Which elves of mention that have seen the Two Trees, if there be any at all, dwell in Middle-Earth during the Third Age? Are elves able to tell when another elf has been in the presence of the Trees? By what mechanism?

Thanks for helping me out, I'm sure my questions may seem a little low on the Tolkienite knowledge scale for most of you. :)



~FFL

Hmm, Galadriel saw the two trees before they were destroyed for sure. Furthermore Glorfindel must have seen it as well, as he was one of the Vanyar, who was the first of the elves to enter the realm of Valinor.
Those are the only two elves remaining in Middle-Earth in the TA who have seen the trees.
Your other questions I can't answer though..


pharzon..

Ah, Galadriel has definitely seen the trees, as you have said. But as for Glorfindel, there were two in the history of Middle-Earth. One perished sometime in the First Age, and another elf was born and named Glorfindel after. Right? :)

No, it is the same Glorfindel. (same fea, different hro[sp]).

Elves are bound to the world, so in truth though their bodies die, their spirits (or fea) do not. So, in all manners of speaking, Elves are truely immortal. That they die but they are not 'dead-for-ever', thus their spirits pass on to the Halls of Mandos until such time that they may return to Middle-Earth. Of course this is a rareity, and I believe the only documented case of this is Glorfindel. Also, not just any old Elf can be brought back. They must have led a good life and had done no evil (notice that Feanor isn't coming back anytime soon.).

But, as far as Noldo present on Middle-Earth, I believe that Galadriel is the last of the line of Noldor that is related to Feanor (that is, she is related to Feanor and the King of the Noldor in Valinor). There may be other Noldor, but none of the High Born remain, save Galadriel. And she is the eldest living Elf on Middle-Earth at the time of the War of the Ring.

I don't think Glorfindel was a Vanyar ... as a matter of fact, no Vanyar came to Middle Earth ...
However, the Children of Finwe, other than Feanor, were half Vanyar ... cuz of their mom ... which was one of the Reasons Feanor didn't like them ...

anyway... Depending on the Time line of the game ... you could have a few ... some minor unamed elves who had to have lived through the whole time but didn't cross back when Morgoth was over thrown ... like any stories of the legendary past, you really only hear the names of the Heroic or Noble/Royal ... So we know about Galadriel, but she's part of the Royal line of Noldor ... yet, I'm sure, as such, she had retainers ... men and women in waiting who had served her faithfully since the undying lands ... who would have seen the tries ...


As for a mechanism ... Tolkien tells us that Glorfindel, to Frodo's eyes, had a glow about him ... so that's something that is scriptable at least ... there could be a barely perseptable shimmer to elves who had lived in Aman, under the lights of the trees ...

To quote Daerk: "Glorfindel is a Vanyar, and is the same Glorfindel in a different body from the Fall of Gondolin."
Thus, he must have seen the light of the trees.



pharzon..

Hmm.. It's interesting I too lived in the believe that Glorfindel wasn't Vanyar, because none of them left Aman. So I had to check it out from the encyclopedia of arda and the say both glorfindels (yes yes, I know they have the same spirit. But does that make them the same person) are Noldor. And I'd say it's atleast debatable that Galadriel is the oldest living elf during the war of the ring. For all we know Cirdan might have been one of the elves who woke up in Cuivienen (sp?).

PS. Sorry for the off-topic.

The Vanyar came to Middle-Earth during the War of Wrath, did they not?



~FFL

Indeed, but Glorfindel (of Gondolin) was killed before the War of Wrath..


pharzon..

I think Cirdan has seen the trees too,
He lived in ostolonde.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
says to the birthdate:

That's incorrect. To quote from the Silmarillion: