The White Council

Re: Is Tol Eressea a part of the Undying Lands?

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: And neither the Valar nor Iluvatar could be held guilty of genocide. Many Numenoreans survived the Downfall. The destruction of Numenor was initiated by Iluvatar as a just punishment for the rebellion of the Numenoreans (it wasn't like they hadn't been given plenty of warnings) after they defied the authority of his representatives and broke the ban on their sailing West.

I have always been a little concerned about this particular subject, it's so incredibly "old testament" the punishment does not fit the crime not only was Numenor drowned but severe damage was inflicted on the Western Shores of Middle Earth during the cataclysm, there was even some speculation (in The Lost Road I think) that Tol Eressea went down with the rest and all the elves who died were "reincarnated" back in Valinor (ok this was an early draft but I think it gives an idea of the scale of the catastrophe that so haunted Tolkien). I also remember a reference to Tirion on Tuna being buried when Valinor was sealed off

Surely beings as wise as Illuvatar and the Valar could have managed to produce some kind of rehabilitation for erring mankind. After all Mankind gets a pretty raw deal in Tolkien in comparison to the Elves (the "gift" of men, the lack of divine support during the awakening of men while we were left alone with only Melkor for company for uncounted years, not counting the undoubtedly superior gifts granted the Elves).There may also be some argument that as so much of what happens in Middle Earth occurs as some kind of predestination that the downfall was also predestined and that therefore it was part of Illuvatar's purpose that this should happen. Which is pretty disturbing.

Anyway I'm kinda digressing on the point of Tol Eressea, I am reminded of your own essay about what the Elves do in Valinor, it has always fascinated me how so many elves were crowded onto a small island. First of all the returning Exiles at the end of the First Age, then all the elves who left Middle Earth during the following three ages, factoring in for population growth (Elves seem to be much more fecund away from Mortal Lands vis the large families of the House of Finwe) it would add up to a sizeable population.

And another thing (I haven't posted in ages, forgive me) surely all the elves who returned to Tol Eressea are (in all practical senses) barred from going to Valinor too? Those Pelori are supposed to be impassable. This would imply that the likes of Galadriel are in semi-permanent separation from many of their kin. O.K they can die and be reborn in Valinor but that seems a bit extreme. I wonder what the suicide rate is like on the Lonely Island?