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Originally Posted by Formendacil
A short chapter, mostly filled with happy tidings, this chapter is one that nonetheless is a bit of a favourite for me, most likely because of its connections to the greater Legendarium.
Think about it. In this chapter we become acquainted with Elrond Halfelven- although at this stage he seems to be more emphasized as Elrond Half-Man, the son of Earendil
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I agree, this chapter
does link us in to the wider stories and history of Middle-earth.
I also get the sense when reading the Hobbit again that Rivendell is a truly important place in Middle-earth. Was it just me or did anyone else feel that the glories of Lothlorien somewhat overshadowed Rivendell in LotR? Yet Rivendell in many ways is much more important a place. It is home to Elrond who clearly has incredible powers, and is something of a seat of learning or knowledge. In both The Hobbit and in LotR we see people coming here and taking away great stores of useful information.
Rivendell is also a much more welcoming place than Lothlorien. This is possibly as it is located in a safer place, Galadriel's realm being closer to Mordor, but even though it is out of the way and quite difficult to find, it is still open to those who need to find it. Men, Dwarves and Hobbits are welcomed here - it is something of a strategic centre in Middle-earth, and a haven too.
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Originally Posted by Formendacil
And, to be quite serious, I really WOULD like the know the story of how those swords came from the fall of Gondolin to hands of the trolls. I've always been quite fascinated by the fact that Glamdring was "The King of Gondolin's Sword"- meaning that it belonged to Turgon. Who took it from his dead body?
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There all
sorts of questions surrounding this! The sword must have been taken from Beleriand or else it would not have survived - so whichever Orcs took it, they did not take it back to Angband. Or was it Orcs who took it? How did the trolls get it, did they just find it or did they steal it? Trolls were creatures made by Melkor, so I would suppose that he would have had some in his army at Gondolin; are Trolls 'immortal'? If so, then they could even have been in possession of Glamdring for a very long time - or maybe they stole it from other trolls.
Gandalf must also have used it to fight the Balrog, which is interesting. If this Balrog was one of those involved in the downfall of Gondolin, then had it seen this same sword before, as wielded by Turgon? I wonder if this had any bearing on Gandalf's victory over the Barog. And what happened to Glamdring during Gandalf's 'death'?