When elves die, their spirits go to the Halls of Mandos and are reincarnated/re-embodied after a certain amount of time. Glorfindel is the most famous case, but Finrod also "walks with Finarfin his father" according to the Silmarillion.
Not all elves are return to life. Feanor is still in the Halls of Mandos because of his crimes. Also, according to the Tolkien Gateway, Finwe refused to return to life so that Miriel may live again.
What about the other Noldor who died in Middle-earth, specifically the High Kings? Were they allowed to come back? If so, who would be the High King of the Noldor? Finarfin ruled the remnants of the Noldor after his brothers left, but Fingolfin was the High King after the death of Feanor, at least in Middle-earth. And there are other kings as well. If they were allowed to return to life, what would their status be?
Great question and great topic! I will give this some thought.
"Glorfindel was the most famous case" Who was he before? I haven't read all the way through the Silmarillion yet.
I won't spoil it for you. His role in The Silmarillion is small, but it is important.
@eldariontkd True, it's one of those I WANT TO KNOW and "wait nevermind". I kind of happy you didn't answer.
@ShireofMiddleEarth his name doesn't change. He died after the fall of gondolin saving the survivors from a balrog, went to halls of mandos and was sent back for his deeds. Like gandalf.
I admit, I like this after only reading the title. What a great topic! I wonder if their status would depend on deeds? Like Gandalf was promoted to Gandalf the White on his return but I'm not so sure if that would have happened if Saruman had remained true.
Gandalf is a Maiar and thus doesn't need a body. To come to Middle Earth in the first place Olorin took on the body of an old man and came as a wizard, named Mithrandir by the elves and Gandalf by men. So after being sent back by the Valar he took on his old body with newer powers and Galadriel clothed him in White as he became what Saruman was supposed to be. Gandalf never died as he couldn't.
There's also the case of the Teleri and the Sindar. Who would be their King if they re-embodied in Aman?
Halls of Mandos, there isn't any record of a Teleri or Sindar being released and extremely few Noldor. Not even Teleri King Thingol, husband of Melian the Maiar was released, or at least there is no record of it.
If any elf were returned to life he or she would stay in Aman, so there would be no record of it in Middle-earth. Only one elf came back to Endor.
Right, just saying there doesn't seem to be many elves allowed to leave the Halls.
@eldariontkd if one did more could
I think we dont hear about the Elves being reborn as they are all in Aman and the records were all written on Middle Earth. If for example Thingol had been reembodied we would not know as the Silmarillion is said to have been put together by Bilbo from Elven texts. at Rivendell. It is entirely plausible Thingol has been reunited with Melian. I have a theory that perhaps, when they are reembodied they can no longer be King. They just go into some kind peaceful retirement. but yeah I reckon Feanor is still stuck in the Halls of Waiting.
Poor old feanor one of my fav characters
He was a very naughty boy!!! But yeah Noldor are my favourite Elves
@Vyki he's very relatable too though, I wouldn't have given up the silmarils either. And I would take any oath my father and brothers were taking.
I think the elves should have just let Feanor have his bling,, jewellery is not worth risking your family over. I would have just said yeah sure have your Silmarilis back.
Ya wudnt expect that from morgoth tho. Oule gets it.😆
Only Thingol had a Silmarillion given to him by Beren One Hand as the price to wed his daughter Luthien. The dwarves killed Thingol to steal the Silmarillion and Beren killed the dwarves who had murdered the King. Beren had the help of the Shepherds Of The Trees who attacked the dwarves on the run. Feanor and his sons were all murderers killing first the Teleri Elves in Aqualonde in Aman to steal their ships. Then Feanor's sons murdered many other elves to steal the one Silmaril Beren and Luthien had taken from Morgoth's crown. Finally after the War Of Wrath when the Valar sent their army to finally defeat Morgoth the last two of Feanor's sons took the two Silmarils. but they had lost the right to own a Silmaril because of their many evil deeds. Maglor and Maedhros were burned by the Silmarils and cast one into a volcano and one into the sea.
I can see the Noldor in Tirion, both those who stayed and those who came back to life, squabbling over who should be king.
Just kidding.
I think the matter would end up in the Ring of Doom for Namo to sort out,
It always puzzled me why Elwing chose to jump in the sea, than give up the simaril in exchange for her sons. I dont get that, unless she thought they were already dead.
Sadly she thought them dead, killed by the merciless Sons of Feanor. If only Thingol had listened to his wife Melian all of the destruction wrought by first the dwarves that murdered Thingol might not have happened and certainly the destruction and deaths by the Sons of Feanor would not have happened.
I said the dwarven destruction might not occur because if Thingol had offered the Silmaril back to the Feanor faction he certainly would have put a condition on it. The condition would be if any of the sons of Feanor can hold the Silmaril without it causing them pain then they could take it. Melian would have told him about the blessing and power that Varda (Elbereth) had put on it that no evil thing could possess them as Galadriel would have told Melian of it. So none of Feanor's sons would be able to take the Silmaril and Thingol would have kept it and still be murdered by the dwarves for it.
It is just something that I thought of since Melian warned Thingol to surrender the gem over to Feanor's sons. I always thought Thingol was a fool for first not listening to his foreseeing Maia wife and second letting the greedy dwarves of Nogrod handle the Silmaril in the first place to put it in the Nauglamir. Thingol knew the nature of dwarves and insulted them when they claimed the Nauglamir for themselves because it was first made by the dwarves, but from gems brought from Valinor by Finrod. Thingol first of all should have seen the danger he was in and not foolishly insult the dwarves of Nogrod, but should have pointed out what I said at first it wasn't the dwarves' gems and it was made by the dwarves of Ered Luin and not of Nogrod and he certainly should have surrounded himself with guards. Though an Elven King he seldom listened to any warnings from his wife who was greater in wisdom and power the he was and got himself killed by shooting his mouth off to dwarves, who as a race do not take insults lightly.
And the moral of the story is, listen to the missus. especially when she is a divine being. But seriously think how many people died because of Thingol's arrogance.
Thingol doomed himself once he demanded the Silmaril. He most likely never really expected to get it; he just wanted to discourage Beren from courting Luthien.
If Thingol had returned the Silmaril, Maedhros and Maglor may yet have been able to touch it without being harmed. Celegorm and Curufin were already too corrupted to do so.
Still, the Doom of Mandos cannot be avoided. Nirnaeth Arnoediad may have taken place even earlier than it did, and Morgoth would have reclaimed the Silmaril after conquering Himring. Doriath may not have fallen in the manner it did, but it would still have been destroyed some other way.
Morgoth considered the loss of one Silmaril worth it for the destruction of his enemies that followed, but he made the mistake of counting the Valar out.