Quote:
Originally Posted by Zigûr
That is another idea which I think makes Amandil's voyage so poignant; he could have escaped with his sons and grandsons but he chose a different road. That of course meant breaking the Ban himself: it's interesting that in the case of one's loyalty to God being the only insoluble one, in this case sailing into the West meant both betraying the King of Númenor and breaking the law set down by the Elder King whose overlordship was ultimately applicable to all the inhabitants of Arda.
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Amandil's decision to break the Ban seems to me to have been triggered by many factors.
I see in him an old man despairing for the future of his home, and the safety of his kin. He probably didn't see a lot of hope in fleeing to the east over Sea, at least not for himself, otherwise he would have done so. He would obviously have been well-versed on the tale of Eärendil's voyage, and that event would have always had a romantic resonance for the Númenóreans, particularly the Faithful. He probably just thought he had little to lose by trying to recreate Eärendil's plea: either he would be successful and save his people, or he would perish in the attempt, and hopefully his kin would at least escape east.