Manwë stumbles

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

This question can be asked of Eru as well. Why did he not know know how Melkor's greater gifts would effect him? Why did he know know how Men would feel about the Gift of Death, particularly with deathless elves around? And why would he not know how elves would become so careless of life and engage in such killing fields?

I think it's entirely possible that Eru DID know, but wanted to watch it play out, regardless of the knowing. To me (being a musician and composer), it's rather like knowing all the notes of a particular score, and how it is to be played, versus listening to an actual performance. I know (all too sadly ) that there is a huge difference between a mechanical reproduction of the sound (as made with a synthesizer or computer), and the sound as it is made by living performers. The notes will still be the same, the dynamics and tempi the same -- but a live performer gives subtle nuances of interpretation that a machine will not. Hearing someone else perform one of my works is always a surprise to me, sometimes a good surprise, sometimes a bad one. But good or bad, the performance intrigues me, even though I know the composition quite well indeed, and often, I learn from it, or am inspired to some new idea by it. Perhaps Eru Himself "learned" from watching Creation in action rather than in thought, or wanted to draw some new inspiration from observation.

It has always intrigued me that Tolkien used similar descriptions for Melkor and Feanor, who were enemies and yet had so much in common. The greater the heights reached, the more terrible the fall, should they slip into the abyss of pride and impatience, it seems.