Splendid but Unhappy

[Knight of Gondor]

There is the factual error that Tolkien's Middle-Earth has no God, because Illuvatar, Eru, The One, first sang Middle-Earth into existence.

And I think that readers of histories (The Silmarillion and so forth) know that the stories of Middle-Earth are great tragedies. (I don't know if I want to read a new take on the sordid tale of the children of Hurin! Even if it IS a new book!) and we can agree that Middle-Earth has more than its share of sadness.

But I think the question of whether or not the world can be happy without (a) God is a philosophical one. Most (including myself) would argue that without God, there is no higher purpose, no deeper meaning in life, and no solid moral frame of Right or Wrong. Man is flying solo through a purposeless world. If that is the case, then by all means, eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Is great joy in Middle-earth also caused by there being no real gods?

[Elfchick7]

I'm pretty sure that there is at least a God like influence in M.E. I mean, how many time is another power, working for good, referred to? Gandalf especially mentions it when speaking of the ring coming to Bilbo, and Bilbo letting Gollum live. Sounds like God (or Eru) has a pretty strong presence in M.E. to me.

[Folwren]

There is very great unhappiness in our world, too, and that most certainly isn't caused by there not being a god.

Did this fellow have some strange idea that if M-E had a god, it would be happy?

-- Folwren

[Aiwendil]

There is very great unhappiness in our world, too, and that most certainly isn't caused by there not being a god.

That's debatable.

[Folwren]

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

That's debatable.

What, that there's unhappiness or that there's a god?

Either way, I don't care to debate it. And your above statement remind me much of Mr. Jack Easy in a book called Mr. Midshipman Easy who was always saying, "I'd like to argue that point." Cracks me up...

-- Folwren

[Lalwendë]

It's an amusing statement for me because I often think how awful it would be to live in Middle-earth with such an unpredictable and omnipotent god as Eru is! Yes, there is a god in Arda, so it's not 'godless' - but the presence of that god wouldn't give me any kind of happiness - I'd be a bit scared to be blunt.

Maybe this hints at what the reviewer was getting at? He might be saying his own god is a nice god, not like Eru - so this is why he says "no real god" and why he assumes that this causes unhappiness. That idea that being without a "real god" causes unhappiness is weird and incorrect in itself anyway - how many people in Third Age Middle-earth know anything about Eru? Very few. But living without that knowledge doesn't make them unhappy. I always find LotR particularly refreshing and satisfying as these people struggle to do what's right without any kind of authoritarian morality. What does Sam know of Eru? Little if anything, but this doesn't stop him from being loyal, brave and making the right decisions for himself.