Parwarzrah
New Member
I am still catching up with past sessions and have now reached episode 117. Here in the first stanza of the Eärendil Poem, several interesting interpretations for the line
"and light upon her banners laid"
were discussed.
But I wondered whether this line refers to the act of unfurling and hoisting banners as part of the commissioning ceremony for Eärendil's ship (Vingilot). The line is the last in the first stanza and also concludes the description of how the Vingilot came into her existences (the second stanza switches to Eärendil's armor and gear). Until such a moment, those banners might have been rolled up and thus not exposed to the light - the sun's and/stars' light is laid on them and the ship is ready to start her long voyage. I am rather sure that a ship of such magnificence and importance required a solemn launching act before her first voyage and hoisting her sails and banners must have been inevitably a part of this ceremony.
Alternatively, the line could just refer the very moment, when their banner were hoisted for the first time, regardless of the particular circumstances.
And I could not help myself but think the following:
In the book (RotK, chapter 6), there is moment with a scene of a certain similarity (if we assume that the poem line is really to be understood as explained above):
...And then wonder took him [Eomer] , and a great joy ; and he cast his sword up in the sunlight and sang as he caught it . And all eyes followed his gaze , and behold ! upon the foremost ship a great standard broke , and the wind displayed it as she turned towards the Harlond . There flowered a White Tree , and that was for Gondor ; but Seven Stars were about it , and a high crown above it , the signs of Elendil that no lord had borne for years beyond count . And the stars flamed in the sunlight , for they were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond ; and the crown was bright in the morning , for it was wrought of mithril and gold ...
I think this paragraph shows clearly that Tolkien attached great importance to such symbolic acts (otherwise he never would have taken so much pains of reminding the reader several time that the banner wrought by Arwen remains unfurled until this very moment), which in both cases mark the moment when hope starts to overcome despair (Eärendil journey was finally successful and Aragorn had just saved Minas Tirith and the Rohirrim from their inevitable destruction and disrupted Sauron's plans at this point.
One also might speculate whether the poem laid path for this development of the story, in particular, since it offered a meaningful way to give Arwen an important role and kind of presences which reinforced the connection between the events in the book and the (yet untold) history of the elder days.
Thus I believe that the poem as well as all other poems in the book form partly the foundation of the whole story, which would have never been possible without them.
"and light upon her banners laid"
were discussed.
But I wondered whether this line refers to the act of unfurling and hoisting banners as part of the commissioning ceremony for Eärendil's ship (Vingilot). The line is the last in the first stanza and also concludes the description of how the Vingilot came into her existences (the second stanza switches to Eärendil's armor and gear). Until such a moment, those banners might have been rolled up and thus not exposed to the light - the sun's and/stars' light is laid on them and the ship is ready to start her long voyage. I am rather sure that a ship of such magnificence and importance required a solemn launching act before her first voyage and hoisting her sails and banners must have been inevitably a part of this ceremony.
Alternatively, the line could just refer the very moment, when their banner were hoisted for the first time, regardless of the particular circumstances.
And I could not help myself but think the following:
In the book (RotK, chapter 6), there is moment with a scene of a certain similarity (if we assume that the poem line is really to be understood as explained above):
...And then wonder took him [Eomer] , and a great joy ; and he cast his sword up in the sunlight and sang as he caught it . And all eyes followed his gaze , and behold ! upon the foremost ship a great standard broke , and the wind displayed it as she turned towards the Harlond . There flowered a White Tree , and that was for Gondor ; but Seven Stars were about it , and a high crown above it , the signs of Elendil that no lord had borne for years beyond count . And the stars flamed in the sunlight , for they were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond ; and the crown was bright in the morning , for it was wrought of mithril and gold ...
I think this paragraph shows clearly that Tolkien attached great importance to such symbolic acts (otherwise he never would have taken so much pains of reminding the reader several time that the banner wrought by Arwen remains unfurled until this very moment), which in both cases mark the moment when hope starts to overcome despair (Eärendil journey was finally successful and Aragorn had just saved Minas Tirith and the Rohirrim from their inevitable destruction and disrupted Sauron's plans at this point.
One also might speculate whether the poem laid path for this development of the story, in particular, since it offered a meaningful way to give Arwen an important role and kind of presences which reinforced the connection between the events in the book and the (yet untold) history of the elder days.
Thus I believe that the poem as well as all other poems in the book form partly the foundation of the whole story, which would have never been possible without them.