IHOP - The International House of Panacea

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by skip spence

An Elf? Maybe even eagles or other birds friendly to Elrond. I assume the valley was closely guarded. Obviously the surrounding area was scouted carefully ahead of the company's departure too.

Elves make good guards, and Eagles make good scouts, but I find it hard to believe either would be capable of completely safeguarding the Last Homely House. I'm not saying Vilya was the only protection Rivendell had, but I think it was what gave Elrond the ability to bring the flood at least.

'The river of this valley is under [Elrond's] power, and will rise in anger when he has great need to bar the Ford.'

FOTR Many Meetings

How would Elrond possess such power alone? Though great among the Eldar remaining in ME at that time, and surely one of the wisest of them, he had never lived in the Blessed Realm, and lacked the 'Old World' strength of people like Finrod Felagund or Círdan. It could be argued that his Maia blood might have been a factor, but then, I wonder why we don't see evidence of any 'supernatural' powers from him before he took possession of the Ring. Sauron would have wiped him out in the Second Age if not for the Dwarves of Moria.