free elves unite

[grey_wolf_c]

No: HPFGUIDX 37077

Laura Huntley wrote:
>> Yeah, but is perpetual bondage better than death?  I know it's sort of a personal thing, but if I had to choose the fate of myself and any future offspring I might have (and any of their offspring, etc.) I would like to believe I would be brave enough to go with what I believe is right, and choose death.

Death lasts a long time, and it's bitter. A little corruption and, by 
extension, a loss of anything we hold dear (like certain amount of 
liberty) is possibly better than the extintion of your hole race. I 
don't have any children, but the general feeling is that I would not 
put their rights over their lives unless, of course, without those 
rights their lives were inhuman. And therein lies the main problem: I 
don't see the elves unhappy with their situation, nor particularly 
enslaved (read: without rights). They seem to be able to move around at 
will (at will indeed! They can apparate *anywhere*), since there is 
nothing that stops Dobby from meddling in Harry's affairs in CoS, but 
they CHOOSE to stay in their homes and keep everything in perfect 
order. I'm starting to repeat myself, but I'll say it once again: the 
Potterverse elves are happy, proud of their work and conditions, as a 
general rule (IMO) well treated by their masters and do not wish to 
change (in fact, having big depressions when liberated).

Laura again:
> I also have trouble believing the elven race viewed *itself* as too powerful and therefore put *itself* into bondage.  As all the elves would have been equally powerful (and they don't seem particularly aggressive) they wouldn't have posed a threat to each other.  More likely, the wizard population found them too powerful for their liking and therefore used magic, laws, etc to eventually bond them all as slaves to a certain house/family (I am sure there is some old magic to do this).  Eventually, no one would know it had ever been any different, and elves and wizards alike would view this enslavement as good/normal.  I think laws that are in effect in the WW, such as the law against an elf carrying a wand, are reflections of this.  Somewhere back the wizards were threatened by the elves, so they destroyed that threat.  I also believe such measures are being taken against other magical creatures that wizards deem a threat to their king-of-the-magical-hill status, such as dragons.
> 
> tsk. tsk.  Bad wizards.
> 
> laura 

This theory is, of course, possible, but there is no more canon to 
support it than mine. There is, however a subtle difference between 
self-elected slavary and forced slavery. In any forced situation, even 
one that spans over generations, people REMEMBER who it started and, if 
they weren't happy with it when it started, their folklore and 
passed-down culture will reflect it. It's the fact that they freely 
recognize their slavery, and their insitence of staying in it, that 
made me think of the Atans in the first place. They both share the 
feeling that liberty is too much for them to carry (even Dobby is 
afraid of having too much of it).

The fact that elves seem unagressive (or even meek) can be explained 
easily from my Atan-elf theory, since Atans, as long as they're not 
allowed to kill everyone around, are also very calmed and sunny-looking 
(as much as a 9 ft. tall person can look sunny-looking). It's only when 
you eliminate the restrictions that the killing machine reveals itself.

Anyway, I insist that it's my own *theory*, a theory that fits the 
character of the elves well, but, anyway, quite unsupported by canon.

Ama worte:
> Thanks Grey Wolf, by the way, for the timeline, it
> helped to organize my thoughts.
> Ama

You're welcomed! What timeline? ;-) (which means: I don't remember 
writing a timeline that could've helped your post. Then again, maybe I 
did and that black hole *I* call memory just isn't giving it back)

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf
(Once again mentioning D. Eddings in his posts, so must be careful not 
to overdo it. At any rate, still recomends everyone who reads this to 
read Eddings, since he is the best this wolf has read.)