Quote:
|
That because Morgoth can in no way alter the Music, and the Men are not bound to it, he is given some control over their lives? Somehow I don't think so
|
And rightly so!
For I have an answer to that ready too
Strike the lights on:
Melkor did pollute Arda two times - first when he put part of himself into its matter, and secondly, when he tempted human kind into its Fall
Even without the Fall, it is arguable that men came out lesser than their fate would be without
Morgoth's Ring (term used to mark his
taint in all matter). Such a taint is considered the main reason for Elves'
fading, for their
fëar and
hröar, originally designed to coexist in harmony from start to end of Arda, grew in disaccord with each other,
fëa, being the stronger of the two, burning out the
hröa. But whatever the individual cases, the Elves were not fallen
as a race.
Now men, having Melkor's taint in the very matter of
hröar of theirs (same as elves), and assuming that
fëar and
hröar affect each other, made a second breach in their defence (it is arguable that they were more gullible to Melkor exactly because of original taint he put into matter) by actually denying Eru in Melkor's favour.
Mark who grants death at the exact moment of the Fall. It is a Voice (of Eru)!
The logical conclusion: having
hröar under partial control by Melkor, Men
willingly put their other half, up to that moment free of him - their
fëar under same control. Death in this respect comes in indeed as a Gift (though it may seem a punishment for those who deemed themselves (and probably were) eternal, but is, in fact, a release - denying Melkor his prey, letting it slip to where he would not be able to get it, at the very moment he thought himself victorious, and,
at the same time, providing other means to achieve the same goal - eternety in union of matter and spirit, granting also that final result would be better than original design. (Another probable point is that, since this double fall, men were so weakened, have they had longer lifespan, most of them would inevitably turn to Melkor.)
Release from Bondage (very pointedly chosen to be an undertitle for Beren and Luthien story) is one of the right terms to apply here.