The Hobbit: Is the Arkenstone a Silmaril?

Tolkien invested a lot of energy diving into the historical backdrop of each character, spot, and article in his legendarium storybooks. He also worked and improved his thoughts so that almost everything in Middle-earth was connected in his stories. A few changes made it to distribution, while others remain the same. Such may have been arguing about the sources of the Arkenstone: Is it the Arkenstone or a Silmaril? While no solid connection has been found in any of Tolkien’s distributed works, numerous fans and Hobbit lovers feel that the similarities between the Arkenstone and the Silmarils of Valinor are spooky.

At first, let’s know the history of “Silmaril”

The Silmarils performed a significant role throughout the entire existence of the Elves. They were considered the best considerable works of the Elves. The Noldorin Elf Fëanor created Silmaril with amazing skills. His aptitude was incredible to such an extent that not even the Valar could reproduce his work. Moreover, the Silmaril was consecrated by Varda so no human, messy, or malicious hands could contact them, and it was forecasted by Mandos that “the destinies of Arda, earth, ocean, and air, lay bolted inside them”.

Having been mixed with the light of the Two Trees, Telperion and Laurelin, the Silmarils were alive and reflected light by emitting their own. Similarly, as they propelled wonderment, the Silmarils also rouse desire. Fëanor, who crafted this jewel and wore it from the start; soon started to adore the Silmarils with an insatiable love and becoming dubious of his own family. He only permitted just his dad and seven children to see the gems. Moreover, when Melkor obliterated the Two Trees of Valinor, the Valar asked for Fëanor to surrender the gems to reestablish them. In any case, the Noldo rejected, having become savagely possessive of the gems and seeing that the Valar wanted to have the Silmarils for their motivation. Afterward, when Melkor slew his dad, Finwë, and fled to Middle-earth with the gems, Fëanor sought after him. He swore with his children the Oath of Fëanor, through which they will undoubtedly battle any individual who attempted to take or retain the Silmarils from them, and through which war was pursued among the Elves.

Eventually, the Silmarils were recouped: one was recovered from Melkor’s crown by Beren and Lúthien, and later taken by Eärendil to the Valar as a badge of apology, it was set as a star in the sky; the other two were recuperated by Fëanor’s children, Maedhros and Maglor, however, the gems consumed the hands of both because of the underhanded deeds they had submitted in satisfaction of their Oath. In anguish, Maedhros hurled himself (alongside the Silmaril) into a blazing pit, and Maglos cast his pearl into the ocean.

The history of “Arkenstone”

The Arkenstone was a jewel to some degree comparative in portrayal and impact, moving wild possessiveness inside the individuals who hold it. It was found under the mountain by Thráin. Basically, it was a gem that played a vital role in the Dwarves of Erebor and had become the treasure of the Kings of Durin’s Folk. Having been lost after the mythical beast Smaug sacked the Lonely Mountain, its recuperation was what started the Quest of Erebor.

Thorin described the Arkenstone as being like a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, similar to water in the sun, similar to overwhelm the stars, similar to rain upon the Moon. While it shone “of its own inward light”, it likewise took all light that fell upon it and transformed it into ten thousand flashes of white brilliance shot with gleams of the rainbow-like the Silmarils.

In Hobbits, young Bilbo found this gem from the dragon’s horde and kept it. It is unclear whether the Arkenstone shared the Silmarils’ feature of consuming the hand of any scoundrels, as it didn’t come into contact with any such character in The Hobbit. We do realize that Bilbo, Thorin, and Bard each took care of the stone in some design, yet as none of them were genuinely malicious in either thought or activity, the stone would not have seared them. Nor were they consumed for being humans; except for Beren, the Silmarils were unfit for mortal and evil hands both.

Is the Arkenstone a Silmaril?

Is the arkenstone a silmaril? Tolkien composed and updated his legendarium work various times. So there is a possibility that he did, actually, mean for the Arkenstone to be one of the Silmarils. Curiously, the origins of these both stones determined their names offers some insights into Tolkien’s thoughts encompassing their sources. In an Old English sonnet composed by Anglo-Saxon character Ælfwine, Tolkien utilized the word Eorclanstana, which means valuable stone, to allude to the Silmarillion. He also attributed a proportionate name to the Arkenstone which is jarknasteinn, which means holy for the droves. Given these two names, maybe Tolkien indicated that Arkenstone is a Silmaril. Definitely, we are not suggesting that it is the fourth piece of Silmiral because there are only three Silmiral jewels that can’t be replicated, maybe it was the third piece that was lost at the ocean with Maglos.

Related Posts