The Encyclopedia of Arda - Good People (original) (raw)
"Still elves they were and remain, and that is Good People."
From a description of the Elves of Mirkwood
The Hobbit 8, Flies and Spiders
A little-used term of uncertain application. We have only two recorded instances of its use, and in both cases it was applied to Elves (apart from the quotation above referencing the Wood-elves, Gandalf also used it for the Elves of Rivendell). It presumably also encompassed others who were allied with the Elves (such as the Dúnedain, or those given the title of 'Elf-friend') or at least opposed to the machinations of the Dark Lord.
The use of the term in The Hobbit seems to imply that all Elves were automatically Good People, but this is perhaps not intended to be taken absolutely literally. There are many examples of Elves in the Silmarillion for whom the classification of 'Good People' would be, at best, a rather awkward fit. Even among these cases, however, there were no examples of Elves who willingly allied themselves with the forces of darkness, and so perhaps even morally questionable Elves like Celegorm or Eöl, or even Fëanor himself, could be counted among Good People.
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- Updated 1 March 2023
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