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Old 02-13-2002, 01:08 AM   #15
Man-of-the-Wold
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: With Tux, dread poodle of Pinnath Galin
Posts: 239
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Sting

Excellent stuff. But it's always possible something else was going on or was at Morgoth's disposal, then just the wayward spirits of races that we told about, such as Maiar or dead/lost Elves (of which I remain suspicious, as little more than preliminary ideas of Tolkien, the proper application of which were never developed in relation to other literary themes in completed works.)

For example, I don't think anything inhabits Trolls, beyond being animated rock. (Bert, William and ? having extraordinarily developed personalities and genius compared to the regular bruts) Trolls may have been in mockery of Ents, but don't seem to have been derived from their physical or spiritual form in the way the Orcs were evidently tortured out of some captured Elves over innumerable generations.

One gets the impression with Dragons, if not some other creatures, that Morgoth invested part of himself and his Malice in them. In other words they can operate independent of him, but are not true lifeforms, but only deformed creatures embodying pure Malice and Evil from their creator. Morgoth was a pretty resourceful guy, if not constructively creative. The Silmarillion makes it clear that all of this effort had taken its toll, and that he personally couldn't do what he used to, having dissipated so much of his own power and hate into his creatures.

Just some humble thoughts.
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The hoes unrecked in the fields were flung, __ and fallen ladders in the long grass lay __ of the lush orchards; every tree there turned __ its tangled head and eyed them secretly, __ and the ears listened of the nodding grasses; __ though noontide glowed on land and leaf, __ their limbs were chilled.
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