Morgoth's Ring

Read Morgoth's Ring for Free Online Page B

Book: Read Morgoth's Ring for Free Online
Authors: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
set amid the turmoils of the powers of the world, would stray often, and would not use their gift in harmony; and he said: 'These too, in their time, shall find that all they do redounds at the end only to the glory of my work.' Yet the Elves say that Men are often a grief even unto Manwë, who knows most of the mind of Ilúvatar. For Men resemble Melkor most of all the Ainur, and yet he hath ever feared and hated them, even those who served him.29 It is one with this gift of freedom that the children of Men dwell only a short space in the world alive, and yet are not bound to it, and depart whither we know not. Whereas the Eldar remain until the end of days, and their love of the world is deeper, therefore, and more sorrowful. But they die not, till the world dies, unless they are slain or waste in grief - for to both these seeming deaths they are subject - nor does age subdue their strength, unless one grow weary of ten thousand centuries; and dying they are gathered in the halls of Mandos in Valinor, whence often they return and are reborn in their children. But the sons of Men die indeed, and leave the World; wherefore they are called the Guests, or the Strangers. Death is their fate, the gift of Ilúvatar unto them, which as Time wears even the Powers shall envy. But Melkor hath cast his shadow upon it, and confounded it with darkness, and brought forth evil out of good, and fear out of hope. Yet it is said that they will join in the Second Music of the Ainur, whereas Ilúvatar has not revealed what he MORGOTH`S RING - AINULINDALË - Version C - 22

    purposes for Elves and Valar after the World's end; and Melkor has not discovered it.

    NOTES
    1 It was not until after the publication of Sauron Defeated that I remembered the existence of this reference to The Drowning of Anadûnê as 'a "Man's" version of the Fall of Númenor told from men's point of view', and the description of it as
    'Round World': see IX.394-5, 406.
    2 The first page of the third version of The fall of Númenor (IX.331) is headed 'The Last Tales', and the tale itself numbered `1`.
    3 I have referred to this list before, in V.294 and 338. In the latter passage I took the
    'revision' to be that of the Quenta Silmarillion ; but since not all the names in the list occur in it the reference may be more general.
    4 Pengoloð : i.e. not Pengolod . See note 15.
    5 Melkor : i.e. not Melko ; see V.338.
    6 The names Helkar and Ringil were struck through at the time of writing; this was a shorthand, meaning ' Illuin and Ormal replace Helkar and Ringil , which are rejected.' See note 16.
    7 On Ælfwine in Tol Eressëa see my summary in IX.279-80.
    8 Rúmil in Ainulindalë B (V.156).
    9 See V.164 note 2.
    10 There was no suggestion in the earlier versions that the Children of Ilúvatar entered the Music with the Third Theme.
    11 Here and in §24 my father wrote the Halls of Anar , changing Anar to Aman later (cf. notes 13 and 24). On the use of these names see pp. 28, 44.
    12 See V.164 note 9.
    13 Kingdom of Arda replaced Kingdom of Anar at the time of writing; cf. note 11.
    14 Pengoloð refers to the time before the Flight of the Noldor.
    15 These words were pencilled lightly on the manuscript. The name is clearly spelt Pengolod here and in the paragraph that follows, but Pengoloð in §30.
    16 In the Ambarkanta the northern lamp was Helka r, the southern Ringil , see p. 7
    and note 6, and IV.256.
    17 In the Quenta Silmarillion §38 (V.222), repeating the words of the Quenta (IV.87), it was said that 'the first flowers that ever were east of the Mountains of the Gods' bloomed on the western shores of Tol Eressëa in the light of the Trees that came through the Pass of Kalakilya.
    18 The name of the isle was first written Eccuilë, changed at once to MORGOTH`S RING - AINULINDALË - Version C - 23

    Eremar , which was subsequently altered to Almar ( Almaren in the list of alterations made in 1951, p. 7).
    19 The concluding sentence of §31 concerning the dwelling of

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