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Forum Home » Books Discussion » BC Archive: Unfinished Tales » Quote of the week- Oct 24th /05-Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin
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PotbellyHairyfoot
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Post Quote of the week- Oct 24th /05-Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin
on: October 24, 2005 11:18
This ties in with question 9 in figwit's thread here

And one day, as Tuor sat upon the shore, he heard the rush and whine of great wings, and he looked up and saw seven white swans flying in a swift wedge southward. But as they came above him they wheeled and flew sudenly down, and alighted with a great splash and churning of water.

Then he turned back again and saw that the swans had alighted on the highest terrace, and stood before the west-door of the hall; and they beat their wings and it seemed to him that they beckoned him to enter.

Tuor took too long so the swans were sent to urge him along to a planned meeting with the Lord of the Waters

also

- Tolkien was very fond of the number '7'
7 pilantiri
7 sons of Feanor
7 ships carrying the Elendili from the destruction of Numenor
7 doors to the Hidden land
7 swans leading Tuor on a 7 day journey
etc.

[Edited on 24/10/2005 by PotbellyHairyfoot]
Figwit
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Post RE: Quote of the week- Oct 24th /05-Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin
on: October 25, 2005 08:08
That is because, in de jewish tradition, seven is a holy number... It is the number of excess, while six is the number of completion (two times 3). So, 6 + 1 = almost infinity .

Anyway, I find the significance of numbers throughout Tolkien's oeuvre a very interesting thing.
Calaquende
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Post RE: Quote of the week- Oct 24th /05-Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin
on: October 26, 2005 07:44
Yes there are lots of 7. Only in this story:
- 7 swans that guided Tuor
- 7 feather's in Tuor's helmet
- 7 days of Tuor's travel from Nevrast to Falas
- 7 gates in Gondolin
- 7 years that Tuor spend in Hithlum without family or friends (3 as Lorgan's slave, 4 as an outlaw)
- 7 travellers Turgon sent to sail to the land of Valinor
- 7 ships that vainly tried to reach Valinor
- 7 years of Vornwe's sail
- 7 vertical bars & 7 horizontal bars in the Steel Gate
- 7 vertical & 7 horizontal great rods between the columns in the Steel Gate

[Edited on 27/10/2005 by Calaquende]
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