[Sophia the Thunder Mistress]

I came across an interesting idea this afternoon, I thought I'd put it up here for comments and ideas: "Westward the Course of Empire". It's a bit of a fixation in European History certainly, but somehow this time my mind jumped to Tolkien and I connected it with Westward movement in Middle Earth.

Throughout the first age, all the movement in ME was Westward. The Elves first came West from Cuivienen, followed by the Fathers of the Dwarves, the Fathers of Men, and eventually even Hobbits crossed the Misty Mountains. Invariably, the groups that came West were the most highly cultured and usually the most moral among their respective kinds.

The level of cultural advancement was generally proportionate to the distance west these societies moved. This can be seen clearest in Elves (partially because there are so many divisions). Among Elven people the Avari (who didn't heed the call of the Valar at all) are practically unknown, the Silvan elves who abandoned the journey before the Misty Mountains are generally the least cultured (compare Mirkwood to Rivendell), while the Sindar are next, followed by the three kindreds of the Calaquendi (in order): the Teleri who lived at Alqualonde on the eastern shore of Aman, the Noldor at Tirion on Tuna, and the Vanyar--fairest of all who dwelt in Valinor itself.

In other races the "peak form" of civilization were often also the westernmost: Numenor among men, the Shire among Hobbits, and Belegost among dwarves (a bit of a judgment call on my part, but a case can be made). Ultimately however, while the move to Aman was fulfilling and beneficial for elves, the longing to reach westward brought ruin to mortals. The desire to continue westward past Numenor brought the downfall of Westernesse and the removal of Aman from the circles of the world.

Time to connect all this background up to RL. From what medieval/early modern history I've studied, it has been a recurring theme that Europe (particularly Britain at the height of its empire) saw the entire movement of civilization as a westward flow. Christianity originated in the Middle East but found its homeland (so to speak, admittedly it existed in other places even then) in Western Europe, Western Europe became the launching point for colonialism, The US is the heir of this attitude with the idea of "manifest destiny" and so forth.

Tolkien intended his work to serve as a new mythology for the British. Perhaps it's more than coincidence that his societies are focused on the North-West of Middle Earth, and the men who became its rulers in the Fourth Age are descended from the race who altered the shape of the world by their lust for immortality. Part of the reason for legend is explanatory power. And Tolkien's works contain quite a bit of that. The stars and the sun are explained, and why the moon sometimes shines during the day. Perhaps this is another explanans of that sort. People desired to move westward out of a half-forgotten and impossible desire to reach the undying lands. We know he tied in more recent legendary paradises like Avallon and Atlantis (which is explicitly tied to Numenor), perhaps also El Dorado and Shangri La could fit these categories?

Either way, I find it a pretty thought. To steal Mithadan's sig quote here: "And tales and rumours arose along the shores of the sea concerning mariners and men forlorn upon the water who, by some fate or grace or favour of the Valar, had entered in upon the Straight Way and seen the face of the world sink below them..."

Sophia