12/18/2023 0 Comments Lotr angbandMaeglin was subjected to the same spell after his betrayal of the city, though seems have been able to mask it outwardly, and at least at one point Tolkien toyed with the idea of having the association with Morgoth run in the family Eöl was then understood to be a slave who did not escape from Angband, but was “ released to do mischief among the Elves”, and also seems to have gained much of his smithcraft from captivity.Įöl was not the only released slave either. His name, noted as unusual by Christopher Tolkien because of its meaning (‘demon’), may be a hint that he himself used to be an escaped captive – such a moniker seems more like a degrading title than a legitimate name of an Elven nobleman, but that is again guesswork. Voronwë, before he was re-imagined as one of Turgon’s mariners but already Tuor’s guide, may have been one of them, and so were a number of the Gondolindrim, for the most part in the House of the Hammer of Wrath under Rog. They were not completely captive and in fact were allowed to move through Beleriand, but put under the so-called “Spell of Bottomless Dread” that left them under Morgoth’s control and in constant fear and disquiet of him. Gondolin as one of the few remaining strongholds may be a remnant of earlier textual versions, in which Morgoth’s victory after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad as far more decisive and the Noldor in total (excepting only the Gondolindrim) subjugated and called Thrall-Noldoli. A kinswoman of Húrin called Aerin was married to and mistreated by an Easterling called Brodda, and Tuor was taken captive and held as thrall to a high-ranking Easterling named Lorgan for three years however he was able to free himself and escape, eventually, to Gondolin under the guidance of Voronwë. Morwen’s household was one of the few that remained untouched (although her concern that Túrin might be enslaved prompted her send him to Doriath). Not only the Sacking of Nargothrond and the Fall of Gondolin as well as the destruction of the Falas saw survivors taken into captivity: One of the central disasters of the Silmarillion, the Dagor Bragollach, caused widespread captivity of Noldor and Sindar who were forced to put their skills and knowledge into Morgoth’s service (Gwindor’s brother Gelmir was taken captive during or after this battle, but there is nothing in the texts indicating whether or not he was put to work), and the Nirnaeth Arnoediad likewise saw the enslavement not merely of the remaining free Eldar of Hithlum to Angband, but also of the House of Hador at the hands of the Easterlings who were settling into their newly assigned fief. However, Fingolfin’s challenge to Morgoth, describing him as “ Lord of Slaves” appears more substantial considering the sheer numbers of unnamed Elves and Humans Morgoth must have enslaved. The early idea that he was put to torture to reveal the secrets of jewel-making was abandoned in favour of making Maedhros an important political hostage in order to pressure his brothers into renouncing their quest, and risking his escape via the mines (as in Gwindor’s case) prior to his torment on Thangorodrim seems unlikely to me personally. One of the most prominent captives of Morgoth, Maedhros, is often understood by fans to have been forced into slavery, but although the plot point of his captivity goes back to the earliest extant texts, there is very little evidence speaking toward the further interpretation. Gwindor and Rúmil are some of the few named Elves suffering this particular fate. While slavery as a practice of the forces of evil is a widespread and sadly common phenomenon in Tolkien’s legendarium and finds its echo numerous times in different versions of the texts, it is not usually touched upon in much detail. ((This post was written by the incredible Elleth ( awildellethappears), as part of the Scribe Sunday Project!))
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |