Gildor Inglorion

[Zilbanne]

Please take my edition to this thread with a light heart as it is intended. It isn't meant as a springboard for deep discussion...

Sometimes the elves in LotR in general seem like depressed people who were good at getting things done in the past but now, in the third age, are unable to do so. The passage of long life has become too burdensome maybe? Thank goodness they have faults. Otherwise their abilities and attributes just might seem too impossible.

[Alcuin]

I wonder if Frodo and his companions traveling with Gildor and the other Noldorian exiles might not have been more easily captured.

The Nazgûl, Khamûl, retreated from Gildor and the other Eldar when he was hunting Frodo, but he did not go far: the next morning, he was atop the Woody End trying to smell them out after they had descended through the undergrowth. In all likelihood, the Nazgûl could really see the Eldar, just as they could see Glorfindel and one another.

Traveling with Gildor might have been like putting up a flashing red light with a siren saying, “Here we are! Come get us!” While alone, Khamûl backed off when the Elves arrived; had the hobbits and Elves traveled together, he would surely have alerted the Witch-king, gathered his forces, and hunted them down.

It is worth considering whether Gildor and his companions could have resisted a determined attack by all Nine Nazgûl: they were outnumbered and unmounted; they had no obvious weapons and no armor; and the hobbits were very vulnerable targets.

As it was, Frodo and his friends were elusive: more like a cat-and-mouse game to the Ringwraiths, who chased them hither and yon, finding their trail and then losing it again. The Elves, I think, stood out like sore thumbs.

[Gordis]

It is worth considering whether Gildor and his companions could have resisted a determined attack by all Nine Nazgûl: they were outnumbered and unmounted; they had no obvious weapons and no armor; and the hobbits were very vulnerable targets.

But they were Calaquendi who had "great power both in the Seen and the Unseen". I don't think the battle between them and the Nazgul would be much like a battle of mortal men. It would be what Men call "magic" battle.

Glorfindel always made them retreat, despite the fact that he was alone. Why? Well, I guess NOT because he was a master-swordsman, but only because he was a resurrected Calaquende.

Consider Gandalf and the nazgul at the Weathertop. Would Gandalf be able to remain alive, if all the Nine were hacking at him with their swords and he was trying to parry with Glamdring? I say no: it is simply impossible to win a real-word swordfight one against nine.
Instead, there was the magick contest of lightnings and flames as the Power of the nine nazgul and a lone Maia was almost even.

So would Gildor and Co even need ordinary weapons and chainmail? And if they do, why not ask old Tom to provide some? They could have reached the B. Downs before the nazgul could gather and attack.

No, I believe the Elves could have taken Frodo safely to Rivendell even if attacked along the way.

In all likelihood, the Nazgûl could really see the Eldar, just as they could see Glorfindel and one another. ... Traveling with Gildor might have been like putting up a flashing red light with a siren saying, “Here we are! Come get us!”

Here you are no doubt right. And I think it is indeed part of the answer why the Elves didn't come with Frodo. They didn't want the nazgul to trace the Ring to Rivendell. If Sauron were informed that Elrond had got the One, Rivendell would be in grave danger. Likely Gildor wanted to avoid it, hoping that the nazgul would simply loose the trail of the hobbits in the wilderness.

[Zilbanne]

Originally Posted by Alcuin

Traveling with Gildor might have been like putting up a flashing red light with a siren saying, “Here we are! Come get us!” While alone, Khamûl backed off when the Elves arrived; had the hobbits and Elves traveled together, he would surely have alerted the Witch-king, gathered his forces, and hunted them down.

Originally Posted by Alcuin

As it was, Frodo and his friends were elusive: more like a cat-and-mouse game to the Ringwraiths, who chased them hither and yon, finding their trail and then losing it again. The Elves, I think, stood out like sore thumbs.

I wonder if the elvish nature of the elves, the elvishness itself, was easier to spot by the nazgul than natural hobbit movement? Was hobbit movement less detectable in general than that of elves? Or was it simply because a larger group was easier to track?

[Coffeehouse]

I can't remember where I read it but Tolkien wrote someplace in his works that a Hobbit could remain almost entirely unseen because they thread so lightly and are so quick at feet.

Definitely, the Hobbits did have some advantages, knowing the terrain (at least until the Old Forest) and their (remarkably) stealthy way of going about was something Gandalf knew about before he sent them off. Still can't quite shake off the thought of Gildor being right in just letting them wander off into the wild with Nazgul on their heels. Seems reckless

[Zilbanne]

It does seem reckless of Gildor to just let them go off like that. It seems the elves could have at least escorted the hobbits to Bree in hopes of meeting up with Gandalf or Aragorn.

[Coffeehouse]

I wonder if Tolkien made it out the way it was for some thought-provoking reason.. That guy was an enigma and it seems he usually has an intention behind his storyline. The most likely reason that I could think of was the 'fading away' of Gildor and his elves in that they really were semi-detached from Middle Earth and felt it better to let the Hobbits deal with it (to strengthen them etc).

[Zilbanne]

Originally Posted by Coffeehouse

I wonder if Tolkien made it out the way it was for some thought-provoking reason.. That guy was an enigma and it seems he usually has an intention behind his storyline. The most likely reason that I could think of was the 'fading away' of Gildor and his elves in that they really were semi-detached from Middle Earth and felt it better to let the Hobbits deal with it (to strengthen them etc).

Yep!
I think you are right. Fading and Tolkien's concept of it probably explains Gildor's actions. Tolkien was an orphan. He had to deal with fading parental influence as he grew.

[Coffeehouse]

Originally Posted by Zilbanne

Yep!
I think you are right. Fading and Tolkien's concept of it probably explains Gildor's actions. Tolkien was an orphan. He had to deal with fading parental influence as he grew.

Ooo, educated guess! Hadn't thought of that before.

[Zilbanne]

Originally Posted by Coffeehouse

Ooo, educated guess! Hadn't thought of that before.

Well this is off topic but so many of Tolkien's characters must deal with the loss of loved ones.