Wow you guys go where angels and Tolkien fans fear to tread. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
Eol I disagree that the "mystery" about details in ME detracts from the stories. It's in keeping with the spirit of myth and legend, and ancient history, that there would be disputes over these kinds of things. You go with the best evidence you have to "settle" the disputes. If there are unanswered questions, that just adds to the mystery. "Unexplained vistas" is something that Tolkien embraced and is one of the great charms of the books, IMO.
Re. sadness in the old myths...yep they are indeed, but there is also great beauty portrayed in the Sil and the other stories of the older ages. I don't think there is a question of "deserving." Not all who suffer deserve to, right? But they are pretty tragic. "The Mariner's Wife" in Unfinished Tales is a tearjerker, too.
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