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The Council of the Valar
The Silmarillion: P. 89: Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor: "But Mandos said: 'To me shall Fëanor come soon'.
P. 100: Of the Return of the Noldor: "Fëanor bade them halt; for his wounds were mortal, and he knew that his hour had come."
" -- Then he died -- so fiery was his spirit that as it sped his body fell to ash, and was borne away like smoke;"
" -- neither has his spirit left the halls of Mandos."
The day arrived when Estë found herself in search of Frodo and Lindaril. The two had become inseparable since Lindaril's arrival. Estë wished to speak with them both, and thought that she would find them together. When Lindaril had first arrived on Estë's Isle from Tol Eressea, she had been suffering from a mysterious illness of which she did not know the cause, and Estë had immediately begun to nurse her. Estë had told Lindaril that the sickness was crab-like in nature, a thing within her that had many tentacles that it would use to infiltrate every organ in her body. At the time that Lindaril had met Frodo, she had had several treatment sessions with Estë, and was not at the time near death, but had still been very frail. Now, she was almost fully cured, the crab reduced to a tiny, shriveled thing that would soon disappear. She and Frodo enjoyed spending much time together now that Lindaril was healthy. They played games regularly, and thus Estë decided to look for them in the golif meadow within Irmo's gardens.
She came upon them as they were laughing about something that had amused them. Frodo was leaning on his golif stick, his shoulders shaking with laughter, and Lindaril was bent over, setting a ball in place on the turf. Estë approached them; marveling at their friendship as she did so.
Lindaril had lived a long time with the memories of the horror she had witnessed that was the destiny of many of the Elves. Most of them had lived long, sad lives compared to those of mortals, and had been witnesses to acts of terrible treachery, cruelty and violence. Most of the Elves who had sailed to Valinor had seen endless battles and much death. They had witnessed the torment and deaths of their families and friends, and had first-hand experience of the evil of the Dark Lords Morgoth and Sauron in the years spent on Middle-earth during the worst of its history. Unlike humans, Elves were not able to escape the agonies of their memories by dying. Lindaril, who was descended from the Fëanorions, the most terrible and violent of the Elf-clans of old, had had to live most of her life alone with not only her own dark memories of her parents'demise to haunt her, but also the tales that were told to her of the years of war and destruction that were the legacy of her ancestors.
Lindaril had all alone escaped from a lonely life of fear, existing hidden in the dark forests of the world, making her way slowly with her dark secrets ever haunting her, down rivers and through desolate lands, until she finally reached the country of Rohan, where she had eventually found the King and his sister, who had taken her into their homes for awhile. They became her friends, but their country had been suffering many woes since the war had ended, and there was a new disease that came to them on a fell wind, that brought with it more death, terror and confusion. And, so often when a country is brought to its knees, the weather turns against it also, and Rohan found itself lashed with foul weather in the form of cold, cruel winters, storms and floods. If that weren't enough, more of its people had been felled by the plague that swept across its lands, killing even more of the few who had been spared. The poor population of Rohan had become almost decimated by its recent ill fortune, and as Lindaril did not wish to burden her benefactors further, one day she decided to travel further south to Gondor.
In Gondor, accompanied by her lute and her songs, Lindaril formed another friendship with King Elessar and Queen Arwen. Gondor, as well as Rohan, had suffered hardship since the war, but it had the benefit of being in a warmer climate, and it had managed to escape the plague. Also, under the skilful leadership of King Elessar, Gondor had weathered the post-war storm better than had Rohan, which was a more sparsely populated and desolate country. Lindaril had found friendship with Arwen, but after hearing about the separation that Arwen and Aragorn had endured before they were able to come together as man and wife, Lindaril did not wish to become a burden to them by spending too much time in their company.
After discovering that she was suffering from an unknown illness, Lindaril had at first learned some medical treatments from the healers in the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith, so that she could try to cure herself. She threw herself into her music to try to forget her troubles, and she enjoyed singing her songs for other people. By chance, she had met Legolas, and had become attracted to him instantly. She felt that she and he had much in common, since they had both originally come from the same place. He, however, was of great strength and vitality, whereas she was weak and frail. Things had gone badly between them, and so, her spirit finally broken and her health deteriorating, Lindaril had known that it was time for her to leave Middle-earth.
Upon arriving in the Undying Lands, Lindaril had immediately started to feel somewhat better. After undergoing Estë's healing sessions, she was now almost back to her normal self once again, and meeting Frodo had been perhaps the one thing that she needed in order to feel happy. She fell in love with Frodo, and felt that he, perhaps more than anyone, was her true soul mate.
"Hello, my two friends!" Estë called to them as she drew near. "I see that you are both enjoying this fine morning!"
Frodo and Lindaril turned to greet her.
"Will you join us in a game of golif, Estë?" Frodo asked, although he was not sure that he wanted her to join them. At the moment, he was winning against Lindaril, but the last time he had played the game with Estë, she had soundly beaten him.
To Frodo's relief, Estë said, "I am sorry, Frodo. I thank you for asking, but I cannot play today. I was looking for you both to tell you that Irmo and I, along with the other Valar, have been called to another council meeting on Mt. Taniquetil. Irmo and I must be leaving right away".
"Did you wish for us to go with you?" asked Frodo.
"No, Frodo, this time Manwë has asked that only the Valar attend".
Frodo was not sorry that he would not be going. The last meeting had unnerved him greatly. Also, he did not care for heights or mountaintops, yet he rather wished that Lindaril could have seen the grandness of Manwë'sTower, and of Tirion.
Estë continued. "Manwë has called this meeting very suddenly. It will be held today, and we must fly there immediately."
Frodo became alarmed. "May I ask one thing? Has there been more news of the cloud of Morgoth?"
"I am sorry, Frodo, but I do not know why Manwë has called us to this new council. If it is possible, we will tell you about it when we return".
Irmo then joined her. The two Valar bade Frodo and Lindaril goodbye. Then they disappeared from sight in a sudden gust of wind.
"I am not sure I will ever get used to that", said Frodo.
"To what, my dear?" asked Lindaril.
"To see the Valar flying off like that", replied Frodo. "They can just disappear before your eyes because they move so rapidly that you cannot see them moving at all. It is very unnerving".
"I can move like that, too", said Lindaril, laughing suddenly.
"You cannot!" exclaimed Frodo, grabbing her hands.
"Watch me!" she cried, breaking free of Frodo's grasp. Then she turned and ran like the wind across the meadow. Frodo caught his breath, and then ran after her as fast as he could. Under Estë's cure, Frodo had grown much more and now stood at five feet six, a height that was an inch taller than Lindaril's. Eventually he caught her as she tired and slowed down. He grabbed her around the waist, and they both fell to the ground, laughing like children.
At the same time that Frodo and Lindaril were playing in the meadow, the meeting of the Valar was underway, without much preamble.
"My Lords and Ladies of the Valar", Manwë spoke gravely. "I have summoned you at this time to tell you of a new development concerning the wishes of Morgoth. He has contacted me by thought", Manwë continued. "Once again, he has entered my mind without my permission, and has informed me of his intent to destroy Valinor. This time, he has shown me how he plans to do it".
All of the Valar were silent as they listened to the grim news. They prepared their minds to receive the frightening image that Manwë projected into them. It was of their world imploding upon itself, in a cataclysmic crushing of sand and water, rock and flame. Everyone and everything disappeared within the pressure as the charred remains of all spiralled toward a great, sucking black hole, a vacuum of nothingness.
Manwë then spoke to them. "Have you all seen now the vision of our destruction the way that he showed me? No words were spoken by him, yet I understood clearly his intent".
The Valar indicated that they had seen it. All was silent as each Vala absorbed the horrible vision and its meaning.
Irmo then spoke. "I do not understand such a force that could crush the world", he said.
"Nor do I", Manwë replied. "I have not before seen such a thing. Eru has not conceived of this, to my knowledge. It may be but an imaginary force that Morgoth has envisioned. Morgoth's hatred of us is such that he wishes for our complete destruction. He is unable to take any form, but his will is strong. However, I do not believe that there is anything that exists that can do what he has shown us".
Mandos asked, "Do you know now if the cloud that hangs over us is indeed a manifestation of Morgoth himself?"
Manwë nodded. "Yes, I believe it to be so. He cannot form himself into the shape of a solid thing, but he seems to float as particles, which are seen as a black cloud floating in the air above our lands. How he is to effect the total destruction of our world is not known to me, but I fear there is much power in his thought. Accepting his visions into my own mind was almost too much to bear, as he used a force more powerful than my resistance. I tried to keep him out with all my might, yet it was not enough to prevent the intrusion".
Mandos then said, "He must be resisted. Morgoth has always coveted power and riches. Can we not give him something that would satisfy his lust, and that would entice him to go and leave us in peace? I am hoping that he would not have shown us his intent to destroy Valinor if he was not willing to barter with us for something that he truly wants. Otherwise, if he wished only for our annihilation, then he would have already destroyed us, if he were capable of so doing. He would not have shown you that vision of destruction beforehand. He would have surprised us".
Manwë replied, "Morgoth has possessed power and riches in the past, but they did not satisfy him. He was bent on destruction then, and he has not lost that particular lust, it seems. In the past he hated the Elves and wished to destroy their race. Now, it is we, his brethren the Valar that he wishes to destroy. I do not know that there is anything that we could give him which would turn him from his evil intent. I believe that he showed us what he truly desires in order to torture us with worry before he destroys us".
"Perhaps we can turn him from his intent", said Mandos. "He had always lusted after the Silmarils of Fëanor. Can we not give the one that we have, the Silmaril of Earendil, back to him in return for his promise to leave us in peace?"
All of the Valar were silent with their own thoughts for a moment, and then Manwë spoke.
"The Silmarils are lost, except for the one that you have named, which Earendil carried. I do not think that Morgoth would accept this one jewel and then agree to go and leave us in peace. It seems too small and simple a bargaining device. However, I shall try to contact him and ask this question. If you will excuse me, I will go now into a quiet chamber, and I will try to will him to enter my thought".
Manwë then rose from the table and left the Hall. While he was gone, the other Valar talked among themsElves of various ideas. Aulë, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, spoke directly to Mandos. "You could allow Manwë to bring Fëanor back to life, Mandos, so that he could make a large enough quantity of the Silmarils to satisfy Morgoth. I feel that you must resurrect Fëanor so that he can accomplish this task".
"No, that is out of the question!" said Mandos emphatically. "Fëanor is not to be reborn before his time of judgment. You know that he had fallen into evil and caused such destruction in the world that its effects are still felt to this day. Ages ago I had said that all of the works of the Noldor must be destroyed in order for us to have peace. I said that Fëanor's spirit must dwell in the Halls of Mandos until Judgment Day, at which time he must repent of his misdeeds. To change that decision now would bring chaos to the world once more".
"But he could give Morgoth what he wants", said Aulë. "If Manwë can convince Morgoth to accept the Silmarils, and then leave us, Valinor would be saved, and we would be able to deal with the potential chaos that may ensue that would be Fëanor's doing. If Valinor is to be destroyed, then what do your rules about resurrection and repentance matter?"
Mandos and Aulë glared at each other. The will of each was strong.
"Could we not go to retrieve the lost Silmarils from Middle-earth?" asked Estë. "Morgoth may believe that they were lost forever; however, if we could tell him that we have found them, then he may want them so badly that he would be willing to barter with us".
"The power is not with us any longer to go to Middle-earth and look among its lands and seas for the Silmarils", replied Ulmo, the Vala of Waters. "Since Eru removed our world from theirs, and forbade us to meddle in the affairs of Middle-earth, we are prevented from going there".
"Let us wait until Manwë returns", said Mandos. "If we find out if Morgoth has accepted our offer, there will be no need to put any other plan into effect".
The Valar waited until Manwë returned. His face was inscrutable as he resumed his seat at the table.
"I did successfully contact Morgoth", he remarked. "He said that he will accept our proposition and will spare us".
The other Valar cheered uproariously.
"There are two conditions, however", cried Manwë over the din, and when the clamor died down, he continued, "He said that we must give him seventy thousand Silmarils. Seventy thousand, and no less! He does not care how we are to achieve this, but he will accept no less. That is the first condition. The second is that he demands that we resurrect Fëanor from the Halls of Mandos, and deliver the Elf to him at the same time as the jewels. Although I have agreed to Morgoth's terms in order to save Valinor, I will tell you now that I will not sacrifice Fëanor. I will not sacrifice any of the people of Ëa despite the evil they may have done in the past".
"How, then, will you be able to effect delivery of the Silmarils, yet not of Fëanor?" asked Estë.
"I know not how I shall do it at this time, but I promise that I will devise a plan", said Manwë. "One thing I must ask all of you. Do not let anyone know of this bargain, or things may go greatly amiss. I will inform the Maiar myself, but I do not want the Elves to know anything about this further threat".
The Valar promised him, and each made ready to leave the table.
"Morgoth cannot be trusted, as you know", said Mandos to Manwë. "His word means nothing. You must not believe him".
"He said that if we achieve that which he proposed, then he will take the jewels and Fëanor and go away forever in such a way that we will know we are safe", said Manwë.
"You cannot believe that", said Mandos. "We must try to destroy him before he destroys us".
"We cannot", replied Manwë. "He predicted that we would try to do that, and when he sees us coming for him, he said that he will unleash a great power that will annihilate us. I cannot take the chance that he speaks the truth about this matter".
"Then Fëanor will have to be brought back to life, first, in order to make the Silmarils", said Aulë, "and then to release to Morgoth".
"I would rather come up with another solution. Perhaps we should bring forward another plan, one that we all have been thinking about, but which we have avoided discussing", said Mandos.
"I know what is in your mind, and I would not do what you are proposing", said Manwë.
"What is this other plan?" asked Aulë, who seemed not to have been aware of it.
"It is to send out the Maiar spirits en masse to try to destroy the cloud", said Mandos.
Manwë shook his head, and held up his hand to try to stop Mandos, to no avail.
"How many of them would it take to do this, do you think?" asked Aulë.
"It would take all of them, according to Olórin", replied Manwë, his tone solemn. "And all of them may be lost".
"No!" cried Aulë. "We cannot sacrifice the Maiar so readily! We would be sending them to their end, as sure as the doom that awaits us! There is only one thing to do, Mandos! Fëanor must be resurrected. I would help him to recraft the jewels, and I could watch over him to make sure he does not cause any trouble".
Mandos spoke, and he was not happy. "If you all wish it, and My Lord Manwë agrees, then it shall be done", he said. "But we do not know if Fëanor will agree to help us. If he refuses, then we are lost. One thing is certain. Fëanor must never find out about our agreement to sacrifice him to Morgoth".
The Valar continued speaking about their plans, and when they could say no more, they dispersed gradually to their own homes.
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