Seven Stars and Seven Stones

[Huinesoron]

Ah, the cover art! D'you know, that never even occurred to me? But Tolkien's design is indeed very clear. That answers that.

(Incidentally, the cover art for The Two Towers also answers once and for all what the 'two towers' were - it's Orthanc and Minas Morgul. And is that a very bird-like Fell Beast flying between them...? But that's probably a question for another thread.)

hS

[Saurondil]

Originally Posted by Huinesoron

Ah, the cover art! D'you know, that never even occurred to me? But Tolkien's design is indeed very clear. That answers that.

(Incidentally, the cover art for The Two Towers also answers once and for all what the 'two towers' were - it's Orthanc and Minas Morgul. And is that a very bird-like Fell Beast flying between them...? But that's probably a question for another thread.)

hS

My impression is that there was no pressing narrative reason for one number of points to be preferred to the other. Though it would have been appropriate, had there been a connection between the five-pointed stars, and the five promontories of the Land of the Star

A connection between the Valacirca, the Seven Stars, the shape of Numenor, the Star of Feanor, and the Crown of Durin, would have been better....

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Saurondil

A connection between the Valacirca, the Seven Stars, the shape of Numenor, the Star of Feanor, and the Crown of Durin, would have been better....

It is interesting to look for connections among the various symbols.

Númenor of course was a five-pointed star shape, and the Star of the House of Fëanor is described by Gandalf on the Moria West-gate as only having 'many rays'. The illustration seems to show sixteen.

We also see seven Lords of the Valar and seven Queens.

The Crown of Durin certainly has seven stars, which would seem to correlate with the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. Aulë the Vala 'made' the Dwarves with Eru's blessing, and so attains the Seven connection that way, maybe?

The Silmarillion in Of the Beginning of Days states the Trees both took seven hours to fully wax and wane.

Seven has the Christian significance of being the 'perfect' number; ie the Days of Creation, and in the West of the world today is still considered lucky. I'd be very tempted to say that factored into Tolkien's repeated use of the number.