Valar / Greek and Roman gods - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Morthoron · 08-28-2008, 10:18 AM

Pffft! Nonsense! Who wouldn't rather party with Dionysus than Nienna? All that weeping and carrying on. And Tulkas? No thanks, bud, no wrestling for me today. I have no interest being in the grip of a big sweaty Vala.

Seriously though, it must be stated that the Greek pantheon were, in fact, gods, and the Valar were not, but rather emissaries of Eru, the one god; therefore, their capacities and limitations were completely different, even if they shared many of the same natural attributes/affinities. It is a compliment to Tolkien, however, that his synthesis of biblical and classical creation stories produced a genesis far more poetic in its grandeur than the material he based it on. In this case, the end product is greater than the sum of its parts.

08-28-2008, 10:18 AM	#6
Morthoron Curmudgeonly Wordwraith Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ensconced in curmudgeonly pursuits Posts: 2,515	Pffft! Nonsense! Who wouldn't rather party with Dionysus than Nienna? All that weeping and carrying on. And Tulkas? No thanks, bud, no wrestling for me today. I have no interest being in the grip of a big sweaty Vala. Seriously though, it must be stated that the Greek pantheon were, in fact, gods, and the Valar were not, but rather emissaries of Eru, the one god; therefore, their capacities and limitations were completely different, even if they shared many of the same natural attributes/affinities. It is a compliment to Tolkien, however, that his synthesis of biblical and classical creation stories produced a genesis far more poetic in its grandeur than the material he based it on. In this case, the end product is greater than the sum of its parts. __________________ And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision.