Why are the Vanyar higher than the Noldor?

[The Saucepan Man]

Thus, even as Eru spoke to us, shall beauty not before conceived be brought into Ea, and evil yet be good to have been ...

So for the 'good' to have come - the enrichment of Men, the recovery and setting of the Silmarill in the skies. THe Valar were now constrained by the Noldor themselves, and as the text seems to inidcate, by Eru.

Well, that suggests to me that the Noldor's acheivements were considerably greater than zero.

Ultimately, I agree that the Vanyar deserve their place as the higher of the Eldar, in terms of the world in which they all lived. But as readers, surely the Noldor are the higher in our affections. After all, we hear about the valour, tragedy, suffering and acheivements of the Noldor. We hear very little about the Vanyar. The Noldor, therefore, are surely the greater of the kindreds as far as the reader is concerned.

[ March 05, 2003: Message edited by: The Saucepan Man ]