The Silmarils and the Arkenstone
I've seen a couple of people speculating that the Arkenstone is a Silmaril. My first reaction was, "Bzuh? How could that be? The Silmarils were destroyed at the end of the First Age, except for the one that's become Earendil's star. No way one could be the Arkenstone."
But then I thought about it more. Maedhros, the eldest of the sons of Feanor, finally got one of the Silmarils at the end of the War of Wrath. However, unable to bear the pain of it, he threw himself and it into "a fiery chasm" of an active volcano. No idea where this chasm was, what volcano it was, whether this happened days after he got it or years... Canon doesn't tell us. Just that Maedhros and the Silmaril were returned to fire and earth. Nor do we know if that would actually destroy a Silmaril, though it certainly removes it from anywhere a corporeal being could ever look for it.
And then, something like seven thousand years later, dwarves mining in Erebor find the Arkenstone. Erebor is pretty clearly an inactive volcano, part of the chain across the north originally raised by Morgoth like the peaks of Thangorodrim. But that was long ago, and Erebor is now home to the line of Durin. They name it the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain, and it becomes a treasure of their house until Erebor is taken by Smaug. The Arkenstone is described as being of amazing brilliance, unlike any other jewel that the dwarves have ever seen (and surely they've seen everything that's naturally occurring), and having the remarkable property of shining even in darkness. It also has a mental effect -- the desire for the Arkenstone may arguably draw Smaug, while its effects on Thorin and others in The Hobbit are considerable. The desire to possess it drives people to madness and violence.
Just like a Silmaril. Which also has amazing brilliance, is like no naturally occurring stone, and shines in the darkness because it contains the light of the Two Trees. They're about the same size -- a Silmaril can be completely contained in Beren's hand in the Lay of Leithian, and the Arkenstone is bigger than Bilbo's fist, but Bilbo's hand is presumably smaller than Beren's. They look similar. And they have the similar and quite unique effects on people who possess them.
But why, one might ask, if the Arkenstone is a Silmaril why doesn't it burn Bilbo the way it burned Maedhros? First of all, the Silmarils don't burn everyone. They burn those who are unworthy and do horrible things to get them. Elwing, Elrond's mother, wore one for years with no apparent ill effects. Beren's hand took no burns from the Silmaril even after the horrible wolf thing bit it off and charged around in torment from the Silmaril. Bilbo has no desire to keep the Arkenstone. He grabs it as a bargaining chip and he never tries to keep it. A Silmaril wouldn't burn Bilbo anymore than it burned Beren.
But wouldn't people recognize it? Well, who? Who actually sees the Arkenstone who has seen a Silmaril? Elrond has certainly seen a Silmaril, but he never lays eyes on the Arkenstone. Ditto Galadriel and Celeborn, but they never see the Arkenstone either. Gandalf certainly sees the Arkenstone, but he's never seen a Silmaril since he came over the sea and he cannot remember before. Thranduil sees the Arkenstone, but he was born after the Silmarils were lost. One can presume in movieverse that Legolas sees the Arkenstone, but he was born long after the Silmarils were lost too, just like all the dwarves. Nobody who sees the Arkenstone has ever seen a Silmaril. And (perhaps very carefully) nobody who has seen a Silmaril ever actually sees the Arkenstone.
But if the Arkenstone is a Silmaril, that sure explains a lot!
What do you guys think?
But then I thought about it more. Maedhros, the eldest of the sons of Feanor, finally got one of the Silmarils at the end of the War of Wrath. However, unable to bear the pain of it, he threw himself and it into "a fiery chasm" of an active volcano. No idea where this chasm was, what volcano it was, whether this happened days after he got it or years... Canon doesn't tell us. Just that Maedhros and the Silmaril were returned to fire and earth. Nor do we know if that would actually destroy a Silmaril, though it certainly removes it from anywhere a corporeal being could ever look for it.
And then, something like seven thousand years later, dwarves mining in Erebor find the Arkenstone. Erebor is pretty clearly an inactive volcano, part of the chain across the north originally raised by Morgoth like the peaks of Thangorodrim. But that was long ago, and Erebor is now home to the line of Durin. They name it the Arkenstone, the Heart of the Mountain, and it becomes a treasure of their house until Erebor is taken by Smaug. The Arkenstone is described as being of amazing brilliance, unlike any other jewel that the dwarves have ever seen (and surely they've seen everything that's naturally occurring), and having the remarkable property of shining even in darkness. It also has a mental effect -- the desire for the Arkenstone may arguably draw Smaug, while its effects on Thorin and others in The Hobbit are considerable. The desire to possess it drives people to madness and violence.
Just like a Silmaril. Which also has amazing brilliance, is like no naturally occurring stone, and shines in the darkness because it contains the light of the Two Trees. They're about the same size -- a Silmaril can be completely contained in Beren's hand in the Lay of Leithian, and the Arkenstone is bigger than Bilbo's fist, but Bilbo's hand is presumably smaller than Beren's. They look similar. And they have the similar and quite unique effects on people who possess them.
But why, one might ask, if the Arkenstone is a Silmaril why doesn't it burn Bilbo the way it burned Maedhros? First of all, the Silmarils don't burn everyone. They burn those who are unworthy and do horrible things to get them. Elwing, Elrond's mother, wore one for years with no apparent ill effects. Beren's hand took no burns from the Silmaril even after the horrible wolf thing bit it off and charged around in torment from the Silmaril. Bilbo has no desire to keep the Arkenstone. He grabs it as a bargaining chip and he never tries to keep it. A Silmaril wouldn't burn Bilbo anymore than it burned Beren.
But wouldn't people recognize it? Well, who? Who actually sees the Arkenstone who has seen a Silmaril? Elrond has certainly seen a Silmaril, but he never lays eyes on the Arkenstone. Ditto Galadriel and Celeborn, but they never see the Arkenstone either. Gandalf certainly sees the Arkenstone, but he's never seen a Silmaril since he came over the sea and he cannot remember before. Thranduil sees the Arkenstone, but he was born after the Silmarils were lost. One can presume in movieverse that Legolas sees the Arkenstone, but he was born long after the Silmarils were lost too, just like all the dwarves. Nobody who sees the Arkenstone has ever seen a Silmaril. And (perhaps very carefully) nobody who has seen a Silmaril ever actually sees the Arkenstone.
But if the Arkenstone is a Silmaril, that sure explains a lot!
What do you guys think?