Of Maeglin

[ArcusCalion]

This is the first draft of the chapter Of Maeglin.

Our basis text is that of "Of Maeglin" given in the Sil77, using the commentary in HoME 11. Wherever the text is different from the Sil77, this is marked by an editing mark.

The markings are:
M-xx for tracking any and all changes.

Some conventions of my writing:
Normal Text is from the basic text that is mentioned above (when I change the basic-Text it will be mentioned)
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
...... = This section of the paragraph is unchanged from the source.

OF MAEGLIN

Aredhel M-01 {Ar-Feiniel}, the White Lady of the Noldor, ........ Gondolin as swiftly as they may.'
But Aredhel said: ....... guard on their tongues.'
And Turgon appointed ....... heavy at her going.
But when she came ...... , and come to the M-02 {lands}[woods] that lie behind the Hill of Himring. There dwell, as we believe, Celegorm and Curufin, and it may be that you will find them; but the road is perilous.'
Then Aredhel turned ....... fences of Doriath; M-03 [and the companions of {Feiniel}[Aredhel] had no choice but to follow her, for they were not permitted to return her by force.] {and}And as they ..... great sorrow in Gondolin; M-04 [and Turgon said to them: ‘At least I should be glad that three whom I trust and love were not led to death by the willfulness of one.’] {and}And Turgon sat long alone, enduring grief and anger in silence.
But Aredhel, having sought in vain for her companions, rode on, for she was fearless and hardy of heart, as were all the children of Finwë M-05 {; and she held on her way,}[. At last she found the East Road again,] and crossing Esgalduin ...... enmeshed in Nan Elmoth.
In that wood in ages past ...... the lands of the Eldar.
Now the traffick ...... whenever he went abroad M-06 [and so escaped from many wounds]. But Eöl, though ..... her kin heard of her again.
It is not said that Aredhel ..... beyond the mist of words.
As Maeglin grew ........ metals in the mountains.
Yet it is said that Maeglin ...... and that he had no heir; M-07 {for his wife, Anaire, was of the Vanyar and would not forsake Valinor}[for Elenwë his wife perished in the crossing of the Helcaraxë], and his daughter Idril Celebrindal was his only child.
In the telling of these ....... and Eöl mistrusted him.
It came to pass that at the midsummer the Dwarves, as was their custom, bade Eöl to a feast in Nogrod; and he rode away M-08 [, though he thought it likely that in his absence Maeglin might seek to visit the sons of Fëanor in spite of his counsels, and he secretly ordered his servants to keep watch on his wife and son]. Now Maeglin and his mother were free for a while to go where they wished, and they rode often to the eaves of the wood, seeking the sunlight; and desire grew hot in Maeglin's heart to leave Nan Elmoth forever. Therefore M-09 {he said to Aredhel}[when Eöl has been gone some days, Maeglin went to his mother and said]: 'Lady, let us depart while there is time! ....... I will be your guard!'
Then Aredhel was glad, and looked with pride upon her son M-10 <{; and telling the servants of Eöl that they went to seek the sons of Fëanor they departed and rode away to the north eaves of Nan Elmoth. There they crossed the slender stream of Celon into the land of Himlad and rode on to the Fords of Aros, and so westward along the fences of Doriath.
Now Eöl returned out of the east sooner than Maeglin had foreseen, and found his wife and his son but two days gone; and so great was his anger that he followed after them even by the light of day. As}[. Therefore that night as secretly as they could they made provision for a journey, and they rode away at daybreak to the north-eaves of Nan Elmoth. There as they crossed the slender stream of {Celon}[Limhir] they spied a watchman, and Maeglin cried to him: ‘Tell your master that we go to visit our kin in Aglon.’ Then they rode on over the Himlad to the Fords of Aros, and then westward along the Fences of Doriath. But they had tarried overlong. For on the first night of the three days feast, as he slept, a dark shadow of ill foreboding visited Eöl, and in the morning he forsook Nogrod without ceremony and rode homeward with all speed. Thus he returned some days earlier than Maeglin had expected, coming to Nan Elmoth at nightfall of the day after their flight. There he learned from his watchman that they had ridden north less than two days before and had passed into the Himlad, on their way to Aglon.
Then so great was Eöl’s anger that he resolved to follow them at once; so staying only to take a fresh horse, the swiftest that he had, he rode away that night. But as]> he entered the Himlad he ..... not at all, and Curufin M-11 <{moreover was of perilous mood; but}[ was a man of perilous mood. So far they had left him {[Eöl]} free to go his ways, but could if they wished confine him within the bounds of Nan Elmoth and cut him off from his friendship with Dwarves, of which Curufin was jealous. Things proved little better than he feared; for]> the scouts of Aglon .....
encamped near the Fords. M-12 <{And before Eöl had ridden far across the Himlad he was waylaid by the riders of Curufin, and taken to their lord.}[So ere Eöl had ridden half the way over Himlad he was waylaid by well-armed horsemen, who forced him to go with them to their lord Curufin. They reached his camp about noon; and he greeted Eöl with little courtesy.]>
Then Curufin said to Eöl: ...... sun-shy abroad by day.'
And Eöl knowing his peril ...... them on this errand.’
Then Curufin laughed ....... not their errand. M-13 <{It is not two days since they passed over the Arossiach, and thence rode swiftly westward.}[ Nearly two days ago they were seen to pass the M-14 {Fords of Aros}[Arossiach], and to ride swiftly westward.]> It seems that you would deceive me; unless indeed you yourself have been deceived.'
And Eöl answered: ....... truth of this matter.'
'You have my leave ....... better will it please me.'
Then Eöl mounted his horse, ...... not slay you at this time. M-15 < [Footnote: Because the Eldar (which included the Sindar) were forbidden to slay one another in revenge for any grievance however great. Also at this time Eöl had ridden towards Aglon with no ill intent, and it was not unjust that he should seek news of Aredhel and Maeglin.]> And this counsel ...... never will you return thither.’
Then Eöl rode off in haste, and he was filled with hatred of all the Noldor M-16 <{; for he perceived now that Maeglin and Aredhel were fleeing to Gondolin.}[. For he saw now that he had been cheated, and that his wife and son were fleeing to Gondolin, and he had been delayed, so that it was now more than two days since they crossed the Fords.]> And driven ..... into the mountains.
Now Aredhel and Maeglin ...... the princes of the Noldor.
'I rejoice indeed that {Ar-Feiniel}[Aredhel] has ...... highest honor in my realm.'
Then Maeglin bowed low ...... King's hall drew its light.
But Eöl, following after ...... he came to the King's hall.
'Lord,' he cried, 'the Guard ...... as your law commands.'
Then Aredhel said: ...... if the King so wills.'
And so it was done; ...... way hither shall depart.
But Eöl withdrew ..... But Maeglin answered nothing.
Then Turgon sat in his high ........ so also for your son.'
Then Eöl looked into ...... cast it at Maeglin, crying:
'The second choice ..... not hold what is mine!'
But Aredhel sprang ..... his father was silent.
It was appointed that ...... knew it until too late. M-17 <[For the Eldar never used any poison, not even against their most cruel enemies, beast, {ork}[Orc], or {man}[Man]; and they were filled with shame and horror that Eöl should have meditated this evil deed.]>
Therefore when Eöl ....... die the same death as I.'
Then they cast Eöl ...... proved fell and fearless in battle.
Thus all seemed well ...... and desired her, without hope. M-18 {The Eldar wedded not with kin so near, nor ever before had any desired to do so. And however that might be,}For Idril loved Maeglin not at all; and knowing his thought of her she loved him the less. {For it seemed to her a thing strange and crooked in him, as indeed the Eldar ever since have deemed it: an evil fruit of the Kinslaying, whereby the shadow of the curse of Mandos fell upon the last hope of the Noldor.} But as the years ..... thereby have power.
Thus it was in Gondolin; and amid all the bliss of that realm, while its glory lasted, a dark seed of evil was sown.

M-01: Christopher says that Ar-Feiniel was an earlier form replaced by Aredhel, and he was wrong to include both, so i have removed it throughout.
M-02: He states this was an error in the Sil77 version.
M-03: This was removed by CT, so I have reinserted it.
M-04: This was removed by CT bc he thought it referenced the removed statements that GLorfindel, Egalmoth, and Ecthelion were her escort, but I think it is fine to keep here even when they have been removed.
M-05: This was changed by CT, so I have restored the original form.
M-06: This was removed by CT, so I have reinserted it.
M-07: I have updated this per the later myth and the Sil77.
M-08: This was removed by CT, so I have reinserted it.
M-09: This was changed by CT, so I have restored the original form.
M-10: This was changed by CT, so I have restored the original form.
M-11: This was changed by CT, so I have restored the original form.
M-12: This was changed by CT, so I have restored the original form.
M-13: This was changed by CT, so I have restored the original form.
M-14: CT adds the Arossiach into the narrative here bc of its name on the map, so I did as well. If this is too much it may be left out.
M-15: This was removed by CT, so I have reinserted it.
M-16: This was changed by CT, so I have restored the original form.
M-17: This was removed by CT, so I have reinserted it.
M-18: These statements are troubling, as they contradict what is said elsewhere. I vaguely remember an argument on here in the Fall of Gondolin thread saying that this contradicts the geneology itself, but I cannot remember the example used. If this is so, this line must go, but if not, then it may stand.

[Findegil]

M-00.5: I think we should include the sub-title: ‘Sister-son of Turgon, King of Gondolin’.

M-01: Okay, we are lucky Ar-Feiniel was used no where else.

M-01.5: I think we should include the three names of the Lords to lead Aredhel:

And Turgon appointed three lords of his household M-01.5<Marglin, Note to the B(i) Glorfindel, Egalmoth and Ecthelion >to ride with Aredhel, and he bade them lead her to Fingon in Hithlum, if they might prevail upon her.

M-04: Since I am for including the names, I am all for holding this passage.

M-07 to M-13 and M-15 to M-17: Agree, but we should add the source information into the editing markers.

M-14: I do not see a good reason for this change. In my view it is equal if the name or the fords of Aros is used. In such a case the original text should rule.

M-18: The example used was Galadriel and Teleporno from the later time when Celeborn was a grandson of Olwë of Aqualondë, as was Galadriel a granddaughter of Olwë through Earwen. And the Laws and Customs where the marriage of first cousins was allowed if the paraents that were not siblings would be not akin at all. That could be the case with Galadriel and Teleporno. (I as well said that Celeborn by that law could have been both the grandson of Olwë and Elmo.) In the case of Maeglin and Idril, I suggested that Eöl as a tatyarin Avari could have been akin to Elenwë (supposedly a noldorin lady) and that by this kinship the Maeglins love for Idril would be rendered ‘a thing strange and crooked’. But in the discussion these arguments did not find the majority. And up to this point we did not make Eöl a tatyarin Avari. So equally if we revise this decision now, at least last the statements might stand.

Respectfully
Findegil

[ArcusCalion]

M-01.5: I would be as well, but Tolkien himself made directions that they should be unnamed, bc he thought that the lord of the Gondolindrim would not be so easily ensnared in the webs of Nan Dungortheb.

M-14: Agreed, I was unsure about the change myself.

M-18: So it would be the statement in Laws and Customs that must be emended then. The list of changes to that document gets longer every day lol

[Findegil]

M-01.5: Okay, as sad as it is we have to let the 3 be unnamed.

M-18: I would change neither, but that is my opinion.

Respectfully
Findegil

[ArcusCalion]

M-18: not that it matters for thisa thread, but why would you not change the LC? Would you leave it thjere for the reader to use to infer that Eol must be related to Turgon?

[Findegil]

I am a 'combiner' as long as solution is thinkable, there is no contradiction and with that no need for a change.

Respectfully
Findegil

[ArcusCalion]

fair enough

[Arvegil145]

Following from my post about Eol's heritage in another forum - is the following excerpt about Eol being one of those Teleri that stopped at the sight of the Misty Mountains (i.e. the Nandor) contradictory to Tolkien's later note to that passage and Eol's implied kinship with Thingol?

I'll give the text here:

To the passage "But Eöl... was no Dwarf, but a tall Elf of a high kin of the Teleri" my father wrote on the manuscript A (only) a note beginning with the words "Not in revision" - which probably means that what follows is not in the corrections made to the copies of the typescript ('the revision'). In this note my father was copying a very faint and illegible form of it on the same page, and trying to interpret his own writing; I give it exactly as it stands:

"Eöl should not be one of Thingol's kin, but one of the Teleri who refused to cross the Hithaeglir. But [later] he and a few others of like mood, averse to concourse of people, ... [had] crossed the [Mts] long ago and come to Beleriand."

Against this note he wrote "but the relationship to Thingol would have point", and the date 1971.

- The War of the Jewels, 'Maeglin', §9, p. 322

[Findegil]

For me at least, Eöl could be one of the Elves that stayed back in the Vale of Anduin and still be a near kin to Thingol.

For me the first note seperates him from the Sindar and from Thingol, but the later note rebinds him to Thingol. Since the kinship to Thingol does not contradict a staying behind in the vale of Anduin, he is for me a Elf akin to Thingol and thus member of the third clan. He stayed behind in the Vale of Anduin, but did not stay there until Denethor led the Nandor to the South (and ultimatly through Eriador into Eastern Beleriand) but crosse the Mountians and came into Beleriand earlier than Denethor and the Nandor. Since he settled in Nan Elmoth we can farther fix the time of Eöl movement as being between the return of Thingol with the establishment of his ruler ship in Beleriand and the arival of the Nandor.

Respectfully
Findegil