For me they represent a light a little too light for Middle-earth 😐 or just power in the wrong hands 😬
I don't like allegories too much as they always contradict each other and are still monotypes 😐 ... but the silmarils are imo just the perfect example for Power, Might... in the beginning it's used to serve the people, in a constructive, positive way, and everything works well, until a single person gets the power and wants to use it for their own good 😬 &c, until in the end it just makes everyone who has/had anything to do with it unhappy 😐 even for example for the sons of Feanor whom they rightfully belonged to, but they lost their right on it by claiming it back by force 🤨
I must disaggree with you, exabyte. The Silmarils were useless. Feanor made those jewels only by greed, to have the light of the trees for himself. If you had read the book, and I'm sure you did, you'd discover that. Those jewels only brought trouble. Nobody ever gain anything with them. They were only SHINIES!!! They represent greed, and how greed can destroy a world.
Originally posted by Mandos
I must disaggree with you, exabyte. The Silmarils were useless. Feanor made those jewels only by greed, to have the light of the trees for himself. If you had read the book, and I'm sure you did, you'd discover that. Those jewels only brought trouble. Nobody ever gain anything with them. They were only SHINIES!!! They represent greed, and how greed can destroy a world.
I know I’m not Exa but…
😑
Will respond momentarily.
I’m at school, but I have some things to say.
Originally posted by Mandos
The Silmarils were useless. Those jewels only brought trouble. Nobody ever gain anything with them. They were only SHINIES!!! They represent greed, and how greed can destroy a world.
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[*]They apparently burn those of evil intent that handled them.
[*]A Silmaril was able to pierce the shadows and enchantments that surrounded Valinor and allow Earendil to come thither. Second, (and I'm sorry I can't provide a reference for this at the moment) it is said that the Elves at the Mouths of Sirion prospered for a time due to the Silmaril.
[*]The Silmarils are so important because they contain the last bit of light from the Two Trees. And they essentially had the same powers that the light of the trees had; to pierce shadow and cause growth, beauty, and prosperity.
[*]Didn't the the Chapter "Of Beren and Luthien" state that when Mablung placed the Silmaril on Beren's hand, he came out of the swoon he was in after bearing the full blunt of Carcharoth's attack on Thingol? Perhaps the Silmaril did have some healing properties. Otherwise Beren would have died.
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As for the Silmarils causing more harm then good, well it wasn't the jewels themselves that caused grief; it was the envy and want of them.
The reason that the Silmarils caused so much sorrow and grief was because of the Oath that Feanor and his son's took. That oath and the curse of Mandos doomed them to throw away all in the pursuit of the Silmaril.
It wasn't the Silmaril's fault. Everything happened because of the characters' actions.
Originally posted by Mandos
The Silmarils were useless. Feanor made those jewels only by greed, to have the light of the trees for himself.
For the first - I do not think he made them of greed, but out of love for the light and the wish to create something - he was a creator, not a constructor, though he may sometimes have been a little selfish. After all, the final inspiration for his work is said to have been the beauty of Galadriel's hair laughing
Calling greed his only motivation would imo be a misinterpretation of his character, he became greedy after he had made them, as nearly everybody who ever saw them did.
Neither did they disappear without having left something positive behind - the most positive thing in the world, Hope. That was their most important gift, hope for those that would have despaired otherwise, mostly through Earendil's Silmaril, the gleaming star telling of Melkor's downfall and the union of Ilúvatar's two kindreds...
Their final purpose is still far away at that time though, it is foretold that after the Last Battle and the recreation of Earth, the Simarilli shall be recovered out of Air and Earth and Sea, and Feanor shall take them to Yavanna who will break them and reunite their fire to rekindle the Two Trees so that the world has light again after the destruction of the Sun through Melkor 🙂 this light then is also supposed to re-awake all the dead Elves in the End
Those jewels only brought trouble. Nobody ever gain anything with them.
They represent greed, and how greed can destroy a world.
Originally posted by Shad
As for the Silmarils causing more harm then good, well it wasn't the jewels themselves that caused grief; it was the envy and want of them.
Originally posted by shadowy_blue
Otherwise Beren would have died.
-First, I never said the Silmarils were evil. They represent purity and that's why no evil can touch it. But everyone wants those pure things to themselves; GREED.
-Second, if there were no Silmarils, there would not be any Noldor on Arda. That means no Sirion elves and no Earendil. What he did was amazing because of the Silmarils (I am not saying that it was bad) but the war was brought by the Silmarils(Melkor stole them; GREED). The Silamrils helped Earendil, but without the Silmarils comming to Arda and the following of the Noldor, there wouldn't be an Earendil because there would be no war of the jewels.
-Third, it is true the elves at the Sirion prospered...for a time. Read the book to see what happened to them after. Because of the Silmarils.
-Fourth,(it's useless but I'm putting it there for the greed idea) the story of the death of Elwe killed by the dwarfes of Nargothrond was because they both wanted to keep the Silmarils; GREED. It is the principle reason why, even in LotR, elves and dwarfes don't like eachother.
-Fifth: It was true that, at one time, the Silmarils were important. But now, there's one in the sky, in the sea and in the ground. NOW, they are useless and the war over the jewels has brought more pain that happiness. Yes, they had the lights of the trees of the Valar inside but, if we look at it, it didn't do much difference (maybe except for Earendil who still navigates in the sky with one). No, I'm sorry, at the end, they were not very important, except for Mahedros and Maglor who had a serment to fullfill.
-As for the Silmarils causing more harm then good, well it wasn't the jewels themselves that caused grief; it was the envy and want of them.(GREED) You said it!
Look at it this way. Beleriand was better of with the Silmarils after all.
Yes it's the character's actions that changed things. But do you suppose, like the ring controls the ringbearer with its ideas of power, that the Silmarils did the same with its ideas of beauty?
In your reply, you said alot of things I didn't mention that were, and I'm not insulting you, out of the subject. I only said the Silmarils brought...