Tolkien’s notes deal mostly with the subtleties of the different Elven dialects, “The language is Sindarin, but of a variety used by the High Elves (of which kind were most of the Elves in Rivendell), marked in high style and verse by the influence of Quenya... For instance, silivren would recall to Elvish minds the silmarils and describe the stars as
crystalline forms shining from within with a light of mysterious power.” There is also an explanation of the hymns used throughout the book,
“As a “divine” or “angelic” person Varda / Elbereth could be said to be “looking afar from heaven” (as in Sam’s invo- cation)... She was often thought of, or depicted, as standing on a great height looking towards Middle-earth, with eyes that penetrated the shadows, and listening to the cries for aid of Elves (and Men) in peril or grief. Frodo (Vol. I, p. 208) and Sam both invoke her in moments of extreme peril... (These and other references to religion in The Lord of the Rings are frequently overlooked.) The Elves in Rivendell could only be said to “gaze afar” in yearning. But actually the form used in the hymn is palandi- riel... This is a reference to the palantir upon the Tower Hills (the “Stone of Elendil”)... After the fall of Elendil the High- Elves took back this Stone into their own care, and it was not destroyed, nor again used by Men...” Tolkien finishes with a brief glossary and an extended passage on the subtleties of meaning in the Elven lexicons as well as a paragraph on Sindarin grammar.
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