[Child of the 7th Age]

Bb,

That idea of Eru as the "God of Love" is certainly different and intriguing, and I certainly never thought of that before.

Another possibility, and these are random thoughts thrown out. Perhaps there's not a single "god of love" because different Valar share various attributes which, when taken together, help to define"love". In that scenario, perhaps Eru is the distant father who allows his children to make mistakes and learn. There is undoubtedly love there, yet it seems so removed.

I've also thought of Manwe and Varda as being the perfect model of a couple, sharing intimacies and respecting each other's abilities. Strangely enough, the other name that comes to my mind when I think of "love" is Nienna. It almost seems as if Tolkien often equates "love" with "tears" -- that pure grieving is one of the truest forms of love we can experience in a world that is so flawed. (Ok....I can't help thinking of his own childhood here.)

This is one of my favorite lines in the Silm:

But she [i.e. Nienna] does not weep for herself; and those who hearken to her learn pity and endurance in hope

It's so interesting to me that two of the most important themes of LotR--pity and hope--make their appearance here in the form of Nienna, long before Frodo and Sam (perhaps each the flawed but very human embodiment of one of these?) are even a glint on the horizon.

I also love this intriguing phrase: "The windows of her house look outward from the walls of the world." Presumably that hints at the fact that, ultimately, there must be some form of help (perhaps some form of love itself??) that comes from beyond the world. Or is there another possible meaning for this?

What is missing, however, is erotic love....unless you assume that this element lies hidden within Varda and Manwe but is decently concealed from outside eyes.

Does anyone have any favorites among the Valar and Maiar? My own are Nienna and Olórin. I love it that these two were connected by Tolkien right from the start. Well, perhaps not right from the start, since this passage was added later. But I'm still glad it was put here. Indeed the passage on Olorin and even the last sentence on Sauron requires a knowledge of some of what happened in the later Second and Third Ages. Can we assume then, in a fictional sense, Bilbo did not translate and edit this portion until after Frodo's return?