#but yeah I seriously think Eol’s opinion was a common one among those who did not live in Doriath in the beginning

[novemberthecatadmirer]

Your family have something precious.

Someone comes and kills your family and steals your family’s precious thing.

You try to get it back but you can’t they are too powerful

Then someone else comes and beats the bad guy and takes the precious thing.

But they will not give it back to you.

Their argument is they did all the hard work. They risked their lives. They lost their friends and family to fight Evil while you tried but failed.

Surely they deserve a little piece of rewards?

Also, they said you do not own that precious thing to begin with. That thing is too good and must be shared with everyone for maximum benefit.

But you grew up with that precious thing in your home and lost your family over that thing and you want to keep it. You dead family will want to have it back.

Of course your family did not make that thing out of air. But your family were the ones to reshape it on so something fascinating, something precious.

You want your family’s precious thing back, and those heroes of the stories ignore your pleads.

Your probably think this is about Silmarils.

But this is also how a lot of Sindar elves think about their lost lands.

—————

Imagine you are a Sindar elf that goes back to where your hometown was after the Long Piece started.

Noldor has built a new city in their own style over the ruin of your home

And they welcome you to stay offering citizenship like they are the owner of the land

They imposed new laws, that are different with laws of you people, and they called their laws advanced and right

If you don’t like the laws, you have the “freedom” to leave. They built this place, after all.

You look at that hill over there. You know the name of that hill. Your father brought you there on your begetting days and planted trees.

Your father was abducted by orcs when the Constrainer came from the west. You don’t know if he is alive or not and you don’t know which is the kinder fate.

Now the trees are gone and there are Noldor houses over the hill, and they gave the hill a new name you do not like.

You want to ask if the trees were burnt in the war, or cut down to make places for the house. You kept your questions to yourself.

They came to fight the dark enemy and they brought back your lost homeland. They do not deserve that hostility.

So you live at their city, learn their language, follow their laws, and in your head you call that hill by its old name.

Then one day the words reached you, and you lost it, you went to your Noldor neighbors to ask is that true is that true you came on ships stained by blood of my own people across the sea

They did not look at your eyes, and you know the rumor is true.

But they had no problem looking at your eyes before. They only show guilt after you find out their crimes

You followed their laws.

But what laws did they follow killing your family to steal their ships?

Had circumstances been difficult, would they kill you to steal your land?

But you will not know. You will not afford to find out.