But the thing is there is a choice. One can choose to live out ones natural lifespan, as did many of the so called foolsih Numenorian kings, or one can just give up on life and die. I'm not saying that I think that it is wrong to just lie down and die if you will become witless and totally dependent on others, I just think it's curious the way Tolkien dealt with it. Perhaps it reveals what Tolkien thought of old age. The Elves would never die naturally so it is not like they are accepting the inevitable. It is not frowned upon for the elves to give up on life. I guess this is because they don't really die in the same sense that men do. They go to the Halls of Mandos to find healing for their spirit. It is difficult to equate elven experiences with those of men, especially modern men.
[ February 23, 2002: Message edited by: Thingol ]
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Yet the lies that Melkor, the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir, the Power of Terror and of Hate, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men are a seed that does not die and cannot be destroyed; and ever and anon it sprouts anew, and will bear dark fruit even unto the latest days.
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02-23-2002, 11:17 AM
Hybrid Mode
