Evil in the Fouth Age and Beyond - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Child of the 7th Age · 05-25-2002, 07:40 PM

Pio -- I can certainly understand that. Sometimes I feel we have been locked out of the land of Fairy.

Tolkien has several poems that deal with these frustrations. Take a look at the Adventures of Tom Bombadil which has one poem "Frodo's Dreme", presumably recording Frodo's torment before he sailed for Elvenhome. This character sails to the land of Fairy, presumably the West, but is unable to make contact with the Elves,and sees many things happening which he desn't even understand. Then, when he goes home to the land of man, he can't even explain what he has seen. It is extremely sad, and if Frodo had dreams like these, I can certainly understand that he would need to go West for help!

There's also a poem about a human maid who sees the last ship going West to Elvenhome. The Elves call out for her to join them, but she can not. Her feet sink in the clay and she can not move. So sad!

I think Tolkien himself sometimes felt this frustration of being torn between the land of faerie and the land of reality, and never totally fitting into either. He could, at times, be extremely pessimistic.

So,although we don't have any single figure of incarnate evil in later ages, we certainly have expressions of sadness and the sense of being "not whole."

sharon, the 7th age hobbit

05-25-2002, 07:40 PM	#1
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Pio -- I can certainly understand that. Sometimes I feel we have been locked out of the land of Fairy. Tolkien has several poems that deal with these frustrations. Take a look at the Adventures of Tom Bombadil which has one poem "Frodo's Dreme", presumably recording Frodo's torment before he sailed for Elvenhome. This character sails to the land of Fairy, presumably the West, but is unable to make contact with the Elves,and sees many things happening which he desn't even understand. Then, when he goes home to the land of man, he can't even explain what he has seen. It is extremely sad, and if Frodo had dreams like these, I can certainly understand that he would need to go West for help! There's also a poem about a human maid who sees the last ship going West to Elvenhome. The Elves call out for her to join them, but she can not. Her feet sink in the clay and she can not move. So sad! I think Tolkien himself sometimes felt this frustration of being torn between the land of faerie and the land of reality, and never totally fitting into either. He could, at times, be extremely pessimistic. So,although we don't have any single figure of incarnate evil in later ages, we certainly have expressions of sadness and the sense of being "not whole." sharon, the 7th age hobbit __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.