Were Morgoth and Sauron afraid of light?

[Mithadan]

<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
Posts: 134</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE>
<img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/nenya.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: Were Morgoth and Sauron afraid of light?

Without looking for the passage you cite, I would guess it addresses Morgoth's attack upon Arien. Without entering into the &quot;is that passage what JRRT intended&quot; debate, it is fair to observe the following:

(1) Morgoth used the dark for his own purposes, for hiding and cover, to provide protection to his light sensitive servants and to annoy and harass the Valar and the Children of Iluvatar. Morgoth was the ultimate anarchist, if something caused a disturbance, he liked it. He disliked the sun as working counter to his purposes because it aided the Valar and, at least in earlier conceptions, housed Arien who he feared. He, indeed lusted after the Silmarils and their light, but hated the Trees for the light and joy they brought. Morgoth did not fear light, although he likely hated it as he hated all things which provided order.

(2) Although Sauron was a &quot;dark lord&quot; and could no longer assume a fair visage, he began as a lover of order and the power of command. His desires did not match those of Morgoth, but rather paralleled them. Morgoth wished to cause as much chaos as he could through domination and power. He wanted his essence to enter into everything and to ruin all that the Valar did. Sauron wanted power to impose order and, to an extent, may have been deluded into believing that his goals were good though his means were not. In the end, he simply wanted domination. He too used darkness for his purposes, but there is no reason to believe that he feared light.

--Mithadan--
"The Silmarils with living light
were kindled clear, and waxing bright
shone like stars that in the North
above the reek of earth leap forth." </p>