More pondering while listening to the Silm Audiobook:
Melkor has a vested interest in keeping Men from becoming friends with the elves– he has one of his spies (imhc, either Sauron or Langon) impersonate one of the chieftains in order to spread dissent and plant the idea that “there is room in the world” for both Men and Orcs, if the elves will only let them be.
And yet, when that plan yields only moderate success, Melkor goes and sends an orc raid against the (later) People of Haleth, aaaaallllll the way in East Beleriand, which… kind of undermines the message of his original propaganda?
Why would Melkor do this directly after planting the idea that Orcs and Men could mutually ignore each other and keep to their respective territories? (I don’t buy the idea that he just lost his temper– not on this occasion anyway. XD) I mean, he could have kept hostilities between Men and Orcs to a minimum, while stirring up trouble between men and elves and just waiting for tensions to reach a boiling point on their own. (That tactic has worked well for him in the past. See entry: The Sons of Finwë.)
To me, this move makes sense if you imagine Melkor trying to rush things. He can’t afford to wait for generations of men to live and die in the service and camaraderie of elves before the inevitable inter-species messiness starts; he needs to drive a wedge in NOW, while everyone is still wary of each other.
“So, Men still think they can get cozy with the Eldar in Beleriand, huh? Well, let’s show them just how much elves -really- care about the safety and wellbeing of non-elf vassals!”
To make his point, he sends an orc raid against Haleth’s kin in Caranthir’s lands– and Lo and Behold, they lose their chief and take heavy casualties before Caranthir shows up with the cavalry.
It sort of works? Haleth does basically give the finger to the elves after that, leading her people independent of elven rule, and going on to live a long and noble life giving side-eye to Thingol and stabbing spiders/orcs.
Of course, since Melkor’s plans never really go like he wants them to, the fact that the Edain aren’t 100% Elf-Friendly doesn’t actually make them less of a threat to Orcs, nor does it make them less wary of Angband.
But who knows? Maybe a united Caranthir/Haleth front would have gone on to be a bigger threat to Angband in the long run than an independent Haleth in Brethil, and Caranthir dubiously allied with the Folk of Uldor?
MisbehavingMaiar: Tumblr Archive 