The White Council

Re: Second Age kingdoms...reading

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : is there any essay out there describing how the diffrnt Elven : : kingdoms in the SA maintained their power? how were their : : relations to each other? Was Gilgalad friendly to : : Celebrimbor?How about Celebrimbor to Galadriel and Celeborn? : : or Thranduil? Or how the Elven kingdoms were in relation to : : Numenor? Anyone there can help me?...Thanks very much

: Well, according to LOTR Appendix, Gil-galad was High King of : all the Elves of Middle-earth. I always thought this factiod : worthy of debate since during the First Age, no such title : existed. There was a high king of the Noldor but not a High : King of Elves of ME. It's all the more surprising that this : status was apparently even recognized by the Sindarin/Silvan : realm of Greenwood. I remember reading somewhere that the : Sindar who emingrated east of the Misty's were particularly : anti-Noldor in their sentiment so it struck me as odd their : willingness to submit, even theoretically, to Gil-galad.

Actually, Gil-galad was High King of the Elves of the West, which would include only the Noldor and Sindar. He was also last High King of the Noldor-in-Exile. The realms established by Sindar among the Silvan Elves in the east were beyond Gil-galad's authority and power, and when Oropher and Amdir marched with the Last Alliance of Elves and Men they didn't march under Gil-galad, but under their own standard.

In one account Oropher is said to be hostile to the Noldor (and, in fact, it was this account which stated he preferred not to march as part of Gil-galad's army).

[snip]

: Eregion, as a Noldorin realm would in theory be sunject to : Gil-galad but he did not seem to exercise any real authority : over Celebrimbor. Had he been able to exercise such authority, : he should should have been able to order Celebrimbor to break : all contact with Annatar/Sauron.

Gil-galad did not govern Eregion, but he obviously felt compelled to try and help Eregion. I believe he did so out of obligation as much as compassion, since Tolkien doesn't say that the Eldar of Eregion rejected Gil-galad's High Kingship. In fact, Imladris was established as a replacement for Eregion and Elrond became Gil-galad's vice-regent in Eriador.

Tolkien may have had the ancient Irish model of High Kings in mind for the Elves. I don't believe the High Kings of Eire actually had the authority to compel other rulers to do anything.