Tolkien and the Book

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Originally Posted by davem

I've asked a few times on various threads why the Elves don't 'sub-create' in the strict sense of creating secondary worlds in the mind - ie fictions - which Tolkien claims is innate in us as children of a Creator. Is Lorien (& Rivendell, Gondolin, etc) such a -sub creation? If so, then to what extent are they 'copies' & to what extent 'enhancements' (ie, fictions)?

Do we have any real sort of indication that elves don't indulge in 'making things up' other than Tolkien not including examples? We are generally exposed to the elves in reference to world affairs. Very sober times. But I do not find it hard to believe that the elves of Rivendell in the Hobbit would spin yarns, if of course you concider them truly elves. And that such gifted artists would not play with words just for the love of language, seems unlikely to me.

But as for the purpose of written language, it might not be such a leap to assume that it might have been developed for another purpose than merely recording events or ideas. For example, having just watched the movie Hero, I am particulary thinking of the connection that movie places between calligraphy and swordsmanship.