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Old 09-26-2011, 02:41 AM   #1
Estelyn Telcontar
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Silmaril Silmarillion - Chapter 24 - Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath

This is the final chapter of the Silmarillion proper. In it, the fate of the Silmarils and the end of the Oath are told, but first of all we read about Eärendil and Elwing.

What is it about mariners?! Eärendil has the same restlessness that we read of in the UT accounts of Númenorean sailors. His pure motivation, however, makes a difference. First, though, comes another tragedy, one last Elven Kinslaying resulting from the Oath of Fëanor's sons.

Ulmo continues to be the Vala who actively helps the people of Middle-earth, saving Elwing's life, and finally the other Valar get involved. What do you think is so special about these persons and events - is it the Silmaril that causes them to act?

'Hail Eärendil, of mariners most renowned' - if I remember rightly, that echoes the Old English poem that inspired Tolkien to create his Legendarium. There is a poem version of this story in LotR - "Eärendil was a mariner" in 'Many Meetings', first chapter of Book Two. (It contains the name for the lamp: "the Flammifer of Westernesse". OT - That is, incidentally, the name of the German Tolkien Society's publication.)

Some important groundwork is laid here for the LotR - we first encounter Elrond and the choice of the Half-Elven.

Vingilot is Tolkien's mythical explanation of our Morning Star, the planet Venus. What is it about "Eärendil in the Sky with Silmaril" ( ) that gives hope to the people of Middle-earth?

Morgoth's defeat in the Great Battle is certainly cause for rejoicing, yet there is still strife, coming from the last two sons of Fëanor. What do you think would have happened if Maglor had convinced his brother to yield? Interesting to read that the Silmarils burned them, whereas the one that had remained with the other Elves did not harm anyone. I'm reminded of the recent discussion on the effect of lembas on Gollum and the Orcs - what is evil cannot stand to touch pure goodness.

Happy ending? Tolkien's footnote seems to think not - though he leaves the possibility for one in the future open. Morgoth may be captive in the Void, but evil lives on in Middle-earth.

How do you feel about the end of the story and the fate of the Silmarils?
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Old 09-26-2011, 07:29 AM   #2
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For all its importance, the final story of the First Age received significantly less attention from Tolkien than the few tales preceding it. In part, this can be attributed to its being the last tale - Tolkien's habit of leaving texts unfinished meant that they often broke off before reaching the story of Earendil and the War of Wrath.

The germ of the Earendil story actually predates the 'Book of Lost Tales'. As Tolkien explained in a 1967 letter, he was struck by the name in the Old English poem 'Crist': Eala Earendel engla beorhtast. In 1914-1915 he wrote several poems on the subject of 'Earendel': 'Eala Earendel Engla Beorhtast', 'The Bidding of the Minstrel', 'The Shores of Faery', and 'The Happy Mariners', which, though not yet part of a coherent Legendarium, prefigured certain elements of the later Earendil story.

In the Book of Lost Tales, 'The Tale of Earendel' was conceived on a grand scale; indeed, it was actually to be a series of six connected tales. But these tales were never written, and all that we have of them is a series of tantalizing notes and outlines. Notably, in these outlines the end of the story is very different from that in the later Silmarillion. Here, the War of Wrath is unconnected with Earendil; birds from Gondolin bring the news of its fall to Valinor, and the Teleri and Solosimpi (i.e. Vanyar and Teleri), against the wishes of the Valar, go to war against Morgoth. Meanwhile Earendil reaches Kor (i.e. Tirion) and finds it empty. He then sails back to Sirion and finds it empty. Eventually he sails west again and launches his ship over the edge of the world and into the sky.

In the 1920s Tolkien wrote a fragment of alliterative verse that appears to be the beginning of a 'Lay of Earendel', but this proved to be the last time he would undertake to write a full version of the story. In the 'Sketch of the Mythology' and the 'Quenta Noldorinwa' the story is summarised - and though these texts differ in many ways from the 'Lost Tales' notes, the coming of the Valar and the War of Wrath are still unconnected with Earendil. In the 'Quenta', Earendil's chief motive for sailing west becomes his desire to seek aid from the Valar, but in this version 'he came too late'. It was only in a subsequent revision of the 'Quenta' that the key role of Earendil in obtaining the aid of the Valar was introduced. The 1937 'Quenta Silmarillion' breaks off after Turin's story, but it does include an isolated text that starts with Earendil's arrival in Tirion and extends to the end of the First Age; the chapter in the published Silmarillion is based partly on this text and partly on the 'Quenta Noldorinwa'.

Additional readings
HoMe II - Notes and outlines for the 'Tale of Earendel'; early poems
HoMe III - Fragment of a 'Lay of Earendel'
HoMe IV - 'Sketch of the Mythology' and 'Quenta Noldorinwa'
HoMe V - 'Quenta Silmarillion' ending

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Old 09-26-2011, 02:08 PM   #3
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In a weird sort of way, the fact that Tolkien never visited these final tales in detail makes them (and really, this single chapter could have been--or should have been--several tales, not just one) some of my favourites. The fact that they were sketched in such spare detail means that there is more empty canvas than usual to fill in with the imagination.

This is not to say that the rest of the Silmarillion leaves the reader thinking that everything that could be said about any given story has been said--on the contrary, the Silmarillion works a lot of its magic because of its remoteness: through the sense that there is so much unsaid, and unremembered.

The Tale of Eärendil, which should be the grand conclusion to the Silmarillion, takes this distance to greater lengths than the foregoing tales, and I think this adds to the deep sense of nostalgia* one feels in reading the Silmarillion. The breakdown of detailed narrative puts the reader into the position that Tolkien was in when he was grasping at the mostly-forgotten stories behind words like "Éarendel."




*And as a philological note, I think that the "-algia" part of this word, which comes from "pain" (or something approximating that... I don't speak Greek, after all), is quite appropriate.
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Old 09-28-2011, 03:55 PM   #4
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But Morgoth himself the Valar thrust through the Door of Night beyond the Walls of the World, into the Timeless Void; and a guard is set for ever on those walls, and Earendil keeps watch upon the ramparts of the sky. Yet the lies that Melkor, the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and wil bear dark fruit even unto the latest days.

~The Sil, Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath
A passage at the end that sumarises the irony, the feeling of a long defeat, the whole nature of The Sil. It's all concentrated in here.

But that's not the only reason I want to bring it up. In a way it suggests that the evil of ME, and possibly of our world as well, lies in lies. () Morgoth brought discord to the world even before it was created, and with it he brought a lie, a pretence that he wants to take care of it just like the other Valar. And from then on 'lies' stemmed into treachery, deciet, tricks, and etc and etc. When I think about it it makes more and more sense to me. It all involves lies.

Morgoth used lie after lie, sham after sham, to get the Noldor to revolt and during their war. His underlings did exactly the same. But lies were used in "good" context as well in the legendarium (although generally not):

-Frodo lies to Gollum to try and save him near Heneth Annun.

-Bilbo tricks the Dwarves and gives the Arkenstone to Thranduil

-Isildur saves the fruit of the Tree in disguise

-Amandil sails West against the king's laws

-Maedhros' attempt to trick Morgoth into giving back the Silmarils (which resulted in him being captured)

-The idea of bluff in the Battle of Cormallen

-and others.

Although in most of these those lying are uncomfortable with it, or they do it because they have no other choice, or it is a choice between a lie and something much worse. Yet deceit is used against "evil". Is this the case of everything serving Eru's purpose in the end? It doesn't really seem so, since most of the lying is still done by the opposite side. What is it then?

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What is it about "Eärendil in the Sky with Silmaril" that gives hope to the people of Middle-earth?
From the start they were rather attached to the Stars. Stars always meant hope for them. A new star, hence, means new hope. Moreover, this unexpected bit of light in the West was like a signal to them that help unlooked for will come from Valinor. I don't think that many of them got the direct message (who would, if the help is unlooked for?), but the idea of hope reached them (possibly with the help of their close connection with nature).


It makes perfect sense for the story that Earendil is literally halfelven. But that is a bit strange in the broader picture, since he is the only one of the Peredhil to be exactly half-half. Tolkien never seemed to me as one who paid much attention to being politically-correct. Earendil must really be a special case with the symbolic representation of the Two Kindreds.
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Old 09-28-2011, 09:17 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Galadriel55 View Post
It makes perfect sense for the story that Earendil is literally halfelven. But that is a bit strange in the broader picture, since he is the only one of the Peredhil to be exactly half-half. Tolkien never seemed to me as one who paid much attention to being politically-correct. Earendil must really be a special case with the symbolic representation of the Two Kindreds.
I find it intriguing that an entreaty by a true "halfelven" was the only means by which the aid of the Valar to defeat Morgoth could be obtained.

Obviously, the Noldor were the ones under the Doom; they had committed terrible acts of murder in the Blessed Realm itself, and there could be no easy solution for them. But what about the Edain? They were drawn to the West out of desire to see the fabled Light there, and to escape Morgoth. They should not have been part of the Doom.

Yet, in the chapter before, foreshadowing Eärendil, there is an account of a plea to the Valar from Ulmo in which he asks them to deliver the Noldor and recover the Silmarils. The answer was no, and it was said:

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....the hour was not yet come, and that only one speaking in person for the cause of both Elves and Men, pleading for pardon on their misdeeds and pity on their woes, might move the counsels of the Powers....
So, the Noldor had been guilty of the Kinslaying, and other evil deeds in Beleriand later. Why did Men have to be spoken for? Because some of them had followed Morgoth? Does that indicate that the Dwarves were in no need of a spokesman, that they just weren't as "guilty" in the eyes of the Valar as the other two kindreds?
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Old 09-29-2011, 08:51 AM   #6
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So, the Noldor had been guilty of the Kinslaying, and other evil deeds in Beleriand later. Why did Men have to be spoken for? Because some of them had followed Morgoth? Does that indicate that the Dwarves were in no need of a spokesman, that they just weren't as "guilty" in the eyes of the Valar as the other two kindreds?
The Dwarves do seem separate from Elves and Men. I think that their lives were entirely separate from the Two Kindreds, aside from some trade and a few words with them. They were by themselves. Elves and Men (especially Edain) were interlocked. The Edain adopted Elvish tradition, they lived with the Elves, they fought for the Elves (for themselves too, obviously, but for the Elves second right after that). The Men thus also got their share of the Doom of the Noldor. Dwarves, even though they helped, didn't fight for the Elves. They lived their own lives, independant of the Fair Folk. If they had any Doom, it was of the Dwarves.

Men, Edain in particular, put themselves under the same roof as Elves. Dwarves didn't. That's why Men need to be spoken for, and Dwarves aren't.

Just as a side note, intermarriage between Elves and Men is highly rare, but it happened. You don't see any Dwarf marrying outside of his/her kin. They were strictly separate.
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Old 06-11-2017, 11:12 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar View Post
This is the final chapter of the Silmarillion proper. In it, the fate of the Silmarils and the end of the Oath are told, but first of all we read about Eärendil and Elwing.

What is it about mariners?! Eärendil has the same restlessness that we read of in the UT accounts of Númenorean sailors. His pure motivation, however, makes a difference. First, though, comes another tragedy, one last Elven Kinslaying resulting from the Oath of Fëanor's sons.

Ulmo continues to be the Vala who actively helps the people of Middle-earth, saving Elwing's life, and finally the other Valar get involved. What do you think is so special about these persons and events - is it the Silmaril that causes them to act?

'Hail Eärendil, of mariners most renowned' - if I remember rightly, that echoes the Old English poem that inspired Tolkien to create his Legendarium. There is a poem version of this story in LotR - "Eärendil was a mariner" in 'Many Meetings', first chapter of Book Two. (It contains the name for the lamp: "the Flammifer of Westernesse". OT - That is, incidentally, the name of the German Tolkien Society's publication.)

Some important groundwork is laid here for the LotR - we first encounter Elrond and the choice of the Half-Elven.

Vingilot is Tolkien's mythical explanation of our Morning Star, the planet Venus. What is it about "Eärendil in the Sky with Silmaril" ( ) that gives hope to the people of Middle-earth?

Morgoth's defeat in the Great Battle is certainly cause for rejoicing, yet there is still strife, coming from the last two sons of Fëanor. What do you think would have happened if Maglor had convinced his brother to yield? Interesting to read that the Silmarils burned them, whereas the one that had remained with the other Elves did not harm anyone. I'm reminded of the recent discussion on the effect of lembas on Gollum and the Orcs - what is evil cannot stand to touch pure goodness.

Happy ending? Tolkien's footnote seems to think not - though he leaves the possibility for one in the future open. Morgoth may be captive in the Void, but evil lives on in Middle-earth.

How do you feel about the end of the story and the fate of the Silmarils?
I would say that it is very boring on Vigilot.

Earendil was able to bind the Silmaril to his brow, and he must have heard the Lore of origins of the gems and of Valinor. His plea to the West to stay the onslaught from Angband must have been much like an Emissary or family ambassador appealing to angry, estranged relatives to resolve the situation. The Silmarils were living jewels, so I suppose it is possible that they affect thinking and motivation like a Ring, but for different ends (i.e. call to their Origins - Valinor and Yavanna).

It is interesting that after the War of Wrath, Sauron's pleading to the Host involved Sauron seemingly pleading in earnest "he lied even unto himself". I do not know what power of Vanity exists that it is the case that judgers are unable to discern lies of the kind that led to Annatar.

It is interesting that the Silmarils burned the Sons of Feanor, yet Morgoth happily had them burning down upon his head (though dimmed as described). I suspect that this is an indication of rejection by the Stones (the Stones choosing who they permit) as they were living jewels, although how Maglor should be more culpable by that time than all the rest of the host is unclear. The Oath of Feanor probably has something to do with it, or perhaps some tie of the Stones to Mandos (after all, Mandos is everywhere in the Doom of the Stones).

Had the stones been released to Eonwe, then perhaps as was said in the Second Prophesy of Mandos, Yavanna could have rekindled the tress.
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