Chapter 24: Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath

[Earniel]

I was wondering whether the Valar hadn't boxed themselves into a corner with Mandos' Doom. It seems the Noldorin exiles had to be utterly defeated and without any hope before an emissary would be admitted. Which seems... more than a little unproductive.

Turgon had sent emissaries who were all shipwrecked and killed and the lone survivor was sent to remind Turgon he should leave Gondolin. Okay... but then what? If Turgon had listened to Ulmo's advice, what exactly would it have gotten him? His people would have been without a safe place beyond the walls of Gondolin, at the mercy of Morgoth and even be more vulnerable to treason. Or were they all expected to heap on the refugee isle of Balar (which would have been very overpopulated by then, I'm thinking) and do what exactly? Sit and wait until Morgoth decided to at last sicc the flying dragons on them and burn their sorry remains off the island? There is absolutely no indication an emissary would be listened to even then. I know Tolkien blamed pride for Turgon's decision to stay put, but I'm starting to see Turgon's point a little. He didn't have all that much alternative. Knowing your only hope comes from the West is all fine and dandy but much good does it do you when they won't send help even when you ask for it. And Turgon did ask.

The way the Valar are talking, Eärendil and Elwing were literally the only ones in the whole of Middle-earth who could speak for both Kindreds and they wouldn't have gotten there without a Silmaril. That's a pretty narrow definition to meet to hang the survival of the Two Kindreds in Middle-earth on.

And as far as I remember no one ever said from the start that whoever came to plead for pity had to be of and speak for both Kindreds. It makes it rather difficult to play if no one tells you all the rules from the start.

If Elwing had been waylaid and the Silmaril had ended up with the Fëanoreans, would Eärendil still have made it alone? Or would the Valar really have let Morgoth eradicate the Eldar in Middle-earth? So that all the 'beauty' that came from their suffering was lost from the world and, never making it into song and thus utterly forgotten? It kinda feels that way as they left no other alternative open.

Also, Men hadn't done any crime of the level of the Noldorin exiles, so why didn't they get a break either? Could Men have sent an emissary for their own, saying to the Valar 'I know you're still angry with them Elves but, we Men, kinda live in Middle-earth too and we think Morgoth sucks and would like to be rid of him, thank you very much?' Would the Valar have listened to that? Probably not, because they had happily made it forbidden for mortal men to set foot in Aman in the first place! Gee, thanks guys.

Which brings me to the point of Eärendil's choice. The Valar had already ruled that he and Elwing never would be allowed to leave Aman and that mortal Men could not set foot on Aman with impunity. Which led to the question of whether Eärendil and Elwing should be ranked among Eldar or Men. Now if Eärendil had made the choice after his heart, rather than follow Elwing, what would it have gotten him exactly? A mortal men in a place he wasn't allowed to be but was fated to be anyhow. Hmmm, if you ask me, The Valar actually were lucky he let Elwing shoose first or they would have been in a worse legal tangle.