[lindil]

bombur : Feanor had seven sons (+ 2
halfbrothers, father, 6 nephews, 1 niece, several members of the family also
had spouses...). Theese are the people Feanor would have wanted to
communicate with. So seven palantirs do not add up.

Lindil: sorry, but Feanor 'hated the guts' as we say of his 1/2 relatives. Proof being he not only left them behind in Valinor, but burnt the ships as a way of rubbing salt in the wounds.

Feanor created to create. I do not think he had any gift of perspective as to the outcome of what he was doing. a trait he passsed down in some measure to his grandson. I do not see him saying, now one palntir for x and one for y. I can well imagine that to create 7 such artifafcts may well have left him spent for a year. Remember he told the Valar he could not remake the Silmarillis even if he tried.

I do agree w/ you re: Magic, although much of the 'disagreement stems from each of us using English in a different way. Of course if you know a secret it is not magic anymore. But much of the so called magical technology relies often on an x factor's not everything is under control. Or Feanor could have created dozens of Silmarills.

Even a 'spell' is a codified something. it may rely on the astral plane oor demons and or both but there is structure of a sort to it. But often X factors as well. For masters the X factors are less but even more mysterious i would guess.

I know in Tai-Chi you aim to train your body and energy to respond to your intuition [among other things], which may not even be something you are aware of. So call it art, science or magic. but in all that is elvish there is a quality which is rare for most people, and impossible for even more.

I suppose the magic thread [Saulotus'] is where we should head for anything further in this direction.

very good thread though!