This is another one of those threads that's been around for a while and been resurrected.
I voted for
elves of course. I am an
elf, and to me their
race is superior to all.
But I'd also like to put in a few words for the
men,
dwarves, and the
hobbits, and yes, even the
orcs.
First of all I don't think
Wizards should be on the poll at all. As wizards were basically
Maia and that's not really a race now is it?
They were sort of demi-gods and that's really not fair to compare them to the "real"
races of ME.
I also don't think the
Nazgul should be part of the poll because the Nazgul were once men, and are now more shadow
creatures than anything else.
Plus there's only 9...and they're just not really a race either.
The men I think we tend to dismiss quite often, at least I do, because I've got a silly "been there done that" attitude about them. (No snickers! No double entendre intended! And no jokes about orcs please!) I mean, IRL we are all men (or of the race of men at least, for all us women out there) and it's easy to kind of say, "Eh. Boring! I know all about men I want to read about the exciting
OTHER races." But we have to realise that men (And the meek apparently
) will inherit
Middle Earth after all is said and done.
Hobbits as well are easy for me to overlook because they're little and hairy. I know that sounds weird but to me, despite proof otherwise, the hobbits have never seemed to be such a noble race. I mean, they eat, and smoke, and stuff. Go hobbits. But with the exception of a rare few (
Bilbo and the hobbits in The Fellowship) they really don't do much of anything ever. (Although sometimes they stab!) But they really are quite loyal creatures, and most of them are just like
Sam. And I hate Sam. But I realise that their loyalty and their devotion to their friends and family is a good trait to have. To me the hobbits embody all the traits that I believe
Tolkien wished he could see in man. The men in LotR are almost exactly like the men IRL. But the hobbits seemed to be, at least morally and behaviorally most like an ideal person would be. They were peaceful (no murders in
The Shire in like, forever, right?) and they were settled and they raised families and lived their lives in basic harmony with one another. Sure there was an occasional bad seed (Sackville-Bagginses anyone?) but for the most part even they weren't BAD, just not polite. (Like Lobelia after getting out of jail) I think that if we all tried to be a little more Hobbit-Like the world might just be a better place.
Dwarves too have their good sides, although I'm not a big fan of Dwarves, I recognize their finer points. They're quite violent. That's always nice. By this I mean they're good fighters and they're definitely someone you'd want on your side in a battle. They're strong and stout-hearted. Plus they're quite private, quiet, secretive creatures. Some spend their whole lives without ever leaving their mountain mines. You have to admire that sort of mindset because they're quite devoted to their families and their way of life. They've got strong kinship ties and furthermore they're good for keeping secrets.
All in all, they're strong, stout-hearted, loyal, and good at battle. Pretty admirable if you ask me.
Orcs. Yes. I'm going to try and defend Orcs. Sure they get a bad rap all the time what with all the raping, and murdering, and pillaging they tend to perpetrate, but in my opninion they're not inherently
evil. (See my post in the "Orcs: Inherently Evil?" thread.) They've been corrupted, and so they're susceptible to suggestion and command by an evil lord, and they've been twisted enough that they seem to ENJOY those evil deeds, but they have loyalty to those of their own kind, and while it seems that they're not above fighting tooth and nail if the moment calls for it (Case in point the Shagrat-Snaga battle) for the most part they STAY loyal to their clans. (
Saruman's Orcs, vs. mountain Orcs, vs.
Mordor Orcs) And furthermore, when the time comes and
Sauron is defeated and they have no evil ruler, they go and settle down quietly by that one lake in
Mordor, and build villages and start families and leave everyone else alone. They're not evil! They've just been corrupted. I feel a little sorry for them that they're forced into a life of battle and crime and such. But when given the chance they show they're not as bad as they would like people to believe!
Alright...why I like Elves. First off I think that of all the "races" of ME Tolkien most loved his Elves and that comes across and transfers to his readers. It's hard to help loving Elves because Tolkien plays them up so much! They're the emodiment of grace, beauty, wisdom, serenity, intelligence, power, strength, and beauty.
And while the Hobbits seem to embody a few traits that might make the world a better place if man were to posses them, the Elves simply ROLL in those traits! They're basically a Utopian representation of man. If the world were perfect we'd all be like Elves, and live in peace and beauty forever and ever. They've got all the coolest traits! Even if you leave magic out they can still walk (or "nance" in
Legolas's case) on snow, see at great distances, and be generally awesome pretty much all the time!
But what really got me is they've got the pointy ears. And who doesn't love pointy ears?