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Galin · 01-25-2008, 12:31 PM

Generally speaking, Tolkien was not necessarily consistent from letter to letter. And Readers naturally post pieces of letters as significant pieces of 'lore' (if so) but Tolkien in 1965 may not even remember what he wrote in a letter more than ten years earlier, for example. Did JRRT think his letters would someday help Readers answer questions with respect to his mythic history? I doubt that, but we make do, as we must, with 'unpublished' tales, notes, letters, and TV interviews, and author-published works of course.

In the case of The Lord of the Rings we have (in my opinion) a source that easily outweighs a letter, and also a late date for Amroth And Nimrodel that appears to indicate that the East-elves of Galadriel's Realm can sail West just like the Sindar. According to The Lord of the Rings itself...

'... and Anduin flows into the Bay of Belfalas whence the Elves of Lórien set sail.' The Fellowship of the Ring

'It is long since the people of Nimrodel left the woodlands of Lórien, and yet still one may see that not all sailed from Amroth's haven west over water.' The Last Debate

1981 '(...) Many of the Silvan Elves of Lórien flee South. Amroth and Nimrodel are lost.' Appendix B

Or also published by Tolkien...

'In the Langstrand and Dol Amroth there were many traditions of the ancient Elvish dwellings, and of the haven at the mouth of the Morthond from which 'westward ships' had sailed as far back as the fall of Eregion in the Second Age.' The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

Taking these 'as a team' I must include the Silvan Elves with the Sindar as far as sailing Over Sea; and so far I can't think of any good reason to restrict them to Tol Eressea.

01-25-2008, 12:31 PM	#17
Galin Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,031	Generally speaking, Tolkien was not necessarily consistent from letter to letter. And Readers naturally post pieces of letters as significant pieces of 'lore' (if so) but Tolkien in 1965 may not even remember what he wrote in a letter more than ten years earlier, for example. Did JRRT think his letters would someday help Readers answer questions with respect to his mythic history? I doubt that, but we make do, as we must, with 'unpublished' tales, notes, letters, and TV interviews, and author-published works of course. In the case of The Lord of the Rings we have (in my opinion) a source that easily outweighs a letter, and also a late date for Amroth And Nimrodel that appears to indicate that the East-elves of Galadriel's Realm can sail West just like the Sindar. According to The Lord of the Rings itself... '... and Anduin flows into the Bay of Belfalas whence the Elves of Lórien set sail.' The Fellowship of the Ring 'It is long since the people of Nimrodel left the woodlands of Lórien, and yet still one may see that not all sailed from Amroth's haven west over water.' The Last Debate 1981 '(...) Many of the Silvan Elves of Lórien flee South. Amroth and Nimrodel are lost.' Appendix B Or also published by Tolkien... 'In the Langstrand and Dol Amroth there were many traditions of the ancient Elvish dwellings, and of the haven at the mouth of the Morthond from which 'westward ships' had sailed as far back as the fall of Eregion in the Second Age.' The Adventures of Tom Bombadil Taking these 'as a team' I must include the Silvan Elves with the Sindar as far as sailing Over Sea; and so far I can't think of any good reason to restrict them to Tol Eressea.