Two Journeys...

[Gurthang]

This sort of popped into my head yesterday, and I started to post on it, but there was a power surge, and I lost it all. I haven't spent much thought on it, and it may be nothing, but here's my general idea in short:

There seems to be a striking resemblance between the voyage of the elves to Valinor and the journey of the Pilgrims/colonists to the New World (being North America.)

Similarities:

1. Both of the journeys were very long.
2. The destinations were not completely known by the travelers
3. Both were taken on ships over large seas.
4. In each case, the traveler was leaving his entire life, everything he had known, and was going to start over in a new place.
5. The journeys were one-way trips.
6. The journey was made because the person saw no hope for the future where he currently was.
7. Both voyages were limited in who could make them. Only elves could go to Valinor (exempting Frodo, Bilbo, etc.). Likewise, the colonists would have to be from the country that had established a colony, so only citizens from those countries could make the trip.

Differences:

1. The elves did know some things about Valinor, like it would be good, but the colonists did not know what to expect about America.
2. The colonists' journey was not very safe, storms and inadequate navigation made the seas deadly.
3. The colonists could possibly come back, but were not really likely to.
4. The new life was guaranteed to be better for the elves.

I would particularly like to point out the fact that both groups were tired enough of their old lives to completely start over. That's one very compelling reason behind the analogy, besides the ships across seas. Both the elves and the colonists were giving up on their homes. They saw no reason to stay, no good outlook for the future. They despaired and left to begin anew.

Well, that's about all I have for now. Feel free to point out any flaws in my analogy, like I said, I haven't spent a lot of time developing it.

[Shelob]

This is an interesting idea and I would like to contribute to it...unfortunately my mind just shut down for the day and the only almost relevant thing I can think is that my friend can trace her family back to people who came to America on the Mayflower...

Oh, but I lie...one slightly relevant thought has come through...

The first of your differences is that

# The elves did know some things about Valinor, like it would be good, but the colonists did not know what to expect about America.

it's true that the colonists didn't really know what to expect but later immigrants/emigrants (whichever is technically right, I never know) did know/think that America would be better and still, like the colonists and elves, abandon everything to come here to start over completely--well, I guess they didn't abandon everything, communication was quicker than it was for the colonists.

Sorry that it's more a rigmarole than an actual-coherent-helpful thought...I'll revisit this idea tomorrow--when I can think things through...

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Those are interesting thoughts; however, a huge difference that occurs to me spontaneously is that not all who went to the New World did so of their own free will. Prisoners and slaves were shipped there, and the former were definitely not the type of character that you'd want for building up a respectable society!

[luthien-elvenprincess]

It strikes me that the Nolder leaving Valinor for Middle-earth could be quite comparable. They were going to new frontiers, looking for unsettled lands to conquer. Whereas, the elves returning to Valinor were coming to an already settled place.
Interesting thought you raise, Gurth!

[Ainaserkewen]

I'd agree with Lady elvenprincess on her last post.
It does seem that the voyage of the Noldor with the various reasons, happening and eventual corruption are very similar. Though another great difference waters down this theory. The earliest countries to send out brave men to face the unknown were equally as misplaced about the world as the travellers, they sent them there for gold and resources and prestige against other exploring Powers of the Renaissance. However, in terms of the Noldor voyage, they "escaped" from Valinor to find all this wealth and power for themselves (different reasons for everybody on those boats it seems) and the Valar knew full well where they were going and what they would find there all the time trying to convince them to stay.

Another comparison is the travels of the Men from Numenor. They were more like in mind to more modern voyageurs and their kings probably had the some of the same ulterior motives.

[Keeper of Dol Guldur]

It seems like, if Middle Earth is supposed to represent an ancient past of real life, that sailors setting out west like Columbus, or Ponce de Leon, may have been "searching for Numenor".

I mean, if Numenor was lost two ages ago ... maybe these explorers found some rumor of it and sought it.

Especially Ponce de Leon, who sought the 'fountain of youth'. Numenoreans had twice the lifespan of a normal man in their decline, in their peak they lived to be around four hundred years old. The El Dorado myth kind of speaks to this too, as Numenor was supposed to be blessed beyond belief, rich, lavish, and chock full of resources.

But as for the Pilgrims ... the elves sailing to Valinor would be like if the Massachusetts Native American tribes set sail from Europe to go reside with the Puritans.

But then, perhaps (and this is sort of shooting into the wind ...) the Puritans headed west for peace, wanting in fact to go to Valinor, but since the world was bent, they found something else.

This is a hard topic to actually think of anything for ... everything I just wrote feels like I came to a conclusion working backwards ...

~Keeper.

[Sophia the Thunder Mistress]

Keeper-

Perhaps you'd be interested in this thread on the subject of sailing West for Valinor.

Sophia

[Rumil]

Nice link Sophia!

I'd guess that another difference is that the elves were invited in by the Valar, so didn't have to decimate the original inhabitants to live in their Western continent.

Meanwhile, to follow up Esty, , you ship off all these criminals to some inaccessible place, then 200 years later they're back again, running all the bars and beating you at cricket! cough.....Aussies....cough (though we'll keep Kylie if that's OK )

[Gurthang]

Thank you all for your good thoughts!

It's very interesting how there are ways that different voyages that took place in Middle Earth can be compared to the voyages across the Atlantic during our Age of Exploration.

As I first pointed out, the Elves leaving Middle Earth for Valinor could be compared to the Pilgrims. Mainly, it was because they were giving up on the rapidly diminishing hope that things would get better. Their old lives were useless, meaningless, and so they left in search of a better place. I might also add that both groups were escaping persecution. The Elves were fleeing Sauron's second onslaught, whereas the Pilgrims wanted more freedom of religion.

Then there's the comparison of the Men of the West attempting to reach Valinor. This was placed beside the initial reason that Europeans explored west. They wanted to find wealth and conquer new lands. There voyage was not out of necessity, but out of greed. That's about where that comparison stops, because the Numenoreans failed to reach the Undying Lands, while the Europeans did come to the Americas and succeeded in conquering the lands.

And finally, Luthien brought up the fact that the Noldor leaving Valinor would also be like the nations of Europe setting out in search of wealth and might. Although that was not the Noldori's original intent, this is probably a closer comparison than that with the Numenoreans. The Noldor, like the Conquistadors, did find and conquer a new land. But they did not take the riches they found back to Valinor, they stayed and prospered in Middle Earth.

These three links could just be instances of metareference(if you need to know what that means look here). But it seems like there would be a lot of coincidences for the journeys of Middle Earth to just happen to be so much like those over the Atlantic. It would make more sense that there was a reason that Tolkien made the different voyages alike. Now, what reason?

[Nuranar]

Very interesting thread, Gurthang! As an American and lover of history - although not an expert, I want to emphasis - I came up with a few thoughts when reading the replies.

It's interesting how you limited your "real-world" example to settlement of North America, and specified the Pilgrims in particular. As Shelob notes, later immigrants did have at least some idea of what to expect in the New World, but the Pilgrims in particular were some of the very first settlers. 1620, wasn't it? (Also, note that although the Plymouth colony was in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims were intending to settle in Virginia (think Jamestown, in 1607). They were blown off course by a, shall I say, Providential storm.)

As Esty implies, the Elves' move to Valinor was completely voluntary. Moreover, as Rumil said, the Elves were actually invited - which the Pilgrims certainly were not. They were practically driven - if not by force, by conscience. In this respect, the Pilgrims more resemble the Faithful leaving Numenor. The motivations are very similar, and their voyages more a matter of necessity. Their goal at their destination was survival and living the way they believed right.

Colonization of the New World, considered in toto, bears very little resemblance to any large-scale movement in Middle-Earth. Consider the difference between colonization and conquest. The Elves going to Valinor were definitely settlers, to my mind, and not even immigrants - there were no cities for them to be absorbed into. And neither they - nor the Pilgrims - were motivated by conquest. The Noldor, I think, were motivated by conquest in some degree, but of course not to the exclusion of every other purpose.

But there are many different movements and motivations that led to the eventual settlement of the New World. There are so many different stages - discovery, exploration, exploitation (particularly in S. and Middle A.), imperial rule (particularly in same), settlement (particularly in N.A.), colonization (particularly in same), payment of tribute (whether called such or not), &c. If I didn't have to leave in a very few minutes, I might explore the specifics further. Goodness, how I do love history!