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Originally Posted by Formendacil
If both Elves and Men have free will, I would say that it logically follows that all other sentient creatures have free will. The Ainur DID during the Music, and seem to have the same constraints as Elves in Arda. The Dwarves are quite similar to Men- and Eru gave them Free Will, so that they are not bound to Aule's mind.
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What makes me question the idea of Elvish freedom of action is their constant looking backwards. Even Feanor's rebellion is inspired by this:
“In Cuivienen sweet was the water under unclouded stars, and wide lands lay about, where a free people might walk”
He is looking backwards, not forwards. He doesn't seek change to make things
different - he doesn't want to go forward into the future, but back to the past. all his desire is to make things as they were. His freedom of thought is limited to working out the best way to undo the changes that have occurred. the Valar, in the same way, only seek to make mainfest the Music. None of them are looking to make new things. They don't look to the future in the way that Men do, & this is clearly because they can't think in the way Men do. Whether Men realise it or not, they have a freedom to act beyond the Music & the constraints it lays on all others.
Elves, Valar & Maiar can only think within certain limits - psychological as well as physical limits. The Music constrains not simply what they may do, but even what they can think about. Their desire to 'embalm' the world around them is ultimately a desire to have things a certain way - the way the Music says it should be. the 'wrongness' in the world that they percieve is its veering from the archetype. They desire only to stop change, & change is mainly instigated by Men.....