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What we do not know is whether Melkor was an embodiment of evil that Iluvatar himself already possesed? Was Melkor destined to corrupt, destroy and abuse all in his power because he was the very embodiment of evil that Iluvatar himelf already possessed?
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Ancalagan's Fire--
Whoops! The question here is not the natue of Melkor, but rather that of Eru. And what side did you say you were on in the recent contest in Middle-earth to try and destroy the Ring of Power? Or, perhaps, you were on both sides at once, since there does not appear to be a clear delineation between that which is good and that which is evil, at least in terms of ultimate-shall we say Platonic--standards that exist beyond the circles of this world.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion in reading and interpreting the writings of Tolkien, but I think I hear the author rolling over in his grave. While there are certainly mythologies which postulate the type of deity you suggest, I do not think you can graft these images onto
the world envisioned by a fairly traditional Catholic scholar and philologist such as Tolkien. It's one thing to debate if evil exists as an independent entity or merely as the negation of good. Or to question if Melkor might repent and receive forgiveness once he comes crawling (or bounding) out of the Void. While I may agree or disagree with a particular point of view, there are paradigms within Christianity which Tolkien might have locked onto in considering questions such as these.
However, I would argue that the dichotomy you suggest within the Godhead itself is unthinkable in this particular book and universe, given who Tolkien was and the way he looked at the question of good and evil. I think there is a huge degree of latitude on how an individual reader can interpret any given author or book, but I do think that there are certain boundaries that need to be respected because of the mindset of the creator of that work. And I think you have just put your toe over a critical line. Certainly fantasy books and mythical universes exist where a question such as you posed is completely legitimate. But I honestly don't think this is one of them.
As some may know who have read my often wordy pleas on behalf of the Shire and Hobbiton, I am an impassioned supporter of Hobbits in general and Frodo Baggins in particular. Now what am I to make of this? Do you mean to tell me that Mr. Frodo trudged all the way to Mordor bearing the Shadow of the world on his neck and sacrificed a great part of his own personal happiness, merely because on Monday, Eru was in the mood to explore the "good" part of his persona? Perhaps if he had waited till Tuesday, Eru would have decided to investigate the other aspects of his being, and the whole War of the Rings might have been avoided. I don't think so. sharon, the 7th age hobbit
p.s. Welcome to the Downs. Post often and have fun.
[ May 07, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]
[ May 07, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]