Post by Darth Fingon on Oct 7, 2008 13:27:50 GMT -6
Here follows an explanation of why Legolas would not necessarily be any help in deciphering the Moria Door inscription.
Take into account the following:
As Jael pointed out, Aragorn was no help either. And neither was Gandalf. Both of these people, and Boromir too (who certainly knew Sindarin and would be literate), should have had no problem in reading and deciphering the inscription had it not been a riddle. Hell, even Frodo would have been able to read it. There is no question at all about it being readable and by whom. The question lies in the interpretation of who reads it.
Pedo mellon a minno. Literally 'speak friend and enter'. People get so worked up about the fact that mellon is unlenited here without stopping to think about the very important factor that it is a riddle. It is meant to be misunderstood. What it says, is 'Speak, friend, and enter' NOT 'speak the word friend and enter'. If the second were the case, it would be pedo vellon a minno. Unlenited mellon is in the vocative case. Lenited vellon is a direct object. This is important.
What is also important is that the password is mellon, not vellon, and that Noldor love cheesy wordplay. Celebrimbor likely thought himself very clever for writing the instructions with a vocative mellon when really he meant it as a cheekily unlenited direct object! Oh, those zany Elves and their sense of humour, taking such advantage of the Sindarin language! The joke just wouldn't work in Quenya, see...
Not to mention that if the password were vellon and the inscription read pedo vellon a minno, it would rather defeat the purpose of having a password in the first place. You have to at least make it sort of a challenge.
Take into account the following:
As Jael pointed out, Aragorn was no help either. And neither was Gandalf. Both of these people, and Boromir too (who certainly knew Sindarin and would be literate), should have had no problem in reading and deciphering the inscription had it not been a riddle. Hell, even Frodo would have been able to read it. There is no question at all about it being readable and by whom. The question lies in the interpretation of who reads it.
Pedo mellon a minno. Literally 'speak friend and enter'. People get so worked up about the fact that mellon is unlenited here without stopping to think about the very important factor that it is a riddle. It is meant to be misunderstood. What it says, is 'Speak, friend, and enter' NOT 'speak the word friend and enter'. If the second were the case, it would be pedo vellon a minno. Unlenited mellon is in the vocative case. Lenited vellon is a direct object. This is important.
What is also important is that the password is mellon, not vellon, and that Noldor love cheesy wordplay. Celebrimbor likely thought himself very clever for writing the instructions with a vocative mellon when really he meant it as a cheekily unlenited direct object! Oh, those zany Elves and their sense of humour, taking such advantage of the Sindarin language! The joke just wouldn't work in Quenya, see...
Not to mention that if the password were vellon and the inscription read pedo vellon a minno, it would rather defeat the purpose of having a password in the first place. You have to at least make it sort of a challenge.
