Why Steel Points North by Anne Wolfe

Why Steel Points North

Long ago, before any of the elves awoke, there were two great lamps: one silver, named Illuin, and one gold, named Ormal. And they had been wrought to give light to all the world.

Now they sat upon the ground, and were of little use, for the trees and hills did contain their light, and keep it from shining to the ends of the world. So it was decided that they should be set upon towers, one in the north and one in the south, so that their light could be seen.

Aulë it was who took this task. First he made Ormal’s tower Ringil in the uttermost south, of gold and gold-colored jewels, so that it might be a thing of beauty unto itself. But the gold was soft, and not well-suited to hold the lamp’s weight, and in the end he set in the core of the tower a simple pillar of stone, with the gold and jewels only arrayed around it. And the faults in his work troubled his heart.

So he journeyed to the uttermost north, and began to build Illuin’s tower, which he named Helcar. And Helcar he wrought from cold, blue-grey steel.

The steel was stronger than the gold, and before long Aulë knew that this work would go exactly as he had planned it. And he sang as he worked, so that a strange spark flickered to life in every sliver of steel that was used therein— and the steel was glad for the task that was set before it.

The lamps were set upon their towers, and for a moment they gave light to all the world, according to the purpose of their making.

Then Melkor saw the lamps and the towers, and he cast down the lamps, and destroyed the towers utterly, throwing all the world into disarray.

And the shards of steel mourned the tower, and strained with all their might to return to the uttermost north, where Helcar had been, and bind themselves together to fulfill their purpose once again.

So it is that to this day, the shards of steel that know Aulë’s song point ever toward the north, yearning to return there. And if ever you should have a shard of steel that does not yet know the song, beware! For if it is left near to one of the shards that knows the song, it too will begin to point north, as if it were one of the shards that had been in the tower from the beginning.

Chapter End Notes

Melkor = Morgoth

This is going off of Tolkien's later (though not latest) version of the story of Illuin and Ormal, wherein the towers are made by Aulë. There's another version where they're made out of ice, but obviously that doesn't work very well as a magnet origin story!