Do the Silmarils have any particular importance after the First Age?

[Peter_20]

Originally Posted by Olmer

How big were the Silmarills in your opinion?

Fëanor was able to wear all of them on his brow, so they'd probably be small enough to easily fit in the palm of your hand.

I say they'd be in the size of golf balls.

[Tuinor]

Good evening, everyone.

I saw this thread, and thought it might be fun. I seem to remember reading in one of the histories of Middle-Earth (possibly the fourth) of a prophecy Tolkien wrote about concerning the end times of Middle-Earth. It held that the sign of the end times would be the return of the Silmarils to Middle-Earth (how isn't explained), the release of Morgoth, and the ressurection of both Feanor and Turin Turambar. However, I don't believe it is found in the final Silmarilion. If anyone has the book, The Shaping of Middle-Earth, you might want to look it up. Also, I just found a wikipedia description of the "end times". Here's the page address:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagor_Dagorath

Have fun!

[Finarfin-1]

Had a thought,
What if the Hiding of Valinor/Downfall of Numenor (which was when Illuvatar made a bunch of new lands, seas, etc) provided the tectonic forces to move the Silmaril a vast distance from the "fiery chasm" that Maedhros hurled it and himself into?

The forces exerted on Arda were so immense and complicated at the time that Illuvatar took over direct governance of Arda from the Valar after the Numenoreans screwed up so badly that who really knows what the consequences were to features of the planet not readily apparent?

Just thought this event could explain either the Arkenstone or the Silmaril-in-Mount Doom theory.

[Curufin]

I don't subscribe to the Arkenstone or the Silmaril-in-Mt. Doom theory.

At the end of the time of the sons of Fëanor, there was a Silmaril present in the land (Maedhros's), Sea (Maglor's) and the Air (Eärendil). Therefore, a tiny bit of the original unsullied light existed in all three phases of the earth, perhaps keeping alive in those who lived in Arda the hope of Arda Unmarred...It was a mythological device, and I do not believe that Tolkien would have ruined it by bringing the Silmaril back into one of the lesser mythologies.

Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

[bsj2312]

The Arkenstone in its description is MUCH MUCH different than the description of the Silmarils. Did it change shape, size, and facets while it was lost? Come on, now. Re-read people!!!

[DARKastheRAIN]

The Arkenstone wasn't bright enough to be a Silmaril.

When it gets dark, go outside and locate the brightest little light (apart form the moon) that you can find. Unless it's the wrong time of night, chances are that's what we lowly mortals call Venus, or the Morning Star, and believe to be a planet. But as those of us schooled in the ancient lore know, that it is none other than Earendil with a Silmaril of Feanor strapped to his brow.

Now back to the Hobbit's tale, when Bilbo Baggins found the Arkenstone, the Dwarves happend to be watching him from the mouth of the tunnel, it was completely dark in the cave, and all they saw was his tiny little torch light moving further into the cave as he stooped to pick up the Arkenstone.

Now tell me, if we can see Earendil's Silmaril outshining every other star in the sky when we stand on the ground and look up at it countless miles above us, why can the Dwarves not see it's triplet when they're just across the cave from it? And how does the Morning Star manage to outshine all the stars of Elbereth if an identical stone can't even outshine a Hobbits torch? The brightness of the Silmarills may never have been measured in ampheres, but if one had been in that cave, it is my belief, that no one would have had any need of torches.

[ASmileThatExplodes]

Originally Posted by Tuinor

Good evening, everyone.

I saw this thread, and thought it might be fun. I seem to remember reading in one of the histories of Middle-Earth (possibly the fourth) of a prophecy Tolkien wrote about concerning the end times of Middle-Earth. It held that the sign of the end times would be the return of the Silmarils to Middle-Earth (how isn't explained), the release of Morgoth, and the ressurection of both Feanor and Turin Turambar. However, I don't believe it is found in the final Silmarilion. If anyone has the book, The Shaping of Middle-Earth, you might want to look it up. Also, I just found a wikipedia description of the "end times". Here's the page address:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagor_Dagorath

Have fun!

I saw that too on Wiki, haha! It quite fascinated me. ;o I just read The Silmarillion for the second time and there are soms indications about Dagor Dagorath or The End, but it's not quite clear.
I haven't read The History of Middle-Earth-series, maybe I should do that once. (:

-Off-topic: I'm new here and this is really cool, because I still don't know a lot of Middle-Earth and stuff. I have also a lot of questions and this site is very helpful, thank you. (: