Enchanted Stream

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by mark12_30

Enchanted sleep is a pretty standard "Faerie" thing. Rip Van Winkle, &c. Sleep was sweet in Bombadil's house, though not quite enchanted. I forget whether Smith slept in Faerie; seems like he must have but I haven't read Smith in a while.

For Elves: Frodo fell asleep under the elven music in Rivendell; all three hobbits slept deeply and well under Gildor's care in Woody End; and Melian cast a spell of years over Thingol.

Hmmm..... The Elves, of course, are always singing, as is Bombadil. Which makes me wonder if the "enchantment" on the stream in Mirkwood is "magic" as we tend to think of it, or something in the music of the water -- an echo of Ulmo's Music, perhaps, protecting the woodland Elves against the evil that began to spread from Dol Guldur. We do know that Ulmo was not completely withdrawn from ME of the Third Age, and something like an enchanted stream could be his subtle way of aiding the Elves of Mirkwood against the forces of the "Necromancer." The Elves might not have put the "enchantment" there themselves, but would surely have become aware of it and taken advantage of it (to the point that I could see the "Elven-king" incarnation of Thranduil in TH claiming to have made and control the "enchantment"). Being put to sleep is not necessarily dangerous; those familiar with Mirkwood would avoid the stream, those who were not would have a strong chance of encountering it, and thus give the Elven patrols time to find them and decide if they should be considered friend or foe. It would definitely be a thing to avoid for Dwarves trying to make their way through Mirkwood, as the Elves are hostile toward them.

Well, it's just a thought. The woodland Elves would not have been able to make certain that hapless travelers didn't fall asleep and drown in the stream, but Ulmo certainly could, I should think. It's a way of avoiding that little problem.