“And so it is named in the North Isildur’s Bane.” Why does this line exist?

[Flammifer]

Elrond says this, in response to Boromir, when telling the tale of Isildur taking the ring. But it is an odd line. Is this a rare misjudgement by Tolkien? Or is there a good reason for the line?

This line was discussed a bit in the class, but, could, I think be re-visited.

It might be inserted to prepare the reader to understand the riddle in Boromir’s poem, which will shortly come. But, why prepare the reader? Three paragraphs after the riddle poem, Elrond will say, “Behold Isildur’s Bane”, when Frodo holds up the Ring. This should inform any reader who has not already guessed the riddle from remembering Gandalf’s story in ‘The Shadow of the Past’ of how Isildur ‘leaped into the waters, but the Ring slipped from his finger as he swam, and then the Orcs saw him and killed him with arrows”. Or, just by Elrond's immediately preceding line, "But soon he was betrayed by it to his death".

Now, nothing against preparing the reader in advance, but it potentially makes Elrond seem somewhat arrogant.

“Named in the North” – named by who in the North? Well, the people we are fairly sure know about it are the White Council: Saruman, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, Cirdan and probably Radagast. We know that the White Council knew the story of Isildur and the Ring, because Gandalf recounts that Saurman told the Council, “Into Anduin the Great it fell; and long ago, while Sauron slept, it was rolled down the River to the Sea”.

The only other person in the North who we are sure knew the story is Frodo, because Gandalf told it to him in ‘The Shadow of the Past’. It is possible that Sam knew from his grass cutting spy work outside the window, but the tale of Isildur was told quite a while before Sam was caught, so he may not have overheard that part.

Now, perhaps Aragorn knew the story, and possibly Arwen, maybe Elladan and Elrohir?

Still, that is less than a dozen people. If that is the case, it sounds quite arrogant for Elrond to say, “Named in the North as Isildur’s Bane”. Named by who in the North? “Why by Us – all the important people in the North, of course.”

Well, it might have been known more widely and generally across the North as such. Say by the Dunedain, the Elves of Rivendell, the wandering Elves scattered across Arnor, the Elves of Cirdan, and the Elves who still lived in Lindon. But, as discussed in the class, this seems unlikely. Also, if so widely known, the odds are that the Witch King of Angmar would have discovered the tale, either through his spies, or in his dungeons, and Sauron’s hunt for the Ring would have started much sooner than it did.

So, why does Elrond’s comment, “so it is named in the North Isildur’s Bane”, exist?

What function does it fulfill?

 

[MithLuin]

'The Disaster of the Gladden Fields' in Unfinished Tales is where Tolkien revisits this event in more detail. It is worth pointing out that Isildur and his son Elendur decided to send a messenger with the shards of Narsil to Rivendell before they were both killed.

So, I would say that that account of Isildur's death was known to Elrond...and to Isildur's young son living in Rivendell who became the next king of Arnor. So who 'in the North' call it this? Quite possibly the Dunedain, or at least those of the Dunedain who have heard this story, which is likely a lot more people than simply Aragorn himself, even if it is, indeed, not *every* Dunadan!

 

[Anthony Lawther]

'The Disaster of the Gladden Fields' in Unfinished Tales is where Tolkien revisits this event in more detail. It is worth pointing out that Isildur and his son Elendur decided to send a messenger with the shards of Narsil to Rivendell before they were both killed.

So, I would say that that account of Isildur's death was known to Elrond...and to Isildur's young son living in Rivendell who became the next king of Arnor. So who 'in the North' call it this? Quite possibly the Dunedain, or at least those of the Dunedain who have heard this story, which is likely a lot more people than simply Aragorn himself, even if it is, indeed, not *every* Dunadan!

I would go so far as to say that 'in the North' means in the Northern Kingdom, Arnor, and its descendant realms; Aragorn states 'But my home, such as I have, is in the North.' Note that Elrond states 'in the North', not 'here in the North' suggesting to me that he actually means people living further north than Rivendell. Of these people, only the Dunedain and the Angmarim have any interest in Isildur. The Angmarim that were truly aware of what they were talking about would not refer to it as 'Isildur's Bane', but as the 'Lord's Ring' or something similarly possessive by Mordor; at most 'the Thief's Bane'.
The true full story might have been delivered to the court of the new King Valandil, and the story sanitised from 'the Ring taken from Sauron's hand that lead to Isildur's death' to 'Isildur's Bane'. Within living memory that shorthand carries the same meaning, but after many generations and the dissolution of the kingdom, the term remains with the meaning now unclear as evidenced by Boromir who expected some weapon.

In fact, the arrogance would appear to be on the part of those that applied the term 'Isildur's Bane' in the first place, as if the most important feature of the ring is that it lead to the death of Isildur.
The Wise (up to this point Gandalf and Elrond) seem to understand the true importance of the ring, naming it 'the Ring', 'the One Ring', 'the Ruling Ring', 'the One', 'the Ring of the Enemy', or 'the treasure of the Enemy'.
In the South (Gondor) it is 'the Great Ring of him that we do not name'.

Interestingly, 'ring' is not capitalised in the text so far when it is used by or in relation to people who don't know (or perhaps care about) the ring's true identity, including Gandalf's presentation at the Council of Elrond where he describes his thinking prior to his confirmation and in response to doubt expressed by council members. Even Saruman's ring is not capitalised until Saruman's declaration: Ring-maker.
Bilbo's use is always lowercase (ring, magic ring, golden ring), and Gandalf & Frodo's (Bilbo's ring, my ring, the ring, this ring) until the reveal of the Ring's identity with the inscription in 'The Shadow of the Past', and even a little longer with Frodo as if it takes some time for the truth to sink in. When the Conspiracy members and Aragorn make reference it is 'Ring' except for two instances immediately after Tom Bombadil's trick, but again hinting at the importance of association:
"Tom laughed again, and then he spun the Ring in the air - and it vanished with a flash. Frodo gave a cry - and Tom leaned forward and handed it back to him with a smile.

Frodo looked at it closely, and rather suspiciously (like one who has lent a trinket to a juggler). It was the same Ring, or looked the same and weighed the same: for that Ring had always seemed to Frodo to weigh strangely heavy in the hand. But something prompted him to make sure. He was perhaps a trifle annoyed with Tom for seeming to make so light of what even Gandalf thought so perilously important. He waited for an opportunity, when the talk was going again, and Tom was telling an absurd story about badgers and their queer ways - then he slipped the Ring on.

Merry turned towards him to say something and gave a start, and checked an exclamation. Frodo was delighted (in a way): it was his own ring all right, for Merry was staring blankly at his chair, and obviously could not see him. He got up and crept quietly away from the fireside towards the outer door.

‘Hey there!’ cried Tom, glancing towards him with a most seeing look in his shining eyes. ‘Hey! Come Frodo, there! Where be you a-going? Old Tom Bombadil’s not as blind as that yet. Take off your golden ring! Your hand’s more fair without it. Come back! Leave your game and sit down beside me! We must talk a while more, and think about the morning. Tom must teach the right road, and keep your feet from wandering.’

Frodo laughed (trying to feel pleased), and taking off the Ring he came and sat down again."

The Dwarves also seem ignorant of the importance, even of the Dwarf Rings, with Glóin referring to the ring of Thrór, not Ring.

I don't think this capitalisation scheme is an editorial error or oversight.

In answer to the original question, I think it is to emphasise differing relationships with the Ring between the North Kingdom (Isildur's Bane), the Wise (the Ruling Ring), the Enemy (Sauron's Ring), and as it turns out the South Kingdom (the Great Ring).

 

[Jim Deutch]

"Tom laughed again, and then he spun the Ring in the air - and it vanished with a flash.

Thanks for all the citations from the book: fascinating. I agree with your conclusion that the capitalization was careful and deliberate, and tells us something about the meaning of each one.