Sea-longing
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- "The Sea! Alas! I have not yet beheld it. But deep in the hearts of all my kindred lies the sea-longing, which it is perilous to stir. Alas! for the gulls. No peace shall I have again under beech or under elm."
- ― Legolas in The Return of the King, "The Last Debate"
Sea-longing, or the Unquiet of Ulmo,[1] was a strong desire to return to the sea that typically affected the Eldar.
The Noldor who lingered in Middle-earth had an unquietable yearning for the Sea, coupled with their nostalgia of their home. It was slumbering in the hearts of the Sindar, until it awoke[2] after seeing Belegaer, the Great Sea to the west of Middle-earth, for the first time. The cry of the gulls awakened the sea-longing in Legolas' heart when he heard them at Pelargir.[3]
Tuor first felt the sea-longing when he looked upon Belegaer, and he felt it ever afterwards. This longing was also passed on to his son, Eärendil.[4] In addition, those that heard the music of the Ulumúri, the horns of Ulmo, would always feel a longing for the sea.[5]
Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]
The concept of the lust for the sea is already present in the drafts for The Tale of Eärendel; in the several versions, Tuor or Tûr, hears the conches of Ulmo or 'groweth sea-hungry', takes a boat to disapear in the sea leaving Idril and Earendil behind.
Inspiration[edit | edit source]
- "'Twas in the Land of Willows that I heard th' unfathomed breath
Of the Horns of Ylmir calling—and shall hear them till my death." - ― The Horns of Ylmir
In the summer of 1914 Tolkien visited the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall where the sea left a great impression on him, and inspired him to write a poem.[6]
See also[edit | edit source]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Three. The Wanderings of Húrin and Other Writings not forming part of the Quenta Silmarillion: V. The Tale of Years"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of the Elves"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Valaquenta: Of the Valar"
- ↑ Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, "II. 1892-1916: Early years", pp. 70-71
