from Men, and I think it is perhaps an error to see human reactions in their response to the world around them. Human children, as Valeria has observed, seem to adjust to change because they are always in the process of change as they grow physically; but, children are also quite resistant to change when it appears to threaten their security network. Most children are arch-conservatives and dislike intensely any upset to their normal routines. These are human responses, but are they Elvish responses? I don't think so. The Elves have always seemed to me to be so integral a part of the natural world that any threat to that world is a threat to their survival, and withdrawal from a too-radically changing environment is their natural response: in a similar fashion to the withdrawal of some animal species when their habitat is suddenly, radically altered. I don't think it's quite fair to assign to the Elves a role that is essentially human. It's interesting to note, in this context, that those the Elves named as 'Elf-friend' were the people who accepted Elves as they are without trying to categorize them (i.e., Bilbo and Frodo).

Many thanks, Indis, for the references and clarification re: the sons of Elrond. I've been out of town for the past ten days or so, and I haven't had a chance to get on line. The sons of Elrond have always fascinated me, and it's nice to know the references for them.