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Magic by Melkor, No Returns AcceptedWhy gold? I've had that question put to me a few times now. Where on Earth did I get the idea that dragons might draw power from gold, or, more specifically, that there was something special about gold when it came to magic?Well, I neglected to mention one crucial paragraph when I was citing Tolkien's essay (which, by the way, Christopher Tolkien called "Notes on motives in the Silmarillion" -- the Morgoth-element paragraphs were lifted from near the end of section ii).When last we referred to Tolkien's view on how the magic worked for Sauron,...

A Tolkien Virgin: Of the Flight of the Noldorby Mark-Edmond The Journey ContinuesHere we go. Tolkien really does a brilliant job in this chapter. Evil knows not its own face. It's incredible the turns the story takes at this point. That Feanor would be so utterly blind to his own folly and evil deeds because of his hate for Melkor is immensely affecting. In my heart I'm pleading, "don't do it Feanor, don't do it! Can't you see you're becoming the thing you hate most!" At first, Feanor broke my heart, but as his deeds became progressively more evil, I...

A Tolkien Virgin: Of Feanor and the Unchaining of Melkorby Mark-Edmond The Journey ContinuesFeanor seems almost supernatural. Something is going to go down. It's going to be nasty. And Feanor is going to have his hand in it. That much is clear. But, is it just me, or is he supernatural? He's special. But the way his mother withers away and dies (as much as that is possible for an elf) after his birth, he would almost seem even greater (not in the "good" sense of great). We don't know why (his birth alone?), but we can tell he's an...

A Tolkien Virgin: Of The Coming of Elves and the Captivity of Melkorby Mark-Edmond The Journey ContinuesThe thing that first struck me about this section is the creation of the Orcs. Tolkien has done something brilliant here. He established with Aule that none of the Ainor or Valar could create beings--things that exist apart from their creator. Illuvatar alone can truly create beings. So in order for Melkor to have a race of followers, he takes elves and breeds them into hideous creatures--the Orcs. For the Orcs to be descended from Elves is really a fascinating concept. If Tokien is...