Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Elves in Exile?

Going back all the way to the bottom of page 89... Frodo meets the High Elves, and Gildor (their leader) says that they are Exiles. Are they really exiles, in the sense that they are cast away from their people? or does it just mean that they are waiting until they cross the Great Sea? When I think of Exile, I assume that they have done something wrong where they are not allowed to return.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's been awhile since I read the Silmarillion or the Histories, but I recall one of the stories having to do with a revolt of sorts in the West (West meaning the haven the Elves leave Middle Earth for) that ended with many Elves returning to Middle Earth.

If I'm not mistaken, because of the manner in which they left, Elves who were part of the revolt cannot ever go back. Gildor could very well have been one of those Elves (they are immortal to age after all).

So Exiles would mean exiled from Valinor (the West).

Anonymous said...

Another possiblity could be that they are exiles from Middle Earth. As exiles they no longer belong, and the world does not accept them. The wrong they committed may not be reality, but I think that they blame themselves for not seeing Saruman's true evil nature. Thus, they have caused the world which they love to fall into darkness. As a result, they have exiled themselves.