"Of the Rings of Power" Discussion Post
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
The Graphics Post has been updated again! New banners by lignota.
Welcome to the final chapter discussion!
Important: It’s perfectly fine to jump in, even if you haven’t participated in previous discussions. We don’t bite!
Banner by lignota.
Summary
Sauron becomes the most terrible of Melkor’s servants after he switches sides early in the history of Arda. After the War of Wrath, Sauron appears to Eönwë claiming to repent, but rather than accept judgement by the Valar, he hides himself in Middle-earth.
The War of Wrath causes many lands to sink beneath the waves and changes the geography of the coast. The River Lhûn changes course and ends in a new gulf whose surrounding lands of old were (and still are) named Lindon. This is Gil-galad’s kingdom, where Elrond lives and Mithlond is built. Other Elves travel east, mainly the survivors of Doriath and Ossiriand, and establish realms among the Silvan. The only lasting Noldorin realm east of the Blue Mountains is Eregion, and they have great friendship with the Dwarves who live in what will become known as Moria. Celebrimbor is the greatest in skill of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, the Fellowship of the Jewel-Smiths.
For some time there is peace across Arda, and the Avari wander and hear little of what occurred in Beleriand. Sauron, meanwhile, is busy corrupting Men in the east, as he is afraid of the power of Númenor and hates the Eldar. However, he returns westward and tries to persuade the Elves to ally themselves with him. Gil-galad and Elrond doubt him, but he finds welcome in Eregion, where he is known as Annatar.
Due to their goals of preservation and renewal, the Noldor there hearken to Sauron’s teachings, and they create Rings of Power. However, Sauron secretly creates the One Ring, where he puts much of his own power in order to subdue the Elven-rings. He puts on the Ring and the Elves immediately become aware of him and his desire of mastery. They stop using their rings. He declares war against them and demands all the rings that were made. The Elves hide the greatest three of their rings: Narya, Nenya, and Vilya.
Sauron overruns Eregion. Celebrimbor is slain, and Moria is shut. Elrond founds Imladris as a stronghold and refuge. But Sauron gathers the remaining Rings of Power and gives them to the other peoples of Middle-earth: seven for the Dwarves and nine for Men. Dwarves prove hard to subdue, but the Rings inflame their lust for gold. Some of these Rings are consumed by dragons, but others return to Sauron. Men, on the other hand, are easier to ensnare and all bearers eventually fall under Sauron’s dominion and become wraiths.
Sauron rules much of the world via fear and force, and he becomes known as the Enemy. Many of the Elves flee West. Due to Númenor’s alliance with Gil-galad, Sauron never approaches Lindon.
Sauron eventually feigns a surrender and travels to Númenor as a “prisoner” of Ar-Pharazôn. The Downfall happens and Númenor is destroyed. After Sauron’s return to Middle-earth, he discovers that Gil-galad’s power has grown even greater. He returns to Mordor planning war.
The survivors of Númenor are led by Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion. Elendil lands in Lindon, befriends Gil-galad, and sets his realm Arnor in Eriador. His sons land near the Anduin and they settle there in what becomes known as Gondor. Many treasures were brought forth from Númenor, among them the White Tree and the Palantíri, the Seeing Stones.
Sauron marches to war. Elendil stays in Osigiliath while his brother sails northward for help. Elendil and Gil-galad gather an army which is called the Last Alliance. They defeat Sauron’s army before the Black Gate and then lay siege. Anárion is slain during it, and at last Sauron himself comes forth. Elendil and Gil-galad die fighting him, but Isildur cuts the Ring from Sauron’s hand with Elendil’s broken sword, causing Sauron to flee. Isildur claims the Ring for his own. The Third Age begins.
The servants of Sauron are not wholly destroyed, but the White Tree is planted in Minas Anor that will become known as Minas Tirith. The Men of Gondor set a watch upon Mordor’s borders. After claiming the Ring as weregild despite the advice of Elrond and Círdan, Isildur gives the rule of Gondor to his nephew Melendil and heads northward. He is ambushed by Orcs in the Gladden Fields and the Ring is lost. Only three people and the shards of Narsil return.
Narsil is brought to Imladris, where it is not reforged. Elrond foretells that this will not be done until the Ring is found and Sauron returns. Eventually, the remnants of Arnor dwindle to a forgotten wandering people known as the Dúnedain, though the direct line of Isildur is never broken.
Gondor fares better, and is compared to Númenor before it fell. Yet it too dwindles, due in part to a devastating plague. The Ringwraiths gather and take Minas Ithil; it becomes known as Minas Morgul. After Gondor’s last king challenges the Morgul-lord and is taken alive into Minas Morgul, the line of Stewards rule Gondor. The Rohirrim settle in what becomes known as Rohan. The Ringwraiths will not cross the Anduin nor take the shape of Men outside of their city until Sauron returns to power.
Elrond lives in Imladris and gathers wise people to him. It becomes a place of rest and wisdom, and the Heirs of Isildur are fostered there as children and harbored there as old men. Imladris the main dwelling of the High Elves, though a remnant also remains in Lindon with Círdan. The Three Rings are now in use: Elrond has Vilya, Galadriel has Nenya, and Narya’s whereabouts are secret. Thus Imladris and Lothlórien become havens; though the prevailing thought is that if the One is found, their powers will fail and the Dominion of Men will begin.
After a third of the Age has past, a shadow creeps into Greenwood the Great and it receives its new name Mirkwood. About this time, the Istari appear. Curunír spends much time with Men and after wandering in the East, he settles in Orthanc. Radagast is the friend of animals. Mithrandir never leaves the northwest part of Middle-earth, though other, unnamed wizards do. Mithrandir’s wariness never ceases. The White Council-- consisting of Curunír, Mithrandir, Elrond, Galadriel, Círdan, and other lords of the Eldar-- is created. Curunír is chosen to be the leader, though Galadriel wanted Mithrandir in that position (he refused, saying his allegiance was to those who sent him). Curunír begins studying the lore about the Rings of Power.
Eventually, Elrond and Mithrandir decide that their fears are too great, and Mithrandir enters Mirkwood. He discovers that the shadow is Sauron. The White Council is convened and Mithrandir urges them to action. Curunír says the Ring is probably in the Sea by now and will not be found. Nothing is done, though several members are wary. Curunír is not yet known to be a traitor who is searching for the Ring himself. He discovers that Sauron’s men are also searching the Gladden Fields.
Eventually, he decides that Sauron cannot search there any longer and calls the White Council to action. Mithrandir concurs, due to the Ringwraiths and that three of the Dwarven rings have been recovered by Sauron. They drive Sauron out of Dol Guldur, but it is merely a feint and he returns to Mordor. War brews.
However, the Ring has been found years before anyone began searching, and its finder fled into the mountains, where It and he remained-- until a passing traveler found the Ring in the dark and brought It back into the daylight. Mithrandir learns of this and has doubts about what to do, so he has the Dúnedain set a watch upon the Shire. Sauron eventually learns of this and sends the Ringwraiths to recover It, kindling war.
The Heir of Isildur travels to Imladris, where Narsil is reforged. Aragorn leads the battle. Rohan sees fighting and the downfall of Curunír. The Morgul-lord is defeated in the battle before Minas Tirith. Aragorn leads Mithrandir, the sons of Elrond, the King of Rohan, lords of Gondor, and the Dúnedain of the North to the Black Gate to do hopeless battle against the might of Mordor. But Frodo and his servant succeed in their desperate quest to destroy the Ring: Sauron is permanently defeated. Peace comes again and Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor and Arnor.
Mithrandir was the chief mover of these events, and upon his departure from Middle-earth it is revealed that he is the bearer of Narya, which had originally been entrusted to Círdan. But when Mithrandir had landed, Círdan gave it to him in order for it to do its work of rekindling hope and courage.
Due to the defeat of the Ring, the power of the Three Rings ends. The Keepers of the Three Rings travel to the Sea and sail West on ship Círdan supplies. The remnants of the Noldor leave as well.
Our Favorite Quotes
~ “But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë. Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence, it might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith; for under Morgoth his power had been great.”
~ “Many Elves dwelt there indeed, as they had dwelt through the countless years, wandering free in the wide lands far from the Sea; but they were Avari, to whom the deeds of Beleriand were but a distant rumor and Valinor only a distant name.”
~ “It was in Eregion that the counsels of Sauron were most gladly received, for in that land the Noldor desired ever to increase the skill and subtlety of their works. Moreover they were not at peace in their hearts, sinec they had refused to return into the West, and they desired both to stay in Middle-earth, which indeed they loved, and yet to enjoy the bliss of those that had departed.”
~ “But the Elves were not so lightly to be caught. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him, and perceived that he would be master of them, and of all that they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings.”
~ “From that time war never ceased between Sauron and the Elves; and Eregion was laid waste, and Celebrimbor slain, and the doors of Moria were shut. In that time the stronghold and refuge of Imladris, that Men called Rivendell, was founded by Elrond Half-elven; and long it endured.”
~ “The Dwarves indeed proved tough and hard to tame; they ill endure the domination of others, and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to fathom, nor can they be turned to shadows.”
~ “But that ruin was more terrible than Sauron had foreseen, for he had forgotten the might of the Lords of the West in their anger. The world was broken, and the land was swallowed up, and the seasrose over it, and Sauron himself went down into the abyss. But his spirit arose and fled back on a dark wind to Middle-earth, seeking a home.”
~ “[Elendil and his sons] were mighty men and their ships were strong and tall, but the tempests overtook them, and they were borne aloft on hills of water even to the clouds, and they descended upon Middle-earth like birds of the storm.”
~ “[Sauron] took up again the great Ring and clothed himself in power; and the malice of the Eye of Sauron few even of the great among Elves and Men could endure.”
~ “Ever [the Men of Arnor] dwindled with the years, until their glory passed, leaving only green mounds in the grass.”
~ “In the south the realm of Gondor endured, and for a time in splendour grew, until it recalled the wealth and majesty of Númenor ere it fell. High towers the people of Gondor built, and strong places, and havens of many shups; and the Winged Crown of the Kings of Men was held in awe by people of many lands and tongues. For many a year the White Tree grew before the King's house in Minas Anor, the seed of that tree which Isildur brought out of the deeps of the sea from Númenor, and the seed before that came from Avallónë, and before that from Valinor in the Day before days when the world was young.”
~ “In all the days of the Third Age, after the fall of Gil-galad, Master Elrond abode in Imladris, and he gathered there many Elves, and other folk of wisdom and power from among all the kindreds of Middle-earth, and he preserved through many lives of Men the memory of all that had been fair; and the house of Elrond was a refuge for the weary and the oppressed, and a treasury of good counsel and wise lore.”
~ “For Frodo the Halfling, it is said, at the bidding of Mithrandir took on himself the burden, and alone with his servant he passed through peril and darkness and came at last in Sauron’s despite even to Mount Doom; and there into the fire where it was wrought he cast the Great Ring of Power, and so at last it was unmade and its evil consumed.”
~ “In the twilight of autumn, it sailed out of Mithlond, until the Seas of the Bent World fell away beneath it, and the winds of the round sky troubled it no more, and borne upon the high seas above the mists of the world it passed into the Ancient West, and an end was come to the Eldar of story and of song.”
Alternate Versions
While there is much information about this time period in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it is beyond the scope of this project to locate every mention of the Second and early Third Ages in those books or their respective History of… volumes. In fact, there are no actual drafts of this chapter available. However, there is related material in various essays.
~ LotR’s Appendix B contains the timelines for these Ages. Some of the relevant dates follow:
- In the Second Age: Eregion is founded in 750. Sauron makes Mordor his stronghold in 1000 and then seduces Eregion in 1200. They begin making the Rings of Power in 1500, with the creation of the Three Elven Rings in 1590. The One Ring is forged in 1600. 1697 sees Celebrimbor’s death and the destruction of Eregion, but in 1701 Sauron is driven out of Eriador. Ar-Pharazôn “captures” Sauron in 3262 and the Downfall of Númenor is in 3319. In 3429 Sauron attacks Gondor, causing the Last Alliance to be formed in 3430. In 3441, the Second Age ends with Gil-galad’s and Elendil’s deaths and the defeat of Sauron.
- In the Third Age: Greenwood the Great become Mirkwood and the Istari come to Middle-earth at about 1050. In 1100, the Wise discover evil in Mirkwood but think it one of the Nazgûl. In 2063 Sauron feigns a retreat from Dol Guldur and there is a Watchful Peace, but in 2460 Sauron returns to Dol Guldur. In 2463, Gollum find the One Ring. In 2850 Gandalf discovers it is indeed Sauron in Dol Guldur. Bilbo finds the One Ring in 2941 and in 3001 he gives it to Frodo. The War of the Ring occurs in 3018-3019 and Sauron is permanently defeated with the destruction of the Ring. In 3021, the bearers of the Elven Rings sail to Valinor and the Third Age ends. (1)
~ The drafts for the Tale of Years in Appendix B have been published in The Peoples of Middle-earth. They show the development of the “history” of the Second Age and the ordering of Tolkien's thoughts concerning the somewhat neglected timespan between the War of Wrath and the Last Alliance. The first, very basic draft - called T(a) by Christopher Tolkien - deals only with a rough time scheme. In it, Tolkien figured out the approximate length of the Second Age, based on the founding of Númenor in the year 10 of the Second Age, the number of Númenorean kings (only fourteen at the time, assuming an average reign of 240 years for each), Elendil's age at the Fall of Númenor (200 years) and the idea that the newly founded Númenorean realms in Middle-earth would have lasted 100 years before Sauron attacked. This number was later changed to 110 years, and the establishment of Númenor was pushed to 50 S.A.. In the final version of the draft, the Downfall occurred in 3320 S.A., and the Second Age ended after 3440 years. (2)
~ Tolkien sketched a more detailed timeline at about the same time, preserved in T1. Most key points of the history of the Second Age can be found here, though there is as yet no mention of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain or the Rings of Power - except for the One Ring. There is also no mention of Galadriel, the woodland Elves, or the shadow that has come over Númenor before Sauron ever came there. The end of the Second Age is moved to 3441 S.A.
Further manuscripts based on T1 exist. T2 removes one entry and, somewhat strangely, adds a separate one for the flight of Elendil and his sons to Middle-earth - a whole year after the Downfall. T3 introduces a separate entry for the death of Anárion. T4 mentions Thranduil, Galadriel and Celeborn, and the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, though only in a brief statement that the Rings of Power were made in Eregion between 1200 and 1500 (it is not said by whom), but the One Ring was forged by Sauron in Orodruin. Elendil and his sons now (reasonably) escape from the ruin of Númenor in 3320, but only begin to found their new realms a year later. The friendship between Gil-galad and Galadriel is explained: Galadriel is first said to be Gil-galad's sister, then, the sister of his sire Felagund. On the whole, this timeline is a lot more detailed than its predecessors. In all these versions, Imladris is founded in 750, at the same time as Eregion, rather than in 1697 after Eregion has been laid waste as it is in Appendix B. (2; 1)
~ The bare bones material for what became this chapter can be found in one of the drafts for “The Council of Elrond.” In it, Elendil and his sons sail into the Gulf of Lindon, and afterward Isildur and Anárion sail south to the Anduin. After Minas Ithil falls to Sauron, Isildur sails north for Elendil, who comes with the Last Alliance. It is also the first appearance of some places and names: Tarkilmar/Westermanton (Annúminas), Gorgorath, and the Mountains of Shadow (Ephel Dúath). (3)
~ Other available draft material relates to the creators of the Rings of Power. Tolkien’s original conception was that Sauron made the Three. In the course of writing LotR, he changed his mind so that Fëanor made them, and they were stolen alongside the Silmarils by Morgoth. This was immediately crossed out, returned briefly to Sauron creating them, and then a return to the second version where Fëanor created them but Morgoth created the One Ring in secret. This conception was swiftly abandoned in its entirety. The next conception was close to the final one, where the Elves made the Rings with Sauron’s help. However, he took the One as his reward. This last was immediately crossed out, and became the final version, where Sauron created it secretly and the Elves hid the Three and never used them while he held the One. While all of this is found in material relating to the “Galadriel” chapter, JRRT probably intended it at the time of writing to be placed in “The Council of Elrond.” (4)
~ The beginnings of the friendship and alliance between the Men of Númenor and the Elves of Lindon can be observed in “Aldarion and Erendis”. Aldarion, on his many journeys to Middle-earth, becomes a friend and counsellor of Gil-galad, and carries a letter from Gil-galad to his father the King. Tar-Meneldur resigns the sceptre, long before this would have been expected, due to his uncertainty about how to deal with the trouble brewing in Middle-earth as described by Gil-galad. (5) The list of Númenorean kings mentions, among other things, how this alliance progresses. Although Tar-Aldarion becomes king specifically to address the rising evil in Middle-earth, he cannot actually do much against Sauron: he is “too late, or too early”. His daughter and heir, Tar-Ancalimë, gives no aid to Gil-galad. Only the eleventh king, Tar-Minastir, sends a large fleet to support Gil-galad in the first war against Sauron; this leads to Sauron's flight to Mordor. In after years, the Númenoreans (except for the Elf-friends) go to Middle-earth rather to gather wealth than to aid the Elves, and fall out of touch with the Eldar of Middle-earth - and, apparently, with news about Sauron's true powers. (6)
~ While the predominant focus in most writings about the Second Age is, for its first 3320 years, on Númenor, “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” puts a spotlight on events in Middle-earth, with the focus (obviously) on Galadriel and her family. We learn of their movements first towards Lake Nenuial, where they came to be regarded as Lord and Lady of the Eldar in Eriador, and then eastwards to what becomes Ost-in-Edhil. Although Celeborn is strongly opposed to the Dwarves, even those whose peoples are innocent of the destruction of Doriath, Galadriel already perceives that evil will not be defeated unless all free peoples unite. She also sympathises with their love for their craft, and finally looks upon the Dwarves “with the eye of a commander”, realising that they will be the best warriors against the Orcs. She therefore establishes a friendship with the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. This also leads to contacts with the Nandorin realm of Lórinand. Sauron pretends to be an emissary of the Valar. Galadriel scorns him, though it is not explained why and how, or, if she sees through his disguise, why she allows him to remain in Eregion. According to a note, Sauron introduced himself as Artano (“high-smith) and Aulendil, but Galadriel knew that he had not been of Aulë's following in Valinor anymore. So while she may not have known who he truly was, she did know that he was lying or not telling the whole truth. However, that note does not mention the name of Annatar at all, so it may be an older version and no longer applicable. (7, footnote 7)
At any rate, Sauron beguiles Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-i-Mírdain. Between 1350 and 1400, he convinces them to revolt against Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel passes through Khazad-dûm into Lórinand. She takes Celebrían and Amroth (who in this version is her and Celeborn's son) with her, but Celeborn refuses to enter the mansions of the Dwarves and stays behind. Celebrimbor disregards him.
When Celebrimbor finds out about Sauron's true identity, he takes counsel with Galadriel in Lórinand. They “fail to find the strength” to destroy the Rings of Power, but Galadriel advises Celebrimbor to hide the three Rings that Sauron did not help to create. She herself receives Nenya, while Narya and Vilya are given to Gil-galad. Tolkien did not make up his mind whether Gil-galad kept Narya until he left for the War of the Last Alliance, or whether he immediately gave it to Círdan: Both versions appear in the very same text.
Sauron learns about Celebrimbor's rebellion against him, and sends an army to destroy Eregion. Although Círdan sends a force led by Elrond to counter them, they have a long way to go. When Sauron's army approach Eregion, Celeborn makes a sortie, drives the enemies back and manages to join his force to that of Elrond, but they cannot make their way back to Eregion. Celebrimbor is not slain on the doorstep as “Of the Rings of Power” apply, but taken alive and tortured. Because the Seven and the Nine are not dear to his heart - Sauron helped to make them - he reveals where they are, but he says nothing about the Three, which he made alone. Sauron is frustrated and has him put to death, but he guesses correctly that they must have been given to Elven guardians, i.e. Galadriel and Gil-galad. Sauron uses the dead body of Celebrimbor as a banner when he attacks Elrond's host. If the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and the Elves of Lórinand had not come to Elrond's aid, he and all his force would have been killed. Elrond withdraws northwards and establishes Imladris. Sauron breaks off pursuit, but leaves part of his army to prevent Elrond and his host from coming down upon his rear. The rest make for Lindon. Gil-galad has called on help from Númenor, but the Númenorean army dispatched by Tar-Minastir only arrives in 1700. By that time, Sauron has all Eriador in his grasp, save for the Grey Havens and Imladris. With the aid of the Númenoreans, the Elves manage to drive Sauron away. He suffers grievous losses and eventually withdraws to Mordor, plotting revenge.
The sea-longing grows strong in Galadriel, and she leaves Lórinand, which she commits to Amroth. She travels to Imladris with Celebrían to seek Celeborn. The first White Council is held, and it is determined that the Elvish stronghold at Imladris, rather than in Eregion, should be maintained. Gil-galad gives Vilya to Elrond and appoints him to be his vice-regent. Elrond falls in love with Celebrían, although he says nothing about it. Galadriel, Celeborn and Celebrían move to Belfalas, in what will later be called Dol Amroth. Elrond and Celebrían marry in 109 of the Third Age. Galadriel doesn't return to Lórinand before 1981 T.A. (7)
~ Tolkien later rejected the idea that Amroth was the son of Galadriel and Celeborn, perhaps because he did not mention the connection in The Lord of the Rings. Instead, Amroth of Lórien becomes the son of Amdír, a Sindarin prince who may or may not have been related to Thranduil and was slain in the Dagorlad. Galadriel now dwells in Lórien with Amroth while trying to learn more about Dol Guldur, but then removes to Imladris where she lives for many years. Galadriel and Celeborn return to Lórien twice during the Second Age, but only stay there for good after Amroth has drowned in the Third Age. He has left no heir, and the people of Lórien welcome their new Noldorin overlords who do not call themselves Queen and King, but only guardians. (7)
~ “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” also touches upon the history of Celebrimbor, which is varied and interesting. According to different drafts, Celebrimbor is one of the Teleri who accompanied Galadriel and (Amanya) Celeborn when they built their own ship to leave Valinor (7), a survivor of Gondolin who was alwas bested by Enerdhil (7, “The Elessar”), or a Sinda who claims descent from Daeron. Curiously, Tolkien decided in time for the second edition of The Lord of the Rings that Celebrimbor should be descended from Fëanor and had a line to that effect added to Appendix B. He later painstakingly figured out which sons of Fëanor were married (Curufin, Maglor and Caranthir), and who among them could be responsible for Celebrimbor. Yet as late as 1968, when expounding on the Elvish words for 'hand', Tolkien claimed that Celebrimbor was a Sindarinized form of Telperimpar, which was supposed to be a common Telerin name, and that Celebrimbor of Eregion was certainly of Telerin descent. At around the same time, Tolkien wrote the essay “Of Dwarves and Men” in which the idea of Celebrimbor being a Sindar, and claiming descent from Daeron, is presented. He clearly forgot that Celebrimbor as a descendant of Fëanor had already appeared in print, and it seems that he still had not made up his mind about Celebrimbor's parentage. (8)
~ In a series of manuscripts written evidently after the publication of The Lord of the Rings, titled by Christopher Tolkien as “The Hunt for the Ring”, Tolkien attempted to shed some light on the events surrounding the captivity of Gollum both in Mordor and among the Elves, as well as the dealings of Saruman in the Shire (begun long before the events recorded in The Lord of the Rings), and the Ringwraiths' search for the Ring. It explains, for instance, why it took them so long to reach the Shire: Gollum did not say where it was located, and the Ringwraiths searched for it directly by the Misty Mountains for a long time. In one version, Gríma is captured by the Ringwraiths and betrays Saruman's ambitions, but this encounter would have messed with the timeline, so Tolkien rejected the idea. (9)
~ An essay that Tolkien wrote about the Istari while The Lord of the Rings was in print explains that they spent a long time after their arrival in Middle-earth wandering around to learn everything about Middle-earth, the people dwelling there, and their own incarnate bodies before interacting with Men and Elves. The Istari had to take the humble form of aged Men because the Valar did not want them to show forth their majesty, working only as counsellors and not as rulers. Therefore the Istari did not reveal their powers and purpose to anyone, although the wisest among Elves may have guessed near the mark. Círdan, for instance, immediately offers Narya to Olórin because he says that the Ring belongs “in nobler hands than mine, that may wield it for the kindling of all hearts to courage”. Once Men realised that in spite of their apparent age, the Istari did not die, they believed that they were of Elven-kin (hence Gandalf's “Common” name, which signifies “Wand-elf”).
According to the longest coherent text on the Istari, only three names of the Istari are known: Curunír, Radagast and Olórin. Radagast is said to be a name of Númenorean origin, but it does not well fit with what little is known about Adûnaic. Tolkien later decided that it came from the language of Men who lived in the Vales of Anduin. A brief and hasty note sketched, apparently, the scene in which the Istari receive their errand from Manwë and Varda; in it, the missing two Istari are named as Alatar and Pallando, and Radagast is named Aiwendil. A different sketch links the Istari to the following of specific Valar. Olórin is related to Manwë and Varda (after initially being said to have been “counsellor of Irmo”), Curumo (Curunír) to Aulë, Aiwendil to Yavanna, Alatar and Pallando to Oromë, though later Pallando was linked rather to Mandos and Nienna. Tolkien himself appears to be unsure of Alatar's and Pallando's fate, stating only that they went East. He notes to himself that he “fears that they failed” in their errand of succouring the people of Middle-earth against Sauron, but that “they were founders or beginners of secret cults and “magic” traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron”.
Curunír was resentful of his company from the beginning: Yavanna made him take Aiwendil along on the mission to Middle-earth, and although Olórin never spoke of the Ring of Fire, Curunír later found out that it had been given to Olórin rather than to him, the apparent leader.
In the Fourth Age, there appears to have sprung up a belief among Men that Olórin was in fact Manwë in diguise, although Tolkien makes it clear that this was a false belief.
It is unclear how many Istari were sent to Middle-earth. The five that we know are merely said to be the chiefs of those who came to the North, so there may have been countless “lesser” ones both in the North and elsewhere. (10)
~ Another hardly legible note gives the names of Morinehtar (“Darkness-slayer”) and Romestano (“East-helper”) to the two other chief Istari. According to this note, they arrived much earlier than Aiwendil and Olórin, probably along with Glorfindel during the Second Age; but it is also stated that while Curunír may have arrived alongside Aiwendil and Olórin, it is more likely that he came alone, and first, i.e. even earlier in the Second Age. (11) This contradicts the essay on the Istari, which states that the Istari arrived in Middle-earth around 1000 T.A. (10) However, it would explain a note in the “History of Galadriel and Celeborn”, according to which Sauron claimed to be an emissary of the Valar, in anticipation of the Istari. This reference to the Istari during the Second Age would only make sense if there were already some Istari around and known to the Eldar. (7, Footnote 7) However, it may well be that Aiwendil and Olórin only came in the Third Age. Otherwise, Círdan would perhaps not have been able to give Narya to Olórin immediately upon his arrival. The sketch of the council of the Valar certainly shows Olórin as reluctant to accept his mission, because he fears that he is too weak for it. This may explain the delay. (10)
~ Letter 131 explicitly says the making of the Rings of Power is a “fall” of the Elves, in that it was-- on Sauron’s part-- a sneaky rebellion against the Valar by trying to set up an independent paradise and also that these Rings are the nearest the Elves come to “magic and machinery.” Tolkien also further explains the weaknesses of the One Ring: a sufficiently strong-willed bearer could usurp Sauron and that destroying the Ring would reduce Sauron to an impotent shadow. He did not fear the latter, as it was unbreakable by any smithcraft save his own and only in Mount Doom in the middle of Mordor. Furthermore, anyone who used it could not bear to harm it-- and at this point in time (the Second Age), Sauron wore it, so even that protection was supposedly needless. Other parts of this letter also touch on matters contained in “Of the Rings of Power,” but merely as summaries. (12)
Food for Thought
~ To you, is this chapter an integral part of the Silmarillion, linking it directly to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, or is it something that you tend to skip?
~ Do you think that if Sauron had not been forced to return to Aman for judgement in order to be pardoned, he would have remained repentant? Or does Tolkien use his reluctance to return in humiliation as a sign that he would have relapsed sooner or later?
~ Would this chapter be more interesting or more tedious to you if all the information about Galadriel and Celeborn had been included?
~ Do you find it believable that the Nandorin inhabitants of Lórien accepted Galadriel and Celeborn as their rulers, either in the Second Age or after the death of Amroth? What may have been their motivation?
~ Why do you think Gil-galad and Elrond were leery of Annatar and Celebrimbor was not?
~ Do you agree with Tolkien that creating the Rings was a spiritual “fall” of the Elves?
~ Do you find it believable that Sauron left his ring in Barad-dûr before he traveled to Númenor?
~ Christopher Tolkien appears puzzled by Yavanna's insistence on the addition of Aiwendil to the Istari, since Aiwendil appears to be distracted from his mission by the birds and beasts of Middle-earth almost at once. However, is it not likely that Yavanna was worried that her fellow Valar only had the Children of Eru in mind, and (once again) were overlooking “her” creatures? In other words, is Aiwendil's attention to the animal kingdom truly failure, or is he performing precisely the task for which he was appointed?
~ The author of “Of the Rings of Power” appears to be Gondorian based on the use of Periannath to describe the Hobbits. But said writer is also not one of the Fellowship due to “But those who saw the things that were done in that time […] have elsewhere told the tale of the War of the Ring.” So who do you think wrote “Of the Rings of Power” and when?
~ The writer of “Rings” states that the tale of the Ring War can be found elsewhere. Despite that, s/he left out Gollum. Why do you think that is-bias, a lack of knowledge, or something else entirely?
~ Do you find The Silmarillion’s Appendix helpful or do you find it confusing due to the mixture of Quenya and Sindarin? Do you think the Note on Pronunciation would be more useful if it used a phonetic alphabet rather than examples?
Works Cited
(1) The Return of the King, The Appendices, Appendix B
(2)The Peoples of Middle-earth, Part One: The Prologue and Appendices to The Lord of the Rings, VI The Tale of Years of the Second Age
(3) The Treason of Isengard, VI The Council of Elrond (2), The Fifth Version
(4) The Treason of Isengard, XIII Galadriel
(5) Unfinished Tales, Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife.
(6) Unfinished Tales, The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor.
(7) Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and of Amroth King of Lóthien.
(8) The Peoples of Middle-earth, Late Writings. “Of Dwarves and Men.”
(9) Unfinished Tales, The Hunt for the Ring.
(10) Unfinished Tales, The Istari.
(11) The Peoples of Middle-earth, Late Writings. “Last Writings”. The Five Wizards.
(12) The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 131
Please note: We don't know everything and it's perfectly possible that we missed something. These summaries and questions are by no means supposed to be complete and exhaustive. If you have looked further into this particular topic or would like to discuss something that we've overlooked, please share it!
Also, please don't be afraid to talk amongst yourselves. We don't want this to be an echo chamber or for us to be lecturing to you. We want this to be a discussion among the community as a whole - everybody's got something to contribute!
Finally, don't forget to rec your favorite fanworks related to this chapter in the Fanworks Rec Post.
The Wrap-up Post will be up on December 28.
The Graphics Post has been updated again! New banners by lignota.
Welcome to the final chapter discussion!
Important: It’s perfectly fine to jump in, even if you haven’t participated in previous discussions. We don’t bite!
Banner by lignota.
Summary
Sauron becomes the most terrible of Melkor’s servants after he switches sides early in the history of Arda. After the War of Wrath, Sauron appears to Eönwë claiming to repent, but rather than accept judgement by the Valar, he hides himself in Middle-earth.
The War of Wrath causes many lands to sink beneath the waves and changes the geography of the coast. The River Lhûn changes course and ends in a new gulf whose surrounding lands of old were (and still are) named Lindon. This is Gil-galad’s kingdom, where Elrond lives and Mithlond is built. Other Elves travel east, mainly the survivors of Doriath and Ossiriand, and establish realms among the Silvan. The only lasting Noldorin realm east of the Blue Mountains is Eregion, and they have great friendship with the Dwarves who live in what will become known as Moria. Celebrimbor is the greatest in skill of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, the Fellowship of the Jewel-Smiths.
For some time there is peace across Arda, and the Avari wander and hear little of what occurred in Beleriand. Sauron, meanwhile, is busy corrupting Men in the east, as he is afraid of the power of Númenor and hates the Eldar. However, he returns westward and tries to persuade the Elves to ally themselves with him. Gil-galad and Elrond doubt him, but he finds welcome in Eregion, where he is known as Annatar.
Due to their goals of preservation and renewal, the Noldor there hearken to Sauron’s teachings, and they create Rings of Power. However, Sauron secretly creates the One Ring, where he puts much of his own power in order to subdue the Elven-rings. He puts on the Ring and the Elves immediately become aware of him and his desire of mastery. They stop using their rings. He declares war against them and demands all the rings that were made. The Elves hide the greatest three of their rings: Narya, Nenya, and Vilya.
Sauron overruns Eregion. Celebrimbor is slain, and Moria is shut. Elrond founds Imladris as a stronghold and refuge. But Sauron gathers the remaining Rings of Power and gives them to the other peoples of Middle-earth: seven for the Dwarves and nine for Men. Dwarves prove hard to subdue, but the Rings inflame their lust for gold. Some of these Rings are consumed by dragons, but others return to Sauron. Men, on the other hand, are easier to ensnare and all bearers eventually fall under Sauron’s dominion and become wraiths.
Sauron rules much of the world via fear and force, and he becomes known as the Enemy. Many of the Elves flee West. Due to Númenor’s alliance with Gil-galad, Sauron never approaches Lindon.
Sauron eventually feigns a surrender and travels to Númenor as a “prisoner” of Ar-Pharazôn. The Downfall happens and Númenor is destroyed. After Sauron’s return to Middle-earth, he discovers that Gil-galad’s power has grown even greater. He returns to Mordor planning war.
The survivors of Númenor are led by Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion. Elendil lands in Lindon, befriends Gil-galad, and sets his realm Arnor in Eriador. His sons land near the Anduin and they settle there in what becomes known as Gondor. Many treasures were brought forth from Númenor, among them the White Tree and the Palantíri, the Seeing Stones.
Sauron marches to war. Elendil stays in Osigiliath while his brother sails northward for help. Elendil and Gil-galad gather an army which is called the Last Alliance. They defeat Sauron’s army before the Black Gate and then lay siege. Anárion is slain during it, and at last Sauron himself comes forth. Elendil and Gil-galad die fighting him, but Isildur cuts the Ring from Sauron’s hand with Elendil’s broken sword, causing Sauron to flee. Isildur claims the Ring for his own. The Third Age begins.
The servants of Sauron are not wholly destroyed, but the White Tree is planted in Minas Anor that will become known as Minas Tirith. The Men of Gondor set a watch upon Mordor’s borders. After claiming the Ring as weregild despite the advice of Elrond and Círdan, Isildur gives the rule of Gondor to his nephew Melendil and heads northward. He is ambushed by Orcs in the Gladden Fields and the Ring is lost. Only three people and the shards of Narsil return.
Narsil is brought to Imladris, where it is not reforged. Elrond foretells that this will not be done until the Ring is found and Sauron returns. Eventually, the remnants of Arnor dwindle to a forgotten wandering people known as the Dúnedain, though the direct line of Isildur is never broken.
Gondor fares better, and is compared to Númenor before it fell. Yet it too dwindles, due in part to a devastating plague. The Ringwraiths gather and take Minas Ithil; it becomes known as Minas Morgul. After Gondor’s last king challenges the Morgul-lord and is taken alive into Minas Morgul, the line of Stewards rule Gondor. The Rohirrim settle in what becomes known as Rohan. The Ringwraiths will not cross the Anduin nor take the shape of Men outside of their city until Sauron returns to power.
Elrond lives in Imladris and gathers wise people to him. It becomes a place of rest and wisdom, and the Heirs of Isildur are fostered there as children and harbored there as old men. Imladris the main dwelling of the High Elves, though a remnant also remains in Lindon with Círdan. The Three Rings are now in use: Elrond has Vilya, Galadriel has Nenya, and Narya’s whereabouts are secret. Thus Imladris and Lothlórien become havens; though the prevailing thought is that if the One is found, their powers will fail and the Dominion of Men will begin.
After a third of the Age has past, a shadow creeps into Greenwood the Great and it receives its new name Mirkwood. About this time, the Istari appear. Curunír spends much time with Men and after wandering in the East, he settles in Orthanc. Radagast is the friend of animals. Mithrandir never leaves the northwest part of Middle-earth, though other, unnamed wizards do. Mithrandir’s wariness never ceases. The White Council-- consisting of Curunír, Mithrandir, Elrond, Galadriel, Círdan, and other lords of the Eldar-- is created. Curunír is chosen to be the leader, though Galadriel wanted Mithrandir in that position (he refused, saying his allegiance was to those who sent him). Curunír begins studying the lore about the Rings of Power.
Eventually, Elrond and Mithrandir decide that their fears are too great, and Mithrandir enters Mirkwood. He discovers that the shadow is Sauron. The White Council is convened and Mithrandir urges them to action. Curunír says the Ring is probably in the Sea by now and will not be found. Nothing is done, though several members are wary. Curunír is not yet known to be a traitor who is searching for the Ring himself. He discovers that Sauron’s men are also searching the Gladden Fields.
Eventually, he decides that Sauron cannot search there any longer and calls the White Council to action. Mithrandir concurs, due to the Ringwraiths and that three of the Dwarven rings have been recovered by Sauron. They drive Sauron out of Dol Guldur, but it is merely a feint and he returns to Mordor. War brews.
However, the Ring has been found years before anyone began searching, and its finder fled into the mountains, where It and he remained-- until a passing traveler found the Ring in the dark and brought It back into the daylight. Mithrandir learns of this and has doubts about what to do, so he has the Dúnedain set a watch upon the Shire. Sauron eventually learns of this and sends the Ringwraiths to recover It, kindling war.
The Heir of Isildur travels to Imladris, where Narsil is reforged. Aragorn leads the battle. Rohan sees fighting and the downfall of Curunír. The Morgul-lord is defeated in the battle before Minas Tirith. Aragorn leads Mithrandir, the sons of Elrond, the King of Rohan, lords of Gondor, and the Dúnedain of the North to the Black Gate to do hopeless battle against the might of Mordor. But Frodo and his servant succeed in their desperate quest to destroy the Ring: Sauron is permanently defeated. Peace comes again and Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor and Arnor.
Mithrandir was the chief mover of these events, and upon his departure from Middle-earth it is revealed that he is the bearer of Narya, which had originally been entrusted to Círdan. But when Mithrandir had landed, Círdan gave it to him in order for it to do its work of rekindling hope and courage.
Due to the defeat of the Ring, the power of the Three Rings ends. The Keepers of the Three Rings travel to the Sea and sail West on ship Círdan supplies. The remnants of the Noldor leave as well.
Our Favorite Quotes
~ “But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order, and he commanded Sauron to return to Aman and there receive the judgement of Manwë. Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence, it might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith; for under Morgoth his power had been great.”
~ “Many Elves dwelt there indeed, as they had dwelt through the countless years, wandering free in the wide lands far from the Sea; but they were Avari, to whom the deeds of Beleriand were but a distant rumor and Valinor only a distant name.”
~ “It was in Eregion that the counsels of Sauron were most gladly received, for in that land the Noldor desired ever to increase the skill and subtlety of their works. Moreover they were not at peace in their hearts, sinec they had refused to return into the West, and they desired both to stay in Middle-earth, which indeed they loved, and yet to enjoy the bliss of those that had departed.”
~ “But the Elves were not so lightly to be caught. As soon as Sauron set the One Ring upon his finger they were aware of him, and perceived that he would be master of them, and of all that they wrought. Then in anger and fear they took off their rings.”
~ “From that time war never ceased between Sauron and the Elves; and Eregion was laid waste, and Celebrimbor slain, and the doors of Moria were shut. In that time the stronghold and refuge of Imladris, that Men called Rivendell, was founded by Elrond Half-elven; and long it endured.”
~ “The Dwarves indeed proved tough and hard to tame; they ill endure the domination of others, and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to fathom, nor can they be turned to shadows.”
~ “But that ruin was more terrible than Sauron had foreseen, for he had forgotten the might of the Lords of the West in their anger. The world was broken, and the land was swallowed up, and the seasrose over it, and Sauron himself went down into the abyss. But his spirit arose and fled back on a dark wind to Middle-earth, seeking a home.”
~ “[Elendil and his sons] were mighty men and their ships were strong and tall, but the tempests overtook them, and they were borne aloft on hills of water even to the clouds, and they descended upon Middle-earth like birds of the storm.”
~ “[Sauron] took up again the great Ring and clothed himself in power; and the malice of the Eye of Sauron few even of the great among Elves and Men could endure.”
~ “Ever [the Men of Arnor] dwindled with the years, until their glory passed, leaving only green mounds in the grass.”
~ “In the south the realm of Gondor endured, and for a time in splendour grew, until it recalled the wealth and majesty of Númenor ere it fell. High towers the people of Gondor built, and strong places, and havens of many shups; and the Winged Crown of the Kings of Men was held in awe by people of many lands and tongues. For many a year the White Tree grew before the King's house in Minas Anor, the seed of that tree which Isildur brought out of the deeps of the sea from Númenor, and the seed before that came from Avallónë, and before that from Valinor in the Day before days when the world was young.”
~ “In all the days of the Third Age, after the fall of Gil-galad, Master Elrond abode in Imladris, and he gathered there many Elves, and other folk of wisdom and power from among all the kindreds of Middle-earth, and he preserved through many lives of Men the memory of all that had been fair; and the house of Elrond was a refuge for the weary and the oppressed, and a treasury of good counsel and wise lore.”
~ “For Frodo the Halfling, it is said, at the bidding of Mithrandir took on himself the burden, and alone with his servant he passed through peril and darkness and came at last in Sauron’s despite even to Mount Doom; and there into the fire where it was wrought he cast the Great Ring of Power, and so at last it was unmade and its evil consumed.”
~ “In the twilight of autumn, it sailed out of Mithlond, until the Seas of the Bent World fell away beneath it, and the winds of the round sky troubled it no more, and borne upon the high seas above the mists of the world it passed into the Ancient West, and an end was come to the Eldar of story and of song.”
Alternate Versions
While there is much information about this time period in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, it is beyond the scope of this project to locate every mention of the Second and early Third Ages in those books or their respective History of… volumes. In fact, there are no actual drafts of this chapter available. However, there is related material in various essays.
~ LotR’s Appendix B contains the timelines for these Ages. Some of the relevant dates follow:
- In the Second Age: Eregion is founded in 750. Sauron makes Mordor his stronghold in 1000 and then seduces Eregion in 1200. They begin making the Rings of Power in 1500, with the creation of the Three Elven Rings in 1590. The One Ring is forged in 1600. 1697 sees Celebrimbor’s death and the destruction of Eregion, but in 1701 Sauron is driven out of Eriador. Ar-Pharazôn “captures” Sauron in 3262 and the Downfall of Númenor is in 3319. In 3429 Sauron attacks Gondor, causing the Last Alliance to be formed in 3430. In 3441, the Second Age ends with Gil-galad’s and Elendil’s deaths and the defeat of Sauron.
- In the Third Age: Greenwood the Great become Mirkwood and the Istari come to Middle-earth at about 1050. In 1100, the Wise discover evil in Mirkwood but think it one of the Nazgûl. In 2063 Sauron feigns a retreat from Dol Guldur and there is a Watchful Peace, but in 2460 Sauron returns to Dol Guldur. In 2463, Gollum find the One Ring. In 2850 Gandalf discovers it is indeed Sauron in Dol Guldur. Bilbo finds the One Ring in 2941 and in 3001 he gives it to Frodo. The War of the Ring occurs in 3018-3019 and Sauron is permanently defeated with the destruction of the Ring. In 3021, the bearers of the Elven Rings sail to Valinor and the Third Age ends. (1)
~ The drafts for the Tale of Years in Appendix B have been published in The Peoples of Middle-earth. They show the development of the “history” of the Second Age and the ordering of Tolkien's thoughts concerning the somewhat neglected timespan between the War of Wrath and the Last Alliance. The first, very basic draft - called T(a) by Christopher Tolkien - deals only with a rough time scheme. In it, Tolkien figured out the approximate length of the Second Age, based on the founding of Númenor in the year 10 of the Second Age, the number of Númenorean kings (only fourteen at the time, assuming an average reign of 240 years for each), Elendil's age at the Fall of Númenor (200 years) and the idea that the newly founded Númenorean realms in Middle-earth would have lasted 100 years before Sauron attacked. This number was later changed to 110 years, and the establishment of Númenor was pushed to 50 S.A.. In the final version of the draft, the Downfall occurred in 3320 S.A., and the Second Age ended after 3440 years. (2)
~ Tolkien sketched a more detailed timeline at about the same time, preserved in T1. Most key points of the history of the Second Age can be found here, though there is as yet no mention of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain or the Rings of Power - except for the One Ring. There is also no mention of Galadriel, the woodland Elves, or the shadow that has come over Númenor before Sauron ever came there. The end of the Second Age is moved to 3441 S.A.
Further manuscripts based on T1 exist. T2 removes one entry and, somewhat strangely, adds a separate one for the flight of Elendil and his sons to Middle-earth - a whole year after the Downfall. T3 introduces a separate entry for the death of Anárion. T4 mentions Thranduil, Galadriel and Celeborn, and the Gwaith-i-Mirdain, though only in a brief statement that the Rings of Power were made in Eregion between 1200 and 1500 (it is not said by whom), but the One Ring was forged by Sauron in Orodruin. Elendil and his sons now (reasonably) escape from the ruin of Númenor in 3320, but only begin to found their new realms a year later. The friendship between Gil-galad and Galadriel is explained: Galadriel is first said to be Gil-galad's sister, then, the sister of his sire Felagund. On the whole, this timeline is a lot more detailed than its predecessors. In all these versions, Imladris is founded in 750, at the same time as Eregion, rather than in 1697 after Eregion has been laid waste as it is in Appendix B. (2; 1)
~ The bare bones material for what became this chapter can be found in one of the drafts for “The Council of Elrond.” In it, Elendil and his sons sail into the Gulf of Lindon, and afterward Isildur and Anárion sail south to the Anduin. After Minas Ithil falls to Sauron, Isildur sails north for Elendil, who comes with the Last Alliance. It is also the first appearance of some places and names: Tarkilmar/Westermanton (Annúminas), Gorgorath, and the Mountains of Shadow (Ephel Dúath). (3)
~ Other available draft material relates to the creators of the Rings of Power. Tolkien’s original conception was that Sauron made the Three. In the course of writing LotR, he changed his mind so that Fëanor made them, and they were stolen alongside the Silmarils by Morgoth. This was immediately crossed out, returned briefly to Sauron creating them, and then a return to the second version where Fëanor created them but Morgoth created the One Ring in secret. This conception was swiftly abandoned in its entirety. The next conception was close to the final one, where the Elves made the Rings with Sauron’s help. However, he took the One as his reward. This last was immediately crossed out, and became the final version, where Sauron created it secretly and the Elves hid the Three and never used them while he held the One. While all of this is found in material relating to the “Galadriel” chapter, JRRT probably intended it at the time of writing to be placed in “The Council of Elrond.” (4)
~ The beginnings of the friendship and alliance between the Men of Númenor and the Elves of Lindon can be observed in “Aldarion and Erendis”. Aldarion, on his many journeys to Middle-earth, becomes a friend and counsellor of Gil-galad, and carries a letter from Gil-galad to his father the King. Tar-Meneldur resigns the sceptre, long before this would have been expected, due to his uncertainty about how to deal with the trouble brewing in Middle-earth as described by Gil-galad. (5) The list of Númenorean kings mentions, among other things, how this alliance progresses. Although Tar-Aldarion becomes king specifically to address the rising evil in Middle-earth, he cannot actually do much against Sauron: he is “too late, or too early”. His daughter and heir, Tar-Ancalimë, gives no aid to Gil-galad. Only the eleventh king, Tar-Minastir, sends a large fleet to support Gil-galad in the first war against Sauron; this leads to Sauron's flight to Mordor. In after years, the Númenoreans (except for the Elf-friends) go to Middle-earth rather to gather wealth than to aid the Elves, and fall out of touch with the Eldar of Middle-earth - and, apparently, with news about Sauron's true powers. (6)
~ While the predominant focus in most writings about the Second Age is, for its first 3320 years, on Númenor, “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” puts a spotlight on events in Middle-earth, with the focus (obviously) on Galadriel and her family. We learn of their movements first towards Lake Nenuial, where they came to be regarded as Lord and Lady of the Eldar in Eriador, and then eastwards to what becomes Ost-in-Edhil. Although Celeborn is strongly opposed to the Dwarves, even those whose peoples are innocent of the destruction of Doriath, Galadriel already perceives that evil will not be defeated unless all free peoples unite. She also sympathises with their love for their craft, and finally looks upon the Dwarves “with the eye of a commander”, realising that they will be the best warriors against the Orcs. She therefore establishes a friendship with the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm. This also leads to contacts with the Nandorin realm of Lórinand. Sauron pretends to be an emissary of the Valar. Galadriel scorns him, though it is not explained why and how, or, if she sees through his disguise, why she allows him to remain in Eregion. According to a note, Sauron introduced himself as Artano (“high-smith) and Aulendil, but Galadriel knew that he had not been of Aulë's following in Valinor anymore. So while she may not have known who he truly was, she did know that he was lying or not telling the whole truth. However, that note does not mention the name of Annatar at all, so it may be an older version and no longer applicable. (7, footnote 7)
At any rate, Sauron beguiles Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-i-Mírdain. Between 1350 and 1400, he convinces them to revolt against Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel passes through Khazad-dûm into Lórinand. She takes Celebrían and Amroth (who in this version is her and Celeborn's son) with her, but Celeborn refuses to enter the mansions of the Dwarves and stays behind. Celebrimbor disregards him.
When Celebrimbor finds out about Sauron's true identity, he takes counsel with Galadriel in Lórinand. They “fail to find the strength” to destroy the Rings of Power, but Galadriel advises Celebrimbor to hide the three Rings that Sauron did not help to create. She herself receives Nenya, while Narya and Vilya are given to Gil-galad. Tolkien did not make up his mind whether Gil-galad kept Narya until he left for the War of the Last Alliance, or whether he immediately gave it to Círdan: Both versions appear in the very same text.
Sauron learns about Celebrimbor's rebellion against him, and sends an army to destroy Eregion. Although Círdan sends a force led by Elrond to counter them, they have a long way to go. When Sauron's army approach Eregion, Celeborn makes a sortie, drives the enemies back and manages to join his force to that of Elrond, but they cannot make their way back to Eregion. Celebrimbor is not slain on the doorstep as “Of the Rings of Power” apply, but taken alive and tortured. Because the Seven and the Nine are not dear to his heart - Sauron helped to make them - he reveals where they are, but he says nothing about the Three, which he made alone. Sauron is frustrated and has him put to death, but he guesses correctly that they must have been given to Elven guardians, i.e. Galadriel and Gil-galad. Sauron uses the dead body of Celebrimbor as a banner when he attacks Elrond's host. If the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm and the Elves of Lórinand had not come to Elrond's aid, he and all his force would have been killed. Elrond withdraws northwards and establishes Imladris. Sauron breaks off pursuit, but leaves part of his army to prevent Elrond and his host from coming down upon his rear. The rest make for Lindon. Gil-galad has called on help from Númenor, but the Númenorean army dispatched by Tar-Minastir only arrives in 1700. By that time, Sauron has all Eriador in his grasp, save for the Grey Havens and Imladris. With the aid of the Númenoreans, the Elves manage to drive Sauron away. He suffers grievous losses and eventually withdraws to Mordor, plotting revenge.
The sea-longing grows strong in Galadriel, and she leaves Lórinand, which she commits to Amroth. She travels to Imladris with Celebrían to seek Celeborn. The first White Council is held, and it is determined that the Elvish stronghold at Imladris, rather than in Eregion, should be maintained. Gil-galad gives Vilya to Elrond and appoints him to be his vice-regent. Elrond falls in love with Celebrían, although he says nothing about it. Galadriel, Celeborn and Celebrían move to Belfalas, in what will later be called Dol Amroth. Elrond and Celebrían marry in 109 of the Third Age. Galadriel doesn't return to Lórinand before 1981 T.A. (7)
~ Tolkien later rejected the idea that Amroth was the son of Galadriel and Celeborn, perhaps because he did not mention the connection in The Lord of the Rings. Instead, Amroth of Lórien becomes the son of Amdír, a Sindarin prince who may or may not have been related to Thranduil and was slain in the Dagorlad. Galadriel now dwells in Lórien with Amroth while trying to learn more about Dol Guldur, but then removes to Imladris where she lives for many years. Galadriel and Celeborn return to Lórien twice during the Second Age, but only stay there for good after Amroth has drowned in the Third Age. He has left no heir, and the people of Lórien welcome their new Noldorin overlords who do not call themselves Queen and King, but only guardians. (7)
~ “The History of Galadriel and Celeborn” also touches upon the history of Celebrimbor, which is varied and interesting. According to different drafts, Celebrimbor is one of the Teleri who accompanied Galadriel and (Amanya) Celeborn when they built their own ship to leave Valinor (7), a survivor of Gondolin who was alwas bested by Enerdhil (7, “The Elessar”), or a Sinda who claims descent from Daeron. Curiously, Tolkien decided in time for the second edition of The Lord of the Rings that Celebrimbor should be descended from Fëanor and had a line to that effect added to Appendix B. He later painstakingly figured out which sons of Fëanor were married (Curufin, Maglor and Caranthir), and who among them could be responsible for Celebrimbor. Yet as late as 1968, when expounding on the Elvish words for 'hand', Tolkien claimed that Celebrimbor was a Sindarinized form of Telperimpar, which was supposed to be a common Telerin name, and that Celebrimbor of Eregion was certainly of Telerin descent. At around the same time, Tolkien wrote the essay “Of Dwarves and Men” in which the idea of Celebrimbor being a Sindar, and claiming descent from Daeron, is presented. He clearly forgot that Celebrimbor as a descendant of Fëanor had already appeared in print, and it seems that he still had not made up his mind about Celebrimbor's parentage. (8)
~ In a series of manuscripts written evidently after the publication of The Lord of the Rings, titled by Christopher Tolkien as “The Hunt for the Ring”, Tolkien attempted to shed some light on the events surrounding the captivity of Gollum both in Mordor and among the Elves, as well as the dealings of Saruman in the Shire (begun long before the events recorded in The Lord of the Rings), and the Ringwraiths' search for the Ring. It explains, for instance, why it took them so long to reach the Shire: Gollum did not say where it was located, and the Ringwraiths searched for it directly by the Misty Mountains for a long time. In one version, Gríma is captured by the Ringwraiths and betrays Saruman's ambitions, but this encounter would have messed with the timeline, so Tolkien rejected the idea. (9)
~ An essay that Tolkien wrote about the Istari while The Lord of the Rings was in print explains that they spent a long time after their arrival in Middle-earth wandering around to learn everything about Middle-earth, the people dwelling there, and their own incarnate bodies before interacting with Men and Elves. The Istari had to take the humble form of aged Men because the Valar did not want them to show forth their majesty, working only as counsellors and not as rulers. Therefore the Istari did not reveal their powers and purpose to anyone, although the wisest among Elves may have guessed near the mark. Círdan, for instance, immediately offers Narya to Olórin because he says that the Ring belongs “in nobler hands than mine, that may wield it for the kindling of all hearts to courage”. Once Men realised that in spite of their apparent age, the Istari did not die, they believed that they were of Elven-kin (hence Gandalf's “Common” name, which signifies “Wand-elf”).
According to the longest coherent text on the Istari, only three names of the Istari are known: Curunír, Radagast and Olórin. Radagast is said to be a name of Númenorean origin, but it does not well fit with what little is known about Adûnaic. Tolkien later decided that it came from the language of Men who lived in the Vales of Anduin. A brief and hasty note sketched, apparently, the scene in which the Istari receive their errand from Manwë and Varda; in it, the missing two Istari are named as Alatar and Pallando, and Radagast is named Aiwendil. A different sketch links the Istari to the following of specific Valar. Olórin is related to Manwë and Varda (after initially being said to have been “counsellor of Irmo”), Curumo (Curunír) to Aulë, Aiwendil to Yavanna, Alatar and Pallando to Oromë, though later Pallando was linked rather to Mandos and Nienna. Tolkien himself appears to be unsure of Alatar's and Pallando's fate, stating only that they went East. He notes to himself that he “fears that they failed” in their errand of succouring the people of Middle-earth against Sauron, but that “they were founders or beginners of secret cults and “magic” traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron”.
Curunír was resentful of his company from the beginning: Yavanna made him take Aiwendil along on the mission to Middle-earth, and although Olórin never spoke of the Ring of Fire, Curunír later found out that it had been given to Olórin rather than to him, the apparent leader.
In the Fourth Age, there appears to have sprung up a belief among Men that Olórin was in fact Manwë in diguise, although Tolkien makes it clear that this was a false belief.
It is unclear how many Istari were sent to Middle-earth. The five that we know are merely said to be the chiefs of those who came to the North, so there may have been countless “lesser” ones both in the North and elsewhere. (10)
~ Another hardly legible note gives the names of Morinehtar (“Darkness-slayer”) and Romestano (“East-helper”) to the two other chief Istari. According to this note, they arrived much earlier than Aiwendil and Olórin, probably along with Glorfindel during the Second Age; but it is also stated that while Curunír may have arrived alongside Aiwendil and Olórin, it is more likely that he came alone, and first, i.e. even earlier in the Second Age. (11) This contradicts the essay on the Istari, which states that the Istari arrived in Middle-earth around 1000 T.A. (10) However, it would explain a note in the “History of Galadriel and Celeborn”, according to which Sauron claimed to be an emissary of the Valar, in anticipation of the Istari. This reference to the Istari during the Second Age would only make sense if there were already some Istari around and known to the Eldar. (7, Footnote 7) However, it may well be that Aiwendil and Olórin only came in the Third Age. Otherwise, Círdan would perhaps not have been able to give Narya to Olórin immediately upon his arrival. The sketch of the council of the Valar certainly shows Olórin as reluctant to accept his mission, because he fears that he is too weak for it. This may explain the delay. (10)
~ Letter 131 explicitly says the making of the Rings of Power is a “fall” of the Elves, in that it was-- on Sauron’s part-- a sneaky rebellion against the Valar by trying to set up an independent paradise and also that these Rings are the nearest the Elves come to “magic and machinery.” Tolkien also further explains the weaknesses of the One Ring: a sufficiently strong-willed bearer could usurp Sauron and that destroying the Ring would reduce Sauron to an impotent shadow. He did not fear the latter, as it was unbreakable by any smithcraft save his own and only in Mount Doom in the middle of Mordor. Furthermore, anyone who used it could not bear to harm it-- and at this point in time (the Second Age), Sauron wore it, so even that protection was supposedly needless. Other parts of this letter also touch on matters contained in “Of the Rings of Power,” but merely as summaries. (12)
Food for Thought
~ To you, is this chapter an integral part of the Silmarillion, linking it directly to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, or is it something that you tend to skip?
~ Do you think that if Sauron had not been forced to return to Aman for judgement in order to be pardoned, he would have remained repentant? Or does Tolkien use his reluctance to return in humiliation as a sign that he would have relapsed sooner or later?
~ Would this chapter be more interesting or more tedious to you if all the information about Galadriel and Celeborn had been included?
~ Do you find it believable that the Nandorin inhabitants of Lórien accepted Galadriel and Celeborn as their rulers, either in the Second Age or after the death of Amroth? What may have been their motivation?
~ Why do you think Gil-galad and Elrond were leery of Annatar and Celebrimbor was not?
~ Do you agree with Tolkien that creating the Rings was a spiritual “fall” of the Elves?
~ Do you find it believable that Sauron left his ring in Barad-dûr before he traveled to Númenor?
~ Christopher Tolkien appears puzzled by Yavanna's insistence on the addition of Aiwendil to the Istari, since Aiwendil appears to be distracted from his mission by the birds and beasts of Middle-earth almost at once. However, is it not likely that Yavanna was worried that her fellow Valar only had the Children of Eru in mind, and (once again) were overlooking “her” creatures? In other words, is Aiwendil's attention to the animal kingdom truly failure, or is he performing precisely the task for which he was appointed?
~ The author of “Of the Rings of Power” appears to be Gondorian based on the use of Periannath to describe the Hobbits. But said writer is also not one of the Fellowship due to “But those who saw the things that were done in that time […] have elsewhere told the tale of the War of the Ring.” So who do you think wrote “Of the Rings of Power” and when?
~ The writer of “Rings” states that the tale of the Ring War can be found elsewhere. Despite that, s/he left out Gollum. Why do you think that is-bias, a lack of knowledge, or something else entirely?
~ Do you find The Silmarillion’s Appendix helpful or do you find it confusing due to the mixture of Quenya and Sindarin? Do you think the Note on Pronunciation would be more useful if it used a phonetic alphabet rather than examples?
Works Cited
(1) The Return of the King, The Appendices, Appendix B
(2)The Peoples of Middle-earth, Part One: The Prologue and Appendices to The Lord of the Rings, VI The Tale of Years of the Second Age
(3) The Treason of Isengard, VI The Council of Elrond (2), The Fifth Version
(4) The Treason of Isengard, XIII Galadriel
(5) Unfinished Tales, Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife.
(6) Unfinished Tales, The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor.
(7) Unfinished Tales, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and of Amroth King of Lóthien.
(8) The Peoples of Middle-earth, Late Writings. “Of Dwarves and Men.”
(9) Unfinished Tales, The Hunt for the Ring.
(10) Unfinished Tales, The Istari.
(11) The Peoples of Middle-earth, Late Writings. “Last Writings”. The Five Wizards.
(12) The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 131
Please note: We don't know everything and it's perfectly possible that we missed something. These summaries and questions are by no means supposed to be complete and exhaustive. If you have looked further into this particular topic or would like to discuss something that we've overlooked, please share it!
Also, please don't be afraid to talk amongst yourselves. We don't want this to be an echo chamber or for us to be lecturing to you. We want this to be a discussion among the community as a whole - everybody's got something to contribute!
Finally, don't forget to rec your favorite fanworks related to this chapter in the Fanworks Rec Post.
The Wrap-up Post will be up on December 28.