Ëarendil and Ancalagon

[mark12_30]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

To be fair, that entire chapter in the published Silmarillion is basically bald reconstruction from old outlines and the like on Christopher Tolkien's part. Tolkien fails to give us an indepth account of that at any point in his life... which, as you note, is a great disappointment.

Given that Eärendil bore a Silmaril, if I had to speculate, the obvious answer would seem to be that the Jem of Fëanor probably played a role--and the "white light" might be connected thereto. Exactly how Eärendil used the Silmaril is another question--but we do know that the touch of the Holy Jewels is painful to evil. As the greatest of all dragons, with the cognomen of "the Black", it seems reasonable to speculate that Ancalagon might have found the touch of the Silmaril especially painful.

Formendacil, I like your theory very much.

Another possibility is, perhaps he defeated him with a word.

[skytree]

Is the statement about Ancalogon's fall destroying Thangorodrim literal or hyperbole? He would have to have been massive beyond belief to shatter three mountain peaks with his fall.

[mark12_30]

OF course it's literal. He was the hottest dragon ever.

Seriously, what destroys black fortresses, isn't so much a big explosion, as the reduction or destruction of the black power itself.

When the ring was unmade, the black gates fell, the black tower fell... all because of a little itty bitty ring.