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Ian Thompson
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Elrond's disdain for men is introduced in the films; it is not present at all in the books, nor would it make any sense. He only says that Isildur took the Ring

as should not have been

and that he

would not listen to our [Elrond and Cirdan's] counsel

(The Council of Elrond).

Later in the same chapter, Elrond admits that he himself fears to take the Ring due to its malign influence. Moreover, at the time of the events of LotR, Elrond is over 6,000 years old, and is well aware that the elves have a history of creating (or aiding the creation of) rather dangerous magic items. The idea that he would blame men (or specifically Isildur) for this is absurd. After the last alliance, Elrond continued to work alongside men, in the fight against the Witch-King (see LotR appendix A parts (iii) and (iv)), and by sheltering the heirs of Isildur in Rivendell after the fall of Arthedain. During the Council of Elrond, he credits the Lords of Minas Tirith for their efforts in holding back the forces of Sauron.

On the other hand, in the films, Elrond does seem to distrust men, and this stems from Isildur's failure to destroy the ring. Referring to this event (the relevant scene starts at 1:26:22 in the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring), Elrond says

I was there the day the strength of men failed.

LaterIt's also worth noting that in the films (about 0:04:50 in the extended FotR), Isildur acts with rank cowardice when attacked at the Gladden fields, and of course Denethor is a liability. Both of these are in stark contrast to the same scenecharacters in the books (see the Unfinished Tales for details of Isildur's actions), heso perhaps Elrond has good reason to distrust men in the film universe.

Later in his converation with Gandalf (extended FotR 1:29:39), Elrond makes a curious remark about Aragorn:

He turned from that path [reclaiming the throne] long ago. He has chosen exile.

What this means is unclear; certainly it doesn't refer to anything in the books. We We do know that Thranduil sends Legolas to seek himAragorn out at the end of the Hobbit trilogy. It's possible that in the film universe, Aragorn does something that earns him Legolas' respect, but we have no way to know what this is.

Elrond's disdain for men is introduced in the films; it is not present at all in the books, nor would it make any sense. He only says that Isildur took the Ring

as should not have been

and that he

would not listen to our [Elrond and Cirdan's] counsel

(The Council of Elrond).

Later in the same chapter, Elrond admits that he himself fears to take the Ring due to its malign influence. Moreover, at the time of the events of LotR, Elrond is over 6,000 years old, and is well aware that the elves have a history of creating (or aiding the creation of) rather dangerous magic items. The idea that he would blame men (or specifically Isildur) for this is absurd. After the last alliance, Elrond continued to work alongside men, in the fight against the Witch-King (see LotR appendix A parts (iii) and (iv)), and by sheltering the heirs of Isildur in Rivendell after the fall of Arthedain. During the Council of Elrond, he credits the Lords of Minas Tirith for their efforts in holding back the forces of Sauron.

On the other hand, in the films, Elrond does seem to distrust men, and this stems from Isildur's failure to destroy the ring. Referring to this event (the relevant scene starts at 1:26:22 in the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring), Elrond says

I was there the day the strength of men failed.

Later in the same scene, he makes a curious remark about Aragorn:

He turned from that path [reclaiming the throne] long ago. He has chosen exile.

What this means is unclear; certainly it doesn't refer to anything in the books. We do know that Thranduil sends Legolas to seek him out at the end of the Hobbit trilogy. It's possible that in the film universe, Aragorn does something that earns him Legolas' respect, but we have no way to know what this is.

Elrond's disdain for men is introduced in the films; it is not present at all in the books, nor would it make any sense. He only says that Isildur took the Ring

as should not have been

and that he

would not listen to our [Elrond and Cirdan's] counsel

(The Council of Elrond).

Later in the same chapter, Elrond admits that he himself fears to take the Ring due to its malign influence. Moreover, at the time of the events of LotR, Elrond is over 6,000 years old, and is well aware that the elves have a history of creating (or aiding the creation of) rather dangerous magic items. The idea that he would blame men (or specifically Isildur) for this is absurd. After the last alliance, Elrond continued to work alongside men, in the fight against the Witch-King (see LotR appendix A parts (iii) and (iv)), and by sheltering the heirs of Isildur in Rivendell after the fall of Arthedain. During the Council of Elrond, he credits the Lords of Minas Tirith for their efforts in holding back the forces of Sauron.

On the other hand, in the films, Elrond does seem to distrust men, and this stems from Isildur's failure to destroy the ring. Referring to this event (the relevant scene starts at 1:26:22 in the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring), Elrond says

I was there the day the strength of men failed.

It's also worth noting that in the films (about 0:04:50 in the extended FotR), Isildur acts with rank cowardice when attacked at the Gladden fields, and of course Denethor is a liability. Both of these are in stark contrast to the same characters in the books (see the Unfinished Tales for details of Isildur's actions), so perhaps Elrond has good reason to distrust men in the film universe.

Later in his converation with Gandalf (extended FotR 1:29:39), Elrond makes a curious remark about Aragorn:

He turned from that path [reclaiming the throne] long ago. He has chosen exile.

What this means is unclear; certainly it doesn't refer to anything in the books. We do know that Thranduil sends Legolas to seek Aragorn out at the end of the Hobbit trilogy. It's possible that in the film universe, Aragorn does something that earns him Legolas' respect, but we have no way to know what this is.

Source Link
Ian Thompson
  • 11.4k
  • 36
  • 62

Elrond's disdain for men is introduced in the films; it is not present at all in the books, nor would it make any sense. He only says that Isildur took the Ring

as should not have been

and that he

would not listen to our [Elrond and Cirdan's] counsel

(The Council of Elrond).

Later in the same chapter, Elrond admits that he himself fears to take the Ring due to its malign influence. Moreover, at the time of the events of LotR, Elrond is over 6,000 years old, and is well aware that the elves have a history of creating (or aiding the creation of) rather dangerous magic items. The idea that he would blame men (or specifically Isildur) for this is absurd. After the last alliance, Elrond continued to work alongside men, in the fight against the Witch-King (see LotR appendix A parts (iii) and (iv)), and by sheltering the heirs of Isildur in Rivendell after the fall of Arthedain. During the Council of Elrond, he credits the Lords of Minas Tirith for their efforts in holding back the forces of Sauron.

On the other hand, in the films, Elrond does seem to distrust men, and this stems from Isildur's failure to destroy the ring. Referring to this event (the relevant scene starts at 1:26:22 in the extended edition of the Fellowship of the Ring), Elrond says

I was there the day the strength of men failed.

Later in the same scene, he makes a curious remark about Aragorn:

He turned from that path [reclaiming the throne] long ago. He has chosen exile.

What this means is unclear; certainly it doesn't refer to anything in the books. We do know that Thranduil sends Legolas to seek him out at the end of the Hobbit trilogy. It's possible that in the film universe, Aragorn does something that earns him Legolas' respect, but we have no way to know what this is.