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How about simple rhythm of the verse? It sounds good to re-use 'seven' twice in the line. That said, the stars did become the standard emblem of the House of Elendil. So the stars as something separate would simply refer to the 'house' itself, the 'nation' or 'people' that Elendil and his...

Who's to say he did not send them out when Gandalf escaped? Was anyone in Eregion to see them? No one we meet in the narrative, anyway. This seems unlikely to be a one-off event. He is probably sending them out at regular intervals. Depending on how long it takes them to cover the assigned area...

Do we have any reason to think that the crebain, or the wargs, are directly controlled by Sauron? Seems a bit of a stretch to think that he has that level of detailed control of his slaves, even if they are slaves. More likely he sends word out by some means to 'officers' who manage his lesser...

Yes, Elvish Hair magic. She deliberately grew her hair out so she could weave that cloak, and then cut it off. Why couldn't she grow more? And also, don't forget that she is not a 'typical' Elf. She is 1/2 Maiar and that must mean something for her ability to control her own physical form.

But is this the only example of such cheating in the Norse sagas? If it's something that multiple characters did, it hardly merits attributing Odin as the person being imitated. It's then merely a common trick that Tolkien borrowed. But even if this is something unique to Odin, it's not the...

I was just focusing on the three 'major' couples on the stories. And then there is Earendil himself and Elwing. They are both 'genetically' half-elven, but Earendil would have chosen mortality except for Elwing choosing to be Eldar. There is an interesting twist on the traditional visit to the...

Reversing the 'traditional fairy tale' is his favored technique. The human/elf romances of his Legendarium turn the usual 'fairy child' story upside down, for example. Usually, a 'fairy' of some sort comes to the mortal world, bears child(ren) and then one day leaves to return to the 'fairy'...

The first interpretation seems more likely to me. As far as Breelanders have seen, 'Strider' is a lazy bum who does nothing in particular for very long. And he disappears for long periods of time, too. Ne'er-do-well is the modern term. But we don't really know what rumors could have been...

There are clear implications in the text that the Istari are somehow restricted. Probably this was a deliberate strategy by the Valar to prevent more rogue 'Dark Lords' from being created. Notice how there is some sort of vague popular awareness that a staff in the hands of a 'wizard' is...

Yes, Gollum met him in person while being 'interrogated' and says he only has nine fingers.

I think I know what map you are referring to, but I cannot find it online right now. It's oriented facing east instead of north, so that Jerusalem is at the 'top' of the Mediterranean with Europe on the left, Africa on the right, and Asia (what Medieval Europeans knew of it) at the top... (BTW...

This is a very strange idea anyway. Our bodies are not static. They are changing all the time. The "Ship of Theseus" riddle is a good example. Think: You are constantly breathing. That is because your body is burning fuel (glucose) to produce energy. And of course, the fuel has to come from...

But... the Roman gladius did not have cross-guard. Neither did the larger spatha. In fact, the whole idea of a cross-guard is a medieval invention. All ancient swords in the Mediterranean area were plain straight blades, though the top of the hilts of some might be slightly larger than the...

A very interesting observation... Critical thinking is indeed about making distinctions ('splitting' ideas into clearer segments) and so quite applicable. The problem is that we tend to assume this is always negative, the effort to find what is wrong with whatever is being examined. This does...

A very real possible material for a white blade is a ceramic. Most people are familiar with ceramic blades in the kitchen, I think. The problem with using such blades in combat is that they are usually more brittle than metal blades and might break. Even metal blades can break in combat, of...

There is one more consideration when considering the presentation of 'internal knowledge' of Frodo's mind in the narrative. The author does have goals or intentions for the character, after all... If the character is supposed to be 'ennobled' and 'rarefied' then he will necessarily be...

This is a fun one. While I can't formulate a conclusive answer, there is some evidence that has not been considered: First, as Tolkien writes in the Letters: We see the same principal applied many times in Tolkien's work. Yavanna cannot create new Trees once the vital and unique Two are...

Since Spanish descended from Latin, and 'hondo' comes from 'fundus' (bottom) it seems more likely he was just borrowing from that foundational language and applying well-known rules of transformation. He seems to have done this quite a lot. Even Quendi ('speakers') is suspiciously similar to...

Elrond may have had a fairly large 'manor house' with space for many people of his household, not just family, but it seems unlikely that the actual Last Homely House was the only dwelling place in the valley. He is leading an army in retreat when he founds Rivendell. That's got to be thousands...

Before we leave Anduril and Sting behind, I wanted to point out that Tolkien is borrowing from Norse legends again in plain sight. Many will recognize the story of the sword broken and reforged by the original owner's descendant as the story of Gram ("Wrath"), Sigmund's sword in the Volsung...