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Post by Sparrow on Aug 22, 2004 22:41:09 GMT -6
While trapped in the trees with the dwarves and Bilbo, Gandalf listens to the Wargs discussion of their plan. The Wargs plotted to raid the villages by night and perpetrate total annihilation with little or no resistance. My daughter, a history buff, commented that night battles are considered to be the most evil ones to initiate. Here is your challenge: research night battles and report your findings here. Good luck!
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Post by Stormrider on Aug 10, 2012 19:40:16 GMT -6
War is war, but it does seem especially evil and underhanded to attack while the enemy is asleep getting their rest for another battle during the day.
It wouldn't be that strange for wargs (and goblins for that matter) to attack at night. Weren't they night creatures anyway? They could see better in the dark than normal people could so it would make sense to attack when it was to their advantage.
Now we have modern inventions such as night vision glasses that can give those without good night sight an advantage and even the odds.
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Post by Andorinha on Aug 14, 2012 23:25:33 GMT -6
Night Battles, hmmm, well, in Tolkien's Middle-earth there must have been many, especially as the Sun and Moon did not exist for a goodly portion of the First Age.
Feanor's attack upon the Teleri Elves, and the theft of their ships, was all done before the Sun ever rose. Maybe Elves have better night-sight than Men, but, luckily for Men, their awakening seems to have occurred with the birth of the Sun, no wonder we don't like night fights!
Many of the creatures perverted by Morgoth, were intolerant of the Daylight, some, the Stone Trolls, actually found it deadly. Smaug and the goblins of The Hobbit, could handle sunlight, but seem to have moved about, preferably, in the dark. For the goblins, wargs, trolls, etc -- night battles would simply have been the natural, comfortable mode of operation. As Stormrider says: "It wouldn't be that strange for wargs (and goblins for that matter) to attack at night."
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Post by Stormrider on Aug 15, 2012 6:08:40 GMT -6
Andorinha: Good points about the night battles in The Silmarillion before the Sun and Moon were created. The Elves could see very far in the daytime, so I would expect they had better night vision than men as well.
I remember Saruman created his special breed of Orcs, the Uruk Hai , so they could handle daylight.
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