Darren Grey
Active Member
The question has been raised of what Elrond is trying to accomplish with his squirrels aside. Can I suggest he's not trying to do anything? There is a presumption that he is somehow trying to push the hearts and minds of the Council in a particular direction, or set them up to a particular frame of mind about hobbits or anything else, but I don't see any evidence of that approach in Elrond's personality. We see it in Gandalf, certainly, with him as a clear mover and shaper of things throughout Middle-Earth. And when it comes to a later disagreement over what to do with Merry and Pippin it is Gandalf who wins the argument over Elrond. Without evidence we shouldn't presume Elrond to be over-thinking the results of his words in the ways being considered.
Elrond we instead see as a neutral chair of this meeting who is happy to let things go where they will. He enforces no order, allows interjections and long riddle tales, and does not push any particularly strong opinions. He leaves the floor open for anyone to speak. I don't see any sign that he wants anything other than the free exchange of opinions and for the Council to come to an independent conclusion.
When he contributes himself (other than introducing people) it is mostly to recount history and contextualise discussion, and delving quite heavily into the history too. His first major speech is the history of the Rings of Power and of the fall of Numenor, which seems to dive more into some of that past than is really necessary for the Council's deliberations (did they need to know about the full glory and fall of Numenor story?) His diversion to "yet not so many, nor so fair, as when Thangorodrim was broken" is a clear example of him engaging in pure sentimentalism. I see his squirrel speech as being very similar - Frodo's tale stirs up memories of the past and he can't help but reflect back on them and on how the world has changed. This isn't Elrond trying to achieve anything, it's just him being himself.
(I also think that from an author perspective this is all just a set up for "Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First", which sounds like a line Tolkien fell in love with and would not remove. He can't fit that line in without some sort of reflection on Frodo's tale. Also Tolkien loves expository dialogue, and this whole chapter is full of digressions like this with no purpose other than to throw in more exposition of the world.)
Elrond we instead see as a neutral chair of this meeting who is happy to let things go where they will. He enforces no order, allows interjections and long riddle tales, and does not push any particularly strong opinions. He leaves the floor open for anyone to speak. I don't see any sign that he wants anything other than the free exchange of opinions and for the Council to come to an independent conclusion.
When he contributes himself (other than introducing people) it is mostly to recount history and contextualise discussion, and delving quite heavily into the history too. His first major speech is the history of the Rings of Power and of the fall of Numenor, which seems to dive more into some of that past than is really necessary for the Council's deliberations (did they need to know about the full glory and fall of Numenor story?) His diversion to "yet not so many, nor so fair, as when Thangorodrim was broken" is a clear example of him engaging in pure sentimentalism. I see his squirrel speech as being very similar - Frodo's tale stirs up memories of the past and he can't help but reflect back on them and on how the world has changed. This isn't Elrond trying to achieve anything, it's just him being himself.
(I also think that from an author perspective this is all just a set up for "Bombadil will fall, Last as he was First", which sounds like a line Tolkien fell in love with and would not remove. He can't fit that line in without some sort of reflection on Frodo's tale. Also Tolkien loves expository dialogue, and this whole chapter is full of digressions like this with no purpose other than to throw in more exposition of the world.)