Tolkien Canon

When two Tolkien references differ in details, which details do you choose to portray?

Specifically, I adore the detailed and imaginative descriptions that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in "The Book of Lost Tales".  They often amplify but sometimes differ in detail from his better-known "The Silmarillion".  Both books (and many others) were edited by Christopher Tolkien and published posthumously.  Both carry about the same authority because they're largely JRRT's own writing, but he didn't finalize either one of them.  Thus, neither is quite "canon Tolkien". 

 "Canon" (from the Greek kanon "rule") is defined

1. a general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which something is judged.

2.

 a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine

     3. the works of a particular author or artist that are recognized as genuine.

The two works JRRT published in his own life-time are recognized as canon:  The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  While reenacting some events of "THE WAR FOR THE SAKE OF THE ELVES" told in both Sil and BOLT but not TH or LOTR, we must guess what would JRRT have written, had he written it out in full.

Happily, we have an example of that:  The last two pages of the 365 page-long Silmarillion collection tell all of Hobbit and LOTR.  Comparing the Silmarillion version and a canon version of the same story gives us what JRRT left out of "The Silmarillion":  Hobbiton, Sam's name,  Merry and Pippin,  all the families from Boffinses to Proudfoots, and that's just the first chapter.   Bilbo's name didn't make it to Silmarillion, even though he's the main character in the already-published The Hobbit,  and illustrates other differing details:  In Hobbit, Bilbo is fleeing goblins when he finds the One Ring; in Silmarillion, he's "a wanderer fleeing orcs"  These omissions and discrepancies are understandable: the Silmarillion is not a complete novel, but an outline of potential stories.  So "it's not in Silmarillion" is a bad reason to exclude people, places, and things that JRRT wrote about elsewhere. 

Discrepancies

In real life, factual accounts vary from witness to witness.  Ancient history is filled with guesses.   Modern history and news omit much.   It might be impossible to ever find the real "truth" of some real events, and even more impossible for fictional ones.  Like all authors, JRRT changed his mind about details.  He admitted sometimes that he forgot things then wrote something else in a later draft.
 

There are in-character reasons for discrepancies. The Silmarillion's lack of detail might be because the elves knew none of the details of the war for the sake of the elves.   They could not write about it unless the Valar had told them about it.  In BOLT,  a tourist hears the story from an ancient elf-princess who admits that even many elves do not know this history.  The ainu who might tell the elves what happened would differ in their tales, and not just because eye-witnesses accounts differ:  Aulë hides the truth when it suits him, Lorien distorts facts for fun, and Vairë says little but weaves pretty pictures.  The elves (and we) might never get the whole, consistent truth from them.

When bringing in non-canon elements that conflict or contradict, which do you choose to portray? Ultimately, "what is canon", like "WHAT IS TRUE"  seems to be an artistic question without an ultimate answer.   If you're exploring  literature, why choose at all?   Explore the ideas and versions and compare them. You'll enjoy the process and learn some things on the way.

Training Elves (Players)

What I'd considered to be "a few classes and seminars here and there" in Tirion regions of Second life, dedicated player and video archivist Fëafelmë shows to be an extensive, perhaps even definitive, curriculum in this video in her series titled



Tirion Bedtime Stories Part 11: "Training & Education" 

Here and Now in Tirion Elfhome

Here is a revision of the poem from "What Time Is It" describing "Here and Now" as being played in Second Life's "Tirion" region.  There's some praise of it, so I left it where it was, but after some welcome criticism, have revisited it.

 ye Guides of Tirion, learn and share it,
As you will, four quatrains and a couplet.

---------------------------------------

Bilbo and Frodo of far Bag-End
Will come to write beloved stories someday
One hundred hundred years from now, then wend
Here, over half the great round world away.

Gandalf, Sauron and Saruman find aims
As glad, young, idealistic wizards who
Learn power under fair but different names.
Galadriel's parents begin  to woo.





Now, Human-kind has yet to wake or be,
As Elves are in the flower of their age.
Dwarves and Ents are waking and made free,
While evil's types are scattered or in cage.

 


Nor Sun nor Moon have not been made, nor rose
O'er this flat world beneath her star-filled skies.
From Two Trees, gold and silver light now glows
O'er this calm world.  In peace, warm twilight lies.

This be where ye be in time and space.
Welcome, elves, to this first homely place.


------------------------------------------

Magic

In early versions of the legendarium, (the Book of Lost Tales, specifically) Aulë's house, situated in the outskirts of Valmar near its bordering open vale, contains a great court, "filled with magic webs woven of the light of Laurelin and the sheen of Silpion and the glint of stars"; still other webs were woven of gold, silver, iron, and bronze. Here also, per The Shilmarillion, Aulë laboured long while making "many beautiful and shapely works both openly and in secret", creating both the tools and the lore of the craftsmen.

This suggests a level of magic and craftsmanship not seen elsewhere in Tolkien's world.  Aule and his people likely have constructive and magical abilities surpassing Suaron, Gandalf, balrogs, the peoples of Rivendell, and even (the oft overlooked) Tom Bombadil.

To that end, I made a few effects for myself. More importantly, though I borrow and use others' work.  Here are credits to creators who helped shape Aule's magic in SL:

Mystical Cookie's Mystitool HUD:  

 

I first got this tool-rich device as a SL Mentor-only gift, and to date, I've still found nothing quite like it.  One can purchase the full version cheaply, but the basic HUD is a freebie 

Abranimations Couples HUD

 While I don't use the item pictured with 77 animations, ask me, and I can share the freebie version with 16 poses that isn't for sale, only by transfer.  I've emulated the scripts in this for all sort of other things, too.

Jopsy Pendragon's Particle Lab

While not a HUD or device I wear, most of my own created effects owe a nod to this excellent free full perm script- and tutorial-packed  sim.  If you go to Teal Sim (it's been there forever, and still evolves), do tip.

 

 

Aaron Cerveau's SpellFire 1.8

Aaron's since gone on to version 2, 3 and Azora and Omega meters with similar goals and usage.  It's a good system and a gold standard in SL combat systems.

 

Blackdog Ashbourne's "Empower Magic" 

You could spend months just seeing what's in the spendy Empower Magick HUD.   It's infinitely modifiable with great service, free updates for life, and a helpful community.  Here is an interview with BDA about a new RP HUD he's developing.  

Torley Linden's VidTuts

This enthusiastic fellow invented SL Vidtuts, creating items on nearly any subject you can name in SL. While now growing outdated, Torley's Video Tutorials still teach basic usage and creative techniques like no other.

 Thank you, each.

 

What Time Is It?

Short Answer:

In Second Life's "Tirion" Sim  for JRR Tolkien role playing, "today" is about 9600 years before the events in "The Lord of the Rings", or January 19, 12753 BC, fourteen thousand, seven hundred and sixty-six years from the date of this blog, more or less.

Long Answer:

We are role-playing the first seven chapters of the Silmarillion here in Tirion Sim. We feature the Noldor Elves in "Age the Two Trees". A time line of the events relates events recently passed and coming soon is here: http://aulethesmith.blogspot.com/2010/10/noldor-in-aman-timeline.html We can call 2013 AD representing 1241 Year of The Trees, since our lovely Anairë and stalwart Fingolfin wed in 2012, making our most recent key event, since Anairë has no children yet:
1240 Fingolfin weds Anairë.

To describe "Now"... ((And learn this, ye Guides of Tirion!))

Humanity is still just a dream
As Elves are in the flower of their age.
Dwarves and Ents are waking to their fates
But Evils are scattered or in cage.

The Sun and Moon have never yet been.
The world is flat here under star-filled skies
Gold and silver shining of Two Trees
Give oe'r the peaceful world, warm twilight lies.

Gandalf, Sauron and Saruman are
Glad, young and idealistic wizards who
Study under fair but different names.
Galadriel's parents have yet to woo.

Bilbo and Frodo of far Bag-End
Will live and write beloved stories someday
In perhaps a hundred hundred years
And over a half a great round world away.

This is where you are in time and space
Welcome, elves, to this first homely place

FROM LORD OF THE RINGS TO HERE

I wrote "a hundred hundred" when it's actually 9635 years for poetic licence. It's still doing math with timelines to relate ourselves to the Tolkien stories that almost everyone knows in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#3018
All the events in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (four movies worth), beginning to end,  take20 years and 14 days. The first event in Fellowship of the Ring is a birthday party when Bilbo turns 111 and departs his party in the Shire for Rivendell on Sept 22, 3001. The last event is Samwise returning to the Shire after seeing the boats depart from Gray Haves to Tirion on October 6 3021.  If you wish to include the Hobbit, you can find the dates and times on the same timeline:
September 22, 2890 TA, meaning Third Age - Bilbo Baggins is born.

Note that TA, THIRD AGE, implies a First and Second age, so here we going backward in time now on the same page, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Third_Age
Several epic event events happened in "Second Age 3441" that were so significant and defining of the age that the year became a new "zero":

Elendil and Gil-galad face Sauron in hand to hand combat, but they themselves perish; Isildur takes the shards of his father's sword Narsil and cuts the One Ring from Sauron's finger. Sauron's physical form is destroyed and the Barad-Dûr is razed to the ground. In the aftermath of the War, many Elves of Gil-galad's following depart to Valinor: end of the Noldorin realms in Middle-earth.

The cutting of Sauron's ring was a stunning sequence used three times in the Jackson movies. Note this tiny line: END OF NOLDORIN REALMS OF MIDDLE EARTH. Most Noldor return to Tirion at that time, both those that had left Aman to help overthrow Sauron and those who had left Aman earlier in shame who had died or atoned.  Only a few Noldor remained in Middle Earth, notably Galadriel and her clan.

What signaled the change from the FIRST AGE (FA) and beginning of the SECOND AGE (SA) is again the a defeat of a major baddie and elves major motions in the world, per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Second_Age
Year FA 590 we find find Morgoth is cast into the Void; the Elves are summoned to Valinor and settle in Tol Eressëa; a small part of the Noldor and Sindar remain in Middle Earth Lindon or depart east and establish realms.

The FIRST AGE is CONFUSING

If you are a human, bad at math or history or both, fall asleep for a moment because SEVERAL entirely separate times can be called "First Age" in Tolkien.  Besides, humanity is not awake in most of these ages:

~First Ages where time is meaningless

• Before the Ainur were made.

• Before Eä (the universe) was made in the Ainulindalë

• Before Arda (the world) was made as the First Vision.
  

~First Valian Ages, where an Age is tens of thousands of years.

• The Valar enter and shape Arda.

• The Years of the Lamps.

~The Years of the Trees. , where an Age is a thousand years

• The first Era of the Two Trees, and the beginning of the count of Time.
• The second Era of the Two Trees,
  • The Age of the Stars, when the Elves awoke,
  • also, the first age of the captivity of Melkor.
  • The second age of the captivity of Melkor.
  • The third age of the captivity of Melkor. (YOU ARE HERE!)
  • The age in which Melkor lived in Valinor.
    

~ First Age of Years of the Sun, where an Age varies by history

• The First Age. 450 Years of the Trees + 583 Years of the Sun.

Note that this last "First Age" is the one almost always called "First Age", containing our existence here in Tirion AND the creation of the Silmarils AND  the end of the Two Trees AND the first Elven battles AND the Flight of the Noldor AND the first rising of the Sun and Moon AND the Awakening of Humanity AND a major change in the way time is reckoned.  More on that last in a moment.

Finally, non-First Ages in any Tolkien Reckoning:

• The Second Age. 3441 Years of the Sun.
• The Third Age. 3021 Years of the Sun.
• The Fourth Age. Not specified, but likely another 3000 years.
  

Here are references for that information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ages_of_Middle-earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#First_Age http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Years_of_the_Sun_in_the_First_Age

Now, wake up, humans! It gets easier.

SUN RISE!

Aulë thinks of the sun rising as a major event in time. From the first rising of the sun and the first Awakening of Humanity, it's 583 sun years to the Second Age, 3441 more years to the Third age, and another 3001 to LOTR, making it 7025 years of sunrises til the sun rises over Bilbo's Birthday party.


Now, backwards to now before the sun or moon ever rose, Quoting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valian_Years#Valian_Years

In the 1930s and 40s Tolkien used a figure which fluctuated slightly around ten before settling on 9.582 solar years in each Valian year. However, in the 1950s Tolkien decided to use a much greater value of 144 solar years per Valian year, and included this figure in The Lord of the Rings appendices as the length of the elven year (the yen).  Tolkien described time as having flowed more slowly in Aman, such that a Valian year there would 'feel' like the passage of a single solar year in Middle-earth despite being much longer.

Since a year in these ages before the sun rose was somewhere between nine and one-hundred-and-forty-four sun-years long, we can't compute our time precisely, but I like to use (as Anairë suggests) ONE Tree Year is TEN Sun years.

So, now it's 1241, Trees Time. Sun rise happened in 1500 in Trees Time. 1500 less 1241 makes 259 Tree Years before the Sun rises. 259 times 10 is 2590.  We'll ignore the plus or minus 9 sun years margin of error for now.  Add to 2590 the ages first and second, 583 and 3441, and 3021 TA more till Sam's home, and it' 9635 or about 9600 sun years from "Now" thru the Lord of  The Rings.

FROM "NOW" TO NOW

In an exceptionally thoughtful page http://3rings.webs.com/chronology, the author Ash Branch quotes JRR Tolkien writing around 1955:

“... I hope the, evidently long but undefined, gap(*) in time between the Fall of Barad-dûr and our Days is sufficient for 'literary credibility’, even for readers acquainted with what is known or surmised of 'pre-history’.

“I imagine the gap to be about 6000 years: that is we are now at the end of the Fifth Age, if the Ages were of about the same length as S.A. and T.A. But they have, I think, quickened; and I imagine we are actually at the end of the Sixth Age, or in the Seventh.”

and the following quote from "The History of the Lord of the Rings"

“The moons and suns are worked out according to what they were in this part of the world in 1942 actually... I mean I'm not a good enough mathematician or astronomer to work out where they might have been 7,000 or 8,000 years ago, but as long as they correspond to some real configuration I thought that was good enough.”

Then follows Ash Branch's mathematics, astronomy, calendar making, and reasoning, resulting in dates for the Ages of Middle-Earth, and (thank you for permission to quote, Ash):

"the first uprising of the sun occurred on 25 March, 10,160 BC"

Going backwards from that first sun-rise, recall our 2590 years, give or take 9 years. Add 10,160 and 2,590 to get 12750 BC. Since today is Jan 19, 2013, take today's date and the "3" from the current year as our error factor because we can't compute any closer.  So, now in Tirion RP sim, "now" is

January 19, 12753 BC.  That is 14,766 years ago.

At 11:20 PM. Good night.

Aulë and the Dwarves

In a blog post titled "The Real First Born", Lord of the Rings Online dwarf role player Haakon Stormbrow writes:


Although the Dwarves have long since ignored the whole argument, Elves being better record keepers and slippery opponents in any debate, they have long held themselves to be the older race. Elves love nothing more than to glory in the title of the Elder Race, Firstborn, etc. They lord it over the other races like a spoiled Kindergartener, and their self declarations hold as much authority.  Let us now examine the record. We shall even deign to use the Elvish record of events from the Silmarillion to prove their own argument in error.

It is told that in their beginning the Dwarves were made by Aulë in the darkness of Middle-earth; for so greatly did Aulë desire the coming of the Children, to have learners to whom he could teach his lore and his crafts, that he was unwilling to await the fulfillment of the designs of Ilúvatar. And Aulë made the Dwarves even as they still are, because the forms of the Children who were to come were unclear to his mind, and because the power of Melkor was yet over the Earth; and he wished therefore that they should be strong and unyielding. But fearing that the other Valar might blame his work, he wrought in secret: and he made first the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves in a hall under the mountains in Middle-earth.
Now Ilúvatar knew what was done, and in the very hour that Aulë’s work was complete, and he was pleased, and began to instruct the Dwarves in the speech that he had devised for them, Ilúvatar spoke to him; and Aulë heard his voice and was silent. And the voice of Ilúvatar said to him: ‘Why hast thou done this? Why dost thou attempt a thing which thou knowest is beyond thy power and thy authority? For thou hast from me as a gift thy own bring only, and no more; and therefore the creatures of thy hand and mind can live only by that being, moving when thou thinkest to move them, and if thy thought be elsewhere, standing idle. Is that thy desire?’
Then Aulë answered: ‘I did not desire such lordship. I desired things other than I am, to love and to teach them, so that they too might perceive the beauty of Eä, which thou hast caused to be. For it seemed to me that there is great room in Arda for many things that might rejoice in it, yet it is for the most part empty still, and dumb. And in my impatience I have fallen into folly. Yet the making of thing is in my heart from my own making by thee; and the child of little understanding that makes a play of the deeds of his father may do so without thought of mockery, but because he is the son of his father. But what shall I do now, so that thou be not angry with me for ever? As a child to his father, I offer to thee these things, the work of the hands which thou hast made. Do with them what thou wilt. But should I not rather destroy the work of my presumption?’

Then Aulë took up a great hammer to smite the Dwarves; and he wept. But Ilúvatar had compassion upon Aulë and his desire, because of his humility; and the Dwarves shrank from the hammer and wore afraid, and they bowed down their heads and begged for mercy. And the voice of Ilúvatar said to Aulë: ‘Thy offer I accepted even as it was made. Dost thou not see that these things have now a life of their own, and speak with their own voices? Else they would not have flinched from thy blow, nor from any command of thy will.’ Then Aulë cast down his hammer and was glad, and he gave thanks to Ilúvatar, saying: ‘May Eru bless my work and amend it!’
But Ilúvatar spoke again and said: ‘Even as I gave being to the thoughts of the Ainur at the beginning of the World, so now I have taken up thy desire and given to it a place therein; but in no other way will I amend thy handiwork, and as thou hast made it, so shall it be. But I will not suffer this: that these should come before the Firstborn of my design, nor that thy impatience should be rewarded. They shall sleep now in the darkness under stone, and shall not come forth until the Firstborn have awakened upon Earth; and until that time thou and they shall wait, though long it seem. But when the time comes I will awaken them, and they shall be to thee as children; and often strife shall arise between thine and mine, the children of my adoption and the children of my choice.’ Then Aulë took the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, and laid them to rest in far-sundered places; and he returned to Valinor, and waited while the long years lengthened.

-The Silmarillion
(Illustrations above by Ted Nasmith)


Now, in the simplest terms, to come first would mean to be created and sentient first. It is possible that the Elves were created first and were lying dormant somewhere in Middle-Earth even during the time of the interlude described above. However, it is clear that the dwarves were actually awake and sentient at this time, if only for a few minutes. Unfortunately, you, I, or even Eru can’t undo what was done. The dwarves were awake first, so, it becomes apparent that the Dwarves were, in fact, the firstborn race.
But, the Elves are indeed a noble race, blessed with unending life, and grace and charm above all others. Do not be disheartened just because you are not the oldest race on Arda.

To Haakon's mildly edited post above I'll add this photo, made in Second Life today,

The Firstborn of the Firstborn

and two remarks:

~ While clearly first created, no dwarves were BORN before any elves were born.  The very "first born" would not be Durin, but some anonymous elf at Cuivienen.  Elves can legitimately claim the title "firstborn". 
~ Aulë still feels some embarrassment over his folly in that event, but none at all over the outcome.

The Game of Bumps

Children's games often train skills of coordination and speed. This is "tag", re-invented for Second Life as a simple and fun way to master control of your avatar in active areas.

BUMPS

The Basic Rule: When "it" bumps you, you have to bump someone else, then say you did so in chat to make someone the new "it"

Object: to avoid being bumped by and therefore becoming "it". As "it", to accept the role in chat and then bump another and announce who the new "it" is in chat.

Equipment: any area roughly 40m across. It need not be utterly clear of obstacles nor fully delineated.

Players: any number greater than two.

Preparation

The group chooses a player to be the first "it". Traditionally, this role belongs to the player who suggests the game or whoever was "it" at the end of the last game.

The players choose an ending time of the game. All players are prohibited flying in the game.

Suggested: Each player opens the "Bumps, pushes & hits" window in the "help" menu, so one can see who made contact with oneself, or wears a script that tells when such things happen.

Optional: Each player can activate a radar or a map, either thru a viewer or a HUD (like Mystitool), so one might see who is close and who is not.

Playing Bumps

~ "It" chats a sentence saying "I am it".
~ "It" attempts to physically bump another player by avatar.
~ Other players move inside the playing area to avoid "it".

~ When "it" actually bumps another, their hit windows will confirm it.
~ "It" must chat, by any sentence he chooses, the name of who he bumped within hearing (20m) of the one he bumped.
~ Others and "it" may move and repeat that that idea until:

~ The one bumped acknowledges "it" in chat.
~ He or she becomes the new "it" and play continues as above.

Ending the game.

Anyone may, but the person who suggested the game must announce in chat "5 minutes left", "one minute left", "ten seconds left" and "Good Game."
The last "it" loses the game, but that hardly matters, does it? Now enjoy sharing what happened.

Irregularities:

"It" crashing appears to others as "it" disappearing, or going motionless. When this happens, or "it" must leave for a while, the others should gather in the center of the playing area and choose a new "it". Traditionally, "it" is assigned to the one who bumped the crashed "it" or the first "it".

Being "Out of Bounds" incurs no penalty because it isn't much fun. One should simply return to the playing area directly when discovered out of bounds. One can still bump or be bumped while out of bounds.

One can quit the game by going out of bounds and stating "not playing" as often as needed, but it is bad manners to re-enter the game after quitting.

When flying is noticed, the one flying should immediately return straight to the ground with "page down" only. If "it" is under the descending flyer, the bump counts and may be called. If "it" is the flyer, no bumps need be acknowledged until "it" lands and spends 10 seconds motionless.

Missing chat: One may, if bumped, accept "it" before the old "it" announces one was bumped, but it's better to remind the old "it" he or she needs to announce who was bumped. Handle someone not replying to a chatted bump after several chats as "it" crashing.

Players joining mid-game can learn the basic rule as they play if others guide them thus: When "it" bumps you, you have to bump someone else, then say you did so in chat to make them the new "it".

Strategies,
with links to more complete player guides:

The real object of the game is to improve the players ability to move, chat, and view the world screen in rapid succession. In more detail:

To move, use the keyboard arrows (or ASDF if your chat is closed) alone or in combination with shift and/or your mouse. To activate running, use Menu/World/Always Run, or Ctrl-R toggle.

Views include the default view where you see your avatars back, mouse-look where you see thru the avatars eyes, and custom focus views. Try using mouse-look (activated by mouse-scrolling your view into your avatar's head or pressing M with chat closed) and regular view (activated by escape key or M in mouse-look) and Custom focus. Each one of these might be preferable to you at different times, and each allows different custom options.

Chatting begins in mouse-look with the Enter key, then type your chat and press Enter again to send. If out of mouse-look, click your chat window, then type your chat and press Enter to send. If you can see another player's name-box floating over their head, they can hear you in regular chat. If the name-box has dimmed to invisibility, they are out of normal chat range, and you must move close to them or send a "shout" (using control-Enter). One can repeat the last thing said with control-up (ctrl-↑) then pressing Enter.

Game Variations:

~Voice can make an easier game if all have voice on and use it instead of chatting who bumped whom and who is it.

~Automating bumps would make an easier game if each player wears a scripted object that says bumps in chat, so "it" need not chat the bump. The new "it" must still chat that they are "it" unless all wear a script that keeps track of "it" by chat, float text and/or particle emission.

~RSVP: whenever anyone chats your name (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) in your hearing, by itself or in a sentence, you must immediately chat a reply. This will leave you unable to move until you have completed your chat, and vulnerable to bumps.

~No tag backs, where "it" may not bump the person who bumped him or her, works best in a group larger than five.

~No running creates a slower-paced game; shrink the playing area to 25x25.

~Flying, when allowed and encouraged, is best played in a thick 40x40x40 box.

~ Rezzing. For an advanced group, encourage players to rez barriers in the playing area. Owners of the items may move, delete or change their own barriers at any time, of course. Simplest to allow only creating and editing non-scripted, non-physical default prims during the game, but the group may choose to allow anything, including scripted or physical items to appear and disappear.

Have Fun

Fair warning: in many areas, bumping another avatar might be grounds for a complaint to the management. Don't play Bumps in busy, public areas where non-players may get you in trouble.

Aulë versus Noldor Elves

I've been asked: "Why, when one can role-play an Ainu like yourself, would one chose to play as a Noldor Elf?" The simple answer: even the Valar chose to do so.

As spirits, the Valar have no fixed physical form, although they could assume any form they chose, or cast aside their shape altogether and travel formless and invisible through Arda. By preference, though, they often took the shapes of the Children of Ilúvatar: Elves and then Men.

[The Valar] were filled moreover with the love of the beauty of the Elves and desired their fellowship. At the last, therefore, the Valar summoned the Quendi to Valinor, there to be gathered at the knees of the Powers in the light of the Trees for ever;

The Thought of Iluvatar cares for the Children of Iluvatar. But the Children do not understand this, even fearing the Caretakers.

But the Elves were at first unwilling to hearken to the summons, for they had as yet seen the Valar only in their wrath as they went to war, save Oromë alone; and they were filled with dread. Therefore Oromë was sent again to them, and he chose from among them ambassadors who should go to Valinor and speak for their people; and these were Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë, who afterwards were kings. And coming they were filled with awe by the glory and majesty of the Valar, and desired greatly the light and splendour of the Trees. Then Oromë brought them back to Cuiviénen, and they spoke before their people, and counselled them to heed the summons of the Valar and remove into the West

It is now that the elves divide, first into three tribes of Vanyar, Noldor and Teleri, but further into those from each tribe who are willing to take the Great March, and the Unwilling (Avari, in Quenya).

The smallest host and the first to set forth was ... The Vanyar; they are the Fair Elves, the beloved of Manwë and Varda, and few among Men have spoken with them.

Next came the Noldor, a name of wisdom, the people of Finwë. They are the Deep Elves, the friends of Aulë; and they are renowned in song, for they fought and laboured long and grievously in the northern lands of old.

My prior post lays some background Aulë's kinship with the Noldor.

Aulë it is who is named the Friend of the Noldor, for of him they learned much in after days, and they are the most skilled of the Elves; and in their own fashion, according to the gifts which Illúvatar gave to them, they added much to his teaching, delighting to tongues and in scripts, and in the figures of broidery, of drawing, and of carving. The Noldor also it was who first achieved the making of gems; and the fairest of an gems were the Silmarils, and they are lost.

JRRT elaborates further on their relationship.

the Noldor were beloved of Aulë, and he and his people came often among them. Great became their knowledge and their skill; yet even greater was their thirst for more knowledge, and in many things they soon surpassed their teachers. They were changeful in speech, for they had great love of words, and sought ever to find names more fit for all things that they knew or imagined. And it came to pass that the masons of the house of Finwë, quarrying in the hills after stone (for they delighted in the building of high towers), first discovered the earth-gems, and brought them forth in countless myriads; and they devised tools for the cutting and shaping of gems, and carved them in many forms. They hoarded them not, but gave them freely, and by their labour enriched all Valinor.

Compare to Aulë himself: the delight and pride is in the deed of making, not the owning, the giving not the hoarding. Here is how the Noldor shared when the last group of Elves arriving in the Noldor-built city of Tirion on completing the Great March to Valimar

last and latest [the Teleri Elves] came to Aman and the shores of Eldamar.

There they dwelt, and if they wished they could see the light of the Trees, and could tread the golden streets of Valmar and the crystal stairs of Tirion upon Túna , the green hill; but most of all they sailed in their swift ships on the waters of the Bay of Elvenhome, or walked in the waves upon the shore with their hair gleaming in the light beyond the hill. Many jewels the Noldor gave them, opals and diamonds and pale crystals, which they strewed upon the shores and scattered in the pools; marvellous were the beaches of Elendë in those days.

But the memory of Middle-earth under the stars remained in the hearts of the Noldor, and they abode in the Calacirya, and in the hills and valleys within sound of the western sea; and though many of them went often about the land of the Valar, making far journeys in search of the secrets of land and water and all living things, yet the peoples of Túna and Alqualondë drew together in those days.

Wanderlust is an important part of Elvish character, the Noldor more than any other. While the Vanyar were content to stay near the Valar, and the Teleri as often as not were content to stay where fate had already led them on the Great March, the Noldor were reputed explorers.

Fëanor [High Prince of the Noldor] and his sons abode seldom in one place for long, but travelled far and wide upon the confines of Valinor, going even to the borders of the Dark and the cold shores of the Outer Sea, seeking the unknown. Often they were guests in the halls of Aulë;

This urge is going to lead the Noldor back to Middle-Earth in time. Even there, their kinship with Aulë is manifest:

the Naugrim [Dwarves] gave their friendship more readily to the Noldor in after days than to any others of Elves and Men, because of their love and reverence for Aulë; and the gems of the Noldor they praised above all other wealth.

When many Noldor decided to depart Aman under Fëanor's leadership, not all went. Noldor passions ran high.

And of all the Noldor in Valinor, who were grown now to a great people, but one tithe refused to take the road: some for the love that they bore to the Valar (and to Aulë not least), some for the love of Tirion and the many things that they had made; none for fear of peril by the way.

The parting and how it occurred was a mortal blow to Aulë and the Noldor's relationship. We hear that Aulë never spoke of the Noldor again. The Noldor who left Aman did a similar thing to Aulë's name: the word in their Middle-Earth Sindarin language means not the inventive Ainu nor "invention" as it does in Quenya, but "shaggy."

In JRRT's literature, the Noldor go on to great things, even returning to Aman after the War of the Rings. But, after the chapter describing that first parting, Aulë appears very little: it is the Noldor that define Aulë, not the other way around.

Love, broken, is bitterest. 

Who wins? 

 Nobody.