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Originally Posted by William Cloud Hickli
... But what was Tolkien thinking in the mid-1960's? I think it inescapable that the Elvish tradition, presumptively correct, is Flat-world, as is the Dunedainic tradition made under the influence of Lindon and Rivendell, whereas the one Round-world version must be taken as garbled (and indeed the earlier versions of DA are deliberately 'confused'). There follows a very strong deduction or supposition that by the mid-1960's Toklien had evolved a very sophisticated 'theory of the tale': the Flat world was correct, and the Breaking really did happen; but Men outside Eldarin tutelage were so small-minded/unimaginative/divorced from the Valar that they refused to believe that such naked Divine intervention had really occurred (after all it violates 'scientific' thinking).
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Why (merely wondering about your reasons in more detail) do you state that the more correct flat-world legends are Elvish? because of the extant version of FN at the time of this note?
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I should emphasise that flat-world/round-world is not inextricably tied to the other part of the astronomical myth, the Sun and Moon. There is little doubt at all that JRRT had decided conclusively to abandon the flower and fruit story and that the Heavenly Lights had existed ab initio- indeed in the Hobbit 3rd Ed (1966) he emended text in just such a way.
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I agree. Tolkien does appear to very generally connect them 'in consideration', so to speak, in
Myths Transformed text I -- being, I think, not unnaturally tied in general as 'counter conceptions' (this term based on Christopher Tolkien comments after text I):
'It is at any rate clear, for he stated it unambiguously enough, that he had come to believe that the art of the 'Sub-creator' cannot, or should not attempt to, extend to the 'mythical' revelation of a conception of the shape of the Earth and the origin of the lights of heaven that runs counter to the known physical tuths of his own days.'
But yes, 'evidence' of an early Sun is not necessarily evidence of Round World ideas, and I should have made that point before my comments on the legend of the Awakening of the Quendi. I tend to interpret these ideas as tied or that 'Early Sun' might imply Round World, but they need not be inextricably tied, as you say.