Magic by Melkor, No Returns Accepted - Page 2
© Michael Martinez
Now, that's not to say jewels cannot be special in their own right. Recall how Ungoliant lusted after the gems Melkor stole from the Noldor at Formenos. She ate all but the Silmarils and grew more powerful as she did so. These gems could not possibly have contained what Tolkien referred to as the Morgoth-element, even though Melkor had been held in Aman for a very long time. So, the question arises of whether there was some other "magic" element that Ungoliant was feeding upon, or if she was simply feeding on the essence of the gemstones themselves.
When Ungoliant sucked the life from the Two Trees and then drank the liquid light from the Wells of Varda she grew to an immense size. She became so large and powerful that Melkor feared her. Light was Ungoliant's sustenance, but the light of the Two Trees was the product of what might be deemed "pure magic", the power of a Vala. Yavanna had brought the Two Trees to life by the power of her song, an act of sub-creation within the Halls of Ea which was unequalled, and which she claimed she would never be able to repeat. Thus fed by the power of Yavanna's greatest enchantment, Ungoliant became huge and even more powerful than before.
Likewise the stolen gems of the Noldor were enchanted. Feanor had learned how to make gem-stones which glowed under the starlight, or which glowed of their own accord. He had many years in which to build up a great treasury, and this treasury was moved to Formenos when Feanor, Finwe, Feanor's sons, and the Noldor who followed them settled there far in the north of Valinor during the period of Feanor's banishment from Tirion. So Ungoliant was able to feed not only upon the essence of the Noldorin jewels but also the power Feanor (and any other crafters) had put into them.
If the Noldor were able to create magical gems in Aman, they were no less able to create them in Middle-earth. And as the Noldor were taught by the Valar and Maiar, and especially by Aule, so, too, were the Dwarves taught by Aule himself. The Dwarves had their own skills and special powers. They may have been less powerful than the Eldar, or perhaps less ambitious (for they never made artifacts like the Rings of Power or the Silmarils). But the Dwarves may also have put their thought into the things they made, such as the dragon-helm of Dor-lomin, which warded its bearers against harm. And the Black Arrow of Erebor which Bard used to slay Smaug may have been the product of more than just expert fletching and smithing. Perhaps some Dwarven master, slain by the dragon so that all his lore was lost with him, had put a great effort into the shaft and it bore something of his power.
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