Melkor; Evil by Will or Evil by Nature?

[Thenamir]

Melkor, dope or dupe? An interesting question. What are the influences and motivations that caused Melkor to play the sour notes on his Cosmic Tuba? Perhaps he got a few bad pepperonis on the pizza they ordered at choir practice the day before. Indigestion can get anyone out of sorts, not to mention food poisoning. Just think of the peace and harmony that would have arisen on Middle Earth if Domino's had just read the expiration dates on the meat-packages...

Or perhaps Melkor had to stand next to someone who forgot their deodorant that morning. Probably Sauron's least-favorite cousin Herbert (the one who liked to make faces while sticking macaroni noodles into his nose and ears...a disgrace to the entire family). It is impossible to maintain proper breathing control when sitting in the presence of that kind of stink, and so he was perhaps improvising shorter notes in an attempt to keep from breathing the toxic fumes any more than necessary.

If, as some suppose, Tom Bombadil is the embodiment of Eru himself, one has only to look at the silly stuff he sang to wonder whether Melkor might have thought he could write better material. (That could explain why Middle Earth was sometimes such a silly place, and why the singing of the Elves, the Children of Iluvatar, considered by some to be superior poetry and "not to be missed," consists of Bombadillish lyrics such as "Fa la la lally...". Of course, this would suppose that the creature could have more talent than the Creator, which is a logical impossibility.)

On a different note (pun intended), perhaps the name change from Melkor to Morgoth had nothing to do with Feanor and all the rest of that folderol. Perhaps Eru liked classical a-capella choir music, but Melkor decided that he was into black-leather outfits and metal and hi-amp electric guitars. That would give new meaning to his new name -- He wanted more Goth, and less classical.

I look forward to the feedback which my theories will inevitably provoke.