The Quendi

“Go your way therefore! Bring to me in your hand a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown; and then, if she will, Lúthien may set her hand in yours. Then you shall have my jewel; and though the fate of Arda lie within the Silmarils, yet you shall hold me generous.” - King Thingol, The Silmarillion (Of Beren and Luthien) What did Thingol really mean when he told Beren he must first win a Silmaril before he could marry Luthien? Here are some possible interpretations (first two are from the book) 1.) Thingol does actually want a Silmaril, which seems to be how Beren interpreted the challenge. This is probably not the case, considering how Thingol shows little interest in the gems prior to this instance. Beren’s interpretation also suggests that Thingol values the Silmaril equally to his own daughter (as Beren points out). However, Thingol clearly loves his daughter above all else; the reason he doesn’t want her to marry Beren in the first place is because it would mean losing her. 2.) The quest wa...

Forged in the fires of a laser cutter with the craft of CAD… is this wooden replica I made of Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer!  Glamdring was originally the sword of Turgon — the King of Gondolin, son of Fingolfin, and forefather of Elrond. Gandalf took ownership of it during the events of the Hobbit in the Third Age. He discovered the Foe-Hammer in a troll cave alongside Orcrist and Sting.  (If you’re interested in how the replica sword was made, check out my Autodesk Instructables post 😁) https://www.instructables.com/Wooden-Sword-Inspired-by-Glamdring-From-the-Lord-o/

4 reasons they CANNOT just fly the Eagles to Mordor 1.) The Eagles are their own complex race, with linguistic capabilities, societal structures, and political alliances. For example, they converse with Gandalf and Bilbo in the Hobbit, are mentioned to be ruled by Thorondor “Lord of the Eagles”, and ally themselves with the armies of Men and Elves. So, taking this into consideration, saying “why can’t the Eagles just fly the ring to Mordor” is pretty much the equivalent of saying “why can’t the Elves just kill all the Balrogs”. Just because the Eagles technically can drop the ring into Mount Doom doesn’t mean they will, all external factors such as casualties and complications considered.  2.) If the Eagles did agree to fly the ring to Mount Doom, they definitely would have been noticed. The main virtue in entrusting the ring to a band of nine generally inconspicuous companions was that they would attract the least amount of attention as possible. Sauron already knew that the free ...