TheManInTheMoon
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- Joined
- Aug 25, 2021
- Messages
- 128
"Of the march of the host of the Valar to the north of Middle-earth little is said in any tale; for among them went none of those Elves who had dwelt and suffered in the Hither Lands, and who made the histories of those days that still are known; and tidings of these things they only learned long afterwards from their kinsfolk in Aman."
This quote does not imply that no Elves from Beleriand participated in the War.
What it do tell us is that the events of the journey, from Valinor to the battlefields in Middle-earth, were mostly unknown to the Elves in Beleriand - since they were already in Beleriand.
"But at the last Fionwë came up out of the West, and the challenge of his trumpets filled the sky; and he summoned unto him all Elves and Men from Hithlum unto the East; and Beleriand was ablaze with the glory of his arms, for the sons of the Gods were young and fair and terrible, and the mountains rang beneath their feet. The meeting of the hosts of the West and of the North is named the Great Battle, the Battle Terrible, and the War of Wrath."
This was the last time JRR Tolkien revised War of Wrath chapter, which was in 1937.
As is clear above, Fionwë/Eönwë "summoned unto him all Elves and Men from Hithlum unto the East" to battle, meaning the Elves of Beleriand joined.
It should be noted that in the 1948 version of Galadriel where she was in Lorien at the time of War of Wrath, it is said "too late she heard the summons of Fionwë". This means the Elves from east of the Misty Mountains did not participate in WoW. They heard the summons too late. (Celeborn and Galadriel were in Beleriand in 1955-1972 versions)
From the 1973 version of Galadriel and Celeborn: "In the years after they did not join in the war against Angband, which they judged to be hopeless under the ban of the Valar and without their aid; and their counsel was to withdraw from Beleriand and to build up a power to the eastward (whence they feared that Morgoth would draw reinforcement), befriending and teaching the Dark Elves and Men of those regions. But such a policy having no hope of acceptance among the Elves of Beleriand, Galadriel and Celeborn departed over Ered Lindon before the end of the First Age"
As is clear above, Galadriel and Celeborn did not join in the war against Angband because the Valar did not send aid and nobdoy listened to their advise. After the Valar sent aid and Eonwë summoned them, they must've answered and moved from Eriador to Beleriand to participate in War of Wrath. There was now no reason to not join. Their problem was solved; the Valar sent aid.
In the "Canonical" version of Galadriel and Celeborn their reason to not join in the war against Morgoth must've been wholly different. These reasonings from the 1973 version do not appear in the earlier versions of them. Canonically Celeborn was a Prince of Doriath and was a subject of Thingol, and Thingol had banned his people from participating in the war. Galadriel was a rebel leader and she had heard from Mandos that the Valar won't aid them and she willingly rejected the message of Mandos, as opposed to her 1973 version in which she wasn't present during Mandos speech and she wasn't a rebel. She became a subject of Thingol, and therefore she was banned from participating in the war. But given her character description, I highly doubt if she cared about Thingol's command. Her reasons to not flee from Doriath and join the war must've been wholly different. If she had disobeyed Thingol, she could never return to Doriath to see her husband and her bestfriend. And. "she did not love the sons of Feanor" "she burned with desire ... to thwart him [Feanor]", these and many other quotes about her hatred towards Feanor and his sons tell us that she was not willing to aid Feanorians in their wars. But I think the bigger factor was her good listening ears for the guidance and wisdom of Melian. "and of her she learned great wisdom and lore concerning Middle-earth." Melian must've talked her out of this and convinced her to remain in Doriath.
In the 1955-1972 versions, the canon versions, Galadriel and Celeborn were present in Beleriand during the War of Wrath. They never departed over Ered Luin until early Second Age. They were most probably in Balar when Eonwë reached to Hithlum. There was now no reasons for G&C to not fight. Therefore, they must've definitely answered the summons and fought in this war.
This quote does not imply that no Elves from Beleriand participated in the War.
What it do tell us is that the events of the journey, from Valinor to the battlefields in Middle-earth, were mostly unknown to the Elves in Beleriand - since they were already in Beleriand.
"But at the last Fionwë came up out of the West, and the challenge of his trumpets filled the sky; and he summoned unto him all Elves and Men from Hithlum unto the East; and Beleriand was ablaze with the glory of his arms, for the sons of the Gods were young and fair and terrible, and the mountains rang beneath their feet. The meeting of the hosts of the West and of the North is named the Great Battle, the Battle Terrible, and the War of Wrath."
This was the last time JRR Tolkien revised War of Wrath chapter, which was in 1937.
As is clear above, Fionwë/Eönwë "summoned unto him all Elves and Men from Hithlum unto the East" to battle, meaning the Elves of Beleriand joined.
It should be noted that in the 1948 version of Galadriel where she was in Lorien at the time of War of Wrath, it is said "too late she heard the summons of Fionwë". This means the Elves from east of the Misty Mountains did not participate in WoW. They heard the summons too late. (Celeborn and Galadriel were in Beleriand in 1955-1972 versions)
From the 1973 version of Galadriel and Celeborn: "In the years after they did not join in the war against Angband, which they judged to be hopeless under the ban of the Valar and without their aid; and their counsel was to withdraw from Beleriand and to build up a power to the eastward (whence they feared that Morgoth would draw reinforcement), befriending and teaching the Dark Elves and Men of those regions. But such a policy having no hope of acceptance among the Elves of Beleriand, Galadriel and Celeborn departed over Ered Lindon before the end of the First Age"
As is clear above, Galadriel and Celeborn did not join in the war against Angband because the Valar did not send aid and nobdoy listened to their advise. After the Valar sent aid and Eonwë summoned them, they must've answered and moved from Eriador to Beleriand to participate in War of Wrath. There was now no reason to not join. Their problem was solved; the Valar sent aid.
In the "Canonical" version of Galadriel and Celeborn their reason to not join in the war against Morgoth must've been wholly different. These reasonings from the 1973 version do not appear in the earlier versions of them. Canonically Celeborn was a Prince of Doriath and was a subject of Thingol, and Thingol had banned his people from participating in the war. Galadriel was a rebel leader and she had heard from Mandos that the Valar won't aid them and she willingly rejected the message of Mandos, as opposed to her 1973 version in which she wasn't present during Mandos speech and she wasn't a rebel. She became a subject of Thingol, and therefore she was banned from participating in the war. But given her character description, I highly doubt if she cared about Thingol's command. Her reasons to not flee from Doriath and join the war must've been wholly different. If she had disobeyed Thingol, she could never return to Doriath to see her husband and her bestfriend. And. "she did not love the sons of Feanor" "she burned with desire ... to thwart him [Feanor]", these and many other quotes about her hatred towards Feanor and his sons tell us that she was not willing to aid Feanorians in their wars. But I think the bigger factor was her good listening ears for the guidance and wisdom of Melian. "and of her she learned great wisdom and lore concerning Middle-earth." Melian must've talked her out of this and convinced her to remain in Doriath.
In the 1955-1972 versions, the canon versions, Galadriel and Celeborn were present in Beleriand during the War of Wrath. They never departed over Ered Luin until early Second Age. They were most probably in Balar when Eonwë reached to Hithlum. There was now no reasons for G&C to not fight. Therefore, they must've definitely answered the summons and fought in this war.
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