Bio-warfare In Middle-earth

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Mithadan

The characterization that the plague was carried "on the wind" is a typical archaic reference. The recognition of means of transmission is a modern discovery. I have seen the Spanish Flu from 1918 characterized in period pieces as black clouds and smog. Tolkien would not attempt to incorporate concepts such as aerosol transmission into his mythos; they would be out of place.

Well, he was certainly familiar with both the 1918 Influenza and the gas warfare on the Great War battlefields. I do agree though that Tolkien was rather averse to 'scientific' explanations for fantasy plot elements.

To me the mystery is whether the illness was a physical malady or something spiritual.

If the former, there must have been some means of spreading the affliction to the right people.
If the latter, how would it be communicated from one victim to the next?