Wight
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: With Tux, dread poodle of Pinnath Galin
Posts: 239
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To confirm what's correct:
Melkor was the greatest of the Vala. He fell into evil by coveting Arda and rejecting service to the music of Iluvatar, and waged for eons against the other Valar. He was later named Morgoth by Feanor. The greatest of the Children of Iluvatar (Elves & Men).
Many of the lesser Ainur or Maiar were seduced by Morgoth and in later ages manifest themselves as evil spirits of various sorts. They did not necessarily enter Ea later then the Valar, since Tulkus came lastest of all, but in the mind of Iluvatar the Maiar had lesser status and might.
Sauron was a servant of the Vala Aule and became, of course, Morgoth's chief lieutenant, and later his successor as the focus of evil in Middle-Earth.
Other Maiar, who were also of Aule's people, but of more limited capacity and cunning than Sauron became the Balrogs, orignally led by Gothmog, who slew Feanor, Fingon and other notables, but was finally destroyed by Ecthelion in the Fall of Gondolin.
Other "possible" forms of Maiar or of creatures inhabited by such dreadful spirits in the service of Morgoth may have been the vampires, werewolves, original dragons, and so forth.
Orcs were not Elves, dark or othewise. Although derived and bred over a long time from life forms that had been Elves, Orcs were the total antithesis and corruption of Elven spirit. They were corporeal demons, as the Balrogs were more spirit-like demons.
In a sense, Elves did not have the "Free Will" that Men possessed, in accordance with Tolkien's very Christian belief. They were spirits of this world, and very powerful spirits at that, which is why their earthly bodies did not naturally decay or fail.
In a sense Elves were predetermined to be good. They were not supposed to have the choice to do evil. This is one reason, I submit for why the kinslaying by the Nolder caused the Curse of Mandos, in that Feanor and his followers (to one degree or another) had broken the natural order.
Men in later days, as they do still, would slaughter each other at will, without any such curse. While not contrary to the earthly order, such action might still necessitate being answerable to Iluvatar. This type of notion for human sin is, perhaps, indicated in Turin's ultimate guilt, and the fall of the Numenoreans, as eventually redeemed by Aragorn's selfless obedience.
Thus, Elves are never evil. Dark Elves refers to the Moriquendi. The Calaquendi, or light elves, or commonly the High Elves, were those that saw the Light of the Two Trees and their decendents, whether born after the darkening in Aman or Middle-Earth; they also included Thingol, Luthien and her decendents. This link to the Undying Lands in the time of the Trees conveyed a certain majesty and power to exist at once in the world of the Seen and the Unseen as witnessed by Glorfindel's charge on the Nazgul or Ringwraiths.
The Moriquendi, thus, also had members of the Eldar, who harkened at first to the summons, including the Sindar, Nandor, and their subsets Falathrim and Green-Elves.
Still, "Dark Elves" often seems to refer only to the East Elves or Avari, who refused the summons, and who arguably do not ever appear in the stories again. The Silvan or Wood Elves of the Second and Third age seem to be almost exclusively of Nandorin descent with some Sindar.
Eol, father of Maeglin the traitor, is also referred to as the "Dark Elf" as a reflection of his lifestyle and disdainful attitude.
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"For the valour of the Edain the Elves shall ever remember as the ages lengthen, marvelling that they gave life so freely of which they had on earth so little."
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The hoes unrecked in the fields were flung, __ and fallen ladders in the long grass lay __ of the lush orchards; every tree there turned __ its tangled head and eyed them secretly, __ and the ears listened of the nodding grasses; __ though noontide glowed on land and leaf, __ their limbs were chilled.
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