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Shhh! It's a Secret Ring! - Page 8

© Michael Martinez

But if Gil-galad's silence was damning, what could or should Celebrimbor have told the Elves of Eregion? Many of them seem to have escaped, either through Moria or by fleeing overland. Yet, did they know what the war was all about? Did Celebrimbor ever tell his people what had happened? I don't think so. The tragedy of Celebrimbor's folly would be heightened if his shame forbade him to confess what he and the Gwaith-i-Mirdain had done. If they weren't telling the Dunedain anything for secrecy's sake, then it would be best not to tell the people of Eregion anything, either. And so that means the Dwarves of Moria couldn't have known what the war was about. All anyone would be told was that the big bad Dark Lord was coming. And come he did. Sauron swept north and attacked everything in sight. He didn't just invade Eregion, he also moved up into the Vales of Anduin and the lands east of Greenwood the Great. The Northmen were driven into the woods and mountains. Their culture was virtually wiped out. Many Elves must have perished as well. Eregion fell quickly and Sauron laid it waste. As many Elves as escaped, many more must have suffered horrible deaths as Sauron searched desperately for the Rings of Power. If he couldn't have the Elves he certainly wouldn't want them to have their Valinor-in-Middle-earth! The defense of Ost-en-Edhil would have been particularly bitter. In the discarded history of Galadriel and Celeborn, we are told that Celeborn led out a sortie. The purpose of the sortie isn't really stated, but it might imply that Celebrimbor recognized the hopelessness of the situation. Celeborn could have been given command of the most innocent Elves, whereas the Gwaith-i-Mirdain and their followers would have stayed behind and held the city. Celebrimbor's last stand might have been an attempt to atone for what he had done. But instead of dying in battle and taking the secrets of the Rings with him he was driven back to the steps of the House of the Mirdain. Sauron must have given orders that he be taken alive at all costs. Imagine the Orcs sacrificing themselves, much as their ancestors did in taking Hurin after the Nirnaeth. The loss of Eregion most likely meant that all of the Gwaith-i-Mirdain perished, and their secret shame was preserved only by the few Eldarin lords who knew the full score. The Gwaith are never mentioned again, in any writing. It is interesting to note that another society, or "school", the Lambengolmor (Masters of Languages), survived the war. Their last member was Pengolod, who lived in Eregion. He escaped, and after the war he took ship and left Middle-earth. The destruction of Eregion seems to imply that many other ancient and scholarly groups also perished, or suffered so terribly that their survivors left when they could. In a note found in the appendix to The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien says that the Eldar attempted nothing new in the Third Age. It may simply be there was no one left who was accomplished enough in the ancient sub-creative arts to create new artifacts.

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