Abstract
This paper shows the development of the story of Eärendil and Elwing from the time that Tolkien was first inspired by the lines “Hail Earendel, brightest of angels above middle-earth sent unto men” in a medieval Anglo-Saxon poem to Eärendil becoming the Evening Star, most beloved of the Elves, through the agency of Elwing's supportive love and the "Living Light" of the Silmaril recovered by Beren and Lúthien. It provides an example of how "the small gaps, contradictions, and inconsistencies in Tolkien’s work contribute substantially to readers’ experiencing it as somehow different than other pieces of literature, and how the spiritual impact of Tolkien’s work outweighs logical consistency (and provides a small window into how Christopher’s editorial process influenced the impact of his father’s work). Finally, it gives a poignant glimpse into how Tolkien’s own life might have influenced how his mythology developed and how that helped give it such powerful impact.
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