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davem · 09-11-2005, 02:50 AM

It seems there are different reasons for wandering. Men are wanderers in part because they have been destined by Eru nver to be satisfied within the circles of the world & therefore they will always be looking for something else, always wondering what's over the next horizon, about what tomorrow will bring. This brings as much hope as despair, but it also makes dissatisfaction an inescapable part of human nature.

Elves do not wander for the same reason, because they belong within the circles of the world - they may experience deep unhappiness with what happens in the world, with the marring of Arda, but they dream of Arda Unmarred, not of a place beyond Arda. Or at least that was the original situation for them. Once the world was changed & the Blessed Realms removed from the physical Arda their position would have become more complex.

What both Men & Elves had in common was that they were exiles & their wanderings came ultimately from that feeling of being 'displaced', of being far from home.

But at root none of the inhabitants of Middle earth feel that they are where they ought to be. Elves are driven by the feeling they belong in Aman, Men by the feeling that they belong somewhere else entirely.

I think this sense of being exiled runs rght through the Legendarium & perhaps its what we feel when we read LotR. Why are we drawn to Middle-earth? What does that place mean to us, what does it 'stand for'? Why, in some ways, does it actually feel more 'home like' to so many of us?

Yet, if the situation of the Elves is complicated after the re-sahping of the World, it becomes increasingly so for Men due to the existence of the Elves. Men envy the Elves their immortality within Arda. Their innate sense of dissatisfaction, their inability to rest within the Circles of the World, comes increasingly to conflict with their fear of death & their desire to live in Middle-earth forever & have dominion over it. Men are 'torn in two' & in a way we see this conflict in Sam - he is drawn to stay with Frodo - or to go West with him (ie he is drawn to 'spiritual' things) - & to remain in the everyday world with Rosie & his children. It sems that Sam's solution is to live in the world fully, to live out his 'human' existence but to retain his hope that one day, when his worldly tasks are done, he will be able to move on.

09-11-2005, 02:50 AM	#30
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	It seems there are different reasons for wandering. Men are wanderers in part because they have been destined by Eru nver to be satisfied within the circles of the world & therefore they will always be looking for something else, always wondering what's over the next horizon, about what tomorrow will bring. This brings as much hope as despair, but it also makes dissatisfaction an inescapable part of human nature. Elves do not wander for the same reason, because they belong within the circles of the world - they may experience deep unhappiness with what happens in the world, with the marring of Arda, but they dream of Arda Unmarred, not of a place beyond Arda. Or at least that was the original situation for them. Once the world was changed & the Blessed Realms removed from the physical Arda their position would have become more complex. What both Men & Elves had in common was that they were exiles & their wanderings came ultimately from that feeling of being 'displaced', of being far from home. But at root none of the inhabitants of Middle earth feel that they are where they ought to be. Elves are driven by the feeling they belong in Aman, Men by the feeling that they belong somewhere else entirely. I think this sense of being exiled runs rght through the Legendarium & perhaps its what we feel when we read LotR. Why are we drawn to Middle-earth? What does that place mean to us, what does it 'stand for'? Why, in some ways, does it actually feel more 'home like' to so many of us? Yet, if the situation of the Elves is complicated after the re-sahping of the World, it becomes increasingly so for Men due to the existence of the Elves. Men envy the Elves their immortality within Arda. Their innate sense of dissatisfaction, their inability to rest within the Circles of the World, comes increasingly to conflict with their fear of death & their desire to live in Middle-earth forever & have dominion over it. Men are 'torn in two' & in a way we see this conflict in Sam - he is drawn to stay with Frodo - or to go West with him (ie he is drawn to 'spiritual' things) - & to remain in the everyday world with Rosie & his children. It sems that Sam's solution is to live in the world fully, to live out his 'human' existence but to retain his hope that one day, when his worldly tasks are done, he will be able to move on. __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."