Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor
Okay, first things first: who is “the mightiest
mariner of song?” I’m dying here! What a way to end a
chapter. All, I can do is sigh. Unless Tolkien decides
to take a break from the grand legendary history to
tell a more personal tale of the one mariner that was
ever able to sail to Valinor. I just hope this story
is told later. Don’t ruin it for me, and tell me if it
is or is not told–just let me hope.
As for the rest of the chapter, the first time I read
it, I didn’t like it. I’ve been under the impression
that these legends that Tolkien wrote for England are
supposed to have taken place before our known history
picks up. If this is the case, then I would have hoped
that Tolkien’s description of the Sun and the Moon
would have been closer to our real Sun and Moon. It’s
truly fantasy that the Sun and Moon are a flower and a
fruit that are encased and drawn across the sky by
spirits. There is one line that leads me to believe
that perhaps the Sun and Moon were originally as
described in this chapter, but later were changed into
the celestial beings that we have now. I know, I
know, it’s just a fantasy story and I shouldn’t be so
picky, but it seems to me that Tolkien is good enough
of a writer to have been able to come up with a
Sun/Moon myth that is both realistic and fantastic:
tell a fantasy story about how our real Sun and real
Moon came into being. And don’t ruin it for me if he
does smooth this all out.
Two asides: First, I liked it better the second time:
it’s at least a beautiful myth. Second, in this
chapter we have Melkor’s might decreasing even more.
What will become of him? Will he eventually be so
drained of power that he is just a man? Does he fade
away altogether?
Till next time, keep thinking,
mark-edmond
