[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

Incidentally, given ME's very strict creationist orgin and accompanying shorter geological timeline, anyone want to speculate where the coal came from? Did Aule finally get tired of bickering with Yavannah about dwarven wood needs and call into being (or I suppose petition Illuvitar to bring into being). rocks that could burn and take some of the wood's place?

Actually yes, I like that, a pretty nice idea of how this could have been. "Burning stone", why not?

Although...

Originally Posted by Aganzir

Or then perhaps...

Given the somewhat "dark demeanor" of the coal, I would not be opposed to it being some sort of by-product of Melkor's meddling, similar to, for example, snow. Or even, as Agan said, if we take into account the possible undefined amount of time before the First Age, there would have been time for fossilization - and that again could point to Melkor: after all, it's all remnants of some poor dead animals and plants. Therefore, coal would in its way be a slightly sinister thing, or then perhaps not as positive, "dirty", because of its association with the poor creatures that died to "make it happen", so to say.

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Digging coal is a nasty, hard job, but is it a low, despised job? Does Middle-earth carry the same class connotations that England had/has?

Actually, given all the other cultural similarities, I would pretty much expect it to be so. Also, to come back full circle, because Gandalf obviously uses exactly that expression as obviously somewhat derogatory.