Glorfindel

[Findegil]

This is the first draft of the chapter Glorfindel in the part The Black Years.

Basic Text is that of Glorfindel II in HoME 12.

The markings are:
BY-HL-zz for Black Years, Head-Lines, marking all headlines for the chapters in this part.

GLOR-SL-zz for GLORfindel, Story-Line, to document all changes that construct the main text.

Some conventions of my writing:
Normal Text is from the text that is mentioned in the source information of each insert.
Bold Text = source information, comments and remarks
{example} = text that should be deleted
[example] = normalised text, normally only used for general changes
<source example> = additions with source information
example = text inserted for grammatical or metrical reason
/example/ = outline expansion
Normally if an inserted text includes the beginning of a new § these is indicated by a missing “>” at the end of the § and a missing “<” at the beginning of the next.

BY-HL-10 <Last Writings Glorfindel
>GLOR-SL-01 <Glorfindel II This name GLOR-SL-02{is in fact derived from the earliest work on the mythology: The Fall of Gondolin, composed in 1916-17, … was still haphazard. It }was intended to mean 'Golden-tressed', GLOR-SL-03{(4)} and was the name given to the heroic {'Gnome' (}Ñoldo{)}, a chieftain of Gondolin, who in the pass of {Cristhorn}[Cirith Thoronath] ('Eagle-cleft') fought with a {Balrog [> }Demon{]}, whom he slew at the cost of his own life. GLOR-SL-04{
Its use in The Lord of the Rings is one of the cases of … if Glorfindel of Gondolin is supposed to be the same person as Glorfindel of Rivendell.
As for the former: he} He was slain in the Fall of Gondolin at the end of the First Age, and if a chieftain of that city must have been a Ñoldo, one of the Elf-lords in the host of King Turukano (Turgon). GLOR-SL-05{; at any rate when The Fall of Gondolin was written he was certainly thought to be so.} But the Noldor in Beleriand were exiles from Valinor, having rebelled against the authority of Manwë supreme head of the Valar, and Turgon was one of the most determined and unrepentant supporters of Feanor's rebellion. GLOR-SL-06{(5) There is no escape from this. … The Sindar had never left Middle-earth.
This difficulty, … will actually explain what is said of him and improve the story.}
When Glorfindel of Gondolin was slain … But this 'restoration' could be delayed[Footnote to the text: Or in gravest cases (such as that of Fëanor) withheld and referred to the One.] by Manwë, if the fëa while alive had done evil deeds and refused to repent of them, or still harboured any malice against any other person among the living.
Now Glorfindel of Gondolin was one of the exiled Noldor, … From what is said of Glorfindel GLOR-SL-07{in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings }it is evident that he was an Elda of high and noble spirit: … and had no part in the kinslaying of Alqualonde.[Footnote to the text: Though {he [}Glorfindel{]} is not GLOR-SL-08{ yet} named in GLOR-SL-09{the unrevised part of The Silmarillion}texts treating of this matter, it is recorded that many of the Noldor of Turgon's following were in fact grieved by the decision of their king, and dreaded that evil would soon result from it. In the Third Host, that of Finarfin, so many were of this mind that when Finarfin heard the final doom of Mandos and repented, the greater part of that host returned to Valinor. Yet Finrod son of Finarfin, noblest of all the Noldor in the tales of Beleriand, also went away, for GLOR-SL-10{Turgon}[Fingolfin] had been elected supreme lord of the Noldorin hosts. GLOR-SL-11{
[In the Annals of Aman (X.113, $138) there was no suggestion that Finrod (= Finarfin) led a separate 'Third Host': … and it is reassuring to see that in a reference else where in these papers Fingolfin reappears.]}]
More important: Glorfindel had sacrificed his life in defending the fugitives from the wreck of Gondolin against a Demon out of Thangorodrim, GLOR-SL-12{(10)} and so enabling Tuor and Idril daughter of Turgon and their child Earendil to escape, and seek refuge at the Mouths of Sirion. Though he cannot have known the importance of this (and would have defended them even had they been fugitives of any rank), this deed was of vital importance to the designs of the Valar. GLOR-SL-13{(11)} It is therefore GLOR-SL-14{entirely in keeping with the general design of The Silmarillion}possible to describe the subsequent history of Glorfindel thus. After his purging of any guilt that he had incurred in the rebellion, he was released from Mandos, and Manwë restored him.[Footnote to the text: This implies that Glorfindel was natively an Elda of great bodily and spiritual stature, a noble character, and that his guilt had been small: sc. that he owed allegiance to Turgon and loved his own kindred, and these were his only reasons for remaining with them, although he was grieved by their obstinacy, and feared the doom of Mandos.] He then became again a living incarnate person, … he became a follower, and a friend, of Olorin (Gandalf), who as is said in The Silmarillion had an especial love and concern for the Children of Eru. GLOR-SL-15{(13)} That Olorin, as was possible for one of the Maiar, had already visited Middle-earth and had become acquainted not only with the Sindarin Elves and others deeper in Middle-earth, but also with Men, is likely, but nothing is GLOR-SL-16{[> has yet been]} said of this.
Glorfindel remained in the Blessed Realm, no doubt at first by his own choice: Gondolin was destroyed, and all his kin had perished, and were still in the Halls of Waiting unapproachable by the living. But his long sojourn during the last years of the First Age, and at least far into the Second Age, no doubt was also in accord with the wishes and designs of Manwë.
When did Glorfindel return to Middle-earth? … this is improbable and would make Glorfindel of greater power and importance than seems fitting.
We may then best suppose that Glorfindel returned during the Second Age, … and attempted to deceive Gil-galad, but was rejected and dismissed.[Footnote to the text: No doubt because Gil-galad had by then discovered that Sauron was busy in Eregion, but had secretly begun the making of a stronghold in Mordor. (Maybe already an Elvish name for that region, because of its volcano Orodruin and its eruptions - which were not made by Sauron but were a relic of the devastating works of Melkor in the long First Age.) GLOR-SL-17{ [See note 15.]}] But it may have been, perhaps more probably, as late as c.1600, the Year of Dread, when Barad-dur was completed and the One Ring forged, and Celebrimbor at last became aware of the trap into which he had fallen. For in 1200, though he was filled with anxiety, Gil-galad still felt strong and able to treat Sauron with contempt. GLOR-SL-18{(15)} Also at that time his Númenorëan allies were beginning to make strong permanent havens for their great ships, … and no doubt urgent messages and prayers asking for help were received in Númenor (and in Valinor).[Footnote to the text: For the Valar were open to the hearing of the prayers of those in Middle-earth, as ever before, save only that in the dark days of the Ban they would listen to one prayer only from the Noldor: a repentant prayer pleading for pardon.]>

Some comments on my editing:

BY-HL-10: I don’t think there is much to say about the title, but we might discuss here if we want to include this at all.

GLOR-SL-01: I mark here just the start of the insert.

GLOR-SL-02, GLOR-SL-04, GLOR-SL-05, GLOR-SL-06, GLOR-SL-07, GLOR-SL-14: This is JRR Tolkien talking about his story writing and has to be removed.

GLOR-SL-03, GLOR-SL-11, GLOR-SL-14, GLOR-SL-17, GLOR-SL-18: A footnote with a comment of Christopher Tolkien removed.

GLOR-SL-08 & GLOR-SL-09: This is Tolkien speaking about his own texts changed into a neutral statement about what the text says.

GLOR-SL-10: As Christopher Tolkien in his commentary, I have no idea why here Turgon is named. But in the scope of the project this must either be considered as a slip of the pen or as a proposed change unworkable.

GLOR-SL-12: The note referred to here is from JRR Tolkien, but it reads: ‘The duel of Glorfindel and the Demon may need revision.’ Since this is a kind of reminder for farther work, we can not take it up.

GLOR-SL-13: The note referred to here is from JRR Tolkien, but it reads: ‘This is one of the main matters of The Silmarillion and need not here be explained. But in that part of The Silmarillion as so far composed it should not be left to appear that Ulmo, chiefly concerned in the coming of Tuor to Gondolin, in any way acted contrary to the Ban, against Manwe or without his knowledge.’ Since this is a kind of reminder for farther work, we can not take it up.
I as well checked the passage in FoG, and I don’t think that any change is necessary, sine Ulmo explicitly said, ‘I seem to oppose the will of my brethren, the Lords of the West’.

GLOR-SL-16: Normally we would use the newer text, but here the old one fits better, since we have to remove the commentary like character.

Respectfully
Findegil