Who Is Like the Wise Elf? - Page 6
© Michael Martinez
But we are left with the question of whether bloodlines really matter. For what were the Eldarin kings before they became kings? Were they the mightiest of the Elves in wisdom and power to begin with? Were they already leaders of the Elves? And, if so, how did they become so important? In the story of the First Elves, Imin, Tata, and Enel awaken before all the other Elves. They begin the process of inventing language, and because they were the eldest they possessed more experience than other Elves. But would they ever have become Elven-wise? Did they possess great power or acquire knowledge which made them and their children superior in any way to other Elves?
It may be that a natural order was established in which authority was conferred upon individuals for the sake of presiding over communities. That is, those Elves who became leaders among their peoples were enhanced. Their authority would require that they be able to judge matters fairly, if they applied their gifts fairly. The choices these leaders made would not be preordained for them. They would not always choose the wisest path. But they would be empowered to discern more clearly than the people in their followings. Which is not to say that an average Elf couldn't see through an empty window. Rather, the Elven leaders may have gained an increase in their perceptive abilities, or their analytical abilities, as they built their communities.
In a sense, the Elves themselves may have been responsible for empowering their leaders. Each Elf, in giving his or her loyalty to a particular leader, would emotionally and mentally support that leader. It seems strange that so many Noldor would abide Feanor's treachery, for example, and participate in the Kin-slayings at Alqualonde, Doriath, and Arvernien. But what if the Elves had in some way become tied to their leaders, such that part of each follower's power passed into or bequeathed upon the leader a small enhancement? A powerful bond could form between an Elven leader and followers, and the followers might begin to share their leader's temperment. The rare breach between leader and followers might prove to be an emotional and potentially debilitating experience.
Hence, when Finrod left Nargothrond, he would have been diminished, because most of his people had refused to support his commitment to the family of Barahir. But the Elves of Nargothrond would, in their own way, have been diminished because of the loss of their leader. Even though Orodreth eventually became King of Nargothrond and forced Celegorm and Curufin to leave (without their own followers), Orodreth may not have benefitted from the bond between King and Folk because it had not passed to him naturally. That is, the Elves may have lost some of their strength when they allowed their bond to Finrod to wither. Hence, Orodreth could never be the leader his brother had once been.
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