do elves sleep?

[galadriel]

I am quite positive that I've read quotes (perhaps from the HoMe series) indicating that elves don't sleep like humans; instead they rest their minds by thinking about days past or looking at beautiful objects.

While LOTR mentions that Legolas can get rest this way if neccessary (he'll kind of zone off during an extremely long walk), there are also references to him *sleeping*!

Legolas and Gimli slept, and Aragorn lay flat, stretched upon his back.... -The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall"

Is there any way to reconcile these two quotes?

Do, in fact, elves sleep in a human sense of the word?

[elf_princess]

I'm gonna be honest... I have no idea!!!

[Nibs]

Maybe they have two modes of rest... it would help immensely if you had the reference to that HoME excerpt, though.

[Sister Golden Hair]

There are references in LotRs that they indeed rested their minds in waking dreams. This comes across as being some state of meditation like mode. However, the Silmarillion gives many examples of Elves sleeping in a more Human type fashion. We have for instance, Gwidor being found sleeping under the tree by Beleg, when he was searching for Turin. It also states that Beleg followed the Orcs and in persuit of Turin, and he made good time because he seldom stopped, nor did he sleep. We have the instance of Finrod and Turgon sleeping upon the river banks and Ulmo coming and laying deep dreams upon them. We have mention of a bed in Luthien's tree house. There is also another part in the LotRs in Lothlorien where it states that after the second night, Legolas no longer ate or slept with the company. These are just some examples.

I am inclined to believe that Elves probably used both the state of real sleep, as well as the meditative state. Perhaps which one they used depended on how tired they were. Real sleep for physical weariness. Meditative rest for the mind. Just my opinion.

[Renille]

I was just listening to a tape adaption of TTT, and for the first time, I noticed a really cool passage. I forgot it EXACTLY, but roughly it said that Legolas didn't sleep...he merely rested his mind, while they were walking, sitting,etc. It's in the chapter "The Riders of Rohan" in "The Two Towers" if you want to look.

[Ñólendil]

I think the quotes about Legolas "sleeping" in the Lord of the Rings are not contradictory which the other stuff that is said in that story. Legolas did sleep, Elves did sleep, just not in the same way we do.

The Silmarillion lines Sister brought up might be derived from pre-LR texts, before Tolkien developed the idea of Elvish sleep, I don't know.

[Elf Girl]

I agree. When it spoke of Legolas sleeping, Tolkein meant: "Sleeping in the way that Elves sleep cuz he's an Elf!"

[Wayfarer]

Yes... something like that.

Perhaps it would make more sense to say that Elves can 'rest thier minds' or 'dream' while running or doing some other activity, and for them 'sleep' is the same thing, only lying down with one's eyes closed.

[Menelvagor]

Or open. I just finished reading that part of the TT today, and Legolas 'sleeps' with his eyes open 'blending the nighttime reality with elven dreams' (or somthing like that, I can't remember the exact quote)

I think that was what they always did, whether standing or walking or whatever, but it was probably more restful when they were laying down.

[galadriel]

Both answers make sense. My current opinion: elven sleep is always the bizarre, semi-conscious, waking-dream deal as previously described. They usually lay down while sleeping, but they don't have to. Sound good?

Thanks for you help.

[Menelvagor]

Sounds good to me.

[Lightice]

Yeah, I've been thinking the same way. I always took it so, that elves seldomly closed their eyes at all, as they, crudely saying, didn't want to miss a moment of visual sightings.

[galadriel]

OK, I answered my own question:

Legolas already lay motionless... his eyes unclosed, blending living night and deep dream, as is the way with Elves. -The Two Towers, "The Riders of Rohan"

This simply comfirms what we've all been saying.

[Michael Martinez]

Elves sleep exactly like Men, but they can also get by on a sort of half-sleep such as Legolas resorted to during the pursuit of the Orcs. Sister Golden Hair gave a few good examples to show that the Elves sleep normally, but there are others: for example, the Elves sleep in beds (Luthien's bed, the beds in Rivendell) and furs (the furs that Haldir and his brothers offer to the Fellowship); also, Galion and the captain of the guards in Thranduil's realm drink themselves into a stupor.

[Aragorn_iz_cool]

I think elves sleep with there eyes open and dream about what they're actully seeing.

[Ërendil]

That would be really cool...buit borin for me coz all i would see is a dark room. Not very interesting is it?

[Elf Girl]

People say I sleep with my eyes open occasionally. It's possible.

[Ërendil]

I do worse. When i am in a strange place (Well not my own bed) i tend to open my eyes and generally act like i am awake (sleepwalking basically)
Once while i was i America on holiday i started speaking German to my little sister. Freaky when she told me about it in the morning as i didn't remember anything. Aparently i do it regulary on holiday.

[Pailan]

I was thinking about the Barrels from the Hobbit. Didn't the Elves passout from drinking too much wine, thus allowing Bilbo to craft the escape of the Dwarves? But that's more over intoxication than true sleep.

[Elf Girl]

You weren't neccesarily sleeptalking, if you wake up in the middle of the night, you sometimes don't remember it afterwards. Being in a strange place sometimes causes me to wake up.