Does Galadriel have a Palantir?

[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

Nar, that's lovely. I like it.

lindil, I admit I had to click on the link to your article on Osanwe to know what the heck you were referring to. Okay. Middle-Earth telepathy. If I hadn't just read Tolkien's own words on the subject...

Hm. Tolkien implies that Osanwe is inherent to all life, dependent on 'openess', etc., and distorted by the Hroa for physical beings. One would assume that the difference between the Hroa of men and elves would imply that men have less openess to this than the elves. Particularly as men have the capacity to rule their own fates, and in ways are not bound to the song, but add to it.

It fits nicely into Nar's theory that the magic is a reflection of the song of Arda.

As for the elves being magical, I think the Silmarillion makes it clear that elves learned their lore from the Valar. We forget that Galadriel likely learned this art of scrying directly from Varda, Elbereth herself. Feanor learned the workings of gems from Aule. So Mithadan's point about Galadriel being one of the greatest of the Nolder is well taken. The dark elves (outside of Thingol and Melian's realm), those who did not go to Valinor, display no such abilities.

Galadriel's own words to Sam indicate that she does not consider this 'magic' any more than you or I would consider our illusory posts on this illusory forum to be 'magic.' We understand more or less how it works. All the magic we have today (such as computers) comes from an understanding of natural laws. And, since we're way out on a limb of raw theory here, I think that is what she learned from Varda, is how to utilize those natural laws. Once again, Nar's theory seems spot on.

Also, when it comes to the rings, they seem to merely enhance and magnify the abilities of the wearer. "Giving abilities according to their stature." They are subtle, not magical flamethrowers. Without her ring, her powers were greatly diminished if you recall. She was no longer able to extend the preservation of the Eldar days over the whole land of Lorien.

So I amend my earlier theory. While it's possible Galadriel used her ring out of convenience (and habit) to enhance her scrying, in all likelihood she could have created the mirror or something similar, without it.

Nar - Regarding knowing the mind of Sauron, I think that the gathering of information, an osanwe act of listening can be a passive act, while one who is directing a war is in a aggressive mode. That was the impression that I had. Since she mentioned her mind would have been exposed in particular should Sauron recover the One ring, I suspect that it was her ring once again that gave her that extra advantage. After all, he lost his.

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-Maril

[ September 13, 2002: Message edited by: Marileangorifurnimaluim ]