As invited, I want to offer a bit of a defense of the Elven rings. Well, at least one of the Elven rings. Well, at least the way it's been used.
I was struck by Peter Rybski's tongue-in-cheek "translation" of Elrond's discussion of the use of the Three. I definitely agree that's what Boromir might have heard in Elrond's explanations! But we've also established that Boromir has quite a limited (Gondor-centric) perspective. Taking a broader view, I think Elrond's use of Vilya appears in a better light.
I think Elrond fares especially well if we contrast him with Galadriel. It seems to me that Galadriel can, and perhaps should, legitimately be called out for using Nenya in a self-centered way. Lothlorien is isolated from its surroundings, deeply unhospitable, and indeed feared by its neighbors. Even the Fellowship barely makes it in alive. It's a lot harder to avoid the conclusion that Galadriel isn't doing much to help out the rest of Middle-earth -- at least as far as the explicit textual evidence goes (respecting the fact that we don't know what else she's doing to fight Sauron in her spare time).
In contrast, while Rivendell is a cordoned-off space, a haven, it's explicitly and intentionally open to those who have need of such a haven. If Lothlorien is like a gated community, Rivendell is more like a community house or drop-in center. It's focused on preserving an Elvish quality of peace and beauty, but others (including Dwarves, Men, and Hobbits) are welcomed into that sanctuary at need. It seems to me that in creating the Last Homely House, Elrond is putting the Elven rings' power of preservation to good use: maintaining a safe place for rest, recovery, and counsel-taking unique in the north of Middle-earth. It's not a coincidence that the Council of Elrond takes place here: where else could it safely take place?
Further, while some people seem to stay in Rivendell full-time, some -- including Elrond's own sons -- clearly use it as a sort of home base from which they venture out to help others (e.g., Elladan and Elrohir's involvement with the Rangers). In both The Hobbit and LotR, we see Rivendell used as a sort of staging area for assaults against Sauron and his allies. Similarly, we have evidence that it has filled similar roles in earlier times. I see Rivendell less as an isolated pocket of unadulterated Elvendom than as a sort of well from which the blessings of Elvendom can be drawn up and carried out into the world. (To take one pertinent example, it kept Aragorn safe and sheltered as a child...precisely so he'd live long enough and develop the abilities needed to lead his people against evil.)
In short, I would be sympathetic if Boromir felt that Elrond could have done more good with his ring in Gondor. But I suspect the northern part of the continent would be in much more dire straits if Elrond hadn't been holding down the fort in Rivendell. After all, the south at least has Gondor and its fortified capital. The north has nothing comparable.
None of this addresses the question of the goodness or badness of the creation of the Elven rings or the desires or impulses behind them. But once they existed, I would argue that Elrond did a pretty good job -- in part because he channelled the Elvish impulse toward preservation in a way that resisted the Elvish impulse to insularity and exclusion. This seems thoroughly in keeping with Elrond's position at the genetic intersection of the free peoples of the First Age. His haven reflects his identity: predominantly, but not purely, Elvish.
Finally, I can't help but think that Elrond's use of his ring reflects his own sense of ambition, or lack thereof. Perhaps it also reflects the fact that he got his ring second-hand: he may not have wanted it. He may not have wanted a top leadership position at all. If we compare this background to Galadriel's well-attested desire for a realm of her own, perhaps it's no surprise that he used his power in a more open-handed way.
I was struck by Peter Rybski's tongue-in-cheek "translation" of Elrond's discussion of the use of the Three. I definitely agree that's what Boromir might have heard in Elrond's explanations! But we've also established that Boromir has quite a limited (Gondor-centric) perspective. Taking a broader view, I think Elrond's use of Vilya appears in a better light.
I think Elrond fares especially well if we contrast him with Galadriel. It seems to me that Galadriel can, and perhaps should, legitimately be called out for using Nenya in a self-centered way. Lothlorien is isolated from its surroundings, deeply unhospitable, and indeed feared by its neighbors. Even the Fellowship barely makes it in alive. It's a lot harder to avoid the conclusion that Galadriel isn't doing much to help out the rest of Middle-earth -- at least as far as the explicit textual evidence goes (respecting the fact that we don't know what else she's doing to fight Sauron in her spare time).
In contrast, while Rivendell is a cordoned-off space, a haven, it's explicitly and intentionally open to those who have need of such a haven. If Lothlorien is like a gated community, Rivendell is more like a community house or drop-in center. It's focused on preserving an Elvish quality of peace and beauty, but others (including Dwarves, Men, and Hobbits) are welcomed into that sanctuary at need. It seems to me that in creating the Last Homely House, Elrond is putting the Elven rings' power of preservation to good use: maintaining a safe place for rest, recovery, and counsel-taking unique in the north of Middle-earth. It's not a coincidence that the Council of Elrond takes place here: where else could it safely take place?
Further, while some people seem to stay in Rivendell full-time, some -- including Elrond's own sons -- clearly use it as a sort of home base from which they venture out to help others (e.g., Elladan and Elrohir's involvement with the Rangers). In both The Hobbit and LotR, we see Rivendell used as a sort of staging area for assaults against Sauron and his allies. Similarly, we have evidence that it has filled similar roles in earlier times. I see Rivendell less as an isolated pocket of unadulterated Elvendom than as a sort of well from which the blessings of Elvendom can be drawn up and carried out into the world. (To take one pertinent example, it kept Aragorn safe and sheltered as a child...precisely so he'd live long enough and develop the abilities needed to lead his people against evil.)
In short, I would be sympathetic if Boromir felt that Elrond could have done more good with his ring in Gondor. But I suspect the northern part of the continent would be in much more dire straits if Elrond hadn't been holding down the fort in Rivendell. After all, the south at least has Gondor and its fortified capital. The north has nothing comparable.
None of this addresses the question of the goodness or badness of the creation of the Elven rings or the desires or impulses behind them. But once they existed, I would argue that Elrond did a pretty good job -- in part because he channelled the Elvish impulse toward preservation in a way that resisted the Elvish impulse to insularity and exclusion. This seems thoroughly in keeping with Elrond's position at the genetic intersection of the free peoples of the First Age. His haven reflects his identity: predominantly, but not purely, Elvish.
Finally, I can't help but think that Elrond's use of his ring reflects his own sense of ambition, or lack thereof. Perhaps it also reflects the fact that he got his ring second-hand: he may not have wanted it. He may not have wanted a top leadership position at all. If we compare this background to Galadriel's well-attested desire for a realm of her own, perhaps it's no surprise that he used his power in a more open-handed way.