Substituted Science

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Hot, crispy nice hobbit

I believe that Balrogs have no wings, only wing-like fins for swimming.

Challenge that.

At the risk of turning this into another Balrog Wing Debate... why would a create of shadow and flame be equipped for swimming?





Anyway, to the more pertinent topic, I agree with Alatar that consistency is key to the idea that Tolkien writes as a product of the scientific era. True randomness does not occur in Middle-Earth, and as a particular note of this, I recommend Tolkien's later philological ponderings over the origins of names that had remained static while his concept of the the Elven tongues had shifted dramatically. Tolkien was quite keen to make names like "Glorfindel, Turgon, and Elros"--names with decades long history for him, fit with the post-LotR form and roots of the Elven tongues that had changed considerably. This same attention to detail is what gives the LotR its rich character of historical detail, and is also the source of the sense of overwhelming nerdiness that some people get from Tolkien fans.