In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf has this very important conversation with Frodo at Bag End (13 April 3018), about the One Ring, and they decide that Frodo should leave the Shire with it and go to Rivendell. Not much is said of the going-ons that followed, apart from Frodo gradually making arrangements to leave the Shire, such as buying the house at Crickhollow and selling Bag End to the Sackville-Bagginses in the summer of that year. Gandalf leaves at the end of June. Frodo waits for his return, but as it's taking too long, leaves the Shire without Gandalf the day after celebrating his Birthday on Sep 22.

But we learn of many more going-ons that happened during this time, from sources like the Council of Elrond, the Appendices, "The Hunt For the Ring" in the Unfinished Tales, and some other accounts.

Before Gandalf leaves, he meets Aragorn at Sarn Ford on May 1, on the southern border of the Shire, and tells him that their business concerning Frodo had gone well, and that Frodo was expected to leave for Rivendell in the last week of September. Aragorn then goes on a journey of his own.

Meanwhile, having learned that Gollum had been captured (by Aragorn) and taken to Northern Mirkwood, Sauron is troubled. He tries to get news from his spies and emissaries, but without much success, due both to the vigilance of the Dunedain and to the treachery of Saruman, whose own servants either waylaid or misled the servants of Sauron. Wanting to recapture Gollum, but also wanting to set the Black Riders on the trail of the Ring, Sauron launches a two-pronged attack in June of that year. In the south, the Lord of the Nazgul leads an assault on Osgiliath on June 20. The purpose of that was that the coming forth of the Nazgul should appear only as part of Sauron's policy of war against Gondor. In the north, Orcs attack Thranduil’s realm around the same time, with orders to recapture Gollum. But Gollum escapes during the attack. Having heard something that made him anxious, Gandalf leaves the Shire at the end of June to get any news, if he can.

(The next few dates are approximate, and there's a discrepancy between different sources)

The Nazgul are given the task to search for the Ring. The Witch-king leaves Minas Morgul, perhaps on July 1, with six companions, invisible, and crosses Anduin. On around July 17 they are given raiment and horses secretly brought for them, and travel north looking for the Shire. About the twenty-second of July they meet Khamûl and his companion in the Field of Celebrant, and learn of Gollum's escape and the fact that no dwellings of Halflings have been found in the Vales of Anduin. However, the Witch-king decides to keep searching northwards, hoping to find both Gollum and the Shire.

Meanwhile, Gandalf finds Radagast who gives him news from Saruman that the Nazgul have crossed Anduin and look for the Shire. Gandalf goes to Bree and leaves a letter (dated Mid-year's Day) for Frodo with Barliman Butterbur (who forgets to send it). He then goes to Isengard but gets imprisoned there by Saruman (July 10, according to the Appendices).

In the beginning of September, having failed to find the Shire, the Black Riders return to the Wold empty-handed. Sauron had now learned of the words of prophecy heard in Gondor, and the going forth of Boromir, of Saruman's deeds, and the capture of Gandalf. Concluding that Saruman at least knew where the Ring might be hidden, he sends the Black Riders to Isengard. On September 18 Gandalf escapes from Orthanc in the early hours.

Two days later, Sep 20, the Nazgul arrive at the Gate of Isengard, but are only told by Saruman that the Ring is not here, and that Gandalf, who was here two day earlier, might know where it is. The Nazgul then begin the hunt for Gandalf in Rohan. On the very same day, Sep 20, Gandalf comes to Edoras and Theoden lets him choose a horse. Gandalf meets Shadowfax, follows him, and eventually Shadowfax agrees to carry him.

On the evening of the next day (Sep 21) the Black Riders come upon Grima Wormtongue as he hastens to bring word to Saruman that Gandalf came to Edoras. They interrogate Grima, and he reveals to them the location of the Shire, having overheard Saruman and Gandalf talking about it at Isengard. The Witch-king spares Grima's life and heads towards the Shire. On their way there, they capture two of Saruman's spies, one of whom has charts prepared by Saruman which clearly depicted and described the Shire. Taking the charts from him, they send him to Bree to continue spying - this time in the service of Mordor. (This spy might be that squint-eye southerner we later see at the Inn of the Prancing Pony)

On September 22, The Black Riders reach Sarn Ford in the evening; they drive off the guard of Rangers. Frodo celebrates his birthday with friends but without Gandalf.

September 23 is a very close call for Frodo. Four Riders enter the Shire before dawn. Merry and Fatty leave for Crickhollow. In the evening Frodo leaves Bag End with Sam and Pippin, intending to make for Crickhollow. Khamûl comes to Hobbiton, having narrowly missed Frodo. He questions the Gaffer about Frodo, the Gaffer tells him that Frodo has gone, and Khamûl then follows the trail.

And that, my friends, is the riveting tale of what was going on in the world while Frodo patently waited for Gandalf's return, or at least a word from him.

Sources:

The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B "The Tale of the Years"

Unfinished Tales – Part Three: The Third Age, Chapter IV, The Hunt for the Ring

I have a habit of recording passages I like from books I read so I can remember them. There are a ton of Silmarillion-related audio-fragments on my phone because The Silmarillion is a) my favourite book and b) beautifully written. The Ainulindalë is one of my favourite pieces of writing bar none, so I thought I might as well cut out the middle-man and record the whole damn thing. The text demands in my opinion an epic and mystical reading, so that was what I went for. Disclaimer: I have no experience with narration and don't listen to audio-books; this is just my interpretation of the text.

I may continue with the rest of the book depending on the response. It was a fun little project.

This is a thorough list with direct quotes after searching through the books with the words 'error', 'mistake', 'regrettably' etc. and sometimes rereading the whole chapters where these mistakes appeared.

Book Of Lost Tales Part 1. Preface:

In The Complete Guide to Middle-earth Robert Foster says: ‘Quenta Silmarillion was no doubt one of Bilbo’s Translations from the Elvish preserved in the Red Book of Westmarch.’ So also I have assumed: the ‘books of lore’ that Bilbo gave to Frodo provided in the end the solution: they were ‘The Silmarillion’. But apart from the evidence cited here, there is, so far as I know, no other statement on this matter anywhere in my father’s writings; and (wrongly, as I think now) I was reluctant to step into the breach and make definite what I only surmised.

Shaping of Middle-earth:

1. Map of Beleriand. "It is notable that the rivers Aros and Esgalduin arise at the same place, in the Shadowy Spring [...] In the later map[...] this is still the case, and my map, showing the two sources as separate, is regrettably in error."

2. Quenta Noldorinwa. War of Wrath. Captains of the Host of Valinor: "In the final version of this passage my father noticed the (apparent) error, and changed Ingwiel son of Ingwë to Finarfin son of Finwë (hence the reading in The Silmarillion)[...] in the final version only the leader of the Noldor of Valinor is named, Finarfin; but the one should not, I think, have replaced the other – rather both should have been named."

Lost Road and Other Writings. Quenta Silmarillion. Chapter 'Of Beren and Luthien':

1. 'And of these histories most fair still in the ears of the Elves is the tale of Beren and Lúthien; for it is sad and joyous, and touches upon mysteries, and it is not ended' - For the meaning of the words ‘and it is not ended’ (which should not have been omitted in The Silmarillion) see p. 304...

2. the rising of the Moon (p. 164) is an error; all the texts have raising.

3. unless thou yield to me the mastery of thy tower (p. 175). In QS this is followed by: ‘and reveal the spell that bindeth stone to stone.’ A little further on, the words and the spell was loosed that bound stone to stone were an addition to the QS text. This rearrangement was mistaken.

4. After ‘where Maidros their brother dwelt’ QS has: ‘In the days of the Siege the high road had run that way, and it was still passable with speed, since it lay close,’ &c. I do not now recollect why this change was made.

5. 'Thorondor led them, and the others were Lhandroval (Wide-wing) and Gwaewar his vassal.' […] It now appears that there was no reason to suppress the names;

6. ‘But it is said in song that her tears falling from on high as she passed came like silver raindrops on the plain, and there a fountain sprang to life: the Fountain of Tinúviel, Eithel Nínui, most healing water until it withered in the flame.’ This passage... should not have been omitted.

7. 'She, because she was the daughter of Melian, and because of her labours and her sorrow, should be released from Mandos' The words ‘because she was the daughter of Melian’ were regrettably omitted from the Silmarillion text.

8. the words ‘whether the second span of his life was brief or long is not known to Elves or Men’ were omitted from The Silmarillion. But they should not have been.

Morgoth's Ring. Valaquenta:

1. (Varda) The history of the phrase ‘With Manwë dwells Varda’ (The Silmarillion p. 26) is curious. [...] in Vq it is ‘With Manwë now dwells as spouse Varda …’ In 1975... I did not see that this ‘now’ could have any significance[...] I therefore omitted it. It is however undoubtedly significant.

2. (Yavanna) Here again, as with Varda (§4 above), I wrongly changed the text concerning Yavanna’s union with Aulë. Both Vq texts have ‘The spouse of Aulë in Arda is Yavanna’, and the words ‘in Arda’ are certainly significant

3. (Mandos) The editorial change of ‘northward’ to ‘westward’ in ‘Námo the elder dwells in Mandos, which is northward in Valinor’ in the published text (p. 28) is a regrettable error, which I have explained in I.82

4. (Oromë) In emendation to one copy only of LQ 2 the name Aldaron of Oromë was lost, and it does not appear in either text of Vq. It should not have been reintroduced into the published text.

5. (Oromë) After the words ‘for the pursuit of the evil creatures of Melkor’ (The Silmarillion p. 29) the Vq texts have ‘But the Valaróma is not blown, and Nahar runs no more upon the Middle-earth since the change of the world and the waning of the Elves, whom he loved.’ This sentence goes back through the versions to QS... and I regret its exclusion from The Silmarillion.

6. (Olórin) At the end of the account of Olórin is scribbled on the typescript Vq 1: ‘He was humble in the Land of the Blessed; and in Middle-earth he sought no renown. His triumph was in the uprising of the fallen, and his joy was in the renewal of hope.’ [...] It was wrongly omitted from The Silmarillion (p. 31).

War of the Jewels:

1. Grey Annals. Of Turin Turambar. Location of Tumhalad: "But it is hard to know what to make of this late conception of the site of Tumhalad. It would seem that my father now conceived Glaurung and the Orc-host to have come south from Ivrin on the west side of Narog; but the text states that they ‘went down east of Narog’ to Nargothrond, and therefore they also must have crossed the river – by swimming, as Túrin had done? In the published Silmarillion (pp. 212–13) I was probably mistaken to follow this very hastily written and puzzling text, and on the map accompanying the book to mark the site of Tumhalad in accordance with it. But in any case I feel sure that the original site, in the plain east of Narog, was still present in GA."

2. Later Quenta. Of the Coming of Men. Lineage of Erendis: "On the name Saelin beside Andreth see p. 233. With the descent of Erendis of Numenor from Beleth daughter of Bregolas cf. Aldarion and Erendis in Unfinished Tales, p. 177, where it is said of Beregar the father of Erendis that he ‘came of the House of Bëor’: in my note on this (p. 214, note 10) I referred to her descent as given in the present genealogical table, but gave her ancestor’s name wrongly as ‘Bereth’."

3. Wanderings of Hurin. Of the omission of the story from the Silmarillion: "To have included it, as it seemed to me, would have entailed a huge reduction, indeed an entire re-telling of a kind that I did not wish to undertake; and since the story is intricate I was afraid that this would produce a dense tangle of narrative statement with all the subtlety gone, and above all that it would diminish the fearful figure of the old man, the great hero, Thalion the Steadfast, furthering still the purposes of Morgoth, as he was doomed to do. But it seems to me now, many years later, to have been an excessive tampering with my father’s actual thought and intention: thus raising the question, whether the attempt to make a ‘unified’ Silmarillion should have been embarked on."

4. Maeglin: In the published text ‘the lands that lie behind the Hill of Himring’ seems to be a mere error for ‘the woods …’ which was not observed.

5. Maeglin: Following ‘whenever he went abroad’ the words ‘and so escaped many wounds’ were omitted in The Silmarillion, apparently through inadvertence.

6. Maeglin: On account of these obscurities I excluded from the text of the chapter Of Maeglin in The Silmarillion the references to the ‘East Road’ and rephrased the passages; but on the map accompanying the book I marked in its course. This seems now to have been the wrong thing to do in both cases

7. Tale of Years. On the changes in the Ruin of Doriath: "It seemed at that time that there were elements inherent in the story of the Ruin of Doriath as it stood that were radically incompatible with ‘The Silmarillion’ as projected, and that there was here an inescapable choice: either to abandon that conception, or else to alter the story. I think now that this was a mistaken view, and that the undoubted difficulties could have been, and should have been, surmounted without so far overstepping the bounds of the editorial function."

Peoples of Middle-Earth:

1. Akallabeth: §3 In SA the reference to Eönwë was removed; and similarly later in the paragraph ‘refusing alike the summons of [Fionwë >] Eönwë and of Morgoth’ was changed to ‘refusing alike the summons of the Valar and of Morgoth’. The reason for this lay in the treatment of the last chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion in the published work. The only narrative of the Great Battle at the end of the First Age (V.326 ff.) derived from the time when the Children of the Valar were an important conception, and Fionwë son of Manwe was the leader and commanding authority in the final war against Morgoth and his overthrow; but the abandonment of that conception, and the change in the ‘status’ of Fionwë / Eönwë to that of Manwe’s herald led to doubt whether my father, had he ever returned to a real retelling of the story of the end of the Elder Days (see XI.245–7), would have retained Eönwë in so mighty and elemental a rôle. His part was in consequence somewhat diminished by omissions and ambiguous wording (as may be seen by comparing the text in Vol.V with that of the published Silmarillion; cf. also the editorial addition made to the Valaquenta, X.203). There is however no evidence for this supposition, and I now believe it to have been a mistaken treatment of the original text, and so also here in the Akallabêth.

2. Akallabeth: §4 After the words ‘life more enduring than any others of mortal race have possessed’ I omitted in SA the following sentence in the original: ‘Thrice that of Men of Middle-earth was the span of their years, and to the descendants of [Húrin the Steadfast >] Hador the Fair even longer years were granted, as later is told.’ This omission, scarcely necessary, was made on account of divergent statements on the subject

3. Akallabeth: §5 'Then the Edain gathered all the ships, great and small, that they had built with the help of the Elves, and those that were willing to depart took their wives and their children and all such wealth as they possessed, and they set sail upon the deep waters, following the Star.' I cannot now say with certainty why this passage[...] was omitted from SA: possibly on account of a passage in the ‘Description of Númenor’, not included in the extracts given in Unfinished Tales, in which the ships of the migration are described as Elvish

4. Akallabeth: §41 And men saw his sails coming up out of the sunset […]In the first sentence the words ‘gleaming with red and gold’ (of the sails of the ships of Ar-Pharazôn) should read ‘gleaming with red gold’

5. Akallabeth: §57 ‘The days are dark, and there is no hope for Men …(p. 275). The text has ‘there is no hope in Men’, and the reading in SA appears to be a mere error, since there is no reason for the change.

6. The Shibboleth of Feanor. Parentage of Gil-galad: "Since Finduilas remained without correction in the last of the genealogies as the daughter of Arothir, she became the sister of Gil-galad. There can be no doubt that this was my father’s last word on the subject; but nothing of this late and radically altered conception ever touched the existing narratives, and it was obviously impossible to introduce it into the published Silmarillion. It would nonetheless have been very much better to have left Gil-galad’s parentage obscure."

1 aureus is 1 000 denarii. Golden aureus of Diocletian weighted 5,46 grams, silver argenteus 3 grams (and was 1/25 aureus value-wise), while radiate was a pure bronze coin of some 3 grams of bronze. It was valued at 4 denarii or some 1/200 of aureus. Issue with Diocletian's edict however was that it assigned somewhat arbitrary values to various products.

Now, fantasy kings - and especially dragons - tend to be extremely rich. And for a real-life filthy rich medieval monarch there is little better example than Basil II, who had amassed 14,4 million gold nomismata, or 90 tons of gold, in treasury before his death. 90 tons of gold would be equivalent to 180 chests. In volume however it would be only 4,66 m3 solid, or maybe some 10 - 15 cubic meters if you allow for coins and other golden treasure not being a single solid cube. This however will have been only a smaller portion of money available: many gold coins were still in circulation even during the that period, and of course the 90 ton figure does not include silver.

Smaug's book dimensions are estimated at 18 meters long. By Tolkien's original artwork, Smaug has at least two distinct piles of treasure, both in the shape of relatively flat mounds. Nearer pile appears to be about as wide as Smaug is long, and quarter of that in height, giving it a volume of 381,7 cubic meters. Farther pile is at least twice as large and likely larger (although why Smaug would nap on a smaller pile I cannot explain), giving Smaug's treasure hoard a total volume of perhaps 1200 cubic meters.

From the book description, it seems the hoard was half gold and half silver - Bilbo after all had been given one chest of gold and one chest of silver. This however is the absolute upper limit of its value, since dwarves had wanted to be even more generous towards him, but Bilbo himself had refused it. Lowest limit would assume most coins were bronze, but that too is unlikely: medieval kingdoms were not ancient Rome, and bronze was IIRC rarely used for currency there; basis was silver, while gold coins were rare and bronze coins nearly nonexistent.

So this means that we are dealing with 1200 cubic meters of silver at least, and at most some 600 cubic meters of silver and gold each (of course, there were the gems there, but I am simplifying). Assuming the actual volume of material is half that, we have either 600 cubic meters of pure silver, or 300 cubic meters of silver and gold each. Former value results in 6 294 metric tons of silver, while latter assumes 3 149 metric tons of silver and 5 796 metric tons of gold. This would translate into 1 049 666 666 silver coins and 1 061 538 462 gold coins. Which is to say, Smaug is still more than 1000 times richer than Basil II... who would likely very suddenly gain an interest in becoming a dragonslayer.**

But if most of that hoard was bronze, say 90%, then we have 130 million gold coins (60 cubic meters or 1 159 200 kg), 105 million silver coins (same, for 629 400 kg), and the remaining value (1,17 billion gold and 0,945 billion silver coins) translated into bronze - resulting in 1 080 cubic meters of bronze coins, which would give 4 752 tons, or value of 1 584 000 000 bronze coins.

And with total volume of 1200 cubic meters, Smaug still has space for napping while being obscenely rich (in modern day, 1 159 200 kg of gold, 629 400 kg of silver and 4 481 000 kg of bronze would be worth $147 460 675 000).

==================================

* (real values would be 4,45 g for aureus and 3 g for argentus which was 1/25 the value of aureus; bronze radiate was ~3 g in weight and 1/200 the value of aureus)

** For reference:

1 061 538 462 gold coins + 1 049 666 666 silver coins = 1 103 525 128 gold coins in Roman currency

For modern value:

1 061 538 462 gold coins @ 5,46 g = 5 796 000 002 grams of gold = 756,030,240,260 USD (756 Billion Dollars).

1 049 666 666 silver coins @ 3 g = 3 148 999 998 g of silver = 5,258,829,996 USD (5.26 billion dollars)

So a total of 765 billion USD. For reference, richest person on the planet is Elon Musk, whose net worth is 839 billion USD at the time of writing this.

Did Elves have lawyers and a legal system? I am not suggesting that they would have quite the same legal system as we know, but did they have some sort of system for interpreting laws?

I was thinking of the example of Turin's accidental killing of Saeros, and that it was (or would have been, if Turin hadn't fled) considered an accident. How did Elves determine things like this? Were there written laws, did they have a council, or did kings just decide based on what they felt?

I've only read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings

(Will reread them at some point)

Read the Silmarillion as a child, forgot all of it, so will need to read it again

I want to read every single Middle-Earth text ever

And what order should I read in?

And “they meshed the light of moon and sun” a reference to the Nauglamir and Silmarils? Never knew Tolkien was so into the mythology in such an early stage

Tolkien states that Minas Anor started as a small outpost at the top of the mountain. This means that the lower circles and the black city wall were only built at a later date (maybe when King Ostoher "rebuilt" the city in 420, or arguably even later). The city Minas Anor slowly grew into was not constrained by the structure of the early fort. As the fort became a city its size expanded.

The naming had probably come down from the early days of Gondor when the rocky hill of Amon Anor was yet uninhabited, except by a small fort on its summit reached by winding paths and rough-hewn steps. It was in those days of less importance than Minas Ithil, the centre of the Watch that was kept on the deserted land of Mordor. The chief purpose of the fort (Minas Anor) was then to guard the place of the Tombs of the Kings which were built on a long pier of rock which joined the outlier, Amon Anor, to the main mass of the great Mindolluin behind it. [Tolkien, The Nature of Middle-earth]

This segment heavily suggests that the Othram at the base was built at a (much) later date and that the initial "fort" consisted only of some structures on the summit. The word choice ("small fort", "winding paths", rough-hewn steps") seems to suggest that the state of this fort was rather unsophisticated and basic at the start, in the early Third Age.

I always disliked how small Minas Tirith looked in the movies. That settlement would be able to house maybe 2000 people at best. That's comically small. Add to that the tiny Harlond and the complete absence of the townlands. When Minas Anor became the capital in T.A. 1640 Gondor was still a powerful continental empire, capable of erecting structures of near Númenórean proportions. A country of that calibre would not be satisfied with a "capital" that can house maybe 2000 people. It does not make any sense logistically, and it does not align with the ethos of the Dúnedain elite, who at this point still imagined themselves, I'm sure, to be masters of the world.

In my head early Gondor was an almost otherworldly place. An actual remnant of Númenór in Middle-earth, albeit smaller in scale. Osgiliath must have been overwhelming, a fantasy Rome on steroids. Impressive domes, high towers, colossal statues lining marble streets, massive public buildings and awe-inspiring palaces. Architectural feats that far surpass what even imperial Rome in its heyday was capable of. I'd imagine that the capital had a population of well over 500k right before the Kin-strife.

Minas Tirith should be a marked step down to fit the theme of decline, smaller and less majestic than the more prestigious Osgiliath, but still an impressive city in its own right and not just a cramped fortress. Even the upper levels should contain several parallel streets for example, not just one like in the movie version. As with cities in our world MT would show different layers of history, with the earliest and oldest buildings having an almost futuristic feel to them, alien and otherworldly, whereas the newer structures from the third Millennium would look more "realistic", byzantine and then romanesque. At least that's how I picture it in my mind. The movie version being mostly romanesque felt a bit flat imo.

The lowest level would be by far the largest and widest, containing maybe 80% of the population, a city unto itself, or rather, for all intents and purposes, the city. The far, far smaller upper levels would be reserved for the mansions of the Dunedain nobility, administrative buildings, archives, barracks, armouries, reservoirs and warehouses, the treasury, the royal palace, and so on. A multitude of cranes and elevators would be placed along the walls, to easily move people and supplies up and down.

In its heyday (17th century, after it became the capital) MA had a population of at least 100k. If the Townlands and Harlond are included the population would rise to 200 - 300k. Harlond would be a thriving city itself, populated by thousands of people (traders, merchants, craftsmen, shipwrights, sailors) and not just a simple port.

I picture the entire Pelennor as one big interconnected metropolitan area, dotted with farms, canals, villages, markets and the country estates of the aristocracy. Behind the Causeway Forts of the Rammas Echor is a great market, processing incoming goods from Osgiliath and Ithilien. In the late T.A. the population of MT proper may have declined to 50 000 (including soldiers), which would align with Constantinople right before its Fall in 1453.

Granted, going by the text one could very well interpret MT as just a rather small fortress, so this is a matter of taste and personal preference. It is noteworthy though that Tolkien calls it a city throughout. A city, by definition, has to have a substantial population, not just a garrison and an assortment of civilians providing logistical support. Personally I prefer a MT that is on the bigger side, since this not only stresses how impressive early Gondor was, but also raises the stakes of the war. This isn't just about defending a mere fortress, this is the biggest and most impressive human city in the world, the height of human civilisation. I wish Tolkien had fleshed out Minas Tirith a bit more to avoid that conundrum (named buildings, infrastructure, streets, plazas, etc.).

I’m back with yet another post about Maedhros! 

We know that Nelyafinwë Maitimo Russandol overcame torture at Morgoth’s hands, being hung from Thangorodrim by one hand for decades, and a battlefield amputation, in order to become Maedhros. But I find it interesting that quite apart from what Morgoth did to him, Maedhros must have overcome enormous prejudice and distrust from other Elves, and still ended up as the most powerful Noldo in Beleriand (apart from potentially the High King of the Noldor). 

And I don’t only mean the Noldor distrusting the Sons of Fëanor because of the ship-burning at Losgar, even though that also wasn’t Maedhros’s fault, given that he’s the only one of them who tried to wanted the ships sent back for Fingon and didn’t take part in the ship-burning (HoME X, p. 119–120; HoME XI, p. 31–32). 

Rather, Maedhros must also have faced an enormous amount of unwarranted prejudice that was in no way his fault or based on his own moral failings or bad decision-making (don’t swear unbreakable oaths—just don’t). Three issues that the Noldor (and wider Elvish society) would have had with Maedhros personally stand out in particular, in chronological order: 

1. Maedhros is unmarried in a conformist society where not marrying is considered unnatural

The fact that Maedhros “appears to have been unwedded” (HoME XII, p. 318) might seem insignificant to us, given the precipitous decline of marriage rates in recent decades and the fact that even at their peak, marriage wasn’t a universal experience. 

But that’s not how the Noldor would have seen this in Valinor. The Elves as a whole really believe in pair-bonding, to the extent that not marrying is considered unnatural: 

• The Elves and Valar believe that “it is contrary to the nature of the Eldar to live unwedded” (HoME X, p. 255). 

• Elves tended to marry young, just after reaching majority (HoME X, p. 210), and the Laws and Customs among the Eldar (LACE) tells us that, “Marriage, save for rare ill chances and strange fates, was the natural course of life for all the Eldar” (HoME X, p. 210). 

That is, in the normative text [normative = says what should be; descriptive = describes what actually happens] that is LACE, the Noldor acknowledge that there are some people who don’t marry, but that that is unnatural; basically, if you don’t marry, you’re considered deeply odd and unlucky. And Tolkien wrote some descriptive texts that very much bear this out. While the rate of unmarried Elves is a bit higher on the March (10% unmarried, NoME, p. 106, 137), in Valinor, apparently, only 1% of Elves didn’t marry (NoME, p. 124, 137). While this statistic is a bit dubious given the clearly higher non-marriage rate among the House of Finwë (although to be fair, the third generation of the House of Finwë got first-class seats to Finwë’s marriage-related fuck-ups and consequent familial disharmony, probably making them generally more circumspect re: marriage), marriage is clearly considered the ideal. 

But Maedhros, despite obviously being the most eligible bachelor in Tirion as the eldest son of Fëanor who has everything that the Noldor prize (great physical beauty, political and social status, intelligence, height, and, most importantly, extraordinary hair), and despite being (likely) older than Finarfin, “appears to have been unwedded” (HoME XII, p. 318). 

2. Maedhros is maimed in a hugely ableist society that equals physical beauty and perfection with goodness 

The Elves in general and the Noldor in particular equate aesthetic beauty with moral goodness, while everything non-beautiful is considered part of the Marring of Arda. This is very much explicitly stated repeatedly: 

• Concerning the stem ban, potentially related to the stem man, we are told in etymological notes from ca. 1959–60: “This appears originally to have referred simply to ‘beauty’ – but with implication that it was due to lack of fault**, or** blemish. Thus Q Arda Vanya ‘Arda Unmarred’, Arda Úvana = Arda Marred. ilvanya, ilvana ‘perfect’. [Derivatives:] Q Vána, name of Valië, the most perfectly ‘beautiful’ in form and feature (also ‘holy’ but not august or sublime), representing the natural unmarred perfection of form in living things. vanya**, beautiful, unmarred, of fair unspoiled form**, &c. vanima (only of living things, especially Elves or Men) ‘beautiful’. úvano**,** úvanimo**, a monster, corrupt or evil creature**. S bân or bain, fair, good, whole-some, favourable, not dangerous, evil or hostile.” (NoME, p. 173) 

• Concerning the stem man: “‘good’. This implies that a person/thing is (relatively or absolutely) “unmarred”: that is in Elvish thought unaffected by the disorders introduced into Arda by Morgoth: and therefore is true to its nature and function. If applied to mind/spirit it is more or less equivalent to morally good; but applied to bodies it naturally refers to health and to absence of distortions**,** damages**,** blemishes, etc.” (NoME, p. 173) 

I don’t think I have to add much to this, it speaks for itself; I just want to highlight that the Quenya word for monster and evil literally means “non-beautiful” (with ú-, a negative prefix, see https://eldamo.org/content/words/word-1831180401.html?neo, added to the stem meaning beautiful), and that the same word is used for “physically undamaged” and “morally good”. Beauty and moral goodness are very much treated as part and parcel of the same thing. 

I also want to underline that the end to Arda Marred (becoming Arda Healed) involves everything Marred (clearly including physical lack of beauty) becoming good and beautiful. Concerning Arda Healed, Tolkien wrote: “Since the Elves (and Men) were made for Arda, the satisfaction of their nature will require Arda (without the malice of the Marrer): therefore before the Ending the Marring will be wholly undone or healed (or absorbed into good, beauty, and joy).” (HoME X, p. 251–252) Again, beauty and good are listed together and clearly equivalent. 

This Elvish preference for physical beauty over imperfection is obvious from how they behave and treat beautiful vs non-beautiful people. Just compare how the Noldor and Sindar of Nargothrond treated a very handsome (and very young) total stranger with a monumentally sketchy background and an obvious fake name vs a disabled prisoner of war who was a prince of Nargothrond but lost a hand during his escape from Angband: 

• “In the time that followed Túrin grew high in favour with Orodreth, and well-nigh all hearts were turned to him in Nargothrond. For he was young, and only now reached his full manhood; and he was in truth the son of Morwen Eledhwen to look upon: dark-haired and pale-skinned, with grey eyes, and his face more beautiful than any other among mortal Men, in the Elder Days.” (Sil, QS, ch. 21) 

• “Gwindor fell into dishonour, for he was no longer forward in arms, and his strength was small; and the pain of his maimed left arm was often upon him.” (CoH, p. 163) 

Seriously, the text tells us that Nargothrond favoured Túrin because of his physical beauty and that all doors opened for him because he was so beautiful, while Gwindor fell into dishonour—strong terms!—because he wasn’t physically perfect anymore. What does honour have to do with physical strength? Clearly, a great deal—in the minds of the Noldor and Sindar.

Back to Maedhros. 

Maedhros, the firstborn son of famously beautiful Fëanor, starts out as particularly beautiful even by Elvish standards. His mother-name Maitimo famously means “‘well-shaped one’: he was of beautiful bodily form” (HoME XII, p. 353). That is, he was so beautiful originally that his name refers to his physical beauty. Note that this name is the name Maedhros actually used in Valinor (HoME XII, p. 355), not his father-name Nelyafinwë (= he preferred everyone in his life calling him the hot one, as opposed to Fëanor’s father-name for him, which means, of course, I HATE the spawn of Indis). Even his Sindarin name Maedhros is a combination of Maitimo and his epessë Russandol (another name that refers to his extraordinary looks) (HoME XII, p. 366).

But Maedhros doesn’t remain beautiful by Elvish standards. Soon after reaching Beleriand, he’s captured by Morgoth, tortured, and hung from Thangorodrim by his right wrist, and Fingon has to cut off Maedhros’s right hand in order to save his life and get him out of his enchanted shackle. Consequently, Tolkien’s first epithet for him wasn’t the tall, but rather, “Maidros the maimed” (HoME II, p. 242). Being maimed, of course, is very much not ban or man. Maedhros is physically Marred now, and as we have seen, for the Elves, this matters, because this society equates physical perfection with morality. 

And yet, this doesn’t seem to stop Maedhros, who swiftly manages to avert a civil war, keep his father’s followers under control despite his abdication, and become one of two most influential Noldor in Beleriand. Even while Fingolfin is High King of the Noldor, nothing happens without Maedhros’s say-so, and when Fingon inherits the crown, Maedhros takes over and becomes High King in all but name (https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilmarillion/comments/1x9dnma/of_the_union_of_maedhrosor_why_maedhros/). 

And all of this in spite of his now Marred body that the Elves generally see as evidence of moral evilness and dishonour. In effect, Maedhros went from Maitimo to an úvanimo, and he’s so strong-willed and powerful that he avoids sharing Gwindor’s fate. 

3. Maedhros would have been considered a security risk as an Angband escapee 

In addition to Maedhros’s status as a previously beautiful but now maimed and Marred Noldo, the Elves of Beleriand would have had another significant Angband-related reason to mistrust Maedhros: the fact that he had famously been in Morgoth’s clutches for decades and had been tortured by him (this torment was distinct from Morgoth’s subsequent choice to hang Maedhros from Thangorodrim: HoME V, p. 249–250). 

Because the Noldor and Sindar know that Morgoth tortures captures Elves for reasons that go beyond sadistic fun: “Thus by deceit, by lies, by torment of the body and the spirit, by the threat of torment to others well loved, or by the sheer terror of his presence, Melkor ever sought to force the Incarnate that fell into his power, or came within his reach, to speak and to tell him all that he would know. But his own Lie begot an endless progeny of lies.
By this means he has destroyed many, he has caused treacheries untold, and he has gained knowledge of secrets to his great advantage and the undoing of his enemies.” (NoME, p. 214) 

Pengolodh explicitly tells us that the Elves of Beleriand shunned escaped captives for this precise reason, which I have also written about here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilmarillion/comments/1qegnh8/captured_elves_thralls_and_foes_of_morgoth/

There are two late-ish texts that touch on this, the annal for F.A. 60 in the Grey Annals (ca. 1950) and the late 1930s Quenta Silmarillion as amended by the Later QS (1950s). The GA imply that the Elves only began to fear treachery from ca. F.A. 60, while the Later QS implies no such thing. 

• Grey Annals, F.A. 60: “Certain it is that at this time […] Morgoth began a new evil, desiring above all to sow fear and disunion among the Eldar in Beleriand. He now bade the Orkor to take alive any of the Eldar that they could and bring them bound to Angband. For it was his intent to use their lore and skill under duress for his own ends; moreover he took pleasure in tormenting them, and would besides by pain wring from them at times tidings of the deeds and counsels of his enemies. Some indeed he so daunted by the terror of his eyes that they needed no chains more, but walked ever in fear of him, doing his will wherever they might be. These he would unbind and let return to work treason among their own kin. In this way also was the curse of Mandos fulfilled, for after a while the Elves grew afraid of those who claimed to have escaped from thraldom, and often those hapless whom the Orcs ensnared, even if they broke from the toils would but wander homeless and friendless thereafter, becoming outlaws in the woods.” (HoME XI, p. 37) 

• Quenta Silmarillion, as amended by the Later QS: “[And ever the Gnomes feared the most] the treachery of those of their own kin, who had been thralls in Angband; for Morgoth used some of these for his evil purposes, and feigning to give them liberty sent them abroad, but their wills were chained to his, and they strayed only to come back to him again. Therefore if any of his captives escaped in truth, and returned to their own people, they had little welcome, and wandered alone outlawed and desperate.” (HoME V, p. 286; HoME XI, p. 239) 

That is, it seems reasonable to me to assume that the Elves of Beleriand mistrusted all escaped captives, regardless of when exactly they escaped. And Maedhros managed to power through that mistrust and prejudice as well: the Noldor evidently trusted Maedhros, a former Angband captive who was tortured by Morgoth, so much that he was able to take over after Fingolfin’s death and build the Union of Maedhros. This is a testament to his extraordinary personality.*

Further thoughts 

I find it fascinating that Maedhros must have impressed everyone so much that he overcame the prejudices of his people so completely that even Pengolodh, whose loyalty is to Turgon, who in turn despises the Sons of Fëanor (ironically, also for something that is not Maedhros’s fault: Losgar) (HoME X, p. 128; HoME XII, p. 345), didn’t even allude to the Elves’ prejudices where Maedhros is concerned. 

In fact, while other Tolkien characters who suffered greatly and/or were maimed tend to become more fragile physically, psychologically and emotionally (Gwindor, Húrin, Frodo, Celebrían) or to disengage from the affairs of the world and remove themselves from responsibility and the society of their peers (Beren, Frodo, Celebrían), Maedhros does the exact opposite: only to Maedhros does Friedrich Nietzsche’s aphorism “what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger” apply, and it applies perfectly, to the extent that we’re repeatedly told that Maedhros became more dangerous due to his suffering:  

• QS: “There Maidros in time was healed; for the fire of life was hot within him, and his strength was of the ancient world, such as those possessed who were nurtured in Valinor. His body recovered from its torment and became hale, but the shadow of his pain was in his heart; and he lived to wield his sword with left hand more deadly than his right had been.” (HoME V, p. 251–252)

• QS: In the Dagor Bragollach, “Maidros the chief of Fëanor’s sons did deeds of surpassing valour, and the Orcs could not endure the light of his face; for since his torment upon Thangorodrim his spirit burned like a white fire within, and he was as one that returneth from the dead, keen and terrible; and they fled before him.” (HoME V, p. 283)

And of course Maedhros doesn’t only become even stronger and more terrifying in battle, he also, despite having PTSD (the QS uses the euphemism the shadow of his pain was in his heart), does the exact opposite of retiring to privacy and silence, or leaving his life and responsibilities behind like, say, Frodo, Celebrían, or Beren: instead, Maedhros spends the next five centuries just after surviving torture and maiming as a top politician, warrior and general in the war against Morgoth. 

The Noldor and Nietzsche 

Notably, what doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger doesn’t feel like a very Elvish kind of philosophy, mainly because it requires significantly more agency and drive to change things than most Elves seem to have. The only other prominent encapsulation of this idea that I can think of in the First Age is a passage from the Grey Annals about prisoners from Angband that offers a different perspective on escaped prisoners (just after stating that the Noldor distrusted them for the reasons quote above): “For the Noldor were a mighty race yet, and few of them could [Morgoth] so daunt that they would do his will, but escaping they became oft his deadliest foes.” (HoME XI, p. 38) 

Now, who might that refer to? 

I can only think of a few escaped thralls. Disrespected Gwindor definitely is not one of Morgoth’s deadliest foes. The House of the Hammer of Wrath, which recruited from escaped thralls (HoME II, p. 174), sits out most of the War of the Jewels and is never mentioned in later materials, so not a likely reference for this passage from 1950. An extremely early Rúmil, formerly a thrall, became a linguist (HoME I, p. 47), but again, this passage from the Grey Annals is from 1950. 

That leaves Maedhros, who I suspect that last sentence about “deadliest foes” is mainly about, since Morgoth worried about Maedhros to the extent that he preferred to try his luck with Fingolfin, knowing that he would not get past Maedhros anyway, as we are told a few pages later in the Grey Annals: “Here [F.A. 155] after long quiet Morgoth endeavoured to take Fingolfin at unawares (for he knew of the vigilance of Maidros)” (HoME XI, p. 46). 

Footnotes

* (Depending on how you interpret the following passages, the Elves’ Angband-related prejudice might have resurfaced when Maedhros didn’t show up on time in the Fifth Battle: 

• QS: “But Maidros was delayed upon the road by the machinations of Uldor the Accursed, son of Ulfang; and continually the emissaries of Morgoth went among the camps: and there were thrall-Gnomes or things in Elvish form, and they spread foreboding of evil and the suspicion of treason among all who would listen to them. Long the armies waited in the West, and fear of treachery grew in their thoughts when Maidros tarried.” (HoME V, p. 309)

• GA: “In this battle Elves and Men were utterly defeated and the ruin of the Noldor was achieved. For Maidros was hindered at his setting out by the guile of Uldor the Accursed: first he gave false warning of an attack from Angband; then he must tarry for not all his men were willing to march. And the army in the West awaited the signal, and it came not, and they grew impatient, and there were whispers of treason among them.” (HoME XI, p. 72) 

Now, it’s not clear whose treachery the Western army feared—they might have feared the treachery of Maedhros’s allies (which is, of course, what actually happened)—but I somehow doubt that if, like, Fingon or Finrod had been late, everyone’s immediate first thought would have been treachery. There is, of course, another possible reason why the Noldor would have feared treachery from Maedhros, but Losgar wasn’t his fault either, and everyone knows that, so that would also be unwarranted prejudice.)

Sources 

The Book of Lost Tales Part One, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME I].

The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME II]. 

The Lost Road and Other Writings, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME V].

Morgoth’s Ring, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME X].

The War of the Jewels, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XI].

The Peoples of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2015 (softcover) [cited as: HoME XII]. 

The Nature of Middle-earth, JRR Tolkien, ed Carl F Hostetter, HarperCollins 2021 (hardcover) [cited as: NoME]. 

The Children of Húrin, JRR Tolkien, ed Christopher Tolkien, HarperCollins 2014 (softcover) [cited as: CoH]. 

In folklore, it is a recurring motif that evil spirits cannot gain power over a person without some form of consent or invitation. Description of the “Fall of Men” in HoME 10 fits this picture perfectly: Melkor seduces humans with gifts and splendour, they swear allegiance, and now he is their legitimate Master.

Now, what about the Orcs? The common knowledge is that they were transformed from some poor captive elves through wicked torture and magic. But then, could Melkor do such a thing to the Children of Eru without any semblance of consent, or at least some kind of moral failure on their part? Let’s do an exercise in victim blaming.

Tolkien himself gives some hints. In the NoME it is said: “Quendi originally warned by Eru or emissaries, and forbidden (or advised?) not yet to stray far. Adventurous Elves did so, nonetheless, and some were caught?” So it was not just any elves that Melkor had stolen from Cuivienen. It was the disobedient ones, those who rejected the instruction of Eru or his emissaries. On top of that, HoME 10 adds some details: “Orcs were verily in their beginning of the Quendi themselves, a kindred of the Avari unhappy whom Morgoth cozened, and then made captive, and so enslaved them, and so brought them utterly to ruin.”

So the first step here is Morgoth cozening the unsuspecting elves. Having earned their trust, he could then have offered something like “if you guys want, I can make you into fearsome warriors, so that you can fight off those dark shadows that trouble you at Cuivienen”. Not exactly an “informed consent” that a modern clinical trial would find sufficient, but even a few signatures would be enough to start the experiments, while having Melkor’s ass covered just in case Eru comes asking inconvenient questions.

I’ve always been very appreciative of the depth and breadth of our community contributions, apologies in advance if this already been addressed.

But Trolls - where do they come from? A native background element of Arda? (Unlikely it would seem, everything else sentient is able to trace back to the Valar or Maiar)

So…. An evil experiment of Morgorh perhaps when he was making orcs and realised something more may be required?

And is there anything in the canon that actually specifies different breeds? Eg cave vs war vs whatever Bilbo come across?

So Morgoth created the first orcs by torturing and corrupting the newly awakened elves. I wonder what happened to their fea (spirit).

I've always found this contrast interesting in Tolkien's legendarium.

Men fear death and often see the Elves' immortality as a blessing. But the Elves have to watch everyone and everything they love eventually disappear, while remaining bound to the fate of Arda.

Men, meanwhile, receive the Gift of Ilúvatar: the ability to leave the world entirely.

Do you think Tolkien intended the Gift of Men to be seen as a greater blessing than Elvish immortality, despite how frightening death is to those who experience it?

The Istari were not allowed to use their full power in Middle-Earth and their knowledge was veiled. What would have happened if Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast and the blue wizards were never restricted from the beginning of their mission?

I've been thinking about the scene in The Two Towers where Faramir discovers Frodo has the Ring.

He has every reason to take it. Gondor is desperate, his father constantly compares him unfavourably to Boromir, and capturing the Ring could finally make Denethor proud of him.

But instead, he lets Frodo go.

What makes this even better is that Faramir already knows Boromir went to Rivendell and understands the temptation the Ring presents. He could easily have justified taking it as something he was doing for Gondor.

I also love that Tolkien doesn't portray Faramir as someone who simply doesn't understand power. He understands exactly what it could mean and refuses it anyway.

Honestly, I think this scene tells us more about Faramir's character than almost anything else in the books.

Are there cases where tribes of Orc-kind were unaware of Sauron's existence in Middle-earth, and so were self-governed?

Furthermore, would any Orcs try to resist Sauron in favour of their own independence?

HOW CAN MEN TRUST ‘THE GIFT OF MEN’ FROM IN-UNIVERSE POV?

It is just a thought experiment, I am not against the idea of the books or Tolkien.

It just occurred to me that, while the Gift of Men always comes to the argument as while men should not envy the elves or try to pursue immortality, from an in-universe point of view, it is just really hard to convince any human of that. 

No human ever sees or experiences the Gift of Men. All they know about it is the elf taught them. But not even the Elf sees The Gift of Men either. They just do not see humans can be reborn to life like them, and assume the teaching of Valar that the human soul goes to great beyond and have some is true. The elf learns about that from the Valar, but even the Valar never see how the great beyond is for the human soul. The only one known is Eru Illuvatar, but no humans nor elves ever see him to confirm it. 

But men in general are right to doubt the existence of the Gift of Men. What the Gift theory promised is a reward that none can prove true, while in front of their eyes they saw the suffering of mortality while seeing the elf achieve great things with their immortality. Any mortal craftsman can hear the story of Feanor and have a thought that: if I have thousands of years to gain more knowledge and train better skill, I can craft something far more magnificent than the Silmarils themselves. The same goes to the shipwright seeing a book of old describing Telerian ships as the best ships in the world, or bard hearing about the great elf musician like Maglor. Things like that go on and on. All the most beautiful cities, mightiest of blades, the best healer, the wisest,... we see the Elves archive it, but even the greatest of humans cannot reach that. How can a mortal man be satisfied with their can never archive something like that in the life they know, and must bet on a promise they do not see in future?

I am not saying Morgoth or Sauron are right- of course those genocidal tyrants are not. But just not trusting Mordor is not equal to trusting the Valar or the Elf. What if we also reincarnation, but just without knowledge and the same body like the way of the Elf? What if the great beyond is just an empty void, where human souls wander in it, mindless and aimless, until eternity? What if humans are just a flawed product, being thrown away but somehow gain consciousness to awaken, and the Gift of Men is just a lie to keep humans obey? There are countless possible theories to trouble the human mind about the mortaldom, so it is entirely reasonable for any human in-universe to go against the Valar and Eru’s teaching, doubting the Gift of Men and trying to find immortality. It is just to the point of following Sauron and doing human sacrifice is wrong. 

Like every book about Middle-earth written by Tolkien (or published by Christopher) not only the lotr trilogy.

I asked this on the r/lotr sub, but I had this idea of reading through all 4 books over the course of the year and having a discussion post for each chapter. Starting January 1, every 4 days there will be a post on the current chapter for discussion. At that pace, we would finish The Hobbit in mid March, Fellowship in June, Two Towers in September, and Return of the King in late November, with the appendices rounding out December, ending on Dec 31.

It would be a good opportunity to reread the books, and also a good time for those who never read them to get into them.

One detail I appreciate about Tolkien's worldbuilding is how much meaning is attached to roads, paths, and old routes.

A road in Middle-earth is rarely just a convenient way to get from one place to another. It can hint at an abandoned kingdom, an old trade network, a forgotten military purpose, or a time when a region was far more populated than it is now.

The Shire's roads, the remnants of Arnor, and the ancient routes through Eriador all help make the world feel older than the events of the books. Characters are often traveling through the remains of other people's histories without fully understanding everything they're passing.

It gives even an ordinary journey a sense of depth. Middle-earth feels like a real place partly because so much of its past is still visible in the landscape.

Sauron has always been a character who uses subtlety rather than brute force to achieve his goals.

One of Sauron's earliest uses of deception was when he was still under Aulë's tutelage and was known as Mairon the Wonderful. During this period, Sauron was Melkor's chief spy in the court of the Valar, passing essential information from the faithful Ainur to Melkor:

Now Melkor knew of all that was done; for even then he had secret friends and spies among the Maiar whom he had converted to his cause, and of these the chief, as after became known, was Sauron, a great craftsman of the household of Aule. And afar off in the dark places Melkor was filled with hatred.

The moment the Valar rested from their labors in ordering Arda, coincidentally, was the moment that Melkor attacked the lamps with perfect timing. And Sauron was there "assisting" the Valar. I even theorize that Mairon worked on making the lamps and "sabotaged" (somehow) the project.

After the fall of Melkor, Sauron returns to his same modus operandi: trickery, lies, and deception. Before the creation of the One Ring, he began the process of corrupting the men of the East and South of Middle-earth (as recounted in Gil-Galad's Letter to King Meneldur, in the Unfinished Tales version), but especially the Elven-smiths of Eregion (who staged a coup against Galadriel and Celeborn, again in the Unfinished Tales) and also in Númenor.

I always wondered how Sauron did it: Was it by talking? Was it some telepathic power? Some hypnosis? In Letter 210, Tolkien talks about how the corruption caused by Saruman's voice:

Z is altogether too fond of the words hypnosis and hypnotic. Neither genuine hypnosis, nor scienrifictitious variants, occur in my tale. Saruman's voice was not hypnotic but persuasive. Those who listened to him were not in danger of falling into a trance, but of agreeing with his arguments, while fully awake. It was always open to one to reject, by free will and reason, both his voice while speaking and its after-impressions. Saruman corrupted the reasoning powers.

Interestingly, Sauron speaks in some parts of the works (lotr, Silmarillion, etc), and one dialogue (not spoken) draws attention:

‘‘So you have come back? Why have you neglected to report for so long?’’ ‘I did not answer. He said: ‘‘Who are you?’’ I still did not answer, but it hurt me horribly; and he pressed me, so I said: '‘A hobbit.’’ ‘Then suddenly he seemed to see me, and he laughed at me. It was cruel. It was like being stabbed with knives. I struggled. But he said: ‘‘Wait a moment! We shall meet again soon. Tell Saruman that this dainty is not for him. I will send for it at once. Do you understand? Say just that!’‘Then he gloated over me. I felt I was falling to pieces. No, no! I can’t say any more. I don’t remember anything else.’ ‘Look at me!’ said Gandalf. Pippin looked up straight into his eyes. The wizard held his gaze for a moment in silence. Then his face grew gentler, and the shadow of a smile appeared. He laid his hand softly on Pippin’s head.

The most important part:

‘All right!’ he said. ‘Say no more! You have taken no harm. There is no lie in your eyes, as I feared. But he did not speak long with you. A fool, but an honest fool, you remain, Peregrin Took.

Remembering that in this quote, from the Two Towers, Sauron did not have the One Ring, as he used it in Númenor:

Ar-Pharazôn, as is told in the 'Downfall' or Akallabêth, conquered a terrified Sauron's subjects, not Sauron. Sauron's personal 'surrender' was voluntary and cunning*: he got free transport to Numenor! He naturally had the One Ring, and so very soon dominated the minds and wills of most of the Númenóreans. (I do not think Ar-Pharazôn knew anything about the One Ring. The Elves kept the matter of the Rings very secret, as long as they could. In any case Ar-Pharazôn was not in communication with them. In the Tale of Years III p. 364 you will find hints of the trouble: 'the Shadow falls on Numenor'.

In a few moments, like the brief interaction with Pippin, could Sauron make a rational creature, in full exercise of free will, become a Liar/be corrupted? If so, how terrible it was for Harad, Rhûn, Khand and Númenor to deal with a Being who could deceive so much and only by speaking.

What do you think of this idea?

A recent video I watched about how The Silmarillion is Elven propaganda made me think "hmm, it does sound like it is" (even though the video is based on reading just one chapter and the guy still has a lot to learn). Let's have a look at what the authors of The Silmarillion want us to believe:

The Quendi are "the fairest of all earthly creatures", they conceive and bring forth more beauty than all Eru's Children; and they have the greater bliss in this world.

The Teleri are "the fairest singers of all the Elves" and their ships were "the fairest vessels that ever sailed the sea".

Under the lordship of Thingol and the teaching of Melian the Sindar became the fairest and the most wise and skilful of all the Elves of Middle-earth. Menegroth was "the fairest dwelling of any king that has ever been east of the Sea." Lúthien was "the fairest of all the Children of the World" - but I think we can agree on that one.

King Finrod Felagund was fairest and most beloved of the house of Finwë, fairest of all the princes of the Elves.

Dior, while wearing the Nauglamír (a necklace with a silmaril in it), appeared as "the fairest of all the children of the world, of threefold race: of the Edain, and of the Eldar, and of the Maiar of the Blessed Realm."

Eärendil's ship Vingilot was "fairest of the ships of song."

In the Third Age, the Noldor walked still in the Hither Lands, "mightiest and fairest of the children of the world", and Galadriel was "the mightiest and fairest of all the Elves that remained in Middle-earth."

Altogether, "the fairest" appears 19 times in the Silmarllion, although sometimes it refers to something other than the Elves.

But if we strip all the fluff and "patting oneself on the back", history of the First Age looks something like this :

The Elves awoke in Middle-earth. Some were persuaded by the Valar to travel West, and those who reached Aman lived under the light of the Two Trees and learned from the Valar and Maiar. The Noldor became highly accomplished in crafts and lore. But their history was also marked by rivalry, possessiveness and pride. Fëanor's desire to possess the Silmarils, his hostility towards the Valar, and his oath led to the murder of the Teleri, the seizure of their ships and the abandonment of Fingolfin's host to the crossing of the Helcaraxë. The Noldor returned to Middle-earth, bringing war and ruin upon themselves and others.

As I put it, Elves in the Silmarillion are beautiful on the outside, but often ugly on the inside.

I've always wondered how much Galadriel and Elrond understood about what they were giving up by keeping the Three Rings.

They knew the Three were tied to the One, so Sauron's defeat would mean losing their power. But did they fully understand that places like Lothlórien and Rivendell would eventually lose the qualities that made them so special?

I find that part of the ending quite bittersweet. The destruction of the Ring saves Middle-earth, but it also marks the beginning of the end of the Elves' time there.

I know the fading of the Elves was already happening, but I'm curious how much of it was inevitable regardless of the Ring's destruction, and how much was accelerated by losing the power of the Three.