Balrog and The One Ring

[Marwhini]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

But it says that's what he would have done *had he won*.

Upon reading through the entire section, no, that isn't quite what it says.

It says that it what he would have done if he had to SHARE the Dominion (rule) of Arda with the other Valar.

Tolkien's implication is that had Morgoth been given Dominion over Arda, and sole Authority on its ordering, he would then have gone about creating a world in his image and conception (To HIS THEMES in the Ainulindalë (Music of the Ainur), rather than that of Eru and the other Valar.

I will go back through the section of Morgoth's Ring: 'Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion (p. 394) later to get the relevant points.

You have to recall that Tolkien isn't writing this stuff to spell out answers to explicit questions we have, but to answer questions to himself about a Generalized Metaphysics (or, as it says on p. x of the same volume "the underlying postulates ..." and "... requirements of a coherent Theological and Metaphysical system.")

But the 'Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion' portion that deals with Morgoth details his (out)rage at not being given dominion over Arda. That he considered himself Superior to (and indeed was/is Superior to) all of the other Ainur, and thus felt it his Right to rule Arda, to have Dominion over it, and its substance; to have authority over the ordering of that substance to his liking. The Nihilism is a reaction to the denial of the remaining Valar to give him his way:

"If I can't have it, I'll burn it to the ground, and no one can have it!"

But I will get the specific quotes in a while, as I have something else I can collecting from HoM-e right now.

MB