Silmarillion - Ainulindale

[Aiwendil]

Lalwende - I knew I remembered some previous discussion on the topic of Bombadil and the Ainulindale. Thanks for the link!

Drigel wrote:

Given that science is now beginning to understand that a particle can also be a wave (quantum) at the same time, I find the author extremely intuitive, and far ahead of his time (and his dicipline).

I do find it interesting that some "primitive" notions about the universe turn out to resemble modern physical theories in some ways. Nonetheless, as a physics grad student, I must point out that quantum mechanics is not something one could simply "intuit" without knowledge about physics, and about certain particular experimental results at that.

However, both quantum mechanics and the big bang have been well-known since the 1920s-1930s. So it's certainly not impossible that Tolkien had some basic familiarity with them.

Raynor wrote:

I believe that the second theme reffers to the period starting from the actual begining of Ea up to the coming of the elves (~1050 valarian year) [or, maybe, up to the chaining of Melkor (1090 VY)]. During these period there occured the wars between the valar and Melkor, in which Manwe was, of course, the chief good guy.

I like this theory; it seems very sensible to me.