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The more I think about it, the less the path forward on this issue is clear to me. We have three possibilities before us, each one a conscious choice on our part:
1) We stick with giving both versions, which was never intended by Tolkien
2) We pick one version, even though there is no way to choose which is better
3) We combine them in some way, which for the first instance is impossible.
In general I am inclined to 3) but this only solves the issue for one of the two complications. The first instance of competing narratives demands either 1) or 2) and I am readily unsure which to choose. As you say, I must give a reason why I prefer one version over the other, but I cannot give any, because they are both equally preferable. Therefore I find myself unable to decide what to do in this case, but lean now more towards your original solution, which is 1). I would appreciate others' thoughts on the matter.
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