WEBVTT

1
00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:16.079
<v Speaker 1>Hail Aerendel, brightest of angels above the middle Earth, sent

2
00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.800
<v Speaker 1>unto men, in true radiance of the sun, bright above

3
00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:23.399
<v Speaker 1>the stars, Thou of thy very self, illuminous forever in

4
00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:27.280
<v Speaker 1>every season. These words of the ninth century Anglo Saxon

5
00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:31.399
<v Speaker 1>poem The christop Kindwulf captured Tolkien's imagination and inspired the

6
00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:35.240
<v Speaker 1>first enduring character of his Legendarium, Aarendel, the Mariner. In

7
00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:37.920
<v Speaker 1>the original poem, Aarendel is the light of Christ that

8
00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:41.880
<v Speaker 1>illuminates the world with his wisdom and goodness. In Tolkien's mind, however,

9
00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:46.039
<v Speaker 1>the portrayal of this idea of Aarendel had room for development,

10
00:00:46.119 --> 00:00:48.960
<v Speaker 1>as he envisioned the journeys of this light that gives

11
00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.640
<v Speaker 1>hope to men under the shadow. Aarendel or morning star

12
00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:55.280
<v Speaker 1>is a myth laden name that can be found in

13
00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:58.560
<v Speaker 1>Christian Anglo Saxon literature as well as in Norse tales,

14
00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:00.479
<v Speaker 1>as Thoris said to have made a star are with

15
00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.600
<v Speaker 1>the toe of the giant Orvandol, which is surely part

16
00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:06.840
<v Speaker 1>of the same broader mythos of Erndol. In the case

17
00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:09.799
<v Speaker 1>of Kinewolf, however, this light seems to either be a

18
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:13.439
<v Speaker 1>forerunner of Christ, such as John the Baptist, or perhaps

19
00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:17.000
<v Speaker 1>even Christ himself. In either case, Christ is at the

20
00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:21.200
<v Speaker 1>center of this light, and Tolkien's Herendel can parallel either interpretation,

21
00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:25.959
<v Speaker 1>as he bridges seemingly discordant realities and intercedes on behalf

22
00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:28.599
<v Speaker 1>of the people of Middle Earth. Well who exactly was

23
00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:32.040
<v Speaker 1>Tolkien's character Aarendel, While Arendel was the son of the

24
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:34.200
<v Speaker 1>man Tour and the elf Edral, who is the daughter

25
00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.519
<v Speaker 1>of Turgon, the king of Gondolin. Following the destruction of Gondolin,

26
00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:40.680
<v Speaker 1>Arendil and his parents lived in Arbenian, near the Syrian River,

27
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.719
<v Speaker 1>where the survivors of Gondolin and Doriath found company as exiles.

28
00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:48.280
<v Speaker 1>Arendel married Elwing, daughter of King Dior, the son of

29
00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:52.280
<v Speaker 1>Baron Luthian. Of Arendall and Elwing were born Elrond and Elross,

30
00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:54.760
<v Speaker 1>the latter of which would be the first king of Numenor,

31
00:01:54.959 --> 00:01:56.680
<v Speaker 1>And of course you know Elron from the Lord of

32
00:01:56.719 --> 00:01:59.680
<v Speaker 1>the Rings. While Tour and Edral had previously departed over

33
00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:02.159
<v Speaker 1>the sea, and so Arendall at this time decided to

34
00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:04.400
<v Speaker 1>set out in search for them, with the aid of

35
00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:07.159
<v Speaker 1>carried in the Shipwright Arendel built the great ship of

36
00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:10.520
<v Speaker 1>Vinglot and set sail. When word got out that Elwing

37
00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:13.120
<v Speaker 1>had in her possession the Summarill that Baron and Luthian

38
00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:15.599
<v Speaker 1>had retrieved from the Crown of Morgoth, the sons of

39
00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:19.120
<v Speaker 1>Feyonor raided and slaughtered the people of Arbenian. To avoid

40
00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:21.719
<v Speaker 1>being captured and to avoid having the Sumarl go into

41
00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:24.199
<v Speaker 1>the hands of the sons of Feyanor, Elwing, with the

42
00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:28.199
<v Speaker 1>Simarol in hand, cast herself into the sea. However, as

43
00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.719
<v Speaker 1>a u catastrophic act, the vala Ulmo turned Elwing into

44
00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:34.280
<v Speaker 1>a great white bird that she might fly to safety.

45
00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:37.639
<v Speaker 1>After hearing what had happened at Arbenian and feeling the

46
00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:40.680
<v Speaker 1>weight of the shadow of Morgoth pressing upon him, as

47
00:02:40.680 --> 00:02:43.800
<v Speaker 1>well as even more importantly, the broader people of Middle Earth,

48
00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:47.719
<v Speaker 1>a Arndall sought aid for the Valor, recognizing that they

49
00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:51.199
<v Speaker 1>had their only hope of overturning the shadow. Achieving the

50
00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:55.039
<v Speaker 1>seemingly impossible, Arendel became the first mortal to set foot

51
00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:58.719
<v Speaker 1>on the shores of Valinor, thereby demonstrating his divine commission.

52
00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:01.680
<v Speaker 1>The Valar heeded h his pleas and decided to return

53
00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:04.280
<v Speaker 1>to Middle Earth to aid his inhabitants in the fight

54
00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:07.280
<v Speaker 1>against Morgoth, and this final conflict would be known as

55
00:03:07.319 --> 00:03:10.280
<v Speaker 1>the War of Wrath, which would cast out Morgoth while

56
00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:13.400
<v Speaker 1>leaving a devastating toll on the land. Because of his

57
00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:16.479
<v Speaker 1>selfless heroism, Arendall did not receive the death that he

58
00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:19.840
<v Speaker 1>had earned by transgressing against the baynon mortals placed on

59
00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:23.599
<v Speaker 1>the undying lands, and after Morgoth was defeated, Arendal was

60
00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:26.240
<v Speaker 1>commissioned by the Valar to sail the great Ocean of

61
00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:29.400
<v Speaker 1>the Heavens with the summarl as a continual reminder to

62
00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:32.360
<v Speaker 1>those who live in the shadow that they are not forsaken.

63
00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:35.360
<v Speaker 1>And as we learn through the eyes of Sandwise, in

64
00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:38.599
<v Speaker 1>the end the shadow is only a small and passing thing.

65
00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:41.879
<v Speaker 1>There is light and high beauty forever beyond its reach.

66
00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:47.000
<v Speaker 1>But on him mighty doom was laid till moon should fade,

67
00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.639
<v Speaker 1>an orbit star to passentary never more on hither shores,

68
00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:53.240
<v Speaker 1>where mortals are till end of days, on air and

69
00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.240
<v Speaker 1>high a herald bright that never rest, to bear his

70
00:03:56.280 --> 00:04:09.560
<v Speaker 1>shining lamp Afar, the Phlamoufur of Westerness