Quote:
Originally Posted by Landroval
What of Smaug? Dwaves aside surely the golden, impenetrable dragon as a servant of Morgoth would suffer just as Carcharoth, who was driven mad by pain when he consumed a Silmaril. Why did the Arkenstone not burn him if it is truly one of the Jewels of Feanor?
Well... who's to say it didn't?
Perhaps it did burn, all those long years as it lay atop Smaug's bed of gold and jewels, beneath the old worm as he slumbered. Yet it did not become encrusted in the dragons belly as were other gems and pieces of gold. Perhaps it even burned a hole in that armor, say a patch in the hollow of his left breast.
After all, which is more likely: That Smaug naturally grew with a discernible weakness in his defeated, or that his armor was damaged by an outside force. Thus, if the Arkenstone was in fact a Silmaril it might have brought about Smaug the Golden's defeat, even as Earendil and Jewel of air brought about the end of Ancalagon the Black.
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That weakness in Smaug's armor always annoyed me, but then again he did need a weakness in order to get killed.
My problem with the theory presented is that never before have I encountered evidence of the Silmarils "gem melting potential". If it burned in such a manner, then surely it would also melt gold and gems underneath it and eventually end up in the bottom of Smaug's treasure pile? Or have I misunderstood your theory?
Also it is true that other pieces of gems and gold became encrusted, where as the Arkenstone didn't. However I am quite sure that the vast majority of gems and gold did not become encrusted, like the cup that Bilbo took. The point is that by not becoming encrusted, the Arkenstone is actually doing exactly what the average piece of jewellery would do in such a situation.