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Old 06-08-2011, 10:07 AM   #35
Inziladun
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I quite like this thread, and feel some excellent observations were made.

Something has occurred to me which could explain the lack of organised worship of Eru in Middle-earth.

In our world, worship of God is codified and structured in various ways. Christians, Jews, and Muslims each have a book in which is written laws they are to live by, and the manner in which they are to worship God the Creator. The Bible, the Pentateuch, and the Quran are considered to be divinely inspired texts, and thus are to be absolutely obeyed.

The denizens of Middle-earth have no such divine guidebook. As has been noted elsewhere on this thread, the knowledge of Eru and his angelic governors, the Valar, is traditional, handed down from the Elves who saw the Valar in person, then to the Edain. The latter, as Númenóreans, presumably instructed the "dark" Men of Middle-earth.

Since Eru apparently saw no need to issue any such book of instructions, I feel the proxy-worship through the Valar must have been acceptable to him. Obey the Valar and follow the good promptings they (or Eru himself) put into their hearts, and they were glorifying Eru.

That leads back to Númenor, however. They alone, as far as the reader is told, had a practise of organised worship to Eru.

Quote:
[On the Meneltarma] no tool or weapon had ever been borne; and there none might speak any word, save the King only. Thrice only in each year the King spoke, offering prayer for the coming year at the Erukyermë in the first days of spring, praise of Eru Ilúvatar at the Erulaitalë in midsummer, and thanksgiving to him at the Eruhantalë at the end of autumn.At these times the king ascended the mountain on foot followed by a great concourse of the people, clad in white and garlanded, but silent.
UT A Description of Númenor

Why did the Númenóreans do that? Was it an idea that simply occurred to them? After all, the Edain alone, out of all the other races, had a land specifically made for them. Perhaps they recognised the incredible way they had been blessed, and knowing Eru alone had caused it to be, wanted to worship him "personally". I like the idea of that, since they were apparently the only ones in the history of Arda to worship Eru in that way.

The UT essay does go on to say, though, that when people approached the summit of the Meneltarma:

Quote:
....at once three eagles would appear and alight upon three rocks near to the western edge; but at the times of the Three Prayers they did not descend, remaining in the sky and hovering above the people. They were called the Witnesses of Manwë, and they were believed to be sent by him from Aman to keep watch upon the Holy Mountain and upon all the land.
If the Three Prayers were the invention of Númenor, without "instruction', one might ask why Manwë felt the need to "keep watch" on the Meneltarma. I don't really think such "witnesses" were really needed for Manwë to know what went on in Middle-earth: he pretty much saw what he wanted to see. So the eagles were probably just a reminder to the Númenóreans that the Valar were still there, and aware of what they did.

Now for symbolism. The eagles set down on the western side of the summit. That's pretty well in keeping with the motif throughout the books that west=good. What of the three rocks, though? Three eagles, three rocks, and three prayers. One might think it a nod by the author to the Holy Trinity. For an in-story explanation, though, perhaps those things are symbolic of the Three Themes of Ilúvatar?
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