Myths Transformed

Morgoth's Ring

Part One: Ainulindalë Part Two: The Annals of Aman Part Three: The Later Quenta Silmarillion The First Phase Of the Valar Of Valinor and the Two Trees Of the Coming of the Elves Of Thingol and Melian Of Eldanor and the Princes of the Eldalië Of the Silmarils and the Darkening of Valinor Of the Flight of the Noldor Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor The Second Phase The Valaquenta The Earliest Version of the Story of Finwë and Míriel Laws and Customs among the Eldar Later versions of the Story of Finwë and Míriel Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor Of the Darkening of Valinor Of the Rape of the Silmarils Of the Thieves' Quarrel Part Four: Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth Tale of Adanel Part Five: Myths Transformed

Myths Transformed is the fifth and the last chapter of Morgoth's Ring. It gives a glimpse of radical changes J.R.R. Tolkien conceived regarding the legendarium. It describes the complete change in the vision of the cosmology of Eä, with the Round World version of the Silmarillion being a prime example. In addition, the section deals with the problem of the origins of the Orcs. The texts are, according to Christopher Tolkien, written in mid and late 1950's.

Introduction

Tolkien had come to have considerable doubts about the "Flat World" he had developed earlier, on which the basis of The Silmarillion, published posthumously, had drawn its source. He considered it "primitive" and unfitting that a myth written in the second millennium would have such a foundation. He then began The Silmarillion with this in mind, but he never finished this version.

The Significance of the Two Trees

Arien as depicted by Lady Elleth.

When Ilúvatar created Eä (the universe), various Ainur governed different parts of it. He gave Varda a gift of "Primeval Light", which Varda set in the Sun, the heart and the holiest place in Arda (which here means the entire Solar System), and gave the Sun to Arien to protect and to guide.

However, after the war with the other Valar, Melkor desired the Light that was placed in the Sun. He offered to make Arien his spouse and to share this gift with him, but she refused. After Arien's refusal, Melkor ravished her, and some say that her spirit left Eä altogether and the Light that Ilúvatar set in the Sun was no more.

After Melkor ravished Arien, he was scorched and black. As he desired light before, he now desired only darkness, and the light hurt him.

This was not the end of the malice of Melkor, for he came in secret to the North of the Ambar (Earth). In the defiance of Melkor, who now only came forth at night and in the bitter-most north, and would soon turn the night into his own domain and cover it with fear, the Valar made the Moon to brighten the world that was slowly falling to Melkor's darkness.

Before or after Melkor had ravished Arien, the Valar somehow managed to capture some of that Primeval, "untainted", Light into the form of the Two Trees.

Awakening of Elves and Men

The Eldar worshiped Varda above all the other Valar. However, Varda did not kindle the stars, and her power was limited to Arda alone.

Though the World was always sunlit, Melkor somehow darkened the Earth, cutting off all vision of the sky. Manwë summoned winds to blow away the occluding clouds that Melkor wrought. Precisely at that moment, when the stars were again visible, the Elder Children of Ilúvatar awoke. Thus, they were known as the "People of the Stars."

The Awakening of Men occurred somewhere between Y.T. 1050 and Y.T. 1100 (considering the fact that Melkor managed to corrupt the hearts of Men before he was besieged in Utumno).

Valian Years

The Awakening of the Elves by David Greset.

One Valian Year was equal to 144 solar years, and the Ainur and the Elves had similar life "cycles". In other words, their passage of time was different from that of Men. That was also one of the reasons why the Elvish long year (yén) was equivalent to the Valian Year, as Ilúvatar arranged this symbiosis between the two "immortal" kindred.

Problems arose when calculating years. For example, the Flight of the Noldor, which took about five Valian Years, would equate to approximately 700 years according to the long count, from the murder of Finwë to the coming of Fingolfin to Beleriand. Time passed "slowly" in Aman, so that the passage of one Valian Year to an Elf in Aman would seem like one solar year for a mortal. This is also factored into the reasoning of the Ban of the Valar, which sought to discourage the Númenóreans from the temptation of sailing to the "Immortal" Lands.

The Chaining of Melkor

The Captivity of Morgoth by Jacek Kopalski.

The Battle of the Powers was a desperate attempt to divert the forces of Melkor from the March of the Eldar. In the beginning, Melkor was second only to Ilúvatar in might and potency, and was of such power that even all of the Valar combined could not hope to match him. The Valar expected (along with the lesser spirits that he corrupted) an almost unbeatable foe, and at best a delaying action for the sake of the Quendi.

By attacking Melkor's armies piecemeal and dividing his servants, the Valar believed that they could reach Melkor directly and combat him together. When the host of the Valar and the Maiar marched to Utumno, they were surprised to see Melkor was no longer impervious to personal contact and, separated from his agents, the Valar found they could now match his power together. Manwë himself could barely recognize his brother, as Melkor had fallen so low due to having scatterd of most of his essence into the matter of Arda, the formation of his creatures, and the corruption of other spirits. Due to this scattering of his essence, Melkor became bound to the very world he was trying to conquer, and was susceptible to physical hurt and imprisonment. Melkor, too, was shocked, seeing himself as now personally weaker than his brother and no longer able to daunt him with but a gaze.

Melkor did not fight Tulkas, nor Manwë, nor the other Valar, and willingly surrendered. For a very brief moment, Melkor considered repenting from his ways, but his hatred of the Valar was greater, and he devised to bring ruin to them in secret. And so it happened that Melkor fell to his knees and feigned repentance and a desire to go to Valinor along with the host that had attacked him. Melkor thought that he could find vengeance against those that had humiliated him by claiming to serve them in penance while corrupting Valinor from within, and made a cruel mockery of their mercy.

Though he was taken to Valinor and was not chained (although Tulkas clinked the Angainor behind his back all the way to Aman), he was still judged and imprisoned in the Halls of Mandos for three ages, which was not in accordance with his plan. Ages later, at the end of the War of Wrath in F.A. 590, he was beheaded and thrust into the Void, and his impotent spirit fled outside the Time and Space.

Of the Origin of the Orcs

Early Orcs by Turner Mohan.

The evolution of the origin of the Orcs is complicated and Tolkien, apparently, did not settle his mind on their nature.

In The Silmarillion and one of the writings in the text it is said that they were bred from the captured Elves, and by slow arts of cruelty became what they are now.

In some later writings, the Orcs are said to be mere puppets of their Lords, namely Morgoth and Sauron, with the addition of some Orc-shaped Maiar (Boldog being an example of such a being).

Nonetheless, in his final writings, Tolkien speculated that the Orcs surely must come from Men, seeing as their fëar are weaker and less in control of their bodies than those of the Elves.

In addition, Tolkien also pondered that the Orcs are a mixture of both the Elves and the Men, and that some Men after the "creation" of the Orcs were interbred with them. This also seems to be a very late text, considering he used the spelling "Orks" instead, which he adopted in about 1969.

Contents

• Introduction
• Text I
• Text II (including an abandoned narrative on the creation of the World and the war with Melkor)
• Text III
• Text IV
• Text V
• Text VI (including an essay titled "Melkor Morgoth")
• Text VII (including three essays)
• Text VIII (including an essay titled "Orcs")
• Text IX
• Text X (including another essay titled "Orcs"
• Text XI (including two essays titled "Aman" and "Aman and Mortal Men")

Notes

There are allusions to the world being round from the beginning in the Volume IX of The History of Middle-earth.

While certain essays, such as Melkor Morgoth, were given dates of the early to mid 1950s, Christopher speculated these essays were likely finalized at the end of the decade.