The time has come for me to choose: will I be numbered among elves
or among Men? It is the decision all peredhil must make.
My parents were Earendil and Elwing, one a Man, the other an
elf. My parents, yes, but not the ones who raised me and my brother,
Elros. That task fell to Maglor, second son of Feanor. It was
he, in truth, who drove my parents from our home, he and his brother Maedhros. They wanted the Silmaril that my mother had, but they did not get it. It is now safe in Valinor, to which my parents escaped.
And Maglor took us in. Maglor was different than Maedhros
in almost every way. Where Maedhros would show anger, Maglor was
calm. Where Maedhros rushed in unheedingly, Maglor showed thought
first. Though Maedhros repented his deeds after they were done, Maglor
sought to prevent errors before they happened. None of this matters
any more; Maedhros killed himself some while ago, and Maglor... Out
of grief for his brother, he wandered off somewhere and no one has had
any news of him. I do not know if he lives still.
I learned much from Maglor. He showed me all that the Noldor
elves learned in Valinor, all the crafts and lore. He told me of
the Two Trees, of the mighty Valar... He enchanted me with the wisdom
and learning of the elves.
Men... Men are a young race, and still learning. The elves teach them, show them the ways of the land. They may go
far in this world; they are not fools and they learn quickly.
But they will never match the elves. There may be some
Men, a small few, who will do so, but it is not likely. Elves are
the fair race, the wise race, and immortal. They are separate from
Men, and I do not think they will ever give Men all their knowledge. I would not like to lose that chance, the chance to learn all of the elven
lore.
Im nan edhel.
I am an elf.