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Old 02-05-2008, 04:26 AM   #45
Legate of Amon Lanc
A Voice That Gainsayeth
 
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Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin View Post
Moreover dragons are born (or at least hatched), which militates against the Maia-theory.
This is why I thought they are rather similar to Eagles or Ents, about whom we know had some sort of spirits in them, yet they bred, grew and probably also died of old age. Similarly, we don't know, I believe, what kind of "spirits" dwelt inside the Werewolves - I believe it might have been the same. And in all cases, these were NOT maiar.*

Just for reference, that thing I meant about Ents is here (spoken by Manwë to Yavanna):
Quote:
Originally Posted by Silmarillion; Of Aulë and Yavanna
When the Children awake, then the thought of Yavanna will awake also, and it will summon spirits from afar, and they will go among the kelvar and the olvar, and some will dwell therein.
And we know the Ents could breed, have children, the same goes about Eagles (Gwaihir and his kin were only descendants of Thorondor; and you can check that Landroval is said to be Gwaihir's brother in RotK).

*It remains a question where is the border between animal spirit and this kind of spirit. Because I just thought that the animals, given their nature in M-E, probably also have simply some spirit "summoned from afar", though of different, "lesser" kind (reminds me of Aristotle); and now see, you have eagles, who are messengers of Valar and everything, but you have also let's say hawks, who are not that different from eagles, but they are "only" animals.
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