52 Did Elves and Dwarves generally get along? (Tolkien)
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This article is from the Tolkien Newsgroups FAQ, by Steuard Jensen sbjensen@midway.uchicago.edu with numerous contributions by others.
52 Did Elves and Dwarves generally get along? (Tolkien)
In general, Elves and Dwarves were allies against Morgoth and
Sauron. However, their attitudes toward each other seem to have varied
substantially at different times and places. In some cases, they were
great friends, while in others they viewed each other with substantial
mistrust. There are indications of the latter in the Sindarin/Silvan
kingdoms at the time of the War of the Ring, while something
approaching the former held in Rivendell, where Gloin and Gimli were
warmly welcomed.
Opinions on the frequency of each attitude cover the entire
spectrum. When Bilbo first meets Elves in _The Hobbit_ ("A Short
Rest"), we read that "They were elves of course. ...Dwarves don't get
on well with them", but that statement is certainly a broad
generalization. One of the more direct statements on the issue can be
found in the introduction to the Second Age in Appendix B of LotR:
The Noldor were great craftsmen and less unfriendly to the Dwarves
than the Sindar; but the friendship that grew up between the people
of Durin and the Elven-smiths of Eregion was the closest that there
has ever been between the two races.
In general, this passage seems to imply that unfriendliness between
Elves and Dwarves was common and that true friendship between them was
relatively rare. However, it also demonstrates that such friendships
did exist.
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