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Nordor
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Post Whither the Sindar?
on: March 17, 2015 12:07
Pretty straight forward: At the beginning of the Second Age where did the surviving Sindar elves go? I know some became the hierarchy of places like the Greenwood and Lothlorien; did they assimilate with the Sylvan elves? I've also seen it suggested that some settled with Noldor exiles in Lindon. Is this plausible considering the antipathy between the two? Or did they become trooping elves, wandering around? Or a combination of the above? Or something else?
Elthir
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on: March 25, 2015 12:30
Well I'll give you my opinion, given that my ideas of canon are woven in

The Lord of the Rings: first edition (1954-55)

In the Second Age some Sindar migrate from Lindon to Greenwood and establish realms there among the Silvan Elves, the chief of these is Thranduil in the North of Greenwood, Celeborn in the South of the forest.

The Lord of the Rings: second edition (basically, middle 1960s)

Celeborn going to Greenwood is now revised. Of him it is now said: "In Lindon south of the Lune dwelt for a time Celeborn, kinsman of Thingol." Appendix B

Tolkien also explained that the Elves of Harlindon south of the Lune were said to have been largely of Sindarin origin, and the region to have been a fief under the rule of Celeborn. Christopher Tolkien adds: "It is natural to associate with this the statement in Appendix B; but the reference may possibly be to a later period..." The History of Galadriel And Celeborn, note 2, Unfinished Tales.

The Road Goes Ever On

It is generally noted that Galadriel with Celeborn passed over the mountains of Ered Luin and went to Eregion. This was published by JRRT himself in 1967 [it is also stated here that Imladris consisted of "mostly" High Elves, with High Elves very arguably meaning Noldor here, as it very often does in a Middle-earth context. "Mostly" however could leave room for some migrating Sindarin Elves, I think].

So when did Celeborn rule in South Lindon? Possibly before his migration to Eregion, and possible (at times) after the fall of Eregion as well, since there is a relatively long period after the fall of Eregion before Galadriel and Celeborn take up rule in Lorien in the Third Age.

There is even a brief note that after Celeborn felt sure Lorien was relatively safe [after Eregion fell] he rejoined Galadriel in Lindon; the problem here is that there is a competing idea which cannot be easily dated before or after this "Lindon reference", and the competing idea obscures the matter somewhat since it does not conclude by specifically saying that Galadriel and Celeborn ended up in Lindon after this helping out in Lorien.

Note: I do not regard the text named Concerning Galadriel And Celeborn as true in all respects: here it's said that Galadriel and Celeborn crossed Ered Lindon -- with Grey-elves and Green-elves and many Noldor -- and went to the country about Lake Evendim first, and in this text they actually found Eregion later, and rule there before Celebrimbor.

I do not take these details as true history however, as I personally think they were rejected later (as well as Amroth being Galadriel's son, for intance). Later Tolkien merely published that Galadriel and Celeborn went to Eregion (RGEO, as noted above), and to the Second Edition of The Lord of the Rings he simply added that Celebrimbor, now a Feanorean, was lord of Eregion.

In very late texts we have the Sindarin Amdir ruling Lorien, followed by his son Amroth, upon whose death (again, well into the Third Age) Celeborn and Galadriel took over the care of Lorien.

In my opinion, in a sense Amdir (possibly called Malgalad in one text) "took over" for Celeborn as described the first edition; in other words, I'm guessing Amdir is now to be thought of as one of the Sindar who migrated east of the Misty Mountains before the building of the Dark Tower, ending up in a southern forest, if however on the western side of the Anduin.


And it seems likely (to me) that Amdir did not come alone, meaning probably he arrived with some Sindar, although most of the Elves of Lorien would be Silvan Elves, mingled with some Noldor after the destruction of Eregion (for these Noldor see Unfinished Tales, late text, The History of Galadriel And Celeborn). In another later text (same source but Appendix A to this history) Tolkien writes: "In Lorien, where many of the people were Sindar in origin, or Noldor, survivors from Eregion..."

... though in my opinion, given that it is a posthumously published late note, this information should be viewed in the context of Appendix F, where it's said that most of the folk of Mirkwood and Lorien were East-elves (Silvan Elves).

The Oropher question

To my mind the natural enough implication from Appendix B is that earlier in the Second Age Thranduil established his Kingdom in the North of the forest, just where the reader would think Bilbo found it in The Hobbit.


"... but before the building of the Barad-dur many of the Sindar passed eastward [from Lindon], and some established realms in the forest far away, where their people were mostly Silvan Elves. Thranduil, king in the north of Greenwood, was one of these. In Lindon north of the Lune dwelt Gil-galad..."


But technically it's only said that Thranduil was "one of these" and it could be argued that, despite the implication that Thranduil was the leader of his group at this early time, perhaps there is room for the Oropher element.

Moreover in the chapter Lothlorien there's a bit more history, where Legolas notes: A) that his people had once been in contact with the people of Lorien, or wandered in the south of the forest in ages past, and B) that the people of the Trees did not delve underground fortresses until the Shadow came to Greenwood...

... so arguably Thranduil's halls were later than his kingdom, and he seems to have migrated north, not simply started off where we find him in The Hobbit.

That said, was it Thranduil?

Tolkien introduces the Oropher complexity in posthumously published description: Oropher is here Thranduil's father, and he is (at first) the lord of the people who will eventually migrate North in Greenwood. This generally agrees with Legolas' implication, as Oropher's folk were once: "kin and neighbours of the Elves of Lorien; but they had dwelt in Greenwood the Great east of Anduin."

If so, my assumption is that Amdir/Malgalad dwelt in the forest west of Anduin, which later became Lorien. Oropher in the East.

In another late note Oropher is noted to have arrived among the Silvan Elves...
"... with only a handful of Sindar; and they were soon merged with the Silvan Elves, adopting their language and taking names of Silvan form and style. This they did deliberately; for they (as other similar adventureres forgotten in the legends or only briefly named) came from Doriath after its ruin and had no desire to leave Middle-earth, nor to be merged with the other Sindar of Beleriand, dominated by the Noldorin exiles (...) They wished indeed to become Silvan folk and to return, as they said, to the simple life natural to the Elves before the invitation of the Valar had disturbed it."

Appendix B, The Sindarin Princes Of The Silvan Elves, The History Of Galadriel And Celeborn


In this text it's also noted that when the Shadow fell on Greenwood, Thranduil (now lord after his father's death) at last established his realm in the North-east and delved his fortress.

The problem with the Oropher history is that Tolkien wrote two late versions of it, one in this Appendix (although the history of his migrations are not fully described in this post), and another in note 14 to The Disaster of the Gladden Fields.

Which is true? Which is later than the other? In my opinion a mix of the two is essentially fan fiction, and at the moment I'm not sure we even need Oropher really. And just to note it, the matter of the speech of Mirkwood has a number of texts to deal with as well, as this too is not so simple as it might appear according to this one passage.

The southern haven

In another late text published in Unfinished Tales, according to the traditions of Dol Amroth, seafaring Sindar from the west havens of Beleriand had fled in three small ships when the power of Morgoth overwhelmed the Eldar and the Atani, and they established a haven and small settlement on the shores of the Bay of Belfalas, which was later increased by Silvan Elves seeking for the Sea...

... but again there exists a different account, noted on an unfinished scrap about the origin of the name Belfalas. Here it is explained that after the breaking of Thangorodrim...

"... if they did not take ship over the Great Sea or remain in Lindon, wandered east over the Blue Mountains into Eriador: but there appears nonetheless to have been a group of Sindar who in the beginning of the Second Age went south. They were a remnant of the people of Doriath who harboured still their grudge against the Noldor; and having remained a while at the Grey Havens, where they learned the craft of shipbuilding, "they went in the course of years seeking a place for lives of their own, and at last they settled at the mouth of the Morthond."


In any case see Edhellond "Elf-haven" on the decorated map of Middle-earth by Pauline Baynes (with respect to which, Tolkien was involved in making, at least generally speaking).

That's all I can think of right now.
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