Posted on 02/15/2002 7:01:31 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
Gandalf being careworn...
Elrond confirms this at Rivendell that the quest "shall be his great task, and maybe the end of his labors."
Heavy burden indeed.
Some of the more obscure writings of Tokien give more profound reasons for the Elves bailing out of Middle Earth.
Over millennia the fire of their souls, which are inherently free of evil, begin to cause a fading of their bodies, which are inevitably tainted with the evil introduced into all matter by Melkor, the master of Sauron. All of Middle Earth was, in a sense, the Ring of Melkor. Even after his destruction the matter of Middle Earth did not fit very well with the souls of the Elves, which led to a growing disquiet and desire to escape to Aman, the only place they could live at peace.
There may be a deeper meaning. In some of Tolkiens more obscure (later) works, the sun is a female Maiar, Anor, who is given by Varda a light (secret fire?) direct from Iluvatar that is uncontaminated by Melkors evil. Melkor angrily attacks and rapes Anor, who flees. Perhaps the secret fire of Anor is the source of the power of all the Istari, who are emissaries of the Valar to assist those who are fighting Sauron.
This meaning would take the secret fire back to the original Music of the Ainur, a great many millennia before the Rings were made. This would tie in with the light that is seen leaking from around Gandalf, especially after he returns as the White. Perhaps while dead in Aman, he is given greater access to or power over the Fire.
Your theory would be of a piece with the power, which Tolkien constantly emphasizes, of Iluvatar to introduce wild cards (miracles, if you will) outside of the normal course of event. The Destruction of Numenor and removal of Aman from Earth near the end of the Second Age is the classic example of this.
"I cannot read the fiery letters," said Frodo in a quavering voice."No," said Gandalf, "but I can. The letters are Elvish, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here."
Merely speaking of evil will empower it, and conversely, speaking of good will drive evil away. For example, there is Frodo's use of "O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!" on Weathertop.
Amazing all the details one remembers after nearly two decades and it's been a delight rediscovering forgotten details (having now re-read all of the Lord of the Rings). I'll read Silmarillian again when time permits. I lost all interest in Fantasy before High School since none of the other writers ever created anything approaching Tolkein, notwithstanding their efforts to. Alas that Tolkein, being as we of the lesser, and later Men, did not have the longevity of the first Numenorians, or better, of the Eldar.
Warmest regards and thanks again.
My hair stood on end in the movie every time the ring whispered,
"Azh nazg durbatuluk..."
I'm almost afraid to ask but what does that mean? Or is there any way of knowing?
Here's the full excerpt, btw, from the Council of Elrond (from the script):
Ring: Ash Nazg Durbatuluk! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul! Ash Nazg Gimbatul!
In Chapter 2 (oh, good, I'm on topic) Gandalf says that it's in Elvish letters but of the language of Mordor.
And then he translates it in the Common Tongue:
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
And I am only happy that it has been so well received and that everyone is getting a kick out of it.
Thankfully, we aren't subjected to much of this tongue in the Lord of the Rings.
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
Thanks for the reply. Thanks for letting me into the conspiracy -g-.
Elrond certainly was freaked out:
"Never before has any voice dared to utter words of that tongue in Imladris, Gandalf the Grey."But Gandalf was unapologetic.
It's like he was saying, "Better get used to it, 'cuz if that dude Sauron wins, you're gonna hear it in every corner."
Perhaps more interesting is Quenya, the high Elven tongue. Because its place in Middle-Earth is that of the language of knowledge and history, it is in someways very similar to Latin, such as in syntactically. It gains it truly beautiful, flowing style from a special blend of Finnish, Latin, and Greek.
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