Do Elves Hate Dwarves?

"There is nothing that necessitates that elves and dwarves
have to be in competition and conflict."

     Some people get the idea from reading Tolkien and viewing the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies that there is some eternal conflict between elves and dwarves. This is not entirely dissimilar to the idea that some people have that cats and dogs are eternally in conflict. But the truth is cats can get along with dogs and vice versa and cats may fight with cats or dogs with dogs. There is nothing that necessitates that elves and dwarves have to be in competition and conflict. It is a convenient dramatic aspect for fiction but it is not really a fact of reality. Elves are not inclined to hate anyone actually.

     However, it should be noted that the conflict between the elves and dwarves in Tolkien’s works is based primarily on two factors and that is that the dwarves cut down the trees merely for their own convenience and that they care more for jewels and riches than for the mountains where they find them. In other words, in Tolkien’s world dwarves tend to put material value and wealth above the beauty and preservation of Nature. And in as far as that goes, it would be true that we elves love the trees and hate to see them unnecessarily cut down. We mourn the loss of the forest and jungles and we weep to see the mountains torn down to provide wealth for those who are already wealthy and to provide energy that can be provided in other and less destructive ways.

     In as far as any particular dwarf or orc or goblin or any other being destroys the environment merely for profit and fights the development of renewable resources then, yes, most elves would be in conflict with them. Not necessarily actively, but we surely disagree with their activities and their motives. But it is not them as individuals really that we are in conflict with but the ignorance that propels them to do such things. Still, we must admit that they also tend to ignore reason, ignore facts, deny science, promoting what they call alternate facts, and simply refuse to consider that what they are doing is destructive to the Earth and eventually to all of us upon it. And those things, such obstinate and determined greed, we are ever in conflict with.

Kyela,
The Silver Elves
http://silverelves.angelfire.com

 

Someone recently asked us elsewhere if we Silver Elves have both light and dark elves in our tribe and how we feel about otherkin like dwarves that novels often have elves at odds with. We think this short writing below that we first published in 2001 explaining a bit about The Elven Way in our book The Magical Elven Love Letters volume 1 (and have lived by for many decades) best says our feelings on accepting all otherkindred according to their individual nature and actions:

 

 

What Sort of Elf, Faerie or Other Are You? What is Your Magical Tribe? 

For years various kindred have asked us, the Silver Elves, to help them figure this out. Now we've created a questionnaire to help us do so. This is our gift to you. Simply follow the link and the directions here and we will send you your magical narrative designed individually for you.

http://silverelves.angelfire.com/HAelfkin.html

_____________________________________________________________________

For further reading on the elven way and following the elven path, we suggest:

THE MAGICAL REALMS OF ELFIN: Answers to Questions About Being an Elf and Following the Elven Path contains questions and answers about being elven that many people who are exploring the Elven Way have posed to The Silver Elves throughout the 40 + years that they have been living and sharing the Elven Way. The Silver Elves have put them all in this one book for all those who need a convenient, yet thorough and easy-to-read, resource to explore their questions about who the modern elves are and about the Elven Way or elven spiritual path — past, present and future. If you are curious about elves and want to learn more about modern elves and the Elven Path, then you will surely find this book to contain many of your questions answered and it will be a great comfort and help in finding your way home to the Magical Realms of Elfin.