Whatever happened to Melkor?

[Voronwe]

I've now checked my sources, and the main evidence for the abandonment of Turin's slaying of Morgoth comes from a prophecy supposedly made by Andreth that Turin would return from the dead and slay Ancalagon in the Great Battle at the end of the first age. This prophecy was never developed, and as such it is not part of the published Silmarillion, where earlier but more complete texts were used in which Earendeil is the slayer of Ancalagon.

The source is a footnote to a rather obscure linguistic essay entitled 'The problem of Ros', found in Peoples of Middle Earth (HoME XII). I quote Tolkien's footnote text in full here. The footnote is followed by about a page of commentray by Christopher Tolkien explaining the various forms the prophecy of Turin's return took during the different stages of Tolkien's writing.

The language of the folk of Haleth was not used, for they had perished and would not rise again. Nor would their tongue be heard again, unless the prophecy of Andreth the Wise-woman should prove true, that Turin in the Last Battle should return from the Dead, and before he left the Circles of the World for ever should challenge the Great Dragon of Morgoth, Ancalagon the Black, and deal him the death-stroke.

Note that the phrase 'Last Battle' refers to the Great Battle at the end of the first age. This is clear from the context of the footnote, as Chris Tolkien points out.

[ December 29, 2002: Message edited by: Voronwe ]