.... wait, what? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

William Cloud Hicklin · 02-10-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

I realize this is picking nits, but it bothers me.
Maybe it's just because this whole section of the Silmarillion was reconstructed by poor C.Tolkien.

Not really. This section as published is almost - aside from certain de-archaising - the text of the conclusion of the Qenta Noldorinwa (1930), which Tolkien copied verbatim into Quenta Silmarillion (1937), and then left largely untouched (he made a few additions in the Fifties, like Ancalagon destoying Thangorodrim in his fall).

The unfortunate brevity and (compressed) nature of this final chapter, and the Fall of Gondolin, aren't CT's fault- it's just that there was no later text available than, in essence, QN.

Vultur · 02-15-2009, 08:54 PM

I was under the impression that Elrond *saw* the forces, but did not take part in any actual fighting. ("Beleriand was ablaze with the glory of their arms"; it was hardly a sneaky movement of troops!) But then, I was always of the impression (largely because of that quote) that this was an INCREDIBLY huge army (millions at the very least, probably many millions), whose marching toward Angband would have covered most of Beleriand.

02-15-2009, 08:54 PM	#2
Vultur Pile O'Bones Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 14	I was under the impression that Elrond saw the forces, but did not take part in any actual fighting. ("Beleriand was ablaze with the glory of their arms"; it was hardly a sneaky movement of troops!) But then, I was always of the impression (largely because of that quote) that this was an INCREDIBLY huge army (millions at the very least, probably many millions), whose marching toward Angband would have covered most of Beleriand.