Silmarillion - Chapter 17 - Of the Coming of Men into the West

[Aiwendil]

The second Children of Iluvatar were briefly introduced in chapter 12, but it is in this chapter that they really enter the story. This chapter is a mixture of close narrative and broad historical (and genealogical) outline; the first encounter of Felagund and the Beorings is told fairly vividly (for the Silmarillion, that is), while some of the Edain’s later migrations through Beleriand are summarized annalistically.

Men are first introduced to the reader through they eyes of Finrod Felagund. I have always found the scene where the Men wake at the sound of Finrod playing the harp to be particularly appealing (I’ve even attempted to write music for it), though I’m not sure what there is about it that makes it so striking. Does anyone else have a similar reaction to this scene?

The complex relationship between Eldar and Edain is apparent soon after their first meeting. There is, first of all, wonderment on the part of the Edain toward the Eldar – in fact, it is said that they initially believed Finrod to be a Vala (cf. the ‘Drowning of Anadune’ texts, which deliberately confound the Elves with the Valar). The counterpart to this on the Elves’ side is Finrod’s benevolence and desire to teach and aid the Edain. A different response to the coming of Men is seen in the Laiquendi of Ossiriand, who are chiefly concerned that the newcomers do not dwell in their land and even call them ‘unfriends’. A counterpart to this view may be found in the dissenters among the Edain whose leaders were Bereg and Amlach and who argue that they should leave Beleriand and the lands of the Elves. Yet another type of relationship between Eldar and Edain may be seen in Caranthir’s attitude toward the folk of Haleth; he sees valour in them and seems to think that it would be useful to have them as allies against Morgoth. And though I cannot find a passage to confirm it, it is not a stretch to suppose that there were those among the Edain who saw things in similarly utilitarian terms: the Eldar were wise and powerful, and in this dangerous world, it would be good to have them as allies.

This is one of those chapters includes bits that I, at least, often wish were told more fully – the meeting of Finrod and Beor, the council of the Edain where the false Amlach speaks, the battle between the Halethrim and the Orcs and Caranthir’s ride to the rescue (the only instance I can think of in which Caranthir gets to play the hero), the death of Beor that amazes the immortal Elves. It seems to me that this chapter offers more fuel for fan-fiction than most.

Like most of the middle portions of the Silmarillion, this chapter has no Lost Tales analogue. The meeting of Finrod and Beor and the subsequent settlement of the Edain in Beleriand is first told (in briefer form) in the ‘Quenta Noldorinwa’. In the 1937 ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ this material was expanded and became part of the chapter ‘Of Men and Dwarfs’ (sic). The major difference between these earlier accounts and the published one is that in the pre-LotR material, the time scale of the later First Age was greatly compressed, so that only a single generation of Men passes between their entrance into Beleriand and the Battle of Sudden Flame. As a result, the genealogy of the Edain is much compressed; Beor, for example, is Barahir’s father (rather than his great-great-great-grandfather!). Another notable difference is that Haleth was a male in the earlier story (called ‘Haleth the Hunter’). It was only in the post-LotR work on the ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ that this material was developed into its own chapter and the genealogy of the Edain extended to its familiar form.

Additional readings:
HoMe IV,V – ‘Quenta Noldorinwa’ and pre-LotR ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ versions
HoMe XI – ‘Grey Annals’ and later ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ versions (also note that more complete genealogical tables for the Edain than those found in the published Silmarillion are included in this volume).
HoMe XII – Some later writing concerning the three houses of the Edain can be found here, particularly in ‘Of Dwarves and Men’.

[Thinlómien]

I've always liked this chapter - probably because we are told about Haleth, who is my personal heroe. I've always liked her, she is one of the few real female heroes in Tolkien's books. Now I'm not discounting Idril, Elwing, Finduilas, Arwen and the likes who are, of course, heroes in their own right, but they are all satyed in the female role and boundaries. Haleth, on the other hand, could be described as a feminist heroe. She did things that only men were supposed to do - like fighting and being the leader for her people - (I don't know about the ways of Haladin, but that seemed to be the general way of thinking in Beleriand in those days) and did them well. Haleth is brave yet not foolsihly so. She is respectable and dutiful, a good leader who can manage things.

And her brief exchange of words with Caranthir! That's something that never fails to impress me. This is quite difficult to explain, but it brings tears to my eyes and makes me always think "wow, the Edain are truly a magnificient people". The effect is similar to what Húrin's and Huor's words to Turgon in Nirnaeth Arnoediad and their last stand makes me feel.

Besides, I can imagine the situation so well. Caranthir, a Noldorin lord in shining armour on a great horse offering aid and pity to Haleth, a woman in ragged and bloodsoaked clothes with a sword in her hand (or something like that) and she proudly declines it. That is a very impressive picture.

[Lalaith]

Gah, Lommy....apparently I have to spread reputation around, so I'll just have to give you thumbs up here. Your image of Caranthir and Haleth is brilliant.
Anyway, I love this chapter too, I'll go off and re-read it and come back with more comments.

[Galadriel55]

Good point, Lommy! Even though Men are on a much lower level than Elves, they already have virtues, values, and concepts (like pride - Haleth, or truth/lie - Amlach).

[Gazing]

Valinorean Gospel Propagation:

This is a particularly interesting chapter for me. I studied enough anthropology in my youthful college days to become highly sensitized to "First Encounters:" Margaret Mead meets the Samoans, Pizarro says "Allo" to Atahualpa (and shortly later, has him killed), Cortez greets Moctecuzuma II (then shortly later has him killed), Richard Dreyfus shakes paws with a "flying-saucer" passenger (outcome seems less nasty), etc.

So how does Tolkien handle the first encounter of his two "species," Elf and Man?

Tolkien was writing in the period of high racism that marked WWI and WW II, the epoch that saw the flowering glory of the nastiest sort of Social Darwinism, a time of high xenophobia, of nationalistic militarism, and exploitative monopoly-capitalism. This Middle-earth juncture of Man and Elf should (by the standards of the real-world times in which JRRT was writing) have been a complete disaster, "pop," and Finrod Felagund would have gone into the pot; or, alternatively, the lowly, miscreant Men would have been enslaved by the dominant, technologically superior Elves. Instead, Finrod sits down to sing the boys a song...

Ah, no conquest and devastation here, a different sort of "encounter-model" is being followed, is it the "idealized" Victorian Missionary mode that is to be seen as the operative mechanism for Tolkien's Middle-earth first encounter?

This in itself is quite refreshing -- a cultural encounter that does not lead to the inevitable clash/ destruction which our own "real-world" history teaches us to expect. Instead, the "song" Finrod sings to Men (as a cynic might observe) is, of course, a bit of missionary propaganda, a paternalistic chant designed to reveal the "gospel truth" to the untutored savages: "...for the things of which he sang, of the making of Arda, and the bliss of Aman beyond the shadow of the Sea, came as clear visions before their eyes..." (hb version Silmarillion, chpt 17 p.141). But, within the context of this Tolkien tale, I suppose it was indeed the "true gospel" of Middle-earth, and might serve to correct what "lies" may have been planted in the minds of Men by their previous encounters with Morgoth or his emissaries? I think JRRT shows in this chapter that he is decidedly in favour of the Elven interpretation of Middle-earth's cosmic history, of its right-vrs-wrong -- it is his book, after all!

I believe the most important result of this Man-Elf encounter (to Tolkien's way of thinking?) is the act of passing on Truth (heavily capitalized!) to the otherwise, truly agnostic Men (at this point they literally are "without knowledge," agnostic). Can we see a "religious" motivation in all Finrod first does when he meets Men? But, as Tolkien tries to make clear (I think!), this is also an initial, "love at first sight" situation, and it may be this, more than doctrinal propagation, that impels Finrod to first approach Men. "Long Felagund watched them, and love for them stirred in his heart..." (hb Sil. chpt 17, p. 140). Is this merely missionary zeal? Maybe, but I wonder also if we are to see in Finrod the sort of person who is not merely seeking a quota of converts for the revenues (earthly and spiritual) they may eventually raise, but rather, he is the sort of individual that is genuinely, fully convinced of the Truth of his beliefs. Consequently, in passing on these beliefs to the ignorant Men -- is there anything exploitative here? Tolkien, I think, would answer, "no, nothing exploitative." At any rate, I myself tend to see Finrod as an innocent "enthusiast," one who is so filled with Agape through his own belief, that his love immediately spills over to include these Men as potential converts to that same Truth.

But later, does Tolkien "realistically" show us the ugly face of the meeting of two "races," pejorative racism/ xenophobia, especially in the encounters of Turin and Saeros? (hb Sil, p. 199)?

[Galadriel55]

I don't think that anywhere in his works did Tolkien imply that Elves are superior to Men in a racial point of view. I'd say quite the opposite - Men are favoured with the Gift of Iluvatar (no matter what Morgoth turned it into).

As for Turin and Saeros: Saeros tries to prove that he is superior, but he's wrong, and is punished for it. Conclusion: Elves are not superior in that sense.

When Finrod sang to the Men, I don't think he knew yet about the lies that Morgoth told them. He just told them about what there is.

One of the lies that Morgoth used to make the Noldor rebell was that Men would take over. Finrod would be very familiar with them. And now he finally sees Men face to face. And his reaction is the most curious thing in the chapter, even though it's predictable.

Anyone have other ideas? I'm not in the mood for detailed analysis of Finrod right now.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

As a musician I find it interesting that it is music that bridges the gap between two peoples in this story. Nowadays a certain style of music is so often used to define a group with common interests, effectively marking a boundary against all others. This encounter promotes the idea of music as a universal language, a method of furthering understanding that leads to peaceful coexistence, even friendship.