03-29-2015, 10:25 PM | #1 | |||||
Salt Miner
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: gone to Far Harad
Posts: 987
|
For whom was Bilbo’s mithril coat forged?
In Chapter 16, “A Thief in the Night”,
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Thrór returned to Erebor about 350 years before the events of The Hobbit. That would make Legolas very young indeed (for an Elf) had the coat of mail been forged for him: else, the Dwarves would surely have delivered it to Thranduil. By the same token, were the mail forged earlier than that, during the sojourn of Durin’s Folk in the Grey Mountains for instance, some 400 years earlier, it does not make sense that they would have failed to deliver the mail for centuries upon end while hauling it around. Surely it stands to reason that the mithril armor was forged for the son of Girion Lord of Dale, paid for with Girion’s emerald necklace, and delivery was interrupted by Smaug’s arrival. The magnificence of the artifact was such that Thorin, the Elvenking, and Aragorn assumed that it must have been for an Elven-prince – unless, of course, they knew it was, and for whom it was made, in which case Legolas is an awfully young Elf. |
|||||
04-06-2015, 03:30 PM | #2 |
The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: N?n in Eilph (Belgium)
Posts: 14,363
|
Going purely by phrasing in the quote, I'd say the eldest of Girion had already received his mithril armour. When I read 'eldest' I didn't think of a child, but rather someone grown. Otherwise it would be a pricely affair to buy this kid a new coat of armour every few years if the first one costs already five hundred emeralds! Growth spurts must have been met with much sighing.
But 'eldest' implies he's not the only one, so it could have been that Girion had more sons and that the mail that ultimately went to Bilbo was meant for a younger son. Still, in any case I'd say a elf-prince makes more sense, I daresay the Elves were richer, and an elf-child would get more mileage out of such a mail, considering they'd grow more slowly. Leaves only to see which elf-prince it could be. Judging by the time frame, Thranduil is about the only known Elf-ruler left that uses the title of King. Which would suggest the mail was either for Legolas or some other, hypothetical sibling of his. How many Elf-kings or elf-princes could there be that Tolkien didn't specifically mentions? There we'll have to speculate. But if Thranduil had paid for the mail, wouldn't he have wanted to get it? He doesn't strike me as the type that would forget. (Unless he lost his receipt or something.) But it it was intented for Girion's son, either young or old, or undelivered or not, why is everyone so convinced it would have been an elf-prince's? Now there's an intriguing question. It could be that traditionally elf-princes wore silver, pearls and crystals specifically so that any of that combination immediately brought them to mind. Perhaps Girion was trying to emulate the Elves when he ordered such one for his son? |
04-27-2018, 05:19 PM | #3 | |
High King at Annuminas Administrator
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Wyoming - USA
Posts: 10,752
|
Quote:
__________________
My Fanfic: Letters of Firiel Tales of Nolduryon Visitors Come to Court Ñ á ë ?* ó ú é ä ï ö Ö ñ É Þ ð ß ® ™ [Xurl=Xhttp://entmoot.tolkientrail.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=ABCXYZ#postABCXYZ]text[/Xurl] Splitting Threads is SUCH Hard Work!! |
|