Quote:'Than you once again contradict your own maxim of elven inability to play bad theme in good direction. For Noldor are elves, are not they? But, and but, and but again only Eru can bring good out of evil, for:
The woe they brought about is direct consequence of their pride. So, evil results in evil
The good they brought about is direct consequence of their virtues - valour, courage etc. i.e. good results in good'
I don't think I said the Elves couldn't make mistakes, or bring about evil in their attempt to follow Eru's theme - they can - but the point is they would be
attempting to actualise Eru's theme. Sauron or Melkor could make a similar mistake in attempting to actualise the 'evil' theme & good could result. We are talking about intention, not results - intentions may be pure but results include many factors, known & unknown, & are impossible to predict.
Quote:'Noldor were not, after all, completely evil, but the dominant, the driving power of their deeds was pride, so overall, on the general plane they could not have succeded unless repenting, but in minor results, which proceeded from their retained virtues, no restrictions were set. And that's why all the good they contrived was vain – being grounded on their evil, it was of no avail'
I wouldn't agree they were 'evil' at all. Pride is a sin, but that does not mean every proud person is evil. In fact, I'd say that they overall they brought about more of good than evil, & their pride was a direct cause of that . I don't see that it was some frail spark of 'good' which they retained which brought about that good. I'd also say that without their 'sins' driving them on they wouldn't have achieved anything at all, Morgoth would have dominated ME, & there would have been Dragons perching on Taniquetil before the Valar had got around to doing anything practical to deal with him.
Quote:'On the other hand, I have (I believe, successfully ) postulated that once the marring is healed, there will be no problem for elves of change-accepting kind.'
Well, this is not provable one way or the other - it would, of course, mean a complete change in the Elves psychological make up - they would, mentally at least, be different beings, percieving the world in a completely different way - this would mean that the Elves of ME could not in any way concieve of their 'changed' nature in Arda Re-made - so it would be impossible for them to feel any desire for that state.
Quote:'Of Manwe it was said, when Melkor was allowed to go freely about Valinor, that he believed that his evil was cured: for he himself was free from the evil and could not comprehend it'
This is no excuse - there were others - Tulkas, Orome, Ulmo, Mandos - who could have told Manwe what Melkor was like, but Manwe didn't listen -
Pride perhaps?
Quote:' The Great Ring is stated to hold part of Sauron's original will, and has an ability to bend handler's will to evil, so it ceases to be mere object (as described up above, found by handler with no previous bias) but is a bit more. But this side note is not revelant. It may be said that Great Ring is merely object. Still more, individual has to have patterns of mind similar to that of Sauron's, and similar intentions already there to be affected (hence no effect of the Ring on Tom, and great dread on Gandalf's part even to touch it) – or, your statement of motives under creation of rings also found acceptable'
I agree. But we would have to say the same about the Elven Rings, because it seems to me that they all work in the same way, & to that extent are all the same. All of them would overwhelm the mind & will of the individual using them.
Clearly Sauron puts forth some of his own power into the One, which doesn't seem to be the case with the owners of the Elven Rings - yet we do see their power fades when their Rings fail - even Galadriel speaks of 'diminishing'. Perhaps all the Rings work by teh wielder putting forth some of their power into them. Possibly the Elven Rings could have been as powerful as the One if their owners had put forth more of their power into them - but they would not want to risk it.