What is an elf-horse?

Irmengard R.

Irmengard R.

New Member
I'm curious about the appellation "elf-horse". Asfaloth is the only elf-horse we meet, correct? Does it mean

- a horse owned by an elf?
- a horse that is a friend to elves, like an elf-friend?
- a horse bred by elves, possibly related to the mearas?
- a horse descended from horses that came over from Valinor?
- a horse that used to be an elf? :D

I hope Asfaloth and Bill got to be friends at Rivendell.
 
@Johannes Movert LoL

Irmengard R. said:
I'm curious about the appellation "elf-horse". Asfaloth is the only elf-horse we meet, correct? Does it mean

- a horse owned by an elf?
- a horse that is a friend to elves, like an elf-friend?
- a horse bred by elves, possibly related to the mearas?
- a horse descended from horses that came over from Valinor?
- a horse that used to be an elf? :D
Click to expand...
I think it's likely all of the above, except that last one.
 
My vote is that it is either raised by elves or is of "higher stature" than normal horses. Asfaloth just seems dignified in a special way. I think a regular horse that is taken in and cared by elves would be elevated in its horsiness, but I do not think it would ever be on the same level as Asfaloth.

Here is another question: Do elves form bonds with their horses in the same way humans would? Google tells me horses live 25-30 years, but Elves are immortal. Would an elf form a bond with a creature that would pass away "so quickly?" Of what nature would such a bond take? Is an elf-horse relationship comparable to a human-horse relationship? If so, is it really similar or is there a difference?
 
Hm... the description of Rochallor dying of heartbreak after his rider Fingolfin was slain, suggests to me that they can form bonds with their steeds. But Rochallor was either a horse from Valinor, or descended recently from Valinorean horses, so perhaps he was very long-lived.

It does seem less likely to form a strong bond between elf and horse if it's an ordinary, short-lived Middle-earth horse, but it seems some horses are longer lived. Didn't Felarof live as long as Eorl?
 
Zephen12 said:
My vote is that it is either raised by elves or is of "higher stature" than normal horses. Asfaloth just seems dignified in a special way. I think a regular horse that is taken in and cared by elves would be elevated in its horsiness, but I do not think it would ever be on the same level as Asfaloth.

Here is another question: Do elves form bonds with their horses in the same way humans would? Google tells me horses live 25-30 years, but Elves are immortal. Would an elf form a bond with a creature that would pass away "so quickly?" Of what nature would such a bond take? Is an elf-horse relationship comparable to a human-horse relationship? If so, is it really similar or is there a difference?
Click to expand...

Maybe elf-horses have a longer lifespan? If they were descended from horses from Valinor it seems likely that they would have long lives.

Agree that Asfaloth isn't a regular horse taken in by elves. I think the relationship between Elves and regular horses would be similar to their relationships with humans, who - to Elven eyes - don't live much longer than horses! The relationships can be short, but intense. Human-horse relationships seem to take quite a while to develop and grow, as both parties come to understand each other. There seems to be instant communnication between Elves and horses.

Legolas seems to befriend Arod pretty quickly (he calls him "my friend"), riding him without a saddle and directing him with words alone.

How long would Shadowfax live if he had stayed in Middle-Earth?
 
I think you're right about relationships with ordinary horses. Elves "get" animals in a way Humans can't.

I've always imagined Glorfindel bringing his horse with him from Valinor to Middle-earth, and that Asfaloth is either that horse or its descendant.

About Shadowfax, I can only guess -- a human lifespan.
 
Excerpt from the RotK Appendices, concerning the mearas and the Rohirrim (bold mine),

Then Eorl mounted him, and Felarof submitted; and Eorl rode him home without bit or bridle; and he rode him in like fashion ever after. The horse understood all that men said, though he would allow no man but Eorl to mount him. It was upon Felarof that Eorl rode to the Field of Celebrandt; for that horse proved as long-lived as Men, and so were his descendants. These were the mearas, who would bear no one but the King of the Mark or his sons, until the time of Shadowfax. Men said of them that Bema (whom the Eldar call Orome) must have brought their sire from West over the Sea.

-------------------------------------------

I think that Elvish horses would be far superior in strength, stamina and speed to most other steeds possessed by men (except maybe those of Rohirric stock). Being immortal the Elves could devote great spans of time breeding and training their horses.

Also the Elves seem to have the ability to infuse excellence in everything they touch, including their steeds. Frodo being made an Elf Friend with all that entails for example. Another example of Elven influence is a scene when the Fellowship of the Ring was passing through Hollin. Gandalf, "There is a wholesome air about Hollin. Much evil must befall a country before it wholly forgets the Elves, if once they dwelt there." "That is true,' said Legolas. 'But the Elves of this land were of a race strange to us of the silvan folk, and the trees and the grass do not now remember them. Only I hear the stones lament them: deep they delved us, fair they wrought us, high they builded us; but they are gone. They are gone. They sought the Havens long ago.'
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top