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Post by randy on Mar 20, 2012 10:16:56 GMT -6
I accept it as a singular situation -- Feanor having that house-on-fire spirit that must have used his physical body up the way it did his mother.
There's also that odd business of Legolas being able to walk on snow, which indicates an unnatural lightness in an elf body. I've tried to split the difference there between canon and realism. My mortals just perceive them to be light for their size.
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Post by surgicalsteel on Mar 21, 2012 6:47:20 GMT -6
Give me some time and I'll chase it down. That'd be awesome! Of course, now I'm trying to figure out why that would be, from a physiologic standpoint...
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Post by elleth on Mar 21, 2012 7:54:18 GMT -6
There ensued a long discussion about whether they just go poof, with me citing Glorfindel's grave and Melian sitting vigil over the body of Thingol. Not to mention the Hill of the Slain, which couldn't have been piled up if the Elves had just gone poof right after death. I know I'm being very pedantic here, and that there's no mention on how advanced decomposition was at that point, and moreover that I'm taking the Silm at face value, but the hill must have persisted at least half a year. Simple maths is this: The Nirnaeth happened around midsummer, Tuor was born the winter after, and Rían laid herself on the hill to die. For her to lie herself down there, something must have still been there.
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Post by Elf of cave on Mar 22, 2012 12:31:57 GMT -6
HoME -- I think it was from PoME, when JRRT was talking mostly about Dwarf bodies and how they take a very long time to decay vs. Men and Elves even more so. With the elves it was because of the faer/hroa thing -- how as time passes the body becomes more spirit than substance. Give me some time and I'll chase it down. Wow, you have a good memory. Anyway, found your source: PoME, Chapter XIII: Last Writings, Note 24.
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