Resilient Seeker Coaching | Ross Raymond Nunamaker

Family Business

Earendil was the son of Tuor and grandson of Huor. Huor was the brother of Hurin. Tuor and Turin were cousins. The brothers Hurin and Huor were renowned in battle. Tuor was a thrall, escaped and for four years waged war as an outlaw against the Easterlings. He slew Maeglin before sailing to the West.

Turin, well, Turin slew everyone and those he didn’t died as a consequence of his actions.

What We Know

Earendil was different from his relatives. He slew no one, until he fought Ancalagon in the Great Battle of the First Age, or the War of Wrath.

How could an elf in a flying boat, who had never before been known to kill anyone or fight in any known battle, have slain what is now described as, “the mightiest of the dragon-host”? 

The entire battle between the two warrants, but one sentence in the Silmarillion.

Speculation: Ancalagon Wasn’t that Great

It could be that Ancalagon was over-rated. He too had never been in battle before. It was the first time he had been released from Angband, so maybe he wasn’t as mighty as we are led to believe from the text.

Further, Gandalf refers to Ancalagon’s greatness, but he wasn’t yet in Middle-earth, so he too would have relied on written histories.

Speculation: It Wasn’t Earendil Who Slayed Ancalagon

Or it could be that Earendil wasn’t the one who killed Ancalagon.

Why would it be reported he did, if he did not? And if it wasn’t Earendil, who could it have been?

Speculation: Who Could Have Killed Ancalagon?

Let’s consider the second question, who could it have been? Turin.

In the Problem of Ros, “Nor would their tongue be heard again, unless the prophecy of Andreth the Wise-woman should prove true, that Turin in the Last Battle should return from the Dead, and before he left the Circles of the World for ever should challenge the Great Dragon of Morgoth, Ancalagon the Black, and deal him the death-stroke.” (p. 310)

Now this is indicated as the Last Battle as opposed to the Great Battle, but as Turin was dead before the Great Battle he could have fought in both. This could have been an error in transcription, a typo, an almost completely accurate prophecy, or it could have been a cover-up.

Speculation: The Cover-Up

Further it was stated that, “Turambar indeed shall stand beside Fionwe in the Great Wrack, and Melko and his drakes shall curse the sword of Mormakil.”

If the battle had been incorrectly identified, this statement would be correct in that Turin would have slain Glaurung, Ancalagon, and Melko in life, the Great Battle, and the Last Battle, respectively. If he only killed Glaurung the statement would be incorrect.

The other problem is that in the Second Prophecy of Mandos where Turin is said to kill Morgoth, he avenges his family and all of mankind and is the only man to remain. He never does leave the Circles of the World according to the recording of the story in The War of the Jewel.

So Turin was expected to leave after his work was done, but remained. It is never stated why he is the only man to do so, and it would be strange that after spending his entire life searching for his family he would willingly part with them as they left the Circles of the World and he stayed behind. Unless it had something to do with his love of Finduilas, but that is a conspiracy for another post.

Speculation: Why Credit Earendil with the Kill?

The other question is why would it be reported that Earendil killed Ancalagon if he hadn’t?

This extends to who is telling the history and what story do they want to promote?

We know that most of the texts were originally oral histories then written in Elvish from the Elves perspective for the most part. This is why there is little regarding the dwarves, and only men who engage in Elven history are included.

They were passed down, written down, transcribed and translated through the years. It is told that many texts are based on Numenorean tellings of the Elvish stories. If this is the case the Numenorians may have  wanted to have Earendil depicted as more than an ambassador and symbol. 

Why? He was the father of the first king of the Numenoreans, Elros Tar-Minyatur. He was also the father of Elrond, so both Elves and Men would want to see Earendil revered, and there were no surviving members of Hurin’s line to defend the family history.

Conclusion

Considering the life accomplishments of both Earendil and Turin in regards to killing, it is clear that Turin has the expertise and experience in doing so.

Turin is credited with both the death of Ancalagon and Meklo after his death in prophecy.

It is prophesied that Turin’s blade is the bane of Melko and his drakes, plural. As Glaurung is the Father of Dragons and Ancalagon known as the mightiest, it makes sense these two having died at his hands would impact all drakes.

Earendil’s slaying of Ancalagon is not described in any way. Again, it is one sentence stating it happened, not how.

The benefit of crediting Earendil has much more significance to his lineage of Elros and Elrond and their lines, than it would by giving it to Turin who had none.

Thoughts

So what do you think? Did Earendil score the victory over Ancalagon, or was it the victor rewriting history?