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Aiwendil · 02-02-2003, 02:49 PM

I think that one of the strengths of the story is that we never find out who or what it was that impersonated Amlach. There is a sort of uneasy element of mystery here, as well as a sense of the extent of Morgoth's power. Still, it's fun to speculate.

It certainly does sound rather like the work of Sauron. Of all Morgoth's servants, he is the only one we know to be a master of sorcery and phantoms. Amlach may have been the same sort of illusion as Eilinel. Or it may indeed have been Sauron, in altered form. I rather like this possibility, if only because I'm something of a fan of Sauron.

It may have been some lesser Maia. Perhaps something like a Boldog. I don't know whether the Boldog-types (if they even existed) were permanently incarnate, or if they could still change form. But Morgoth may very well have had other, unnamed Maiar servants.

The possibility of Amlach being mind-controlled hadn't occurred to me before. It's certainly possible. I don't know how exactly it could be done, though. I think that Ulmo's putting words into Tuor's mouth is rather different. Tuor was, presumably, fully conscious of speaking the words. Nor is there any indication that he was forced to say what Ulmo had put in him; he was of course willing. But it's certainly possible that Sauron or someone else had enspelled him.

02-02-2003, 02:49 PM	#5
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	I think that one of the strengths of the story is that we never find out who or what it was that impersonated Amlach. There is a sort of uneasy element of mystery here, as well as a sense of the extent of Morgoth's power. Still, it's fun to speculate. It certainly does sound rather like the work of Sauron. Of all Morgoth's servants, he is the only one we know to be a master of sorcery and phantoms. Amlach may have been the same sort of illusion as Eilinel. Or it may indeed have been Sauron, in altered form. I rather like this possibility, if only because I'm something of a fan of Sauron. It may have been some lesser Maia. Perhaps something like a Boldog. I don't know whether the Boldog-types (if they even existed) were permanently incarnate, or if they could still change form. But Morgoth may very well have had other, unnamed Maiar servants. The possibility of Amlach being mind-controlled hadn't occurred to me before. It's certainly possible. I don't know how exactly it could be done, though. I think that Ulmo's putting words into Tuor's mouth is rather different. Tuor was, presumably, fully conscious of speaking the words. Nor is there any indication that he was forced to say what Ulmo had put in him; he was of course willing. But it's certainly possible that Sauron or someone else had enspelled him.