aid from the west

[afro-elf]

a slightly alternate plot.


as glorfindel returned to ME in the 2nd age with the blue wizards

what if one elf were to have returned to middle with each Istari However it can not be an elf of higher lineage that Elrond or Galadriel( or Gil-galad in the second age) to prevent power struggle.

what elves do you think would be a likely canidates?

I would choose Ecthelion to come with the blue wizards and Glorfindel. Slayers of balrogs are good to have around. they servered the same king and i assumme were friends in Gondolin.

sicne the would have arrived in the second age around the forging of the ring they would have been my warlords in the two great wars in that age.

afterwards they would have been lords warlords in Rivendell and Lorien


for the remaining 3 I would choose would come in the 3rd with Gandalf, Radagast, and Saruman.

Mablung and Beleg they are Sindar and thus could serve with Thranduil. perhaps even teach him some manners.


there are several choices that I think could go here for the last one

its never mentioned if voronwe sailed west.

Edrahil for he was loyal


Gwindor but he suffered so much he probably might not wish to return

not too many elves mentioned after that who were not descendants of Finwe

[Fat middle]

"what if one elf were to have returned to middle with each Istari"

what if not?

sorry, afro-elf, i don't want to be rude, but i cannot see a reason why that hypothesis would have had sense.

Glorfindel recieved the gift of returning for his valour. it's true that other valiant elves had passed in the first age, but why should return only as many as the number of istari.

Glorfindel's case must be seen as a single case, understandable only by itself. its relation with the istari is merely casual.

[afro-elf]

The purpose was not to engage in a serious scholastic discussion as to the merits of my query as to whether it would make sense.

It was just a one of the MANY questions that float around this board that don't have serious ontological merit.

Please note that since this is written my tone is not anyway meant to be biligerent.

[Kirinki54]

Originally posted by Fat middle
Glorfindel's case must be seen as a single case, understandable only by itself. its relation with the istari is merely casual.

While I agree that your first statement here is probably right Fat Middle, I do not see that the second necessarily follows.

Still, it might very well be right also.

But I see no reason as to why not speculate on other Elves returning with the Istari.

IF there for some obscure reason were more Elves accompanying the Istari, I would agree with most of the choices you made, afro-elf.

[Galin]

Incidentally (and not that it isn't known already) according to the late essay Glorfindel I, it was Glorfindel who returned with Gandalf, as a companion.

This seems a simpler explanation for Glorfindel's return, perhaps too simple for some, but I kind of like it. This text also relates that it was probable that Glorfindel had already become a friend and follower of Olorin in Valinor. Of course Glorfindel II looks to have followed the first essay, and so arguably supersedes it...

... but still, again, I rather like the simplicity of the idea