What broke the darkness at the Siege of Minas Tirith?

[narfforc]

'I live upon the open Wold in days of peace; Widfara is my name, and to me the air brings messages. Already the wind is turning. There comes a breath out of the South; there is a sea-tang in it, faint though it be. The morning will bring new things'.

Then we have this:-


'But at midnight hope was indeed born anew. Sea-crafty men of the Ethir gazing southward spoke of a change coming with a fresh wind from the Sea'.

Maybe The Valar had not forsaken Middle-earth.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by narfforc

Maybe The Valar had not forsaken Middle-earth.

Or maybe we should go beyond Valar with this...

I've kind of always thought that was something Ilúvatar itself looked after - or the great metaphysical forces inherent in the created world were looking after. Like "good will prevail in the end", no matter what. And think of Gandalf's resurrection and return as even more powerful Maia to help the good side... I sense the hand or thought of Ilùvatar there to be sure.

And surely this fresh wind from the sea and the first rays of the sun after such darkness can be - and even should be - read symbolically as well, at the same time.

[Mnemosyne]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Or maybe we should go beyond Valar with this...

I've kind of always thought that was something Ilúvatar itself looked after - or the great metaphysical forces inherent in the created world were looking after. Like "good will prevail in the end", no matter what. And think of Gandalf's resurrection and return as even more powerful Maia to help the good side... I sense the hand or thought of Ilùvatar there to be sure.

And surely this fresh wind from the sea and the first rays of the sun after such darkness can be - and even should be - read symbolically as well, at the same time.

I'd be with you if this weren't so clearly associated with the elements: Manwe (who, granted, is very closely associated with Iluvatar), and especially Ulmo, with this being a sea breeze and all.

Iluvatar's intervention seems to be limited to the things that even the Valar had no control over: the resurrection of Gandalf, Bilbo's finding the Ring, possibly even the fall of Gollum. Those are all too random to be in the provenance of any Vala; wind and sea not only fit in with their domain but fit into the domains of two specific Valar who would be likely to intervene (albeit very, very subtly) in such a situation.

[Eönwë]

I'd definately say that at least Ulmo is involved. I'm sure he'd be waiting to see what Aragorn would do and try to help him subtly- after all, there would be no Aragorn if it wasn't for Ulmo. And also he's never abandoned Middle-Earth the way the other Valar did (He's the "chink in the armour of fate" or something like that).

As well as this, I think it is referenced that Ulmo was closest to Manwe out of the Valar (in terms of friendship, or whatever it can be called for Valar), so it could be assumed that he probably could have persuaded Manwe to join his cause, which would also (not incidentally) change the outcome of a major battle.