Sil Study Ch 10

[Androga Erindalant]

Sil Ch10: Of the Sindar

Elwë became lord of all Eldar in Beleriand. He was called Eru Thingol, and his people were the Sindar. Thingol and his wife had only one child, their daughter Lúthien. It was a peaceful time in Beleriand. In the second Age of Melkor’s captivity, the Dwarves appeared from the Ered Luin. They had founded two cities east of those mountains; Belegost and Nogrod. They had a language of their own, but quickly learned the Elvish tongue. This new race had great skills with metal and stone. They started to trade with the Elves, but the relations between these two peoples have always been cool.

Melial had the great foresight of the Maiar. She knew the peace wouldn’t endure. Therefore Thingol had made a fortress with the aid of the Dwarves. It was Menegroth, which existed of a thousand caves, and because of the cooperation of Elves and Dwarves it became the most beautiful home of Elves. In the third age of Melkor’s captivity evil rose again, as Melial had foreseen. So the Sindar started to make weapons with the help of the Dwarves, while they had not ever needed them before.

As is told before, Lenwë and a host of Elves had parted from the march of the Eldar to valinor. Little is known of their fate, but descendants of these Elves arrived at Ossiriand under Denethor’s lead. They were called the Nandor, and Thingol welcomed them in Beleriand.

But then the peace ended. At that time Morgoth and Ungoliant had reached Middle-earth, and Morgoth’s cry was as the foreboding of death. Ungoliant fled to the south, but was stopped by Melial’s power, and therefore she settled in Dorthonion to poison that region with her darkness. Morgoth rebuilt Angband and sent hosts of Orcs to Beleriand. They attacked Menegroth from two sides, cutting Thingol from Círdan at the Falas. Thingol therefore called Denethor for help. The battle was fierce, Denethor and many of his relatives died, but the Orcs were defeated. Yet the Nandor would never join openly into battle again. Then Thingol marched to the Falas, where Círdan was driven to the edge of the sea. After the battle Melial created a protective Girdle around the land of Doriath, so no one could enter without Melial’s or Thingol’s permission.

[Androga Erindalant]

Questions for chapter 10:

How did the Sindar react to the appearance of the new races? How do you think the first encountering went?

What are the implications of Melial’s Girdle? What about the people who live inside and outside of it’s borders?

[Andorinha]

1) "How did the Sindar react to the appearance of the new races? How do you think the first encountering went?"

At this point in The Silmarillion the Elves meet two new races, the Orcs and the Dwarves.

"and among them were the Orcs ... Whence they came, or what they were, the Elves knew not then, thinking them perhaps to be Avari who had become evil and savage in the wild; in which they guessed all too near, it is said." (Silmarillion, hb version, chpt 10, p. 94)

While the Elves may have a genetic connection with the Orcs, they are seemingly diametric opposites, and find no other common ground than a mutual desire for the others' death. I find it peculiar that a people so attuned to nature, and so intuitively clever and curious as the Elves, seem never to have made any close study of the Orcs. In all my reading of the various Tolkien sources JRRT does not detail the first interactions of Elves and Orcs beyond the bare mention of immediate, deadly strife. Later -- perhaps in The Hobbit I'll try to track down the precise quote* -- Tolkien does mention that some (badish) Dwarves trafficked with the Goblins and there was a sort of armed truce between these two folks at times; and later in LotR, Men do seem to be able to tolerate the Orcs, to trade with them, live among them, and even interbreed with them. But, apparently, the Elves never made any such attempt to "get along with" the Orcs. I would have thought that the Elves, who had the curiosity, and the patience to learn how to communicate with trees, might have started rehabilitation centers for captured Orcs, or might have developed curative medicines that would restore them to full elf status. But, there seems to have never been anything other than full enmity between these two related races. Ah well, this idea of Elf/ Orc peaceful interaction seems never to have occurred to Tolkien. I suppose, in some ways, his mind set was a "black and white" sort of thing, an Old Testament value system?

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* found it!

"They [the Goblins] did not hate dwarves especially, no more than they hated everybody and everything, and particularly the orderly and prosperous; in some parts wicked dwarves had even made alliances with them." (The Hobbit, p. 109 in the annotated Hobbit, ed. Douglas A. Anderson)

[Stormrider]

Did the Elves react negatively to the Orcs because they sensed a corrupted elf deep down inside and found that unbearable? It seems from Andorinha's quote:

"and among them were the Orcs ... Whence they came, or what they were, the Elves knew not then, thinking them perhaps to be Avari who had become evil and savage in the wild; in which they guessed all too near, it is said." (Silmarillion, hb version, chpt 10, p. 94)

that they thought they were the elves who were unwilling to come to Valinor when they were summoned. Perhaps they thought it was a punishment from the Valar for not obeying!

[Andorinha]

In his narration of the first meeting between Dwarves, and Elves, Tolkien does show us that he can move beyond simple "black and white" judgments. Here we have cultural/ personal relations that span the full spectrum: some Elves get along very well with some Dwarves, others seem inclined to ignore the Dwarves altogether, while some get soon mixed up in bloody conflicts. We have, of course, the presentiment of Elf - Dwarf contention built into the very beginings of Middle-earth. Eru himself foretells it in his speech to Aulë: "But when the time comes [for the rising of the Dwarves] I will awaken them, and they shall be to thee as children; and often strife shall arise between thine and mine, the children of my adoption and the children of my choice." (The Silmarillion, hb ver, chpt 2, p. 44, emphasis mine)

But, if "strife" was often the ruling condition of Elf/ Dwarf interactions, there was also the chance for something better: "Since they were to come in the days of the power of Melkor, Aulë made the Dwarves strong to endure. Therefore they are stone-hard, stubborn, fast in friendship and in enmity..." (The Silmarillion, hb ver, chpt 2, p. 44, emphasis mine). The boldfaced characteristics above meant that whenever an Elf was willing to make the effort, good, long term relations might prevail. Unfortunately, it seems that many of the Elves were predisposed to make fun of the Dwarves, calling them the "stunted people," the Naugrim. Apparently, the very speech of the Dwarves was an annoyance and "they could understand no word of the tongue... which to their ears was cumbrous and unlovely..." (Sil, hb ver, chpt 10, p. 92). There also seems to have been a sort of "smug superiority" among most Elves, who never bothered to learn the Dwarves' speech, but expected the Naugrim to learn elvish instead. Despite having many business ties "cool was the friendship between the Naugrim and the Eldar, though much profit they had one of the other..." (Sil, hb ver, chpt 10, p. 92)

The Dwarves pick up the valuable, civilizing gift of writing from the Elves, and provide the people of Elwë with their first panoplies of war, especially with edged steel weapons. Together they cooperate on the construction of the caverns of Menegroth "the fairest dwelling of any king that has ever been east of the sea." (Sil, hb ver, chpt 10, p. 93)

Eventually, though they have not arrived in Middle-earth, the artificer Elves, the Noldorim will strike up a history of long and abiding friendship with Dwarves, especially those of the House of Durín. Both the Noldor and the Dwarves had a special relationship with Aulë, and an interest in metal craft to bind them.

But, even before this specially close Dwarf-Noldor friendship, the Sindar themselves seemed to be well on the way toward accepting the Naugrim, and they will even be allies in the first of the wars against the wargs and the Orcs. Maybe Elf/ Dwarf relations in general would have continued friendly, if "cool," but the return of Morgoth soon put all friendships in jeopardy. Seeing the potential for strife between these two people, Morgoth would ever seek to separate them, and provoke outright animosities. But these calamities are told us in a later chapter.

Perhaps, if the Elves had been less proud in their treatment of the Dwarves, had made more efforts to become attached to the Naugrim, a deeper, more permanent sort of friendship might have developed, and a great deal of future suffering might have been avoided. Here, I think I would fault the Elves more than the Dwarves, Elves are supposed to know better, supposed to look with understanding and compassion upon all things, aren't they? Else why are they so often called "the good folk?" But, in these early days, perhaps the Elves were still in a sort of "teenage" status, new to the world themselves, young and cocky. Certainly the next several chapters of The Silmarillion abound in episodes of Elvish pettiness, racism, and even murder, so maybe we should not yet expect any more from "the good folk" than we expect from the Dwarves?

[Andorinha]

Excellent observations, Stormrider!

Yeah, that makes sense to me, the Elves being close to the Orcs, the enmity is more pronounced... I think Tolkien actually uses this kind of psychology elsewhere, so I'll bet you are right on this point. Doesn't JRRT, maybe in Unfinished Tales, relate the specially deep hatred between the Woses and the Orcs as having something to do with these two races having a shared ancestral past? I'll see if I can find that quote.

Secondly, concerning the "unwillingness" of the Avari to leave: I'm not so sure here. There must have been lots of other Avari who met up with the Sindar, and it would be evident that they were neither savages nor a cursed folk. But I cannot remember any time when Tolkien actually discussed this issue. Does JRRT ever say that the Avari were considered cursed? I don't know. Certainly you must be right that some of the Elves could assume that this was the case, and having no better explanation for the existence of the Orcs, maybe it would come to be a useful, if erroneous explanation?

I'll look around some more, maybe in the various HoMe indices under Avari, there might be some statements from JRRT or Chris that would allow us to better define this situation.

[Andorinha]

Well, I'm having one of those sleepless nights, so I started looking through HoMe volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth, and came up with several quotable passages that may go far towards answering the second phrase of your question/ observation, Stormrider.

RE: Stormrider -- "It seems from Andorinha's quote: 'and among them were the Orcs ... Whence they came, or what they were, the Elves knew not then, thinking them perhaps to be Avari who had become evil and savage in the wild; in which they guessed all too near, it is said.' (Silmarillion, hb version, chpt 10, p. 94) that they thought they were the elves who were unwilling to come to Valinor when they were summoned. Perhaps they thought it was a punishment from the Valar for not obeying!" (emphasis mine)

Like you, Stormrider, I thought at first that this concept made good sense, it certainly seems to follow the evidence if we just look at the one quote from Sil. p. 94 above. Now I'm not so sure. I don't think that the Eldaran Elves (those who at least tried to answer the summons) ever thought that all the Avari were somehow inferior or even cursed by the Valar just for being "refusers."

Apparently Tolkien used the terms Eastern Elf, Dark Elf, Elf of the Darkness, and Avari as interchangeables, as synnonyms. At one point JRRT makes it clear that this "darkness" did not imply any taint of Evil: "... the Dark Elves were those who had never journeyed to the Western Shores [western shores of Middle-earth] and did not desire to see Aman. This was not the same as the classifications made by the Elves, which are not here concerned, except to note that 'Dark Elves' or 'Elves of the Darkness' was used by them, but in no way implied any evil, or subordination to Morgoth; it referred only to ignorance of the 'light of Aman' and included the Sindar. Those who had never made the journey to the West Shores were called 'the Refusers' (Avari). It is doubtful if any of the Avari ever reached Beleriand or were actually known to the Numenoreans." (HoMe XII, pp. 312-13)

So I think here, that the Valar saw their summons as a voluntary thing, with no penalties incurred even if an Elf simply did not want to go, and refused the offer of transportation. But did the other Elves, the Eldar who accepted the offer, ever feel that there was any stigma or curse upon the Avari for their refusal? Here again, some more quotes from HoMe XII has me feeling that even the Eldar never attached any shame to those who deliberately chose to stay in Middle-earth.

Elsewhere we have the statement that in the Second Age and the Third the great realms of the Elves, including Rivendell, Mirkwood, and Lorien all had Telerian/ Sindar lords, or Noldoran lords, but that "most of these peoples are Avari or East-elves." (HoMe XII, p. 174) If they thought the Avari were a cursed folk, would the Eldaran lords have wanted "refusers" in their kingdoms?

On page 451 of the volume's index, it is specifically spelled out again that Avari = East-elves.

From these quotes I think it likely that the Avari, as a group, were never thought to be cursed by the Valar, and that they were welcomed within the main realms of Elfdom: Thranduil's Mirkwood/ Greenwood; Galadriel/ Celeborn's Loth-lorien; and Elrond's Rivendell -- and in all three realms the Avari element may have been the actual majority.

Now, it may still be that some Telerian, Noldoran, Sindarin Elves thought that certain individual members of the Avari had been cursed for personal reasons, and so fell into the clutches of Morgoth as Orcs -- but there seems to have been no idea that simply "refusing" the summons affected any Elf's status, and there was no blanket curse from the Valar just for being an Avari.

Meanwhile, I think the first phrase of your observations (that the recognition of kinship with the Orcs produced a fiercer hate between Elf and Gobblin) still stands up very well, especially if someone can find that parallel use of "relationship = hate." That would give us a JRRT precedent for this sort of relationship-hate. I half remember this being the case for the Woses and the Orcs but I can't find my copy of the Unfinished Tales, if that is where the Druadan material is to be found.

This has been a fun research trail, thanks, Stormrider!

[Stormrider]

Andorinha:

I'm glad that the Avari were not in hot water for not obeying the summons to come to Valinor.

When the then named Melkor began capturing the Elves to corrupt them into being Orcs, did the Elves ever go seeking their missing people? Did they even realize that they had been taken by Melkor?

If the Elves had no idea of what became of the missing elves and they came across the Orcs years (centuries?) later and sensed the Elvish roots, then it would definately be a reason to abhore the Orcs. Perhaps they would not understand why an Elf would want to turn (to the dark side...lol) to evil ways. That would be another good reason for animosity between them.

However, if the Elves were aware where the captured Elves were taken, then they would still be horrified at what happened to them but maybe there was some compassion, too?

[Andorinha]

Aha, found my copy of Unfinished Tales, and I've run down the particular reference I was hoping to find. It is somewhat ambiguous, as if JRRT wrote this material giving two different explanations as he was not certain which one he would finally use. In both explanations the Eldar are making comparisons between the short, squat, broad figures of the Woses and the Orcs. Some of the Eldar supported the position that the Drugs/ Woses were the original stock from whom Morgoth created the Orcs while others pointed out that the pure, free, untainted laughter of the Woses was "as different as is the light of Aman from the darkness of Angband." (UFT, p. 385, note #5)

"But some thought, nonetheless, that there had been a remote kinship, which accounted for their special enmity. Orcs and Drugs each regarded the other as renegades." (UFT, p. 385 note #5)

Here, I think for our purposes, it does not really matter if the Woses were genetically related to the Orcs or not. The important point is that Tolkien does use the idea of close-relationship as a mechanism for increased hate between foes. This gives us a precedence for seeing an increased hate between Orcs and Elves base on the same principle of genetic relationship.

[Andorinha]

RE: Stormrider -- "When the then named Melkor began capturing the Elves to corrupt them into being Orcs, did the Elves ever go seeking their missing people? Did they even realize that they had been taken by Melkor?"

As I recall chapter 3 of The Silmarillion, Melkor had his agents, dark spirits and monstrous shapes, kidnap some of the first Elves, and their kinfolk seemed to be too frightened to go and look for them (Sil, hb ver, p.49). Eventually these captured Elves were tortured and corrupted by force to become the core stock of the future Orcs. Apparently this knowledge came to light only much later (Sil, hb ver, p. 50)

So yes, Stormrider, I think you have expressed well the root of a special antipathy between Orcs and Elves when you state: "If the Elves had no idea of what became of the missing elves and they came across the Orcs years (centuries?) later and sensed the Elvish roots, then it would definately be a reason to abhore the Orcs. Perhaps they would not understand why an Elf would want to turn (to the dark side...lol) to evil ways. That would be another good reason for animosity between them."

There also might have been a sense of guilt among the Elves who, after the fact, might have felt that they should have done more to protect their people, and to rescue those take.

Stormrider: "However, if the Elves were aware where the captured Elves were taken, then they would still be horrified at what happened to them but maybe there was some compassion, too?"

Excellent statement, yes, I'll bet the reactions between Elves and Orcs under these circumstances would always be a very complex interplay of horror, hatred, guilt, compassion and pity! A very nasty situation!

[Andorinha]

2. "What are the implications of Melial’s Girdle? What about the people who live inside and outside of it’s borders?"

I like this question, Androga, it is something I never thought about, although, now that I'm looking at it, the concept of protective/ isolative barriers seems to come up quite frequently in the Middle-earth mythologies.*

Morgoth raises a mountain chain to isolate his fortress Angband; Turgon hides Gondolin within a protective circle of mountains; the gods rear up the encirling Pelori, great ranges that enfold Aman, the continent of the Valar; Sauron places Barad Dur within the protected confines of the Ash Mountains and the Mountains of Shadow; Galadriel has well-defined protective veils placed about Loth-lorien; Rivendell has its protective flood waters; even Tom Bombadil has his boundaries too, etc., etc. We also find the idea of a protective barrier of sorts being placed about the Shire, the limits of the "bounds" which are patrolled to keep hobbits safe within and the Big Folk and other threats comfortably outside. Buckland itself becomes another such example, isolated from the outside world by the High Hay, and -- in some more subtle ways -- it is even isolated from the rest of the Shire by the Brandywine River.

Tolkien almost always, however, developes the theme that these boundaries will, sooner or later fail. The mountains of Angband are pierced by the Valar; Morgoth and Ungoliant move through the Pelori; Gondolin's mountain walls are overrun by the Orcs, dragons, and Balrogs; the Shire is invaded and must be "scoured" clean.

Perhaps, with all these examples of "protective-barriers," Tolkien is suggesting that people get a false sense of security from "fencing themselves in," and they soon forget that they "cannot forever fence the wider world out."

In Doriath, the Girdle of Melian allows the Elves of Thingol to avoid direct confrontation with a larger world that is starting to grow increasingly grim:

"And when Thingol came again to Menegroth he learned that the Orc-host in the west was victorious, and had driven Cirdan to the rim of the sea. Therefore he withdrew all his people that his summons could reach... and Melian put forth her power and fenced all that dominion round about with an unseen wall of shadow and bewilderment: the Girdle of Melian, that none thereafter could pass against her will or the will of King Thingol..." (Sil, hb ver, pp. 96-97)

Eventually the Doriath Elves come to depend upon their barrier, they become less concerned with those outside its limits, they engage less and less frequently with exterior peoples and causes. They become an isolated and insulated folk. Although Melian's girdle was a "good faith" effort meant to shield the people of Thingol's kingdom, it also left them complacent, perhaps even smug in their isolation, smug the way the hobbits of the Shire had become just before Frodo's quest. Such dependence upon isolating barriers, as Tolkien uses them, often seems to leave those inside the boundaries ignorant and ill-prepared to face the challenges of the outside.

But how do such boundaries impact those left on the far side of the walls?

More later.

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*The isolationism of the U.S.A. which followed the disaster of World War I may have provided JRRT with a real world example of people hiding behind the imaginary safety of such protective barriers. The construction of the Maginot Line in France, may also have applicability here, the great fortification boundary that failed once war began in earnest...

[Andorinha]

Question 2 continued. Those "Outside the Pale"

The impact of isolative boundaries upon those excluded: A. The Accursed Elves and B. The Innocent Elves

Although this chapter (# 10) of The Silmarillion introduces the concept of a magical, isolative boundary, we do not get to see the results of Melian's Girdle in action until later chapters, especially numbers 13 and 16. But, since the topic I've set myself at this moment is a consideration of the impact of the Girdle, I'll go ahead and use material from elsewhere in the book to illustrate my points.

The Girdle of Melian excluded spiders, Orcs, Trolls, Balrogs, and presumably all the other agents of evil, a quite proper and valid function -- but it appears also to have been effective against a wide range of Men, Dwarves, and even Elves. In some cases these latter exclusions were warranted -- afterall, who would want the "accursed and troublesome" Sons of Fëanor wandering about the realm? But, did the "exclusion zone" of Melian's Girdle also keep many "good" and blameless Elves from entering Doriath? Is there, in Tolkien's Middle-earth, an element of "unfairness," of injustice in the concept of an enforced boundary that separates "near-kin," and what are the consequences of having such a Girdle?

A. The Girdle's Impact on the "accursed" Elves:

As soon as they were informed that Melian had fenced in the kingdom of Doriath, the Sons of Fëanor understood that one function of the barrier was to specifically exclude them from having any contact with the subjects of King Thingol. Perhaps fearing the contamination that the persuasive Fëanor might have upon the easily impressed "common herd" of the Sindar -- Fëanor did have a sort of "Saruman's Voice" of his own* -- Thingol moved to protect his people from any association with the Curse of the Valar that lay so heavily upon the Noldoran Exiles. While Fëanor's quick death removed him personally as a threat to the stability of Doriath, his sons, and their rebellious attitudes still remained as a potent source of discontent.

"Now King Thingol welcomed not with a full heart the coming of so many princes in might out of the West, eager for new realms; and he would not open his kingdom, nor remove its girdle of enchantment, for wise with the wisdom of Melian he trusted not that the restraint of Morgoth would endure. Alone of the princes of the Noldor those of Finarfin's house were suffered to pass within the confines of Doriath; for they could claim close kinship with King Thingol himself, since their mother was Eärwen of Alqualondë, Olwë's daughter." Silmarillion chpt 13, p. 111, hb version.

Thingol added at this time the monitory proscription: "Into Doriath none shall come to abide but only such as I call as guests, or who seek me in great need."** Silmarillion chpt 13, p. 111, hb version.

This favoritism, the acceptance of the family of Finarfin and the rejection of the Sons of Fëanor, did not go unmarked by the excluded Noldoran princes though there was little they could do about the situation save to voice their displeasure and contempt for Thingol:

"... thither came Angrod out of Doriath, bearing the message of King Thingol. Cold seemed its welcome to the Noldor, and the sons of Fëanor were angered at the words; ... [Maedhros said] 'Therefore in Doriath let him [Thingol] reign...' Elsewhere it shall go as seems good to us.' " Sil. chpt 13, p. 112

The "hottest head" among the seven sons, Caranthir, used this occasion to fan the flames of dissension between the Houses of Finarfin and Fëanor:

"... Caranthir, who loved not the sons of Finarfin, and was the harshest of the brothers and the most quick to anger, cried aloud: 'Yea more! Let not the sons of Finarfin run hither and thither with their tales to this Dark Elf [Thingol] in his caves!' ... Then Angrod was wrathful and went forth from the council." Sil. chpt 13, p. 112

When the Noldoran Exiles most needed to present a united front, the mere existance of Melian's Girdle became an occasion for their further disunion, and this rift would later be exploited by Morgoth.

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*Regarding Fëanor's "Voice of Persuasion" -- see Sil, chpt 9, p. 83 ff in the hardback edition.

**I'll develope this teme in next installment, regarding the woeful tale of Aredhel.

[Andorinha]

Question 2 continued

Thingol, in consultation with Melian, did, on the surface, allow even the "obdurate" Noldor an "emergency chance" to enter Doriath when he stated: "Into Doriath none shall come to abide but only such as I call as guests, or who seek me in great need." (Sil, hb version, 1977, p. 112) But how did this work out in actual practice?

We have the curious incident of "Aredhel Ar-Feiniel, The White Lady of the Noldor" who seems to have been guiltless of any of the "crimes" of kinslaying and ship-theft imputed to Feanor and his sons. She was the daughter of Fingolfin, the sister of Turgon, and she lived a long while in Turgon's hidden realm of Gondolin. Unfortunately, for her and the Elves of that great city, she was restless, and wished to do some travelling beyond the protective boundaries of her brother's realm. Turgon, somewhat foresighted, cautioned her: "Go then, if you will, though it is against my wisdom, and I forebode that ill will come of it both to you and to me." (Sil, p. 131)

Aredhel persisted, and she left with a seemingly small escourt of three Elf lords. Once away from Gondolin, she changed her itinerary, and instead of visiting her brother Fingon, she set out on a more perilous journey to find the sons of Feanor. At this point she had to turn south and soon came upon the borders of Doriath. Here she was intercepted, and Thingol's guards refused to admit her: "To the land of Celegorm for which you seek, Lady, you may by no means pass through the realm of King Thingol..." (Sil. p. 131)

This, I always thought, seemed a most un-gentlemanly thing to tell poor Aredhel, a single, if headstrong, Elf maid, with an escourt of three Elves. She is turned out into a dangerous wilderness. Almost imediately, in the shadowed forest of Nan Dungortheb, she is separated from her escourt and becomes lost. She wanders for a while, is found by the Dark Elf Eol, who forced her into a sort of marriage-rape. She soon bore Eol a son, Maeglin. Both son and mother remained with Eol a goodly number of years, until they found an opportunity for an escape to Gondolin.

They were welcomed in Godolin, though a vengeful Eol tracked them there, and claimed at least the return of his son. When thwarted by Turgon, Eol tried to kill Maeglin, but the motherly love of Aredhel impelled her to throw her body before her son where she received the spear. "Aredhel sickened, though the wound had seemed little, and she fell into the darkness, and in the night she died; for the point of the javelin was poisoned*..." (Sil, p. 138)

Eol is then condemned to death by "precipitation," but before he can be cast off a tall cliff, he curses Maeglin to suffer the same death. Maeglin, a gangrel sort of fellow, harbors an unclean love for Turgon's daughter, Idril, and to make this tale a shorter one, he will betray the entire realm when he is refused the chance to marry her. The city falls to the Balrogs, Dragons, and Orcs of Morgoth, and Maeglin, the traitor is cast from the cliff where his father died. But, by then, Gondolin has been destroyed.

Hundreds, if not thousands of Elves from the House of Fingolfin, Elves not guilty of any crime against the Teleri or the Sindar of Doriath, are thereby sacrificed to Thingol's exclusivity. Eventually, even Doriath will fall, and the Noldor of Gondolin, who might have saved Thingol's realm (Dior's by now), are not available to assist the Elves who once thought themselves safe behind Melian's Girdle.

It seems then, that JRRT uses this cautionary tale to show us how one evil deed (Feanor's revolt) engenders another evil deed (Thingol/ Melian's exclusion of the Noldor, especially Aredhel), which in its turn engenders a third evil (the rape-marriage and Maeglin's birth), which results in a fourth evil (the collapse of Gondolin), that then contributes to the collapse of Doriath itself...

Sigh, Elves should have known better.

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*Once I argued here that Elves could not fall ill and die from diseases, nor could they be poisoned: I stand corrected here, Aredhel dies from a poisoned wound!

[Stormrider]

Thingol added at this time the monitory proscription: "Into Doriath none shall come to abide but only such as I call as guests, or who seek me in great need."** Silmarillion chpt 13, p. 111, hb version.

I understand how guests would be admitted since they were expected and a gateman was probably looking for them.

It seems that Aredhel although guiltless in the kinslaying and boat stealing was still turned away from Doriath. Was it because she was trying to find the sons of Fëanor? Did that darken her aura and send some kind of signal to Thingol's guards so they would not allow her in?

It sure caused her a lot more trouble and pain than letting her in would have done! Just think how different everything would have been if she was allowed in Doriath instead of being sent out into the wild world on her own to meet the dark Eol!!

[Andorinha]

RE Stormrider's: "I understand how guests would be admitted since they were expected and a gateman was probably looking for them."

Ah, yes, this jogs something loose (splitting an infinitive?) in my mind. I never really thought about the actual "mechanism" of control for entry to Doriath. Were there specific trails, paths, and roads that led directly to official border crossing gateways, places where guards were stationed to intercept all comers and check on their "passport" credentials? Apparently Aredhel knew where to find the march-wardens of Doriath as she directed the trajectory of her little group to some place where she could seek admitance from them (p. 131).

What would have happened had she chosen to "enter illegally" at some out of the way point along the forest's uninhabited perimeter? Would the magical power of the Girdle then come into play, automatically shutting out all who had not first obtained a legal visa? After being rejected, Aredhel wandered down into that debateable zone, that noman's land Nan Dungortheb where, I think the conflicting magics of Sauron/ Ungoliant and Melian produced a place of confusing shadow. Here Aredhel and her companions became separated.

I think the only other example of Doriath "border-crossing" that we are given refers to Beren in chpt 19:

"Terrible was his [Beren's] southward journey. Sheer were the precipices of Ered Gorgoroth, and beneath their feet were shadows that were laid before the rising of the Moon. Beyond lay the wilderness of Dungortheb, where the sorcery of Sauron and the power of Melian came together, and horror and madness walked. ... and none know how he found a way, and so came by paths that no Man nor Elf else ever dared to tread to the borders of Doriath. And he passed through the mazes that Melian wove about the kingdom of Thingol, even as she had foretold; for a great doom lay upon him." (Sil, pp 164-65)

Without a similar great doom to carry her through the border-mazes, Aredhel was lost...

RE Stormrider's: "It seems that Aredhel although guiltless in the kinslaying and boat stealing was still turned away from Doriath. Was it because she was trying to find the sons of Fëanor? Did that darken her aura and send some kind of signal to Thingol's guards so they would not allow her in?"

Yes, could the march-wardens intuitively know (through some trick of the Girdle?) that she was friendly with the sons of Fëanor? Apparently Aredhel was silly enough to spill the beans herself, possibly telling the warders that all she sought was a safe transit through the kingdom so that she could find Celegorm, son of Fëanor:

"Therefore the march-wardens said to Aredhel: 'To the land of Celegorm for which you seek, Lady, you may by no means pass through the realm of King Thingol; you must ride beyond the Girdle of Melian, to the south or to the north.' " (Sil, pp 131-32)

Perhaps if she had simply applied to visit Menegroth, they would have let her in? But an open friendship with Fëanor's sons, left her beyond the pale...