The healing ability of the Elves

[Sister Golden Hair]

The Elves were skilled in healing, much more so it would seem than Men. For example: when Frodo is wounded by the Morgul blade, Aragorn, although a skilled healer, is unable to do what Elrond could. And it took Glorfindel's ability to ease his pain and give him some comfort until they could reach Rivendell.

I am at a loss to understand why the Elves should be more capable healers than Men, since they knew no sickness. Although they could be wounded, their wounds healed faster and more easily, so because of their stamina, why would they need to be so skilled in healing?

[Haradrim]

you know you raise a good point sgh. I mean its not like they were alwasy tending to diease. I mean I would say about once a year they had to treat a disease because of some traveler who was sick. So why would they be so good at healing. Maybe its just cuz they have been around so much longer and are just naturally good at it. Or maybe its like a magical ability that they have or it could be that they are more intune with nature and therefore no more about the roots and plants that were there.

[Artanis]

I think I've read in Laws and Customs, that the healers among the Elves stayed away from activities such as hunting and warfare, since the act of killing diminished the power to heal. And therefore the majority of the healers were women. Not that it gives an answer to your question. :p

[Sister Golden Hair]

I think I've read in Laws and Customs, that the healers among the Elves stayed away from activities such as hunting and warfare, since the act of killing diminished the power to heal. And therefore the majority of the healers were women. Not that it gives an answer to your question. :pWell, I don't know about the majority being women. Tolkien does seem to credit the Elves as being more skilled and specifically states in the Sil that Beleg was a skilled healer. He shows us that Glorfindel and Elrond were also very skilled.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

The only healer that was a women that it says in Tolien was Eowyn.

[Sister Golden Hair]

The only healer that was a women that it says in Tolien was Eowyn.Actually, Ioreth was a woman skilled in healing. But Eowyn and Ioreth were mortals, not Elves. :)

[Beren3000]

I am at a loss to understand why the Elves should be more capable healers than Men, since they knew no sickness. Although they could be wounded, their wounds healed faster and more easily, so because of their stamina, why would they need to be so skilled in healing?
Very interesting point, SGH. I think that Elves were very sad because of their immortality (this is stated in many places) because they had to watch every mortal they loved wither and die while they stayed on, ever-young. So they tried to perfect their healing skills in order to preserve their human friends for as long as possible.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Maybe it was just something they were naturally good at like archery.

[Sister Golden Hair]

Maybe it was just something they were naturally good at like archery.It is possible that they were more knowledgable about herbs and roots, because they were so in tune with nature. It is also possible as Beren3000 said, that they learned this skill to save their mortal friends, but I would think that Men were just as capable of becoming just as skilled in the art of healing as the Elves were, but it doesn't seem as if they ever achieved an equal or surpassing knowledge of it, and they had more reason than any to persue this art.

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Maybe they were, or the Dunedain at least. Before the fall of Numenor or the invasion of Arnor when they became wanderers.

[BeardofPants]

Longevity of life-span could also be a contributing factor. They had more time to devote to the study of healing since they more than likely didn't have to worry about the time constraints that mortals do.

[Haradrim]

well the elves couldnt get sick but they could get bruised cut and beat up. So I am guessing that warriors like Elrond and Glorfindel got very good at healing becasue they were damaged so much. Also in the case of Frodo the morgul blade's real damage was magical in nature and elves are adept at magical stuff so Elrond was able maybe to cancel it out. But those are just my thoughts. :)

[Artanis]

Well, I don't know about the majority being women. Tolkien does seem to credit the Elves as being more skilled and specifically states in the Sil that Beleg was a skilled healer. He shows us that Glorfindel and Elrond were also very skilled.The majority could still be women, only we don't hear about them. This is from Laws and Customs:For instance, the arts of healing, and all that touches
on the care of the body, are among all the Eldar most practised
by the nissi; whereas it was the elven-men who bore arms at
need. And the Eldar deemed that the dealing of death, even
when lawful or under necessity, diminished the power of
healing, and that the virtue of the nissi in this matter was due
rather to their abstaining from hunting or war than to any
special power that went with their womanhood.

[Michael Martinez]

I think the Elves were better at healing because they had "magic" to draw upon. Their subcreative powers, being greater than those of Men, would enhance their ability to deal with disease as well as injury, even though they didn't suffer from disease themselves.

[Artanis]

I think that the Elves healing abilities lie in their ability to strenghten the fëa of an injured person, to the point where the fëa itself would be strong enough to heal the body, or at least strong enough to reduce pain and keeping up hope, as when Glorfindel helped Frodo.

The Elves could also be injured, sometimes severely, and even if their injuries were healed much easier and faster than Men, I would guess they also could need some extra strength now and then. I'm sure Maedhros was helped back to become his old self after Thangorodrim. And Celebrian's body was healed by Elrond after being tormented by the Orcs. But not even Elrond, her husband, could free her from the mental strain that she suffered.

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

i think the general thing is that they seem to be good at relieving physical strain, but nothing can totally cure mental strain, except fulfillment of whatever hope, or dream, the strain is tied to.

[Valandil]

I've wondered if perhaps their healing ability stems from their greater understanding of the physical, created world. It could be the same part of them that allows greater success at growing plants and having relationships with animals, etc.

IIRC, didn't Tolkien mention somewhere (was it 'On Fairy Tales'?) that some had asked him about the 'supernatural' nature of Elves... and he responded to the effect that he saw them as 'more natural' - as in a part of nature - rather than supernatural - which would be other than nature - than Men?

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

I've wondered if perhaps their healing ability stems from their greater understanding of the physical, created world. It could be the same part of them that allows greater success at growing plants and having relationships with animals, etc.

IIRC, didn't Tolkien mention somewhere (was it 'On Fairy Tales'?) that some had asked him about the 'supernatural' nature of Elves... and he responded to the effect that he saw them as 'more natural' - as in a part of nature - rather than supernatural - which would be other than nature - than Men?

that seems quite plausible indeed

BTW what does IIRC mean?
(been wondering for some time now!)

[Valandil]

BTW what does IIRC mean?


IIRC - If I Recall Correctly (uh... IIRC, that is! ;) )

What's 'ta'? (is it 'Thanks Alot'?)

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

IIRC - If I Recall Correctly (uh... IIRC, that is! ;) )

What's 'ta'? (is it 'Thanks Alot'?)

ta? usually Thanks A Lot, yes,
ta muchly = thank you very much
ta very much = sarcastic thank you very much

[BeardofPants]

IIRC, "ta" is not an acronym. It's just a relaxed colloquialism for thank you. At least it is in NZ...

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

IIRC, "ta" is not an acronym. It's just a relaxed colloquialism for thank you. At least it is in NZ...
same in UK, but it has about 10 meanings overall, all varying variations on Thank You, with very/much/a lot/indeed etc thrown in for good measure,
but that's all by-the-by

[Attalus]

I've wondered if perhaps their healing ability stems from their greater understanding of the physical, created world. It could be the same part of them that allows greater success at growing plants and having relationships with animals, etc.

IIRC, didn't Tolkien mention somewhere (was it 'On Fairy Tales'?) that some had asked him about the 'supernatural' nature of Elves... and he responded to the effect that he saw them as 'more natural' - as in a part of nature - rather than supernatural - which would be other than nature - than Men?I agree with this. As a surgeon, and it seems mainly at surgery that we see Tolkien's Elves do their healing, I can testify that the better the surgeon knows the body, its normal anatomy and physiology, as well as the pathologies that affect them, the better surgeon he/she is. Anybody can cut, but you have to cut a) at the right time, b) to do the right operation, and c) leave the patient in good enough shape that he/she can heal. Elrond seems to have been very skillful at this kind of traumatic surgery. The head of the Houses of Healing says something like there are enough mischances of the world without wars to multiply them. I suspect Elves were less apt to broken bones, sprains and strains than Men are (look at Maedhros hanging by one arm for how long? A Man's hand would have gone gangrenous and fallen off after a few days of that.) :eek: