[stone of vision]

Greetings great thinkers [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Silmarillion is for me a faraway remembrance, I haven't read it for 10 years and it was the French version.
I should certainly re-read it now.
I remember vague notions revived by your question though.(and a certain encyclopedia)
It makes me think of some (weird?) ideas I wanted to share to further my thoughts. Please feel free to correct me, I'm more at ease with personal Lotr insights [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Could the fellowship and its number be compared to the valar?

I don't know a thing about numerology and Tolkien’s position about it.
However I found "impair"/ uneven ( translation?) numbers choice very interesting. It seems that in Tolkien's vision there could be : an unique supporting by the others, even numbers, at each side to create a power balance, the one making the difference.

If I remember well there were 15 ainur, 14 valar and Melkor the 15th. 9 of them were the highest of the 15, 8 without Melkor , the Aratar.
So it doesn't really match the number of the fellowship.

Makes me think of another point worth unravelling:
In chronology, Lotr was written before the Silmarillion, correct?
I was always thinking that Tolkien created Silmarillion to explain and develop his insights on the Lotr world. Without reading Lotr, Silmarillion would have been kinda -esoteric-.
So I suppose that the original/ inspiration/ idea was the Lotr saga, silmarillion is an extrapolation, in order to refine and to give Lotr an history .
What I found a funny paradox, is the perspective we choose, we, readers, to do the reverse path, because the Silmarillion's themes is the creation, to explain Lotr-
From this pov, yes Lotr and Silmarillion might be matched, though I 'd rather saying they complete each other-
I have a hard time trying to imagine Lotr as a “re-cycling” vision of the silmarillion. ( but I will..)

Each of the ainur "the offspring of Eru’s thoughts” has one part of his kownledge and his might, "except Melkor who had a part of each.
Thinking of it, Melkor might be the closest aratar from Eru in power, science and spirit ? ( aratar reminds me of avatar btw).
Eru the omniscient found no other means to create but dispatching his all mighty-power, in lesser but more defined powers.
The ainur receive as a quality one of his attribute, Melkor having a glimpse of each. Melkor’s lonely quest for himself of the light might be his way to reach Eru, not to say to become Eru perhaps. But his power can't match him. If he could get back the powers of his kinds, gathering them, would he be Equal to Eru?
Wanting to give Melkor that group vision which stays incomplete though, wouldn’t be Melkor the result Eru’s pride? And knowing more than the others, Melkor might long to reach the perfection, searching to be the unique. Only there already was an unique.

As a rebellious child knowing he couldn’t have what he desired most whereas he deserved it obviously from his pov, Melkor would have become the antithesis of Eru at the level of the valar.
And to fulfilled it, only 2 way might be imagined, submitting by their own will/by force his kinds under his authority or destroying them to remain the one.

Until the day he would understood acceptance of his state of avatar and the sharing will, then redemption could be a possibility.

I think the valar’s quest is the creation of a world obeying Eru’s desire.
Melkor’s quest is to return back to the primal essence of the power.
In a certain way, Melkor is searching to reach the tue light too, condemned by his arrogance to look for it in dark paths.
Sauron and the unique ring could be the result of this motivation but simplified throught the time flow and the lost knowledge of the new age to an evil/good fight.

One could see another mandala, where creation can’t be separate to destruction, the purest essence could corrupt itself, Power’s perversity. Perfection couldn’t live without imperfection if you want to evolve to something new . Even Eru gave up the temptation to create an entity representing the pride and arrogance of a “God”.

Ok, I should stop “carpet “ smoking there [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

The second part about Boromir and the breaking of the fellowship is on his way for the next post;
I ‘m so inspired by this interesting and rich topic where I enjoyed and appreciated all your judicious comments! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

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