The Treason of Isengard: Eru's Plan?

[davem]

Originally Posted by Gurthang

Yet you could make a case that Saruman's treachery was also part of the plan, and only 'made things more beautiful'. If he had not pushed against Theoden, then perhaps Rohan never would have come to Gondor's aid. So, indirectly, Saruman caused the winning of the battle before Minas Tirith, and incidently the victory over Sauron. But maybe that's stretching it.

All we know is that all but Men are bound by the Music - ie, the Noldor were destined to play a part in Middle-earth, so they would have returned there in some way....but they didn't have to return in the way, & for the specific reasons they did, so even they had some degree of free will. Feanor could have, for instance, allowed the Silmarils to be broken to heal the trees (which may not have worked - Yavanna only believes that she could have saved the Trees), & the Valar could have decided to send a force there earlier to confront Morgoth. So, the Noldor would have ended up playing the part they did play but in some other way. Feanor may have been destined all along to die as he did, in Middle-earth, but his freedom lay in the fact that he could choose the road he took to get to his death there. Saruman, as Gurthang points out, did ultimately enable the Rohirrim to come to the aid of Minas Tirith & thereby actually did what he was sent to do despite all his efforts to the contrary. Saruman may have been destined to die as he did in the Shire, but he could have fallen defending Frodo against Wormtongue. At that point he would have returned into the West.

This allows free will even to those bound by the Music - they can make their choices & face the consequences of their choices while still remaining within the confines set by the Music. Their ultimate destiny is to act out the Music but their freedom is in the way they live it out & what happens to them as individuals as a result of what they do.

The way I see it is that there are certain 'points' in time & space where certain things will happen, but those bound by the Music can choose how & why they will get there.

Of course, this brings in the problem of the freedom of Men to act beyond the Music. If Men can choose to do things which aren't foreordained by the Music then they will create situations which conflict with what the Elves & Valar/Maiar are programmed to do. This would cause problems for those who have to live in accord with the Music - if Men use their freedom to make changes, that may make it difficult, if not impossible for the Elves to do what they are 'driven' to do.

Perhaps this explains, 1, why they increasingly withdrew from the world - Men were changing it so much that it became impossible for the Elves to live out their destinies, & 2, why the Valar also palyed a less & less prominent role in the world.

From this point of view, & as Eru must have realised, the Elves had to be given a place apart. Which would mean that the Elves were always intended to leave Middle-earth, & that this was set out in the Music (hence their innate desire to go into the West) - not so much because of any specific purpose, but rather because, having given Men such freedom of action, Eru realised that they had to be gotten out of the way for their own good & peace of mind. They played their part as they were destined to do - in whatever way they chose to - & at a certain point they would be taken away in order that they would not become a 'stumbling block' to the freedom of Men.