what are the Oathbreakers?

[Maluriel]

I've only read the Hobbit and the Fellowship but I liked the series enough to be at the first premier showing at midnight in Seattle. I typed in my name for what I would be, and it says Maluriel is a pointy eared oathbreaker. I assume that's a type of elf? I hope so, their my favorite, other than dragons. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img] [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

[Lostgaeriel]

Welcome to the Downs, Maluriel!

You will read about the Oathbreakers in The Return of the King. I don't want to spoil the story for you. But I guess you'll be disappointed to learn that (in the book) they were NOT elves, they were men.

But there is no reason why you can't be an oathbreaking elf. It's more likely you were - since you're now here in the Barrow Downs. You must have been a very bad elf indeed. [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

Continue reading The Lord of the Rings - you'll probably enjoy the part about the Oathbreakers.

[Elrian]

Or an extremely unlucky elf. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

[Maluriel]

but wait, if i have pointy ears, doesn't that mean i'm elven? are there pointy eared people?

[Elrian]

The Hobbits ears end in points too, so do the Orc's but your name is too nice to be Orcish!

[obloquy]

If Tolkien's Elves had pointy ears, so did his men. I recently posted a quote from Letters in which Tolkien wrote that the Numenoreans became physically (as well as in powers of mind) indistinguishable from the Elves.

But I'm sure this has been discussed (debated!) before. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[ December 21, 2001: Message edited by: obloquy ]

[Tarlondeion Of Gondolin]

I've read the Return of the King and all it says about them is they swore an oath that they would help Isildur in the last Alliance, however they broke their oath to Isildur. Can someone tell me some more about them please?

[Turgon_of_Gondolin]

The way I see it is that Elves have pointed ears. So you wouldn't go around calling an elf a pointed ear oathbreaker. most likly you were a man with an odd pair of pointed ears, but what do I know [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

I really don't know to much about the oathbreakers exept what is in "The Retun of the King". [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

[Elrian]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by obloquy:
[QB]If Tolkien's Elves had pointy ears, so did his men. I recently posted a quote from Letters in which Tolkien wrote that the Numenoreans became physically (as well as in powers of mind) indistinguishable from the Elves.

But I'm sure this has been discussed (debated!) before. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
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I'm sure Elros had pointy ears and that could have been a trait of many Numenoreans of his line. But all men didn't have pointy ears.

The oathbreakers were men of the White Mountains (Dunlendings) who swore an allegiance with Isildur when Gondor was founded, but broke their oath when called to battle during the Last Alliance, they had already been corrupted by Sauron during the Dark Years. For their betrayal, they were comdemned to remain in and near the White Mountains as spirits (after their deaths), until called to fulfill their oath by the heir of Isildur. For the entire Third Age they haunted the area above Dunharrow and the Paths of the Dead. During the War of the Ring they repaid their debt ab=nd vanished from Middle Earth.

[Dáin Ironfoot]

I think that the oathbreakers also made the dunharrow, that they were responsible for the caves and the stronghold.

[Elrian]

It was built in the Dark Years by the men of the mountains

[Orald]

I doubt obloquy was implying Numenorean men had pointy ears. More likely is that he was implying elves do not either, remember these elves aren't the ones from traditional myth, but are actually Eldar, elves merely being the closest translation into English.

But if elves did have pointed ears, then it may be referring to Feanor's sons, all swore an oath to retrieve the Silmarrils and in the end Maglor and Maedhros threw them away. Now if this was breaking the oath I don't really know.

Now that I think about it, Maluriel, I assume you used one of the name generators on this site. You should look to deep into the meaning of those, they are just for fun, and may not mean anything more than what they say, or even less.

[Dáin Ironfoot]

I think the oathbreakers did build it though, they inhabited it, also what is the signifacance of erech? Its just a rock

[Maluriel]

it makes sense that elves, who are mostly known for their ears, wouldn't be something that was pointed out (pardon the pun) to describe him. It seems odd though, that the rest also have pointy ears. I mean, elf is germain for "leaf ear" so it seems like the rest shouldn't also have that trait
oh well, i'll drop the subject now.

[Elrian]

Leaf shaped ears, hmmm... would that mean that different families of elves would have a different leaf shaped ear? What I mean by this would be: would the Silvan Elves have silver birch leaf shaped ears? or the the Nolder Oak leaf shaped ears, or the Mirkwood Cannibis leaf shaped ears, or the Sea Elves lily pad shaped ears?. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Luineglin]

wow that sea-elf would definitely look funny but back to the other topic going on here the erech to my knowledge(correct me if im wrong) was brought over by the numoreanens from numenor so it held some signifnance to the gondorians and the oathbreakers.