Magic vs. Power

[Meoshi]

And he entered the service of the Dark Tower when it first rose again, and because of his cunning he grew ever higher in the Lord's favour; he learned great sorcery, and knew much of the mind of Sauron; and he was more cruel than any orc.

'for this is what your folk would call magic, I believe; though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem also to use the same word for the deceits of the Enemy.'

I would say that magic in the traditional fantasy sense (spellcasters tapping into a power that is not inherantly theirs through potions, incantations, etc.) does exist in ME- But only evildoers are foolish enough to use it. Sauron and the Witch-King trained sorcerers, teaching them to 'tap into the Melkor element', as one of you said. That power was not natural or inherant to Arda, nor inherant in the spellcasters. You wouldn't find Elves among Sauron's pupils, but only Men- Men who envied the Elves' and Numenoreans'(to some extent) inherant skill and wanted some of their own.

[ March 16, 2003: Message edited by: Meoshi ]