Quote:
Originally Posted by Galin
Anyway, the reason I "woke up" this thread concerns a possible next stage in the imagined history. At one point Galadriel reveals: "We have dwelt here since the mountains were reared and the sun was young . . . [addition]
And I have dwelt here with him since the days of dawn, when I passed over the seas with Melian of Valinor; and ever together we have fought the long defeat.”
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Huh. It's really hard to figure out what Tolkien might have been thinking here. The footnote you quote points to HoME V and the
Later Annals of Valinor as the most recent (at the time) version of Melian's story; that has her leaving Aman before the Elves even awake, and apparently not returning until Thingol's death. Could Tolkien have actually considered either having Melian leave Aman after the arrival of the Noldor, or letting her travel between the two regions freely? Either seems like it would massively distort Thingol's story.
Or - is this early enough in the writing of LotR that he could just have been stealing a name, like he did with Glorfindel? If the sentence had stayed, would he have written anguished notes decades later asking whether there could possibly be two Melians?
Relatedly, there's a post-1955 note somewhere in NoME stating "Galadriel is made
sister of Finrod" (emphasis in original), which in context seems to be Felagund. Given that the Finrod > Finarfin, Inglor > Finrod change only came about after the First Edition of LotR, does "is made" imply that the two statements in the Appendices that Galadriel is Felagund's sister didn't exist until the Second Edition (ie, "I am now making")? That would at least allow her to cross the Sea significantly earlier than the Rebellion, which the later youthful Galadriel would have trouble with. (Does anyone have a First Edition they can check?)
hS