XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: invalid@microsoft.com   
      
   Morgoth's Curse has brought this to us :   
   > The Captains of the West hold a council the day after the Battle of   
   > the Pelennor Fields. Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer, Prince Imrahil, Elladan   
   > & Elrohir debate their next move in the War of the Ring. It is obvious   
   > why Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Imrahil are present: All are major   
   > leaders in the war against Sauron. I have often wondered why the sons   
   > of Elrond were present, however. They had no military force and   
   > Aragorn himself represented the Dunedain of Arnor. They did not say   
   > anything that Gandalf had not already said, so what were they expected   
   > to contribute? The only explanation that occurs to me is that Gandalf   
   > or Aragorn wanted someone to represent all of the enemies of Mordor,   
   > but if that is the case then Gimili and possibly one of the Hobbits   
   > should also have been present.   
      
   Knowledge, skill and insight?  I don't think that it was a   
   representative council, but more a council of the learned.  The sons of   
   Elrond had been fighting orcs for much longer than anyone else there.   
      
   --   
   Michael Cole   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)