Wolf of Númenor

Chapter 32: Beauty and love

It had been three weeks since Jon and the others had returned to the Gray Havens. Jon and his companions returned to their studies, Sansa and Arya began to adjust to theirs, starting with the language classes, Quenya and Sindarin, which gave them great difficulty, especially Quenya while Jon and the others were already beginning to study Adûnaic, the native language of the High Men of Númenor to the joy of Shiera.

However, Jon had focused his studies on understanding the so-called "Gift of Men," as Lord Ulmo emphasized that he should do in their last meeting. Therefore Jon, wanting to fulfill the wishes and expectations of the Valar, and thus he spent a great deal of time in the library pouring over old tomes hoping to understand the gift of his people, the Atani. Still, he soon understood that this search would be much more laborious than he imagined and that his answers, if any existed, would not be in some book; however, he found something very interesting, an ancient manuscript (even older than The Ballad of Leithian) that contained a debate called "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth."

In which Finrod Felagund, a mighty Noldorian lord, conversed with Andreth, a wise woman learned in the lore of men, Finrod had a close friendship with Andreth of the House of Bëor, whom he often visited during the Siege of Angband to converse with her on the matters of Elves and Men. One such conversation was written down and later known as Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth.

Jon raised his eyebrows as he read Finrod's name; he knew him from his studies; Finrod was an elven king of the Noldor, and the eldest son of Finarfin and elder brother to Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel. Finrod was said to be very wise and to have a noble and generous heart.

Finrod and his people did not participate in the Kinslaying at Alqualondë. While they were travelling up the coast of Araman, the Vala Mandos appeared and pronounced the Doom of the Noldor, and in that hour, Finarfin forsook the march and returned to Valinor with many of his people. However, Finrod and his siblings went forward still and led their people on the long and perilous march to Middle earth.

But over three hundred years had passed since the Noldor came to Beleriand, Finrod journeyed east of Sirion and went hunting with Maglor and Maedhros, two of the sons of Fëanor. But he wearied of the hunt and passed on alone towards the mountains of Ered Lindon. There, in the lands of Thargelion, in East Beleriand, Finrod was the first of the Noldor to come across Men. These were the kindred and followers of Bëor The Old. He went among them while they were sleeping and, picking up a harp which Bëor had laid aside, played music upon it such as the ears of men had not heard. When the men awoke and listened to his song, each thought that he was in some fair dream. He long stayed with them, learning their language and teaching them Sindarin. He also intervened on behalf of the Laiquendi of Ossiriand, who feared Men would destroy their home, and he got permission of Thingol, who held rule over all Beleriand, to guide the Men to Estolad.

However, Jon stopped thinking about Finrod and focused his efforts on the debate; he spent the next hour reading it, hoping to understand everything Finrod and Andreth talked about regarding their race's relationtionship with the Valar.

Not that I can blame them, Jon thought uncomfortably.

The elves will also eventually be consumed by their spirits or will ultimately have to go live in Aman because due to their link with the world, they are connected to it in a more profound way than men, thus being the world. "Damaged" by Melkor's unconformity, the elves were also "damaged."

... that's an interesting concept ... Jon thought, reading the manuscript with renewed interest.

Then he asked her since she did not just mean that Men are diminished and die so soon (compared to the Eldar) because Arda is marred if there had been some particular strike against her people by the Enemy. She said there had been. This caused Finrod to worry about the potential scope of Melkor's power. He knew the Eldar were also physically lessened by the Marring of Arda, as their spirit would eventually overcome their bodies, but if it was more than that which caused brief lives and death for Men, Melkor's power had greater reach than he realised. If it was so, as she said, that he changed the fate of an entire people against the design of Eru, then all their strife against him was folly, and even the Mountains of the Pélori were built on sand. Andreth agreed that was true as Men have long known. She said the Nameless was Lord of the world and all strife against him was folly and their efforts fruitless.