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Old 11-27-2007, 06:26 PM   #1
cesar.ewok
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Awaken or born by Cuiviénen?

I've always considered that Elves like Finwë, Elwë and Ingwë were awaken by the lake of Cuiviénen. However, in "Cuivienyarna" it is told that each of the 144 Elves awaken there had their own partner. Finwë only maried Míriel in Aman, and Elwë met Melian in Nan Elmoth. This shows that they could not have been awaken there, but born, for they parted from Cuiviénen with Oromë to Valinor as ambassadors.

However, the earlier conception of this shows that they were awaken by the lake:
"But Nólemë [later Finwë] answering said: ''Lo! Most mighty one, whence [from Koivië, later Cuiviénen] indeed came we! For meseems I awoke but now from a sleep eternally profound, whose vast dreams already are forgotten.''"
(BoLT, The Coming of the Elves)

Moreover, Tolkien added in §60 of The Annals of Aman:
"Here they dwelt for a Year, and here Findis wife of Finwë bore him a son, eldest of all the second generation of the Eldar. He was first named Minyon First-begotten, but afterwards Curifinwë or Fëanor."
According to CT, this "was struck out, perhaps as soon as writen".

Though the story was to be wholly changed, and this passage was struck out, Fëanor is yet named "First-begotten", being the "eldest of all the second generation of the Eldar."
As we see here, the conception that Finwë, Elwë and Ingwë awoke around the lake was still in existence. But there's a problem: Elwë had a brother. Olwë is named for the first time in §58 of the Annals. Even so, can we still conciliate the idea that both were brothers and both were awaken? I think so. For otherwise Tolkien would not have written so heedlessly that Fëanor was the "First-begotten", for the idea that Elwë and Olwë were children of somebody would be too notable.

Either way, in "Cuivienyarna" all of them became born by Cuiviénen. Is then my interpretation correct that before Quendi and Eldar they (Elwë, Finwë, etc) were awaken by the lake and that after it they were no more?

Last edited by cesar.ewok; 11-27-2007 at 06:40 PM.
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