Life in an Elven Fishing Town

of Elvendom on Earth", as Aragorn described Lorien, but rather was the custodian city of the greatest Elvish treasure remaining, beside the Three Rings themselves. And, unlike the Rings of Power, the palantir was an artifact of Aman, given to the Numenorean Faithful by the Eldar of Tol Eressea when they could no longer visit Numenor. The Downfall of Numenor and the changing of the world represented great loss for the Eldar as well as for the Numenoreans. Glorfindel had returned to Middle-earth in the Second Age, perhaps the only Elf ever to do so, but after the Downfall there was no hope of any Elf ever making that journey again. Just how closely the parallel between Mithlond and northern fishing villages may be drawn is impossible to know. Should we envision flither-pickers among the rocks, prying shellfish from the wet stone for bait? Were there Elven herring-girls gutting the fish that the mariners returned with? Did the Elven mariners gather on the quays and sing hymns? Was there a lifeboat used to rescue endangered mariners when the seas became stormy? Did one or more towers exist along the coast, serving as light houses and rescue stations? Tolkien's Elves were so enchanting that it is a bit disarming to envision their mundane lives. They undoubtedly used their sub-creational abilities to achieve the necessary tasks of their various trades. Maybe the Elven women sang the mollusks loose from the rocks and placed them in light baskets. Maybe the Elven men sang to the crabs and lobsters, enticing them to walk out of the water into cages. Perhaps when the nets were cast the Elven fihermen combined their wills and drew the fish to their baited lines and quickly drew in large catches. Mithlond's two havens may only have been the core of a string of towns and villages along the coastline. As the Elves' populations increased they spread out through Middle-earth. It is difficult to see Cirdan's mariners leaving their beloved waves and marching inland in search of forests. They would miss the sight of ferries crossing between the havens, the sounds of fisherman shouting to each other where the catches were good, where the waves were choppy, where the winds were light and strong. A mariner might grow weary of the sea, but a seafaring people rarely do. And the Eldar could never forget the sea, which was always in their hearts.

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