XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm   
      
   On Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:56:30 +0200, Troels Forchhammer wrote:   
   >   
   > In message    
   > "Jim Heckman"  spoke these staves:   
   > >   
   > [...]   
   > > the Elvish practice of referring to the Sun as "she" and the Moon   
   > > as "he".   
   > >   
   > > My question is where did this Elvish practice come from?   
   >   
   > Geza has already referred to the Elves (both Vanyar and Noldor) that   
   > set foot on Beleriand in the War of Wrath, but I suspect that even   
   > this may have been too late to affect a change if the linguistic   
   > genders of the two had been wrong.   
   >   
   > [snip] In such communications Ulmo (and what other Valar or   
   > Maiar that communicated with the exiles) may well have used the   
   > genders of the Sun and the Moon, which the recipients may then have   
   > copied.   
   >   
   > Also Morgoth appears to have known the nature of these two new   
   > heavenly lights: [snip]   
   >   
   > Though communications were naturally extremely sparse, knowledge of   
   > the natures of the Sun and the Moon may nonetheless have spread from   
   > the servants of Morgoth to the Elves long before the arrival of the   
   > Armies of Valinor on the shores of Beleriand.   
      
   Perhaps the Elves of Middle-earth called the Moon "he" simply because   
   they could see a man's face in it. :-)  In that case the Sun would be   
   "she" just to be opposite. :-)   
      
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