eurytus has laid out what has always been my thesis on Ulmo (like legolas - he is my favorite vala). Although i too agree with gwaihir - in the hierarchy of the Vala, Ulmo is where he is - he has his ranking and his areas of responsibilities - and JRRT has structurally laid this out. But I feel that Ulmo represents JRRT's sentiments, if that makes sense.
Indirect divine intervention - primarily through the use of symbology . If you have that frame of mind you can see it throughout LOTR. The sea, the Great River, Sam and Frodo in Mordor, the Phial... etc. I just see it as JRRT's way of putting it out there, via Ulmo and his devices, that the Vala, by the 3rd age, were still concerned in the affairs of the goodly peoples of ME, and (wink wink) had many other activities in ME other than sending the Istari, that (although debatable)had only 1 major player out of the 5 they sent.
|