Quote:
Originally posted by SixOfSpades:
Well, the fact that Tolkien describes Glorfindel pitching down a mountain chasm, still locked in battle with a Balrog, is rather indicative that the Glorfindel in Rivendell is not the same one present at the siege of Gondolin. But the passage that Devv quoted, the one that describes Glorfindel as being an "Eldar from beyond the furthest seas" and having "dwelt in the Blessed Realm," seems to imply that it is the same one. Perhaps there were two high-ranking Glorfindels among the Flight of the Noldor, but I doubt it, and the genealogies back me up. Maybe, just maybe, a second Glorfindel came to Middle-Earth in the Assault of the Valar at the end of the First Age, and remained. An "Elf-lord of a house of princes" need not appear in the House of Finwe if the Elf-lord in question was one of the Vanyar.
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As I say, not much evidence either way... the fact that he fell to his death while fighting a Balrog is pretty conclusive evidence of his death, admittedly, but then... falling... fighting a Balrog... dying... and coming back to life... hmm. Where have I heard that before? [img]smile.gif[/img]
You ask, "What of Osgiliath? What of Arnor?"... well, Osgiliath is rebuilt, and although it is no longer the capital of Gondor it still manages to become a happy, bustling port-city. Aragorn comes to the North and re-establishes Arnor, and has Fornost Erain rebuilt - his court alternate between it and Minas Tirith every ten years. Arnor is restored as a Kingdom once more. The Greenway is opened up, and colonisation begins of the vast open expanses of Hollin. Of all the ancient towers of Gondor, only Minas Ithil is left alone. It is torn down bit by bit and the stone is taken away, but the site is left undisturbed. No-one wants to mess with whatever might still be there. Apart from this one exception, rebuilding and renewal are the hallmarks of Elessar's reign.