Q: Did Elrond Hate Dwarves?
ANSWER: So far as J.R.R. Tolkien’s published stories reveal, Elrond never expressed any dislike or distrust toward Dwarves at any time in his documented career. Tolkien may have assumed that Elrond — as Gil-galad’s herald and viceroy in Eriador — would have had several thousand years’ experience dealing with Dwarves in trade, diplomacy, and as allies in war. Although Tolkien himself noted that the Elves and Dwarves were “usually hostile” toward one another (without explaining what he meant) Elrond had been raised by Maglor, second son of Fëanor, after he and his brother Elros were taken from their mother and her people in the third Kinslaying.
The Fëanorians were not the warmest of Elven groups but they had the closest alliance with the Dwarves during the Wars of Beleriand. After Elrond chose to become of Elvenkind he settled with Gil-galad in Lindon, the largest surviving portion of Beleriand. Lindon lay next to the Ered Luin, where some Dwarves continued to live throughout the Second Age. Acting as Gil-galad’s chief captain, Elrond led an army to relieve Eregion during the War of the Elves and Sauron; Elrond’s army was driven north, however, into the Angle in eastern Eriador. There he found the valley that he named Imladris and after the war it was decided that Elrond would remain there as Gil-galad’s viceroy.
Elrond’s role in the Second Age was strategic, at least in that he maintained an army capable of repelling any subsequent invasions of the north (Tolkien seems to imply that Sauron occasionally attacked Gil-galad’s kingdom, since Gil-galad’s people only experienced relative peace while Sauron was in Numenor and in the years leading up to his first assault on Gondor). Hence, Elrond may have served as Gil-galad’s liaison to the Dwarves of Khazad-dum as well as to the Silvan Elves in the Vales of Anduin.
In The Hobbit Elrond does not seem particularly unfriendly to Dwarves, although his people tease Thorin and his companions when Gandalf leads them into the valley. The only comment about Elrond’s attitude in the narrative occurs in this paragraph:
“A wish that is likely to be granted soon enough in the mountains!” said Elrond. “But show me now your map!” He took it and gazed long at it, and he shook his head; for if he did not altogether approve of dwarves and their love of gold, he hated dragons and their cruel wickedness, and he grieved to remember the ruin of the town of Dale and its merry bells, and the burned banks of the bright River Running. The moon was shining in a broad silver crescent. He held up the map and the white light shone through it. “What is this?” he said. “There are moon-letters here, beside the plain runes which say ‘five feet high the door and three may walk abreast.’ ”
(Emphasis is mine)
In the first “Hobbit” movie, Elrond’s people are nothing like the silly Elves of the book. In fact, Elrond leads a raiding party that drives off the Orcs (which, in my opinion, is a nice homage to Tolkien’s kickass Noldorin warriors even though the scene had no foundation in the written story).
In The Lord of the Rings Elrond again welcomes Dwarves to Rivendell on at least two occasions: first, when Bilbo passes through with four Dwarf companions after he leaves the Shire; second, when Gloin arrives with his son Gimli (and perhaps some other Dwarves, as the movie implies) on a mission from Dain.
Tolkien does not say whether any of the Dwarves that often traveled back and forth between the east and the Ered Luin stopped at Rivendell. Nonetheless, they probably knew that Rivendell lay close to the road and perhaps during times of peril they may have sought a safe haven with the Elves. However, I suspect that Tolkien would have envisioned them visiting the Dunedain on occasion, too (at least the Rangers).
So while we cannot say that Elrond was friendly with Dwarves, he was not unfriendly toward them; and he certainly had a long history of working with Dwarves during times of trouble.
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Well Elrond helped them after all, he couldn’t thought wrong about them as a whole. And reasons of cold relations of both races may also lie in the difference in temperaments, attitude, worldview. Elves are nature loving, more peaceful (though they easily can defend themselves at need and are great warriors, but there are elves and elves, not all groups are the same some more hostile than others), dwarves are warring race, obsessively honourable, serious (the elves, at least some of them show their lighter and less serious attitude, even a little mischief in their jokes, but again there are different elves some grim some merry like children). Though dwarves can appreciate beauty and lighter side of life (they enjoy feasting and songs), they seem more practical, more attached to posession of riches, elves have treasures too but they don’t covet them nearly as fierce as the dwarves (Thranduil is said to ,,have weakness for silver and white jewels” 🙂 maybe he’s an exception). There is also matter of elven longevity, they just experience more in life and might seem to mortals a little arrogant in their ways, maybe dwarves felt they treat other races with a little mockery, being all wise and knowing, making fun of mortals because they don’t have so much wisdom and are more impulsive while elves can control themselves better. In my opinion that is the case (some historical events may also be remembered, if dwarves never forget harm done to them even the most ancient grievances would affect the relationships of both races surviving in collective memory of the dwarven peoples).