What power did Isildur have?

[BlackCaptain]

If he were an Elf, I'd find this a little more believeable, but what power did Isildur have over the men of Dunharow to take away their death? Someone asked this over at Barrow Downs.com er somethin and I came to a dead halt...

How could he have done this if he was just a man?

 

[Gildor]

Oaths seem to hold a certain power of their own, Feanor's being the most classic example of this. The Oathbreakers may have sworn their oath on the gods they worshipped (perhaps indirectly the Valar) or something to that effect, and by breaking this vow were punished not so much by any power of Isildur, but by the power of the very oath they made.

 

[Greenwood]

I agree with Gildor. Isildur cursed the Oathbreakers to never have peace until they fulfilled their oath. Dire consequences are not unusual in many pieces of literature for breaking an oath, and certainly not in Tolkien. Gollum's end was inevitable once he broke his oath to Frodo. Faramir told Gollum that he hoped Gollum's fate (end? -- I don't have my books here to check the exact wording) would come swiftly if he harmed Frodo. However, it was not Faramir's "curse" that sent Gollum into the Cracks of Doom, but rather Gollum breaking his word, sworn to "The Precious."

 

[Ol'gaffer]

Or maybe, Gollum was just clumsy, and that clumsiness led him to his doom.

 

[Flammifer]

I agree with Gildor and Greenwood. They've put it perfectly. If one breaks an oath, the oathbreaker is subject to a terrible doom.

 

[Maerbenn]

How could he have done this if he was just a man?

Why wouldn't a Man be able to do it?

 

[BlackCaptain]

Because Elves traditionaly have those powers over/with the Earth... Mortals dont usualy have the power to make other's immortal, specificaly other Men

 

[HLGStrider]

Just throwing something out there. . .I'd say that an Elf would have less power over it. The Elves don't seem to understand mortality, and so I would imagine they'd have very little grasp upon the way it effects others.

However, that said, and maybe said falsely, it's just another of my odd impressions, I agree that it was basically the oath.

And similarly there are curses that seem to simply work without much power.

Eol cursed Maeglim to die a similar death to him and it happened. This could've been foresight, I suppose, but it always sounded more like a curse to me. Words have power in Middle Earth.

 

[Saermegil]

I think being an elf r a man would make no difference, because as others already said, it's not the man (or elf) that punishes the oath-breaker, but rather the forces (Eru, Valar) the oath is sworn upon that deliverthe punishment.

 

[Flame of Udûn]

The Stone of Erech on which the King (of the Dead) swore was brought from Númenor. Perhaps it has some power of its own, like the Oath Rod from The Wheel of Time?

 

[HLGStrider]

I think it definitely had significance. What you swear 'on' seems to make a difference as well. . .just swearing on your brother's tenis shoe isn't going to get anything done. Swearing on something significant will.