Healing and Recovery of the 🧝Elves

[Greenleaf2024]

This has been bugging me for a while (I have the weirdest questions sometimes). I know Elves are very tough and resilient, but do we know whether they would actually recover from injury faster than humans would? Say they break a bone. Are they going to heal in a couple of weeks rather than several months? Or is this just nonsense.

 

[Elthir]

Tolkien (at least at one point) noted that the Elves "healed rapidly and completely after injuries that would have proved fatal to Men" although their bodies could not "survive vital injuries, or violent assaults upon their structure; nor replace missing members (such as a hand hewn off)."

JRRT, Author's Note 5 on the "Commentary" — Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth, Morgoth's Ring

 

[Greenleaf2024]

I always want details so badly... I wonder if that's why I write fanfiction? To partially satisfy my own imagination, if not to satisfy others'? It drives me crazy that there are so many questions for which we will never have definite answers because Tolkien never told us. I don't want to make things up for fanfiction, but I hardly know what else to do sometimes.😭

 

[Maedhros_Nelyafinwë]

I don't want to make things up for fanfiction, but I hardly know what else to do sometimes.😭

In my opinion, it's perfectly okay to make things up for fanfiction! Otherwise, you wouldn't have a story of your own to tell at all. And that's what makes it fanfiction and not just an addition to canon. Still good to study Tolkien's writings as much as we can, depending on how faithful you want your fic to be, but there are so many things he never clearly explained or even changed his mind on that there really is no other choice but for fanfic writers to add their own interpretation.

 

[Greenleaf2024]

In my opinion, it's perfectly okay to make things up for fanfiction! Otherwise, you wouldn't have a story of your own to tell at all. And that's what makes it fanfiction and not just an addition to canon. Still good to study Tolkien's writings as much as we can, depending on how faithful you want your fic to be, but there are so many things he never clearly explained or even changed his mind on that there really is no other choice but for fanfic writers to add their own interpretation.

Yeah I guess you're right. After all, it's always a "gap filler" or a "what if".... so it is bound to be a bit off track.