Silmarillion - Chapter 01 - Of the Beginning of Days

[Bêthberry]

Another excellent introduction to the chapter, Aiwendil. I like particulalry how you focus on the liquidity of the light of the Trees. It is intriguing that the creation of the lamps, a mechanical means of light, predated the birth or growth of the trees, a much more fecund creation. Their action as well is described with imagery of fecundity.

This chapter provides the second instance of a major alteration to Tolkien Sr.'s texts by Christopher Tolkien, the placing of the Gift of Illuvatar. I wonder, would it be valuable to have a thread devoted to identifying these changes--at least such major ones as this and the change to the end of the Valaquenta. I don't think there is here on the Barrow Downs one place where the major changes and emendations which CT made are listed. It might be helpful to see those listed.

I find it intriguing that the first sentence of "Of the Beginning of Days"--which is literally a chapter on how time came to enumerated--refers already to "the First War." This no doubt suggests the preoccupation of the Valar with their battles with Melkor, but to place warfare so dominantly is a measure perhaps of how central strife is to Tolkien's mythology. It does not have the petty jealousies and rivalries of the Greek pantheon of gods, but a central theme of battle between good and evil.

Two other quick observations. Tulkas has a characteristic which is very intriguing, and it is one which also defeats Melkor:

But in the midst of the war a spirit of great strength and hardihood came to the aid of the Valar, hearing in the far heaven that there was battle in the Little Kingdom; and Arda was filled with the sound of his laughter. So came Tulkas the Strong, whose anger passes like a mighty wind, scattering cloud and darkness before it, and Meldor fled before his wrath and his laughter.

The bolding is mine. It is Tulkas who brings the gift of laughter, of comedy, which is also a means for defeating Melkor. I wish Tolkien had made more of this effect of comedy.

My last observation relates to the depiction of change. The beauty the Valar create is unchanging. The perfection of this beauty lies in large part to this quality. It is due to Melkor's hatred that change, decay, destruction, rot enter.

... nonetheless the evil of Melkor and the blight of his hatred flowed out thence [ie, from Utumno] and the Spring of Arda was marred. Green things fell sick and rotted, and rivers were choked with weeds and slime, and fens were made, rank and poisonous, the breeding place of flies; and forests grew dark and perilous, the haunts of fear; and beasts became monsters of horn and ivory and dyed the earth with blood.

Does change necessarily have to be evil? There are cosmologies and philosophies which don't depict change in this way, isn't there?