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Old 07-08-2001, 04:46 AM   #49
jallanite
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Re: A project ~~~~Revising the Fall of Gondolin

<u> The Closing Portions</u>
[Last revised 2001.07.13]

I've already completed most of the following before Lindir's last post with the idea of getting the easiest material out of the way first, so will post it now.

I am dealing here with the last part of &quot;The Fall of Gondolin&quot; material beginning just before Ecthelion's battle with Gothmog at the pargraph beginning &quot;Now Tuor reached the Square of the Folkwell by a way entering from the north, and found there Galdor ....&quot; The story in the later QS77 and almost identical Q30 is almost unchanged from FG from this point on, and passages where there are problems with great numbers of Balrogs or details of mechanical dragons are few and easily modifed if necessary.

This gets a very large section of the tale out of the way and allows concentration on the Huor in Gondolin section (problematic because of many changes in plot and underlying conceptions) and the early battle section (problematic because of multitudes of Balrogs and mechanical dragons).

Codes for my sources are as follows:
BoLT 1 The Book of Lost Tales 1 (HoME 1).
FG &quot;The Fall of Gondolin&quot; from The Book of Lost Tales 2 (HoME 2).
TE &quot;The Tale of Eärendel&quot; from The Book of Lost Tales 2 (HoME 2).
Q30 &quot;The Quenta&quot;, written in 1930, from The Shaping of Middle-earth (HoME 4). Quotations are from §16 and from §17 in the Q2 version including later emendations as per the notes.
AB 2 &quot;The Later Annals of Beleriand&quot;, written about 1936?, from The Lost Road (HoME 5). Unknown to Christopher Tolkien when he produced QS77.
Tuor &quot;Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin&quot;, written about 1951 from Unfinished Tales
Elessar The Elessar from &quot;The History of Galadriel and Celeborn&quot; in UT.
TY &quot;The Tale of Years&quot;, (1951-52), from The War of the Jewels (HoME 11)
PG The Parentage of Gil-galad, a long note by Christopher Tolkien appended to SF, containing material by his father on this matter.
SF &quot;The Shibboleth of Fëanor&quot;, Feburary 1968 or later, in the chapter of the same name from &quot;The Peoples of Middle-earth&quot; (HoME 13).
QS77 Quenta Silmarillion as published in The Silmarillion edited by Christopher Tolkien in 1977.

I also use the codes B! meaning too many Balrogs in the original text and D! meaning mechanical dragon in the original text to indicate this is the reason for editing a particular passage. If it is decided to keep some or all mechanical dragons or many Balrogs are in the end not felt to be a problem, then these passages can be kept unchanged.

To make references easier I have given each mini-discussion a code of the form FG-C followed by a two-digit decimal number. The C stands for closing. (Decimal numbers could be used for any problem passages I have missed, to keep the order.)

Each section lists the sources from which it is drawn in its header. The first source listed is the primary source, and the second is the secondary source. Main text is always from the primary source and inserted text from the secondary source. When there are more than two sources the codes given at the beginning of this post will be included at the beginning of each insertion.

I naturally do not include passages where the only change is regular normalization: change of a proper name to the latest form, change of a directional word, or changing quotation mark standards from double then single to single then double.

On the directional words: Tolkien reversed compass directions in the accounts following FG so that, at least in parts of the battle and in the flight of the fugitives, FG &quot;south&quot; must become &quot;north&quot;, FG &quot;north&quot; must become &quot;south&quot;, and FG &quot;west&quot; must become &quot;east&quot;. These changes are to be made in the geography of Gondolin, Tumladen, and the Encircling Mountains everywhere in FG (other than in placing the Way of Escape to the west).

The following symbols are used:
[ ] Normalized, usually used for proper names indicating they are here in final form, not as in original text. Eg. &quot;[Huor]&quot; probably represents an original &quot;Peleg&quot;, &quot;[nor]thward&quot;, represents original &quot;southward&quot;, and &quot;[']&quot; represents original &quot;&quot;&quot;.
&lt; &gt; Material inserted from secondary source. If more than one secondary source occurs in the passage then a code appears after the opening angle-bracket, eg. &quot;&lt; QS77 &quot;.
{ } Material to be deleted.
<u>Underline</u> Material inserted for grammatical reasons or as editorial bridge.

I have replaced FG wording with that from Q30 as preferrable because it reflects JRRT's later thoughts, but do not otherwise change the text of FG for stylistic reasons. That is a totally separate matter from constructing a logically coherent base text from all sources.

<u> FG-C01 (FG, Q30, BoLT*1):</u> B! [Addition by jallanite 2001.07.13: Possibly reduce the Balrogs here from many to one per Aiwendil's comments?]:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... where a force of Or[k]s {led by Balrogs} came on them at unawares ...<hr></blockquote>or:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... where a force of Or[k]s led by <u>a</u> Balrog{s} came on them at unawares ...<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C02 (FG):</u> B! Reduce Balrogs from many to one (rather than omit) as in the next paragraph Gothmog, lord of Balrogs, appears.<blockquote>Quote:<hr> But now the men of [Morgoth] have assembled their forces, and seven dragons of fire are come with Or[k]s about them and <u>a</u> Balrog{s} upon <u>one of</u> them down all the ways from [sou]th, [we]st, and [ea]st, seeking the Square of the King.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C03 (FG):</u> Gothmog as Melko/Morgoth's son occurs only here and in two other places in BoLT, never later. Therefore delete the reference:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... even Gothmog lord of Balrogs{, son of Melko}.<hr></blockquote> <u> FG-C04 (FG):</u> B! <blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... that they swept again much of the square, {and of the Balrogs slew even two scores,} which is a very great prowess indeed;<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C05 (FG, Q30):</u> There is no mention in any text later than FG that the prophecy of the North specifically mentioned the fall of Gondolin, naming the city itself.
<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Then said the king: [']Great is the fall of Gondolin['], and men shuddered{,for such were the words of Amnon the prophet of old}; but Tuor speaking wildly ...<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C06 (FG):</u> Rewording:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Gling[a]l was {withered} <u>melted</u> to the stock and B[elthi]l was blackened utterly, and the king's tower was beset.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C07 (FG, Q30):</u> Additional details:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> There came they at last lessened by wellnigh a tithe to the tunnel's opening &lt;far beyond the walls and in the North of the plain where the mountains were long distant from Amon Gware[d]&gt;, and it debouched cunningly in a large basin where once water had lain, but it was now full of thick bushes.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C08 (FG):</u> D!<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Fire-drakes are about it and monsters {of iron} fare in and out of its gates, and great is the sack of the Balrogs and Or[k]s.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C09 (FG, Q30):</u> The Way of Escape was closed according to &quot;The Wanderings of Húrin&quot;, and therefore Christopher Tolkien omitted the mentions of it in the Q77 fall of Gondolin. But it is possible that, though closed from the outside, it was still able to be opened from the inside and that JRRT intended this. If the Way of Escape material is to be omitted then:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Thereat {rose a dissension, for a number of ... sat at the outer issue that none came through. But} the {others} &lt;fugitives&gt;, led by one Legolas Greenleaf ...<hr></blockquote>If kept, then some changed wording and additional matter from Q30:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Nonetheless a large body of men and women {sundered from} &lt;who would not come with&gt; Tuor {and fared to Bad Uthwen, and there into the jaws of a monster who by the guile of Melko at Meglin's rede sat at the outer issue that none came through} &lt;, but fled to the old Way of Escape that led into the gorge of Sirion <u>and opened it anew</u>, were caught and destroyed by a dragon that Morgoth had sent to watch that gate, being apprised of it by M[a]eglin. But of the new passage M[a]eglin had not heard, and it was not thought that fugitives would take a path towards the North and the highest parts of the mountains and the nighest to Angband&gt;.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C10 (FG, Q30):</u> Rewording:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Then was all the Earth spread with the grey light of that sad dawn which looked no more on the beauty of Gondolin; but the {plain was full of mists} &lt;fume of the burning, and the steam of the fair fountains of Gondolin withering in the flame of the dragons of the North, fell upon the vale in mournful mists&gt;*** and that was a marvel, for no mist or fog came there ever before{, and this perchance had to do with the doom of the fountain of the king}. Again they rose, and covered by the vapours fared long past dawn in safety, till they were already too far away for any to descry them in those misty airs from the hill or from the ruined wall&lt;; and thus was the escape of Tuor and his company aided, for there was still a long and open road to follow from the tunnel's mouth to the foothills of the mountains&gt;.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C11 (FG, Q30):</u> Added description:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... and very weary and cumbered with &lt;many&gt; women and children and &lt;many&gt; stricken men, ...<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C12 (FG, Q30):</u> Rewording:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Thus were they come to C[irith Thoronath], which is a{n ill} &lt;dreadful&gt; place by reason of its height, ...<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C13 (FG, Q30):</u> Insertion to be placed here if the Way of Escape passage is omitted, otherwise it has already been used:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Yet so many did the valour of the Gondo[lindr]im draw off to the assault ere the city could be taken that these were but thinly spread, and were at the least here in the [nor]th&lt;, and it was not thought that fugitives would take a path towards the North and the highest parts of the mountains and the nighest to Angband&gt;.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C14 (FG):</u> The tale of why Thorondor hates Morgoth should be kept it as does not contradict anything else, but though it would fit in this place in an independent story of the fall of Gondolin, in the legendarium as a whole it should be related much earlier, possibly when Thorondor aids in rescuing Maedhros, but probably best just before he scars Morgoth and rescues the body of Fingolfin. Omit here:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Then arose Thor[o]ndor, King of Eagles, and he loved not M[orgoth]{, for M[orgoth] had caught many ... a mighty pair for his use, but it availed not}.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C15 (FG, Q30):</u> Rewording:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... and Thor[o]ndor himself, a mighty bird, descended to the abyss and {brought up the body of Glorfindel} &lt;bore up Glorfindel's body&gt;; ...<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C16 (FG, Q30):</u> Rewording. Also FG claims Thorondor is still protecting the cairn and flowers still blow there. This might be allowed to stand on consideration that possibly that tale was written down at the mouths of Sirion before the breaking of Beleriand, but I think it is best to omit. Also Q30 adds here an account of how the eagles slew all the Orks, which I take to be an addition to FG, not a retrospective account of the Eagles' part in the battle. JRRT is explaining why no word of the fugitives came to the army or to Morgoth: because the Eagles pursued and slew all the Orks. Doubtless it was believed the Eagles alone were to blame for the slaughter of the Orks and Balrog and so no search was made for fugitives in that region.<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... Tuor let raise a great {stone-cairn} &lt;mound of stones&gt; over Glorfindel just there beyond the perilous {way} &lt;pass&gt; by the precipice of Eagle-stream, and Thor[o]ndor {has} let not {yet} any harm come thereto, {but yellow flowers have fared thither} &lt;and there came after a turf of green and small flowers like yellow stars bloomed there&gt; and {blow} <u>blew</u> ever {now} about that mound {in those unkindly places} &lt;amid the barrenness of stone&gt;; but the folk of the Golden Flower wept at its building and might not dry their tears. &lt;And the birds of Thor[o]ndor stooped upon the Or[k]s and drove them shrieking back; and all were slain or cast into the deeps, and rumour of the escape from Gondolin came not until long after to Morgoth's ears.&gt;<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C17 (FG):</u> An omission as we have just been told in Q30 that &quot;rumour of the escape from Gondolin came not until long after to Morgoth's ears&quot;:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... and from the speed and wariness with which Tuor led them{; for of a certain Melko knew of that escape and was furious thereat}.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C18 (FG):</u> In the latest version of TY we find:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> 510***Midsummer. Assault and sack of Gondolin, owing to treachery of Maeglin who revealed where it lay.
511***Exiles of Gondolin (Tuor, Idril and Eärendil &amp;c.) reach Sirion, which now prospers in the power of the Silmaril.<hr></blockquote>That the fugitives arrive at Sirion's mouth in the year following the sack of Gondolin first appears in the &quot;The Earliest Annals of Beleriand&quot; and is never changed after. The much lengthier chronology in FG must be modified to fit:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> But after {a year and more of} wandering{,} in which many a time they journeyed long tangled in the magic of those wastes only to come again upon their own tracks, {once more the summer came, and nigh to its height} they came at last upon a stream, and following this came to better lands and were a little comforted.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C19 (FG):</u> A omission required if the previous Way of Escape section is dropped:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Now he led them even till they came down to Sirion which that stream fed{, and then both Tuor and Voronwë saw that they were not far from the outer issue of old of the Way of Escape ... who sundered aforetime from them at the tunnel-mouth}.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C20 (FG):</u> Omission of probably invalid material. Tulkas seemingly did not accompany the host of Valinor in the later versions of the War of Wrath and there is no indication that any battle occurred in this area in the later versions; indeed the whole tale seems changed. Also in the new version of Tuor's story he has not previously been near this region.<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Now here goes Sirion a very great way under earth, diving at the great cavern of the Tumultuous Winds, but running clear again above the Pools of Twilight{, even where Tulkas after fought with Melko's self. Tuor had fared over these regions by night and dusk after Ulmo came to him amid the reeds, and he remembered not the ways}.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C21 (FG, Q30):</u> Add Elvish name:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Yet came they at last to the great pools and the edges of &lt;Nan-Tathr[e]n&gt;<u>,</u> that most tender Land of Willows; and the very breath of the winds thereof brought rest and peace to them, ... still in bitter thraldom in the Hells of Iron sang not, nor did they smile<hr></blockquote>[Added entry by jallanite 2001.07.13:
<u> FG-C21.1 (FG, Q30):</u> Here might be inserted a slightly modified version of the Fragment of the alliterative Lay of Eärendel found in The Lays of Beleriand (HoME 3), II Poems Early Abandoned. This would appear as a retrospective summary of the story from the actual fall to this point in the tale. The actual suggested modifications are in a following post. This insertion was orginally suggested for item FG-C23, but there are philosophical and textual difficulties that prohibit this positioning.]

<u> FG-C22 (FG, Q30):</u> Omission for chronological reasons and insertion from Q30.
[Addition to this post by jallanite 2001.07.13:
FG brings in here the decision to remove to the Sea, and then a festival before they depart. Q30 has a festival and then the decision to remove to the Sea, which we must follow as this is Tolkien's most latest ordering. But FG also brings in a notation as they prepare to depart and begin to hold the feast, that it is spring. This note about the season should appear first, and so is inserted here also, as was not the case when orginally posted]:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ****{Here they abode very long indeed, and Eärendel was a grown boy ere} &lt;There&gt;<u>,</u> when spring set celandine in the meads<u>,</u> &lt;they made a&gt; sad &lt;feast in the memory of Gondolin and those that had perished, fair maidens, wives, and warriors and their king; but for Glorfindel the well-beloved many and sweet were the songs they sang.&gt;<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C23</u> [Material originally placed here has been slightly reworked and repositioned as FG-C21.1, jallan 2001.07.13.]

<u> FG-C24 (Q30):</u> Immediately follows with omission to agree with Tuor:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> And there Tuor in song spoke to Eärend[il] his son of the coming of Ulmo aforetime, the sea-vision {in the midst of the land}&gt;<u>.</u><hr></blockquote><u> FG-C25:</u> Here should be inserted a version of the poem &quot;The Horns of Ylmir&quot; from Appendix 2 to Q30. Suggested form of the text to be inserted appears following in a separate post.

<u> FG-C26 (FG, Q30):</u> Rewording:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> The voice of Ulmo's conches drew the heart of Tuor{,} that his sea-longing returned with a thirst the deeper for years of stifling{;}<u>,</u> &lt;in his heart and in his son's. Wherefore {all that host} &lt;the most part of the people&gt; arose at his bidding, and {got them} &lt;they removed&gt; down Sirion to the Sea.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C27 (FG, Q30):</u> Omissions for reasons of chronology. Tuor and the fugitives no longer spend years in the land of Willows and the FG festival in memorial of Glorfindel held after the decision to go to the Sea must correspond to the Q30 feast in memory of Gondolin where songs are sung for Glorfindel already included from the fuller Q30 account, though there it is held before the decision. [Change made by jallan 2001.07.13: the reference to celandine in the spring is deleted in this passage and inserted in FG-C22 where the festival is now located.]<blockquote>Quote:<hr> But they who arose from the grasses of the Land of Willows {in years after} and fared way to the sea, {when spring set celandine in the meads and they held sad festival in memorial of Glorfindel,} these numbered ...<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C28 (FG):</u> Omission of anachronistic listing of cities as could not exist as part of the original tale, except as a very late marginal note.
<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Nor {Bablon, nor Ninwi, nor the towers of Trui, nor} all the many takings {of Rûm} that {is} <u>are</u> greatest among Men, saw such terror as fell that day upon Amon Gware[d] in the kindred of the [Elves];<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C29 (FG, Q30, TE*N(i)):</u> True ending of the tale of Tuor:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ****Yet now those exiles of Gondolin dwelt at the mouth of Sirion by the waves of the Great Sea&lt; Q30, and joined their folk to the slender company of Elwing daughter of Dior, that had fled thither little while before&gt;. There they take the name of Loth[r]im, the people of the flower, for Gondo[lindr]im is a name too sore to their hearts; and fair among the Loth[r]im Eärend[il] grows in &lt; TE*N(i) the Isle of Sirion in&gt; the &lt; TE*N(i) snow-white stone&gt; house of his father, and the great tale of Tuor is come to its waning.<hr></blockquote>All following material is placed in BoTL, in the Sketch, and in Q30 as part of the introduction to the tale of Eärendil, not as part of the story of Tuor. Either position can work. Which is best depends on how much material we have on the youth of Eärendil before Tuor sets sail. I think we won't find much more than Christopher Tolkien did, and will probably end up following his lead in including these final events and Tuor's departure as an epilogue to the Tuor story rather than the prologue to the Eärendil story.

<u> FG-C30 (PG, SF, QS77):</u> Of Gil-galad:

Christopher Tolkien adds at this point in Q77 a passage partly editorial:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> And when the tidings came to Balar of the fall of Gondolin and the death of Turgon, Ereinion Gil-galad son of Fingon was named High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth.<hr></blockquote>The sources of this, so far as I can trace are all in The Peoples of Middle-earth (HoME 13):

In an isolated note found with the genealogies dated August 1965, published in PG:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> His children were Finduilas and Artanáro = Rodnor later called Gil-galad. (Their mother was a Sindarin lady of the North. She called her son Gil-galad.) Rodnor Gil-galad escaped and eventually came to Sirion's Mouth and was King of the Ñoldor there.<hr></blockquote>From SF under the note The Names of Finwë's descendants, 5, under the discussion of Galadriel:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Galad also occurs in the epessë of Ereinion ('scion of kings') by which he was chiefly remembered in legend, Gil-galad 'star-of-radiance': he was the last king of the Eldar in Middle-earth, and the last male descendant of Finwë^47 except Elrond Half-elven. The epessë was given to him because his helm and mail, and his shield overlaid with silver and set with a device of white stars, shone from afar like a star in sunlight or moonlight and could be seen by Elvish eyes at a great distance if he stood upon a height.

47 He was the son of Arothir, nephew of Finrod.<hr></blockquote>Gil-galad is no longer the son of Fingon sent to Círdan at the Havens, and I expect it was the connection to the Havens which led Christopher Tolkien to introduce Balar here. Details of Gil-galad's mother best belong in the story of Túrin. I suggest the following might be a suitable enhancement/correction of the QS77 sentence [slightly re-edited by jallanite 2001:07:13 to fit the source more closely]:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Ereinion Gil-galad son of Orodreth, who had escaped the fall of Nargothrond and come to Sirion's Mouth, was &lt;named&gt; King of the Noldor there. He was <u>styled</u> Gil-galad, Star of Radiance, because his helm and mail, and his shield overlaid with silver and set with a device of white stars, shone from afar like a star in sunlight or mooonlight and could be seen by Elvish eyes at a great distance if he stood upon a height.<hr></blockquote><u> FG-C31 (Q30, AB 2, Elessar, QS77):</u> A mixture of sources for the foundation of the new havens [re-edited since first posting to add mention of the Elessar]:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> Yet by Sirion and the sea there grew up an elven folk, the gleanings of Gondolin and Doriath<u>.</u>&lt; AB 2 The Silmaril brought blessing upon them <u>and</u> &lt; Elessar <u>Idril</u> wore the <u>Elessar</u> upon her breast&gt;&lt; AB*2, and they were healed, and they multiplied&gt; &lt; QS77; and from Balar the mariners of Círdan came among them&gt;, and they took to the waves and the building of ships &lt; AB 2 and built a haven&gt;, dwelling ever nigh unto the shores &lt; QS77 of Arvernien&gt;, &lt; AB 2 upon the delta amid the waters&gt; under the shadow of Ulmo's hand. &lt; AB 2 Many fugitives gathered unto them.&gt; <hr></blockquote>I do not know the original source of either of the two addition from QS77 I have inserted. The first is too reasonable to reject, and the second is, I think, Christopher Tolkien's way of getting the name Arvernien found in Bilbo's &quot;Song of Eärendil&quot; in LR into QS77 text. It otherwise only appears on the QS77 map.

<u> FG-C32 (Q30):</u> In the pleading of Ulmo there are stylistic differences and certain omissions from the Q30 version to the QS77 version, probably changes made by Christopher Tolkien himself for aesthetic reasons, and to be ignored unless someone can find other sources. Stick to Q30 here.

<u> FG-C33 (TE*B, TE*C, TE*D, TE*E, TE*N(ii)):</u> To be inserted at this point:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ****<u>Then began</u> the love of &lt; TE*C Elwing&gt; and Eärend[il] as girl and boy. &lt; TE E The mermaids&gt;<u>, the</u> &lt; TE D Oarni&gt;<u>,</u> &lt; TE E c{o}<u>a</u>me to Eärend[il]&gt; <u>and</u> &lt; TE N(ii) g{i}<u>a</u>ve to {Eärendel} <u>him</u> a wonderful shining silver coat that wet{s}<u>ted</u> not. They love<u>d</u> Eärend[il], in Ossë's despite, and {teach} <u>taught</u> him the lore of boat-building and of swimming, as he play{s}<u>ed</u> with them about the shores of Sirion.&gt; &lt; TE*D Eärend[il] grew <u>to be the</u> fairest of all Men that were or are<u>,</u>&gt; &lt; TE N(iii) smaller than most men but nimbled-footed and a swift swimmer (but Voronwë could not swim).&gt; &lt; TE*C <u>And there was</u> great love <u>between</u> Eärend[il] and Tuor.&gt;<hr></blockquote>Mention of the Oarni and mermaids is only found in BoLT material. The Quenya word Oarni appears from the Appendix to BoLT 1 under Ónen to be from the root 'o'o and related to Ô, a poetic word for 'sea'. But this root and everything connected with it disappears in later writings, where the normal word for &quot;sea&quot; in Quenya is ëar from a stem AYAR-, itself explained as an extended stem from GAYA- 'awe, dread'. So it is difficult to even guess what word, if any, Tolkien would have used to replace Oarni. To further confuse the matter in TE N(viii) we find:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> 'The fiord of the Mermaid: enchantment of his sailors: Mermaids are not Oarni (but are earthlings, or fays?*** or both).'<hr></blockquote>However in TE D the two are equated, and in other texts it is either the Oarni or the mermaids who are named as Eärendel's friends. Tolkien may in this note only mean that these particular hostile &quot;mermaids&quot; were not true Oarni but another kind of being. Therefore I keep both words. Since in late writings Tolkien claimed that most names of the Valar were not truly Quenya, but adapted forms from the language of the Valar, that is what we probably should take Oarni to be. In references to the Oarni outside of TE their gender is not given. It may be that Oarni are of both genders.

<u> FG-C34 (Q30, TE*C, TE*D, TE*E, TY, QS77):</u> Follow immediately with:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ****In those days Tuor felt old age creep upon him &lt; TE*C and Ulmo's conches far out west call<u>ed</u> him louder and louder&gt;, and ever the longing for the deeps of the sea grew stronger in his heart. Wherefore he built a great ship Eärámë, Sea-wing, &lt; TE*D with white sails&gt;<u>.</u> &lt; TE*D Ulmo beckoned to him at eve<u>.</u>&gt; &lt; TE*E One evening he call{s}<u>ed</u> Eärend[il] and they {go} <u>went</u> to the shore. There {is a skiff} <u>was Eärámë</u>. T[uo]r {bids} <u>bade</u> farwell to Eärend[il] and bid{s} him thrust it off***&gt; he set sail with Idril &lt; TY (and <u>some say</u> Voronwë <u>with them</u>)&gt; into the sunset and the West<u>.</u> &lt; TE E Eärend[il] hear{s}<u>d</u> a great song swelling from the sea as T[uo]r's skiff dip{s}<u>ped</u> over the world's rim. <u>Great was</u> his passion of tears upon the shore.&gt; <u>And Tuor</u> came no more into any tale or song.

****But &lt; QS77 in after days it was sung that&gt; Tuor alone of mortal Men was numbered among the elder race, and joined with the Noldor whom he loved, and in after time dwelt still, or so it hath been said, ever upon his ship voyaging the seas of the Elven-lands, or resting a while in the harbours of the [Elves] of Tol Eressëa; and his fate is sundered from the fate of Men.<hr></blockquote>This final paragaph above should probably be in a slightly smaller font. It is found only in a footnote to Q30 but Christopher Tolkien omits part of it in QS77.

In TY final version under 525 is found:<blockquote>Quote:<hr> ... and departed into the West with Idril (and Voronwë?) and is heard of in no tale since.<hr></blockquote>I use this Voronwë reference &quot;(Voronwë?)&quot; in expanded form, for Tuor prophecies in &quot;Of the Coming of Tuor to Gondolin: &quot;far from the Shadow your long road shall lead you, and your hope shall return to the Sea.&quot; Voronwë had originally been a companion in Eärendil's final successful voyage, but dropped out when the story was changed so that Eärendil no longer returned to Middle-earth to learn from Voronwë that Elwing had vanished, the point at which Voronwë had originally joined him (with his son Littleheart?). The phrase &quot;in after days it was sung that&quot; I believe to be an editorial transition by Christopher Tolkien, but something like this is necessary to mark off the more legendary account of Tuor's final fate. Every other account (BoLlT, Silmarillion tradition, annal tradition) says only that nothing more was heard of Tuor after his last voyage.



<u> On the Elessar</u>

I have not been able to find a suitable place to insert the UT story of Idril handing over the Elessar to Eärendil, mainly because the source narratives are extremely condensed for the departure of Tuor and Idril. Unless someone else sees an opening it will have to appear very early in the Eärendil story instead, with the handing over being there seen as a backflash (as it is presented in the Elessar text itself).



<u> On the Eagles</u>

The treatment of the Eagles is a problem even in FG where Thorndor and his people know nothing, it seems, of the fall of the great city less then ten leagues from them in the valley directly below their eyries. In later versions the Eagles are the guardians of Gondolin and the surrounding region and it is incomprehensible that they take no notice of an army of invading Orks, Balrogs, and dragons destroying it. (Perhaps they thought the Elves were just celebrating an abnormally roudy Gates of Summer feast?) JRRT would probably have covered this by having the Eagles take part in the battle. I don't think anything can be done by us to fix this.

</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://www.barrowdowns.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_profile&u=00000212>jallanit e</A> at: 7/13/01 11:25:55 pm
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