Well, davem, if Tolkien wrote Elven, then my book has a misprint. I do find it interesting that eleven is the only number that has the word elven within it.
Perhaps charm is a satsifactory answer for why eleven. The question was percolating in my mind this morning, and then I read your post. Why not twelve, which is such a fraught number in terms of symbol? Or ten for the same reason? And it occurred to me that that could have been reason enough to avoid them. JRRT had good instincts, to say the least.
I'm interested in the recurrence of the theme, though. Smith's reaction is abject fear. He is fortunate that the warriors merely pass over him; which is to say, probably, that they did not count him worth their notice. But this "high and noble warriors coming ashore" thing (not to mention technically advanced?); could it be an English thing? A remnant of the trauma of the Norman Invasion, perhaps? Sheer speculation, I grant you, but I'm having fun with it.
|