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Exploring Tolkien's Fourth Age - Page 4

© Michael Martinez

What was a wight? Tolkien doesn't really say. They were spirits which originally came out of Angmar and Rhudaur. By the year of the Great Plague (TA 1636) Rhudaur had long been deserted, but the hill-folk there who had supplanted the Dunedain in secret alliance with Angmar had practiced sorcery, and undoubtedly that means they had summoned and consorted with spirits in Sauron's service. The wights probably were these spirits, but we don't know whose spirits they were. It is most likely, because of the power exhibited by the Barrow-wight which captured Frodo, that the spirits were those of corrupted elves (enslaved by Melkor in the First Age) or lesser Maiar, not as powerful as, say, a Balrog, nor even as the Nazgul, but more powerful than the spirits of Men. In Morgoth's Ring Christopher Tolkien published an essay by his father in which J.R.R. Tolkien discussed Elvish fading. After the final overthrow of Melkor Eonwe traveled throughout Middle-earth and once again summoned all Elves to migrate to Aman. Though many refused, they were now put under a doom by the Valar, that they should fade and eventually become disembodied spirits if they did not ultimately sail over Sea. This fading process appears to have been necessary to induce the Elves to leave Middle-earth, which was in time to become the possession of Men. But in the essay Tolkien suggests that some Elves refused to leave Middle-earth even though fading was inevitable, and in time they became haunts dwelling in regions they had once inhabited. Such spirits were sometimes contacted by men, practicing sorcery or necromancy, and they might even allow the spirits to possess them. It is conceivable, therefore, that the Satanic cult had something to do with communicating with faded Elves (assuming that any of the Elves might indeed have faded by this time). On the other hand, Elves could die by accident or in war, and when they did so they need not answer the summons to Mandos if they did not wish to eventually become re-embodied. Many of the Avari are said to have made this choice, which though perilous during the time of Melkor's reign may have been less so in later ages. Hence, some of the more bitter or evil Elves could have remained in Middle-earth after dying and perhaps become involved with Herumor's cult. But despite the possibility of fading, and the presence of Elvish spirits, there were most likely still enclaves of Elves in Middle-earth at the time of the New Shadow. Legolas departed over Sea when Aragorn died, but Tolkien doesn't say that all his people left with him. Some of the Silvan Elves may have remained in Ithilien for many years. Thranduil seems to have stayed content in northern Greenwood (Mirkwood, which was renamed after the War of the Ring). Celeborn's people would also have remained long content in East Lorien, the kingdom he founded in the southern part of the forest, in the lands formerly dominated by Dol Guldur (which Celeborn and Galadriel overthrew). Celeborn went to live in Rivendell with his grandsons Elladan and Elrohir before finally sailing over Sea, and the year of his departure was not recorded. So there may yet have been some Elves living in Rivendell, and in Mithlond, though some people feel Cirdan left with Elrond and Galadriel.

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