February 6, 2004

Ungoliant and the Immortallity of Elves
Elendur

It says in The Silmarillion that Ungoliant: "took shape as a spider of monstrous form." "Took shape" definetly means a maia.

*(This footnote belongs to another of my posts, "Answers guesses and replies.") There are two ways Elves can die: They can be slain, or they can die of grief. If and when they do die, their spirits do not leave Arda; they go to the halls of Mandos in Valinor. Two Elves at least, Luthien and Glorfindal, have returned from there.

"But Luthien came to the halls of Mandos"

And she:
"return[ed] to Middle-Earth"
-Silmarillion

Glorfindal is more controversial, but The Return of the Shadow(The History of the Lord of the Rings Part One) clarifies:

"He[Tolkien] came to the conclusion that Glorfindal of Gondolin, who fell to his death in combat with a Balrog after the sack of the city, and Glorfindal of Rivendell were one and the same: he was released from Mandos during the Second Age."

-Elendur