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Originally Posted by Andsigil
So, what are we to make of the elves' journey across Helcaraxë and all of the elven casualties, then? Is it reasonable to assume that there was supernatural cold to which the elves succumbed, or were all of the deaths due to shifting ice and drowning, polar bears, killer whales, etc?
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I think "supernatural" enhancement might indeed have been a factor.
In
ROTK Appendix A we are told of a race of Men who live in the far north of Middle-earth and appear to live like the Arctic Inuit, the Lossoth. They lived on the Cape of Forochel, and were said to be
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....a strange, unfriendly people, remnant of the Forodwaith, Men of far-off days, accustomed to the bitter colds of the realm of Morgoth.
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Morgoth, representing the opposite of the Fire of Ilúvatar, would have had more affinity for cold, and indeed the cold could have been a strategic weapon itself, making his stronghold more secure. The Lossoth, even after millenia, apparently still connected the cold of the area with evil, and even gave the Witch-king some credit for contributing to it.