Telepathic Communication in Middle-earth

[Child of the 7th Age]

Several scenes in LOTR show Maia and Elves using telepathic communication. Some passages even suggest that hobbits and humans could receive messages, if conditions were right.

Here's some random examples:

1. The best known is probably the incident at Amon Hen when Frodo heard the voice of the absent Gandalf warning him to remove the Ring.

2. Galadriel's mental probe of each Fellowship member:

All of them, it seemed, had fared alike; and each had felt that he was offered a choice between a shadow full of fear that lay ahead, and something that he greatly desired: clear before his mind it lay, and to get it he had only to turn aside from the road and leave the Quest and the war against Sauron to others. The Mirror of Galadriel

3. Gandalf's explains to Frodo who is waking at Rivendell how he already knows certain things about the journey which Frodo had not even shared with the other hobbits:

'You have talked long in your sleep, Frodo,' said Gandalf gently, 'and it has not been hard for me to read your mind and memory.'" "Many Meetings

4. Pippin's images as he is driven by the Orcs down the trail:

Every now and again there came into his mind unbidden a vision of the keen face of Strider bending over a dark trail, and running, running, behind. "The Uruk-hai"

5. And, most poignant and striking, in "Many Partings":

Soon Celeborn and Galadriel and their folk would turn eastward, and so pass by the Redhorn Gate and down the Dimrill Stair to the Silverlode and to their own country. They had journeyed thus far by the west-ways, for they had much to speak of with Elrond and with Gandalf, and here they lingered still in converse with their friends. Often long after the hobbits were wrapped in sleep they would sit together under the stars, recalling the ages that were gone and all their joys and labours in the world, or holding council, concerning the days to come. If a wanderer had chanced to pass, little would he have seen or heard, and it would have seemed to him only that he saw grey figures, carved in stone, memorials of forgotten things now lost in unpeopled lands. For they did not move or speak with mouth, looking from mind to mind; and only their shining eyes stirred, and kindled as their thoughts went to and fro.

I would appreciate some help in understanding these scenes and placing them in context. I have many questions about this.

Have you found other instances of this kind of communication in Tolkien's writings? Could Elves do the kind of long distance communication such as Gandalf did here? Is it possible that Aragorn, as someone with elven blood, could project an image to Pippin on the trail after their capture? How widespread was this kind of thing?

I do have a very vague memory from the Hobbit where the author comments that Elves were very good at getting news very quickly. If they could do this, I can see why this would be the case! Didn't Legolas sometimes stay up later than others in the Fellowship? What was he doing then?

Also, what about Pippin and Frodo receiving messages? What does this say about Hobbits? The Ring may have amplified Frodo's abilities, but it still would not account for Pippin's vision. It's interesting that both Hobbits were in dangerous situations when the messages came through.

These incidents also make me wonder about Saruman. If Gandalf could do this kind of thing, can't you assume Saruman would also possess this skill? Surely, he would have taken advantage of it. This makes me very suspicious about Saruman's ability to influence people with his voice which is discussed many times. Could there have been both a spoken and unspoken voice? This is especially compelling in the case of the Ents who let Saruman go, since Ents never make hasty decisions.

In general, can anyone help me understand this?

[ May 13, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]