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Originally Posted by davem
So, while the Music is 'as fate to all things else', it is not as fate to Men. Men can 'shape their life, amid the powers and chances of the world'.
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by davem
My own feeling is that by the end of the Third Age the Elves had surrendered to fate (ie the Will of Eru) - they knew that they could not rule the world, as they had once believed. They were 'beaten'. They couldn't change the Music, but perhaps Men could....
This opens up a can of worms - like, was Eru dependent on Men to do what had to be done? By being exempt from 'fate' were they 'wild cards' - Sauron, being bound by the Music, couldn't possibly predict what Men (& Hobbits) would do. He couldn't think outside the box, they could. Perhaps that's why the Quest is left in the hands of mortals, & the Elves simply did all they could to aid them, but in the main stayed out of the way.
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Great, great points, davem. My own feeling, in connection to the Elves surrender to fate as opposed to the tendency of Men to still
shape their own fate has to do with the idea of the mortality of Men. Men only had a finite number of years to live - after that, they died, leaving Middle Earth and whatever work they left undone. Meanwhile, there was a depressing push of eternity on the Elves. There was a sense of whatever they did would not really matter in the long run - in fact, they could probably always procrastinate, do it tomorrow. They were not about to die of old age, so there wasn't any urgency to get everything they wanted done. Meanwhile, Men seemed to live with the fear of death plaguing them constantly - they were forced out of any apathy they may have, knowing that if they did not live and correct the wrongs in their lives now, they may never see their desires fulfilled.
Historically, every society has had a rise and a fall. There is also a tendency for cultures on the incline to feel invincible. For most men living in the Third Age, they were beginning to see the power of the Elves wane, and their own power increase - Elves were not to rule the world, while men were still, as you said, a "wild card" in the fate of the world department. Even if Men saw an eventual end to their own power inevitable, most believed they would not live to see it, thus enjoying a certain amount of success. However, many Elves that lived through the glorious times of their own civilization were also always cursed to live in its decline as well. That's a pretty bleak prospect - being alive for both the birth and death of a beautiful time for your people. Knowing that you will live after the fall and always carry with you memories of the greatness without being able to recreate it can be an ominous thought. You may have more of a tendency to surrender, saying, "Well, eventually the end of our good fortune will come, perhaps this is the day."