’s fortress in the north of Valinor, where he kept the Silmarilli and his father Finwë was murdered by Morgoth; not to mention the various other fortresses of the Noldor in Beleriand (of Maedhros at Himring, of Caranthir in Ered Luin, and so on). All were described as beautiful, strong, and enduring even under attack.

While the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm no doubt assisted in some of the works of Eregion, I think we should imagine that most of the construction in that land was the handiwork of the Noldor. As Legolas reported when the Company of the Ring entered Hollin,

[T]he Elves of this land were of a race strange to us of the silvan folk, and the trees and the grass do not now remember them; only I hear the stones lament them: deep they delved us, fair they wrought us, high they builded us; but they are gone. They are gone. They sought the Havens long ago.

The stones of Hollin at least recalled the deep delving of the Noldor. Most of the survivors of Eregion lived with Elrond in Rivendell until the end of the Third Age: it was they who reforged Narsil into Andúril.

Zigûr, I did not know you were writing a dissertation on Tolkien. Congratulations! Where? might you tell us when its defense is scheduled? and may we read it when it is published?

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Alcuin

There are certainly bridges built by the Noldor. The stone bridge over the Narog built at the behest of Turin in Nargothrond is one.

Of course; more good examples.

Originally Posted by Alcuin

The stones of Hollin at least recalled the deep delving of the Noldor.

Indeed. The examples are rarer for the Elves, but they do exist.

Originally Posted by Alcuin

Zigûr, I did not know you were writing a dissertation on Tolkien. Congratulations! Where? might you tell us when its defense is scheduled? and may we read it when it is published?

Thank you. Once it is finalised and I have graduated I will certainly mention it on the Downs for any interested parties to read.

I am at the University of Sydney. In the Australian system, the thesis is not examined through a thesis defence or viva; instead a process of examination occurs in which three examiners (typically one internal, two external) read the thesis independently and give individual results. The University then gives a final result based on these. I have already passed this process with only emendations required. I am currently completing those prior to final submission and graduation.

Supposedly this is a result of the geographical isolation of Australia, as it would be difficult to get international scholars to agree to attend oral defences, except perhaps from New Zealand. Technological developments might change that in the future. Nonetheless my two external examiners were both international, one being in New Zealand and the other being in the United Kingdom, as I understand it.

Apologies for this bit of off-topic content. As I say, when the final document is available I will mention it here on the Downs.

[Faramir Jones]

I'm glad to read the good news about your doctorate, Zigûr! I (and I'm sure others) would be interested in any other news about it, including any conclusions you've come to.

[Faramir Jones]

Zigûr, I agree with you about the existence of 'this curiously common assumption that Elves were averse to manual labour'.

It made me think about the similar assumption that Elves were vegetarian, as shown in the first few seconds of this clip from the first of Jackson's adaptations of The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey, when Bilbo and the dwarves are in Rivendell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovKDk7ZaXSw

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Faramir Jones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovKDk7ZaXSw

Another one of those "assumption" examples where it seems like Peter Jackson needed to put down the Dungeons & Dragons manual (or perhaps the Warhammer army book) and actually pick up one of Professor Tolkien's stories.

Wouldn't it have been so much more original and refreshing in this film if, instead of going for the pop-culture cliché, they had followed the actual book they were meant to be adapting so that the Dwarves were the stuffy aristocratic ones who took themselves too seriously and the Elves were the light-hearted, humorous merrymakers? I suppose Thorin still takes himself far too seriously in the film.

In any event, one can't help but find it bizarre that Professor Tolkien's imitators have so much influence that it creates mistrust in his own stories, such that people are inclined, despite everything, to see his Elves as work-shy posh weirdoes and his Dwarves as drunken Scotsmen in comedy Viking helmets.

[Faramir Jones]

Thanks for the reply, Zigûr! While I'm critical of Jackson's adaptations, in terms of his facile joining of elves and vegetarianism I'm saving my annoyance for the people who began that nonsense.

Also, the request for chips can be said to have some support, Sam Gamgee promising Gollum in LotR that if he continued to behave well, he would cook him some fish and chips.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

The Sindar, being of course the most numerous and representative of western Elves, had all of Metallica's albums. The Noldor, being far more traditionalist, but enamored of 'technology', listened to Sabbath but did so on streaming audio. The Vanyar off in Valinor were a bit out of the loop and still regarded Iron Butterfly as metal. The Silvan Elves naturally listened to Jethro Tull and indignantly insisted "They are too metal!"