At the beginning of class, we discussed whether or not the Valar were gods, angels, or something else entirely. Tolkien describes them as gods, and beings of a “high angelic order,” while also saying they are “potently ‘subcreative’” all in the same sentence (Tolkien to Hastings). And though we debated which of these two (gods or angels) was discussed, the line of questioning was ultimately left unresolved in class. However, in the case of the Valar being ‘subcreative,’ I find myself drawn to the tale of Aulë and the creation of the dwarves.
In chapter two of the Quenta Silmarillion, Aulë longs for creatures to love and care for and to teach his craft, and so in secret he creates the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves, before the arrival of the Children of Ilúvatar. Of course, Ilúvatar catches wind and reprimands Aulë, who immediately moves to destroy his work. Ilúvatar’s compassion spares the dwarves, however, and they are allowed to remain as long as they came after the Children of Ilúvatar. And thus Ilúvatar spares the dwarves, and though they are fated to be at odds with the elves and men, Ilúvatar calls them “the children of my adoption” (Tolkien 44).
There are several things that are unique regarding the origin of the dwarves, first and foremost: they don’t seem (to me at least) to be a subcreation. When Aulë completes his work, Ilúvatar speaks to him and reprimands him for attempting to make something outside of what Ilúvatar ordained, “‘Why dost thou attempt a thing which thou knowest is beyond thy power and thy authority? For thou has from me as a gift thy own being only, and no more’” (Tolkien 43). Ilúvatar says that in creating the dwarves, Aulë is doing something beyond his power and authority, something that only Ilúvatar should do. But why would subcreation be outside the authority of Aulë? All of the other Valar are also making things and bringing them into the world, yet they aren’t being called out for going beyond what Ilúvatar has given them. For example, Yavanna “planted at last the seeds that she had long devised” (Tolkien 35). I believe that the key difference here is that the dwarves have true life and minds of their own given to them by Aulë, “Ilúvatar said to Aulë: ‘...Dost thou not see that these things have now a life of their own, and speak with their own voices? Else they would not have flinched from thy blow, nor from any command of thy will,’” (Tolkien 44). Though the work of the Valar is “potently subcreative,” in this one instance, Aulë does something that is entirely creative.
 |
| Aulë Prepares to Destroy His Children, by Ted Nasmith |
Another part of the origin of the dwarves that I think is essential to understanding it as a true creation of Aulë rather than a subcreation is the fate of the dwarves. Ilúvatar gives Aulë a place in the World, but they are still apart from the Children of Ilúvatar, the “children of [his] choice” (Tolkien 44). Part of the dwarves’ beliefs is that someday at the End, they will finally be given a place among the Children of Ilúvatar and help Aulë to remake Arda. I think this is particularly relevant because in the case of other beings like the Eagles and the ‘Shepherds of the Trees.’ The Ents and the Eagles aren’t a part of the Children of Ilúvatar, yet there is no mention of them being able to join the Children someday. They are what they are: the subcreations of Manwë and Yavanna and beings that “come to be by the heed of Ilúvatar” (Tolkien 46). The Ents and Eagles aren’t part of the Children of Ilúvatar, and have no desire to be, and while they certainly aren’t lesser (“[they will] be held in reverence, and their just anger shall be feared” [Tolkien 46]), they obviously aren’t on the same level, so to speak, as the men and elves.
Ultimately, what I’m trying to get at here is the fact that the dwarves stand apart from the other subcreations (Eagles, Ents, the stars, etc.) of the other Valar. They were not given life and being by Ilúvatar, but by Aulë, and the fact that they are described as Ilúvatar’s children of adoption and have the possibility of taking their place among the Children of Ilúvatar someday I believe indicates their existence as fully created beings, as opposed to subcreated beings.
But what does the existence of the dwarves indicate in regards to the Valar and their status as gods vs. angels? Aulë’s act of true creation does go against Ilúvatar’s will, and none of the other Valar (or Melkor) manage to truly create in this way at all. Even Aulë himself never creates in this way again. Does this one act of creation qualify the Valar, or even just Aulë, as gods? Or despite their possible potential to create, are they merely high angelic beings?
I’m going to conclude by saying that I believe the Valar are more similar to angels than to gods. Primarily because, if we use the example of the Greco-Roman gods, that pantheon doesn’t have a supreme creator over them that reprimands them for doing what they shouldn’t. The Greco-Roman gods are free to create/subcreate as they please and aren’t constrained by an Ilúvatar figure. Despite the uniqueness of the Aulë and dwarves, the Valar are still very much only subcreating within what the Music of the World dictates. It’s also relevant I think to point out that Tolkien mentions in a footnote of Letter 153 that the Children of Ilúvatar viewed the Valar as “children view their parents or immediate adult superiors,” and that the Valar literally walked among the elves and lived beside them for a time. Augustine also mentions in City of God that there was “fellowship” between men and angels, which adds to the idea of the Valar as more angelic-like beings. The Greco-Roman gods, while known for walking amongst mortals did not truly form long-lasting bonds or really live among them and form ‘fellowships.’ The distance that that pantheon had between them and mortals doesn’t really seem to exist between the Valar and the elves, at least in the beginning when the elves are living in Valinor. All in all, I find the creation of the dwarves to be an intriguing and unique story that definitely stands out as the only instance of true creation from a Vala. Despite this however, I think it remains an exception to the rule, with the Valar on the whole being subcreative beings more akin to angels than gods.-C.R.
Works Cited:
Tolkien, J.R.R. Letters. Houghton Mifflin, 1981
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Silmarillion. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1977
Augustine. City of God. New York: Penguin, 1984
2 comments:
I really like your attention to the "fellowship" between the Children of Illuvatar and the Valar. There is a real sense in which the Valar need the Children and desire their friendship, which is both unlike a fully self-sufficient Creator and unlike the Greco-Roman or Norse gods, who mostly seem to desire the sacrifices of mortals, and sometimes, to desire them erotically. The Valar never demand sacrifice from their children, presumably because they cannot forgive their transgressions.
I wonder if the issue of Aulë's creation vs. sub-creation is really quite simple: he had only made slaves when he first crafted the dwarves, puppets of his will. Illuvatar's intervention made them free beings with reason and will, like Aulë himself, although of much lesser order. But as you point out, that makes the Ents and Eagles quite strange. They do not seem to be mere puppets of Manwë and Yavanna, and yet there are not of the Children and are not given a place in the Halls of Mandos. Do they then pass away when their charges, the mountains and the trees, do?
~LJF
I had not considered the Dwarves in comparison with Ents and Eagles before! Nor had I properly thought about the way in which the Dwarves represent true creation as opposed to sub-creation. Does creation mean specifically making creatures with free will? But then do Ents (trees) and Eagles (animals) have free will? You have raised some excellent questions here! RLFB
Post a Comment