The Gift of Speech

[HerenIstarion]

Frodo or the Ring by Mithadan

[Neithan]

I have been wanting to give my theories on talking objects and rather than starting a new thread I decided to add to this one.

.. said Gandalf. ‘... There is a wholesome air about Hollin. Much evil must befall a country before it wholly forgets the Elves, if once they dwelt there.’
‘That is true,’ said Legolas. ‘But the Elves of this land were of a race strange to us of the silvan folk, and the trees and the grass do not now remember them: Only I hear the stones lament them: deep they delved us, fair they wrought us, high they builded us; but they are gone. They are gone. They sought the Havens long ago.’

The world was shaped by the Valar and the Maiar and their power remains within it, and at the heart of the world is set the Flame Imperishable. Animals and even plants talk in the stories, and I think that some form of consciousness remained in the inanimate objects of the world. These objects could not speak with words ( notice that Legolas is not quoting the stones, for there are no quotation marks), but the people of Middle Earth could sense their "thoughts" or feelings so to speak. Some races seemed much more adept at this than others, Elves in particular, and Men perhaps the least.

"And from the blade rang a cold voice in answer. Yea, I will drink thy blood gladly,that so I may forget the blood of Beleg my master, and the blood of Brandir slain unjustly. I will slay thee swiftly."

Well first we have to consider the quote from Melian,

But as Thingol turned the hilt of Anglachel towards Beleg, Melian looked at the blade; and she said: 'There is malice in this sword. The dark heart of the smith still dwells in it. It will not love the hand it serves; neither will it abide with you long.'

When someone creates something they often put some of their power into it: rings of power, Morgoth's power going into his servants, and so on. So you can see how the makers will could live on in the "thoughts" of the sword, and it did not have to be actual words, Túrin could be "sensing" as I mentioned above.