Page 2 of 2
Re: Elven spinning
Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2021 7:55 pm
by Manveruon
caedmon wrote:Manveruon wrote:
Yes, I would also tend to agree with this, for sure. I mostly meant that I sometimes find it hard to imagine elves doing those sorts of jobs, more than any of those necessarily being their primary profession.
I don't know, seems like Elven society is stratified, at least among the Elves of Mirkwood, there are elven jailers and butlers, as well as nobles and royalty.
How that plays out for immortal beings? Seems rather limiting, and unfulfilling after a few millennia. But that's also from a 21st c. American perspective. If that's just how life is, maybe it's not the burden I see.
I also get the impression, personally, that the arrangement of labor (and just the social structure in general) in Mirkwood is somewhat different than that of the other elves left in Middle-earth towards the end of the Third Age. It feels a bit more hierarchical and socially divided than other elven settlements to my mind. The disparate ancestries of the two groups of elves who make up Mirkwood society seem to have formed a sort of caste system that doesn’t appear in Lorien or Imladris (but maybe I’m reading into it too far, and admittedly I might have been influenced somewhat by the emphasis the movies placed on this separation).
Re: Elven spinning
Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2021 1:02 am
by Charlotte
If we appeal to the frame narrative, Bilbo also doesn't have the intimate knowledge of elven social structure he does in say, imladris. He sees people he interprets as jailors and butlers when they act as jail guards or serve the king, but we don't actually know if they performed those roles in a 'full time' sense.
I do agree that elven society is nevertheless 'ranked,' and perhaps more so in mirkwood than other places
Re: Elven spinning
Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 5:17 pm
by Darnokthemage
I wonder how Elven disstaffs would look, or even if they would use them? Because i think it is quite likely they spun in the same way as in Europe, with a disstaff holding and wool and two hands on the string.
I quite like this depiction of a woman using her head as a distaff, and i find it quite fitting for an Elf.
On elven Society, i think Elves would not tire in the work they do in the same way humans do. They can lie and watch the sky for a year, why would they tire of the work they have chosen (or have been delegated) so quickly? While ranked, i think Elven society would be a lot more "egalitarian" in the sense that most Heirarchies are built on love, not might of arms. Leaders like Elrond and Galadriel would be more like bishops than like mannish kings or queens. Most jobs would also be tied to a sense of proud handywork and skilled labour.
Re: Elven spinning
Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 7:57 pm
by Manveruon
Yeah, I really like this take.
Darnokthemage wrote: ↑Tue May 04, 2021 5:17 pm
I wonder how Elven disstaffs would look, or even if they would use them? Because i think it is quite likely they spun in the same way as in Europe, with a disstaff holding and wool and two hands on the string.
I quite like this depiction of a woman using her head as a distaff, and i find it quite fitting for an Elf.
On elven Society, i think Elves would not tire in the work they do in the same way humans do. They can lie and watch the sky for a year, why would they tire of the work they have chosen (or have been delegated) so quickly? While ranked, i think Elven society would be a lot more "egalitarian" in the sense that most Heirarchies are built on love, not might of arms. Leaders like Elrond and Galadriel would be more like bishops than like mannish kings or queens. Most jobs would also be tied to a sense of proud handywork and skilled labour.