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  • Updated 30 September 2015
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Sea-Wing

The ship of Tuor and Idril

As Tuor approached the end of his life in Middle-earth, he built a ship for himself. Traditionally said to have been a large vessel with purple sails, Tuor gave it the Elvish name Eärrámë, which translates as 'Sea-Wing'.1 Aboard this vessel he set out with Idril daughter of Turgon to cross the Great Sea, and neither were heard from again in Middle-earth. Legend said that Sea-Wing had reached the shores of Aman and that Tuor had been granted the enduring life of the Elves.2


Notes

1

The 'wing' in the name 'Sea-Wing' originally had a literal meaning, as names for the ship in earlier versions of Tuor's story were 'Swan-wing' and 'Eagle-wing'. In the final form, these references to birds were lost, but the 'wing' element remained as part of the ship's name. These details come from the early Lost Tales, which, it should be noted, is our only source for the description of the ship's purple sails (no colour is mentioned in later descriptions).

2

Assuming this story to be true, then Tuor and Idril might potentially have reached Aman more than a decade before their son Eärendil, in the voyage that saw him successfully plead for the aid of the Valar. This raises an obvious question: what prevented Tuor or Idril from achieving the same task? It seems that Eärendil's Half-elven blood was the critical factor, so that only a descendant of both Kindreds could achieve the destiny that had been assigned to him.

See also...

Eärrámë

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About this entry:

  • Updated 30 September 2015
  • Updates planned: 1

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