"Destroy it.... Isildur!"

[Bill Ferny]

Tannah,<P>Actually the last battle did take place on the slopes of Mount Doom: “I beheld the last combat on the slopes of Orodruin, where Gil-galad died, and Elendil fell, and Narsil broke beneath him; but Sauron himself was overthrown, and Isildure cut the Ring from his hand with the hilt-shard of his father’s sword, and took it for his own.” --Elrond (II, 2, The Council of Elrond).<P>It is also clear two paragraphs later that Elrond and Cirdan counseled Isildure to cast the ring into the flames of Orodruin. However, Isildure “would not listen” to their counsels and took the ring to “treasure it.” It never seems to come up in Elrond’s mind at the time to forcefully take the ring. “Wheather we would or no, he took it.” First, this line seems to indicate that Isildure could not be persuaded by argument, as he would not listen to their counsels. Second, it seems to indicate that there was nothing either Elrond or Cirdan could do physically either. There is no reason to believe that Isildure could not whip both of these elves in a fight.<p>[ October 29, 2002: Message edited by: Bill Ferny ]