Quote:
Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark
I’d argue the The Silmarillion was written before The Hobbit and set before it by a wide margin. If we take the approach that these are all just translations vs Tolkien’s writings I put very little stock in the finality of its authors.
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To me, that points at the "canonicity" issue, and if we're going there, then all bets are off, and anything is possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Morsul the Dark
I mean I can write “my headphones are lost” does this mean I will never find them? Ever? “Lost” only has finality as a euphemism for death. And in Tolkien’s world that’s not even a definite.
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Yet, the Silmarils are consistently written as being important to a
specific time in the history of Arda, with no indication they would ever again be a matter for the Children of Ilúvatar to be concerned.
As for Gandalf's remark at the Council of Elrond, for one thing, he was merely quoting
Saruman's thoughts on Sauron's ideas about the One Ring's whereabouts.
Second, that comment was certainly valid for the Great Rings, as Gandalf told Frodo they "had a way of being found". But they were
Sauron's work, and their propensity for attracting potential "owners" was due to a malevolent power.
I do not see the same characteristic in the Silmarils, because from all indications in the annals of Arda,
their purpose was accomplished: they were in secure places where they would indefinitely preserve the light of the Trees, while being safeguarded from all, whether good, bad, or in-between.