[Rumil]

The Noble Lindil graces this thread, raising, as usual, some very good points.

I suppose I agree with you about the difficulty of questioning the spirits of the Dunedain after 3000 years, when they would certainly have received the 'gift of Illuvatur'. However, while I may be 'flogging a dead horse', is there a chance that Sauron was busily interrogating the spirits of the dead orcs from the battle of the Gladden Fields?

I forgot that bit in UT, rats! OK, perhaps Sauron tried his necromancy thing on the remains, was thwarted since the spirit of Isildur was unavailable for comment, then burned the bones in frustration.

The use of some physical remnants of the subject was inspired by traditions such as voodoo (and European 'magic') where a bodily part (usually hair) of the target is necessary for spell casting.

I agree on the divinatory aspect. I'd prefer to imagine that the 'spirits' only knew information that they'd gathered whilst alive, not being able to predict the future. (Otherwise the instruction 'watch out for the halflings trying to drop your ring into that big volcano' would surely have caused plot complications).