[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Child

"Sneaky" Fordim ! I think we are revisiting the "Canonicity Thread", only coming in through the back door.....

Hush! 'Tis the thread that must not be named.

Although, those were my very thoughts on reading the opening post. And like a moth to a candle once again ...

So I feel that I must repeat a refrain that may be rather familar to veterans of the C-thread. In my mind, there is a distinction to be made between facts and interpretations (although I accept that there are "grey areas" in between). My own approach is that, while I am all for the freedom of the reader when considering matters of interpretation, I am content to bow to authorial intent when it comes to matters of fact, and for much the same reason as that given by Formendacil:

Tolkien created middle-earth. It was his vision, his imagination

And, when we consider matters such as Balrog's wings, Elvish ears and Legolas' hair, we are clearly discussing facts. Thus, if presented with evidence of authorial intent on any such issues, I will gladly amend my own conception to incorporate it.

This has, in fact, happened throughout my Tolkien-reading life. When I first read LotR, The Silmarillion had not yet been published (let alone Unfinished Tales, HoME, the Letters etc). It was published a few years later, but my youthful attempts to penetrate it foundered on stony ground and I did not in fact read it until two years ago. Moreover, my original copy of LotR did not have the Appendices (save for the tale of Aragron and Arwen).

So, for much of my Tolkien-reading life, I have not been in possession of many of the facts that go to make up the Legendarium. I had no idea that Sam joined Frodo in the Undying Lands or that Legolas and Gimli also sailed West. Gandalf was clearly a powerful being, but I had no conception of Maiar or Istari. References to the Lords of the West and the names of individual Vala (Elbereth, for example) meant little to me. And I had little idea of the existence of Iluvatar, save to the extent that there are hints of a greater guiding force in certain passages of the book.

In recent years, my eyes have been opened to the wider vistas of Tolkien's Legendarium - including matters of which I was previously unaware that have a bearing on the story told in LotR. And I have accepted these into my conception of the story, and the wider world of Middle-earth.

Now, I accept that matters addressed in the Letters, which Tolkien never intended to be published, might require different treatment. But I am nevertheless content to allow facts presented in Tolkien's unpublished writings (ie those not published during his lifetime) to supersede my previous imaginings, unless incompatible with any part of the published works.

So, if it was established to my satisfaction that Tolkien intended Balrogs to have wings and Elves to have rounded ears, then I would accept that, however much it might go against my original thoughts on these issues.

Finally, one caveat: Where Tolkien's own conception of the facts clearly changed over time and there are conflicting ideas presented (such as with his ideas on the origins of Orcs), then I am content to go with that with which I feel most comfortable (although, in such cases, I am open to persuasion through discussion).