| Horn | |
| Windbeam | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Horn of Elendil, Great Horn |
| Location | Gondor |
| Owner | King of Gondor |
| Appearance | Possibly golden[1] |
| Creator | Presumably Elendil |
| Created at | Númenor or Middle-earth |
| Created in | Presumably the Second Age |
| Notable for | Being blown during the Battle of the Morannon[2] in early drafts |
Windbeam was the name of the great Horn of Elendil blown only in extreme circumstances, according to one of the outlines of The Lord of the Rings as published in The Treason of Isengard.[3] Other than this outline, the horn is not mentioned in any other writing on Middle-earth.[4] It was, however, mentioned in the Letters from Father Christmas[4], stating that Father Christmas had not had to blow it for over four hundred years.[1]
History
When Windbeam was blown in the Battle of the Morannon[2], even Frodo Baggins faintly heard its sound and looked "North-west"[3] at "the dust of battle"[3] as he climbed Mount Doom alongside Samwise Gamgee towards the Sammath Naur[5].[6]
Other writings
In the Letters from Father Christmas, Windbeam, the great "golden trumpet"[1] or Horn, hung "over the fireplace in the hall" of Father Christmas's Cliff House, where it was gathering dust[7] due to not having been used for over four hundred years. The sound of Windbeam was apparently capable of traveling "as far as the North Wind" blew.[8]
In early October in the autumn of 1941, the Goblins, taking advantage of the war, sought to take over the North Pole.[1] By November, they even besieged, and had nearly taken, the Cliff House.[8] As a consequence, Father Christmas blew "three blasts on" Windbeam to summon reinforcements from snowboys, polar bears, and Elves, who all arrived three days later.[8] A year after the battle, the Goblins were still recovering from their defeat and Windbeam was gathering dust again "over the mantlepiece" of Father Christmas's Cliff House.[7]
In his commentary, Christopher Tolkien notes that in both the Letters from Father Christmas and the legendarium, Windbeam, called the Great Horn in the note, is only blown in extreme scenarios and can be heard at a great distance.[4] He also notes that "beam" in Windbeam is related to bēam in Old English, which is derived from bēme ("trumpet").[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Baillie Tolkien (ed.), Letters from Father Christmas, "December 2nd 1933"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Chronology of The Lord of the Rings, V. A Published Chronology: Appendix B, 1. "Here at the end of all things", pp. 149 (entry for March 25 in Table 14 continued)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XVI. The Story Foreseen from Lórien", Alternative account., p. 344
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XVI. The Story Foreseen from Lórien", Notes, p. 349 (note 43)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Mount Doom", p. 942
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Sauron Defeated, "Part One: The End of the Third Age: I. The Story of Frodo and Sam in Mordor", (I), p. 4
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Baillie Tolkien (ed.), Letters from Father Christmas, "Christmas Eve 1942"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Baillie Tolkien (ed.), Letters from Father Christmas, "December 22nd, 1941"
| The world of the Letters from Father Christmas | |
|---|---|
| Main characters: | Father Christmas · North Polar Bear · Ilbereth |
| Other characters: | Mr Cave Bear · Green Brother · Grandfather Yule Man in the Moon · Paksu & Valkotukka · Snow Man |
| Races & Peoples: | Goblins · Green elves · Red Elves · Snow-elves · Snow-men |
| Other concepts: | Arktik · Goblin Alphabet · Windbeam |