[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

Man-of-the-Wold, good to see you back. Your post was insightful, well thought out and carefully crafted as usual. I must alert Underhill you have returned! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Bethberry and Tirned Tinnu, I was thinking about the legends of Will O' the Wisps, but didn't have enough background info to comment. I realized that my knowledge is from derivitive sources and I couldn't speak with much authority. Thank you for the info. Very interesting.

I think that since Tolkien drew on the mythology of England and sought to make a truly English myth, these grey zones of what was merely sad or inimical to humanity in English legend were deliberately carried over, and lived as well in Middle Earth. Even danger in the LotR has a richness and lush variety.

This underscores MotWold's point (ahem, and mine [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ) that much of what is dark or dangerous in the LotR doesn't necessarily follow a neat, crisp delineation between Sauron and the Good Guys. Which implies that all is not suddenly well just because Sauron is defeated. Shelob is still out there. This gives the LotR a texture of reality that rings true.

TheRealHarad - Welcome to the Downs! Post often.

-Maril