Dawn Dowell
2 October 2008
ENGL 4305
In the Absence of the Quendi
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, was first published in
1954 and 1955. He was in his sixties at the time of its publication though the creation of the
world in which the story of the One Ring takes place, Middle Earth, was the passion and
place of his life’s work. Along with being a sub-creator of a Secondary World, Tolkien was
also a philologist, an author of academic works, a lover of nature, a professor, and a father.
In Tolkien’s Secondary World, Middle Earth, the Elves exist to men as a symbol of the
knowledge of Middle Earth, of unfading beauty and goodness, and of life and rebirth. The
Elves play a vital role in The Lord of the Rings as they have access to the histories of the
Ages of Middle Earth and they exist as an immortal species in the world of Arda. The first
episode of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, works as introduction to the Elves, their
culture, and their language. The second episode of the trilogy, The Two Towers, shows the
continuing journey of the One Ring in the absence of the Elves through the experiences of
the now divided Company. The entirety of this episode unfolds in the absence of the Elves
leaving the characters of the story with only symbols and representations of their
existence, lights in the midst of the growing forces of the Enemy.
In the absence of the Elves, Tolkien places their complete opposite and “bitterest
foes,” the Orcs to represent both the history of the Elves and of the Enemy (Tolkien,
Silmarillion 52). When the Elves were created by Ilúvatar and sent to live in Middle Earth,
they walked in amazement and began to speak to one another and name the things that
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surrounded them, singing the praises of Middle Earth. Oromë, one of the Valar, came upon
the Elves singing and was filled with the wonder of their voices and beauty and he wished
them to come with him to live with the Valar on the Island of Valinor. Also aware of their
beauty and nature, the evil Melkor began to send his evil whispers into the Elves, telling
them to fear the Valar. When Oromë came to summon the Elves, some of them ran in fear
and were captured by Melkor while others heeded the call and followed Oromë over the
sea to Valinor. Some of the Elves that ran in terror were captured and thrown into the pits
of Utumno, the evil stronghold of Melkor, where they were tortured and corrupted, “and
thus did Melkor breed the hideous race of the Orcs in envy and mockery of the Elves” (50).
Melkor did not create the Orcs as it was out of his power, however, the Orcs, like the
Children of Ilúvatar, had the ability and the nature to live and to multiply. With the power
of the Elves, Melkor harnessed the ability to maintain a steady flow of angry and willing
foot soldiers to fight ferociously for the Enemy.
The Orcs exist as a representation of the complete opposite of the Elves in their
appearance, their nature, and their master’s aims. As the Elves are a symbol of beauty,
goodness, and life through their unfading light, the Orcs represent evil, corruption, and
brutality through their utter darkness. Before the Third Age and the creation of the Urukhai, all Orcs were unable to endure the light from the Sun during the day and preferred
constant darkness, symbolic of their birth into total evil (“Orcs”). The Elves, on the other
hand, were born and at first sight they gazed upon the stars and were soothed by the
sounds of running water, forever drawn to “the Light before the Sun and Moon”
(Silmarillion 53). Tolkien, when describing the Orcs of Middle Earth, does not represent
them in a positive manner and created them as being “corruptions of the ‘human’ form seen
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in Elves and Men” (Tolkien, Letters 274). The Orcs function in the same way as the Elves in
that they each are representative of the ‘human’ form, whether it be one that is enhanced,
in the case of the Elves, or degraded, in the case of the Orcs. While the Elves are not present,
their polar opposite, the Orcs, play a large role in The Two Towers and work to represent
the history of both the Elves and the Enemy.
Another representation of a piece of the Elves history in this episode of the story is
the Dead Marshes that lay between Emyn Muil and Mordor. As Frodo and Sam are lead
through the swamplands by Sméagol, Frodo notices the lights that glow beneath the water,
illuminating the faces of the rotting dead. Sméagol warns them with his knowledge of the
place: “There was a great battle long ago…before the Precious came…it was a great battle.
Tall Men with long swords and terrible Elves, and Orcses shrieking. They fought on the
plain for days and months at the Black Gates. But the marshes have grown since then,
swallowed up the graves” (Tolkien, Two Towers 278). The battle that Sméagol speaks of is
the War of the Last Alliance that was fought at the end of the Second Age in which Men and
Elves battled against Sauron and defeated him (“War”). Sauron returns to power in the
Third Age and the power of Evil is spreading like a disease from Mordor into the lands of
Middle Earth and beyond, expanding the marshes and entombing the dead who defeated
him forever in the prison of the Dead Marshes. The dead of the marshes live amongst
candles that are lit and work to draw in those who pass through the perilous plane.
Perhaps this is an evil spell created by Sauron to keep watch over this unprotected border
of Mordor by using those who fought against him to draw in those who sneak along his
borders.
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The Dead Marshes represent the past of not only the Elves but of Men, Orcs, and the
evil forces of Sauron; all existing and battling against each other through the Ages. They
represent death, decay and an evil that has the power to draw people in and devour them.
Even in their death these Men, Orcs, and Elves are enslaved to the will of Sauron and help
to guard his lands, perhaps as a punishment for overthrowing his power for a time. The
Elves, by their nature, are a noble species that strive to preserve the beauty and goodness
of Middle Earth as they have known it since the beginning days of Arda. Instead of the
calming presence of the Elves and their dwellings, Tolkien replaces comfort and hope with
the suspense, fear, and dread of the Dead Marshes and the barren lands that surround
Mordor. The Dead Marshes represent the Elves’ long past and symbolize the long defeat of
the battle between good and evil on Middle Earth that has been fought since the beginning
days.
While the Orcs and Dead Marshes represent the opposite of the Elves and the
history of Evil, the Ents exist as a symbol of the Elves’ deep connection to nature whose
roots remain strong and deep regardless of the Elves’ absence or the passage of time. Merry
and Pippin meet Treebeard, “the eldest and chief of the Ents,” in Fangorn Forrest after they
escape from the Orcs that had been holding them captive (Two Towers 193). As Treebeard
walks with the hobbits perched in his branches, he tells them about himself and the history
of the Ents. In doing so, he reveals a strong connection to the Elves. He explains that the
Elves woke the trees up, making them aware, and teaching them how to communicate with
one another. The Elves learned “their tree talk” because, as Treebeard explains, “they
always wished to talk to everything”. He goes on to give insight into the history of the Elves
and their flight across the sea when “the Great Darkness came, and they passed away over
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the Sea, or fled into far valleys, and hid themselves, and made songs about days that would
never come again”. Treebeard’s ancient wisdom rivals that of the Elves as the Ents are “the
oldest of all living things” and are better than both Elves and Men “for they are steadier and
keep their minds on things longer” (84). Merry and Pippin accompany Treebeard to
Entmoot where the Ents talk for days and decide to rebel against the evil Saruman who has
been using them for their knowledge and butchering their fellow trees. The growing Ent
force moves into Isengard, destroying its walls and deep gorges with a great flood and
leaving Saruman alone and trapped inside the indestructible Orthanc.
The Ents represent strength, longevity, and wisdom; things similar to that of the
Elves. They also exist as a symbol of the connection of Elves to nature and their wish and
ability to communicate with beasts of nature. The Elves appreciate and preserve nature,
living in peace with it. The Ents, like the Elves, are bound to Arda as they are “made of the
bones of the earth”, however, they can be destroyed if cut to pieces or set ablaze (105). This
connection represents their common threat, the Enemy, and their vulnerability to him. The
Ents are threatened by Saruman as he butchers their forests to fuel the fires of his growing
evil. The Elves are threatened by the fate of the One Ring because of their connection to the
Three Rings, for , “when the One goes, the last defenders of High-elven lore and beauty are
shorn of power to hold back time, and depart” (Letters 177). In the absence of the Elves, the
Ents exist as a symbol of the Elves’ deep connection to nature as well as their wisdom and
similar disposition.
The Elves, while physically absent in The Two Towers, with the exception of Legolas,
are present through various representations and symbols of their existence. The members
of the broken Fellowship are left with small tokens to spur their memories of the Elves of
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Rivendell and Lóthlorien and the peace and comfort they experienced there. The lembas
that the Elves provided them with aids Merry, Pippin, Frodo, and Sam in surviving their
long journeys. The Two Towers is a dark episode in the absence of the Elves, however, their
light continues to glow in the midst through symbols. The Orcs and Dead Marshes
represent their opposite and history while the Ents represent their love and connection to
nature and selflessness. Even in their absence, the Elves continue to exist as a symbol of the
knowledge of Middle Earth, of unfading beauty and goodness, and of life and rebirth. They
will continue to play out their role in the story of the One Ring and the history of Middle
Earth in the third and final episode of the trilogy, The Return of the King.
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Works Cited
“Orcs”. The Encyclopedia of Arda. 2002. 28 Sept. 2008 < http://www.glyphweb.com
/ARDA/o/orcs.html>.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings Part Two: The Two Towers. New York:
Ballantine Books, 1982.
-------. The Silmarillion. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
Tolkien, J.R.R. and Tolkien, Christopher. The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien. New York: Houghton
Mifflin, 2000.
“War of the Last Alliance”. The Encyclopedia of Arda. 2002. 28 Sept. 2008 <http://www.
glyphweb.com/ARDA/w/warofthelastalliance.html>.
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