Elwing and the Silmaril
A Tsar Is Born
batle against Morgoth, never mind their own peace and security, why the hell
didn't Dior or Elwing or whoever else had the silmaril just give it back to
the sons of Feanor?
(It would have burnt them up, and good ridance.)
Tsar Parmathule
Stan Brown
rec.arts.books.tolkien, A Tsar Is Born
>Since they knew holding onto it was destroying elven unity and dooming the
>batle against Morgoth, never mind their own peace and security, why the hell
>didn't Dior or Elwing or whoever else had the silmaril just give it back to
>the sons of Feanor?
First, sentimental reasons: Elwing's grandfather and grandmother had
won it from Morgoth after terrible privations. Had it been a mere
piece of gravel I think it would have been precious to them for that
reason.
Second, the Silmaril had some sort of power to heal the hurts of
Middle-earth. When Lúthien wore it, "for a little while the Land of
the Dead that Live became like a vision of the land of the Valar,
and no place has been since so fair, so fruitful, or so filled with
light."
Third, the thing was pretty in itself, and it beautified its wearer:
"Then Dior arose, and about his neck he clasped the Nauglamír; and
now he appeared as the fairest of all the children of the world, of
threefold race: of the Edain, and of the Eldar, and of the Maiar of
the Blessed Realm."
Fourth, Dior would not have turned it over because the demand came
from Celegorm and Curufin, who had essentially tried to rape his
mother. And Elwing would not turn it over to the remaining brothers,
who had murdered her father.
Tolkien sums it all up in the "War of Wrath" chapter: "Then Elwing
and the people of Sirion would not yield the jewel which Beren had
won and Lúthien had worn, and for which Dior the fair was slain; and
least of all while Eärendil their lord was on the sea, for it seemed
to them that in the Silmaril lay the healing and the blessing that
had come upon their houses and their ships."
>(It would have burnt them up, and good riddance.)
I don't think anyone knew that then. Maedhros and Maglor were
surprised to discover it later.
--
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Glenn Holliday
>
> Since they knew holding onto it was destroying elven unity and dooming the
> batle against Morgoth, never mind their own peace and security, why the hell
> didn't Dior or Elwing or whoever else had the silmaril just give it back to
> the sons of Feanor?
The sons of Feanor had pretty thoroughly splintered elven unity
by that time. I'm not sure any of the Elves thought that
appeasing them would restore that. The argument in favor of
given the Silmaril to them was rightful ownership by inheritance.
I'm also not sure that keeping the Silmaril hurt the effort against
Morgoth. If anything, the taking of the Silmaril by Beren and
Luthien was the first indication in a long time that Morgoth
had weaknesses. It made sense for the house that performed that
feat to keep the token. Unless, of course, you're thinking about
the destruction of Elven unity being the deciding factor in the
war against Morgoth.
So I'm not convinced that giving the Silmaril to the sons of
Feanor would help either Elven unity or the war against Morgoth.
I'd enjoy hearing explanations of why it would.
--
Glenn Holliday holl...@acm.org
Yuk Tang
> A Tsar Is Born wrote:
>>
>> Since they knew holding onto it was destroying elven unity and
>> dooming the batle against Morgoth, never mind their own peace and
>> security, why the hell didn't Dior or Elwing or whoever else had the
>> silmaril just give it back to the sons of Feanor?
>
> The sons of Feanor had pretty thoroughly splintered elven unity
> by that time. I'm not sure any of the Elves thought that
> appeasing them would restore that. The argument in favor of
> given the Silmaril to them was rightful ownership by inheritance.
My impression was that the holders of the Silmaril were by fate incapable of
rational thinking. Melian had warned Thingol that his naming the jewels had
drawn him into the Feanorians' world, and similarly his descendants were
doomed into the same story of betrayal and kinslaying. The story only ended
when the last remaining oathtakers were betrayed by the jewels themselves.
Cheers, ymt.
A Tsar Is Born
"Yuk Tang" <jim.l...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:becc2u$3kuh1$1...@ID-134236.news.dfncis.de...
> My impression was that the holders of the Silmaril were by fate incapable
of
> rational thinking. Melian had warned Thingol that his naming the jewels
had
> drawn him into the Feanorians' world, and similarly his descendants were
> doomed into the same story of betrayal and kinslaying. The story only
ended
> when the last remaining oathtakers were betrayed by the jewels themselves.
Your comment makes sense to me.
It's part of that old Icelandic doom-laden saga stuff that JRRT found so
inspiring.
Tsar Parmathule