There was one spot in the “Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth” that struck me that I did not feel we had the chance to really explore in class on Monday, that being the idea of Men being created for the task of healing the marred form of Arda that Finrod and Andreth inhabit into an Arda Remade. Furthermore, as we established in class, the only real difference between Elves and Men within the legendarium is the speed at which either party dies. We come to this fascinating situation in which Men because they die naturally in their 70’s and 80’s and are not meant to withstand the lifespan of Arda itself, are put in the position to recreate Arda free from Melkor’s corruption, or rather that that role necessitated a human lifespan.
To begin, I think it’s worth exploring Finrod’s explanation of the creation of Man. Finrod describes Men as being created by Eru Himself and outside of the realm of the Valar. With that high honor, it makes sense that their part is in the healing of Arda as the only being powerful enough to face Melkor/Morgoth is Eru alone. Only beings directly connected to Eru the way Men are could usher in the recreation of Arda. Furthermore, in the notes on the Athrabeth, it is mentioned that Finrod believes that when Eru does come to recreate Arda, He will do so “incarnated in human form,” due to his necessity as Creator to remain to some degree outside the Drama at all times.
This point on the dual nature of Eru ties in the necessity of human mortality as mortality places Men in a position with one foot out the door all the time. While Elves are constrained to the world of Arda, meant to live as long as it lives and cannot be removed from it, Men are merely guests which in a cosmological sense makes Men, like Eru. both outside the Drama and inside it at all times, although they have no knowledge of what awaits them outside of it. Men need to die in order to be of that dual nature of being both outside and inside Arda to play the role of healer for Arda as a plane of existence. Their purpose is not tied to Arda in its marred state, so their lifespans cannot be either.
Through this train of thought, we fundamentally come to the conclusion that lifespan is directly tied to the purposes of elves and Men. Men are meant to die so that they can maintain the separation necessary to usher in the recreation of Arda, but then what of elves who are bound to Arda’s lifespan? What is the purpose of immortality, or rather a lifespan defined by the lifespan of Arda itself? There are two salient purposes I see for the elves in Arda: a people to cultivate and appreciate Arda and a foil for Man.
The cultivating aspect is much more intuitive from the topic of lifespan as Elves are some of the only beings that can, in a cosmological sense, call Arda home and really get to know it. They have the length of life, as long as they are not interrupted, to see almost the entire life of Arda from the earliest days when Elves were themselves created to the end of Arda entirely. Their entire existence is tied to Arda so it logically follows that being in this position necessitates them to devote themselves to understanding Arda, appreciating it and creating within it, for how better to appreciate something than to utilize it to its fullest potential? As Finrod explains it to Andreth, what Man discovers in fleeting moments with wonder, elves find familiar and precious. Elves have the time to get to know Arda and so they each in their own ways strive to do so either through subcreation and handicraft or intellectual cultivation, as is the case with Finrod. Through these, elves uncover the possibilities of Arda and ensure that its fullest potential is exercised, and they can do that because they live as long as Arda does and can witness its entirety.
Another salient conclusion from the lifespan of elves is their ability to function as a foil for humanity. As the only real difference between Tolkien’s elves and men lies in their different speeds of death, elves provide a unique opportunity for humans to consider and appreciate their own humanity and subsequently their own mortality. We see this exactly with Andreth and Finrod as Andreth comes to learn more about why her people have to die by getting the perspective from someone who isn’t bound by human death. Elves and Men are the closest beings to each other in Arda, so it is logical to assume that they are meant to interact, and it is further logical to deduce that appreciating their mortalities and how it informs their respective purposes is itself another purpose of their creations. In essence, they were both created to be together. Now this may be counterintuitive to both elves and Men in Arda as they both tend to stay away from each other, but it cannot be ignored that they were created so similar.
In short, Tolkien created elves and Men in Arda to explore the concept of death and find meaning in it. He understood death as something beautiful and meaningful and through his elves and Men he had the opportunity to prove that to the Andreth’s reading who can’t help but fear the disruption and unknown that comes with something like death.
- Alyse Leonard
To begin, I think it’s worth exploring Finrod’s explanation of the creation of Man. Finrod describes Men as being created by Eru Himself and outside of the realm of the Valar. With that high honor, it makes sense that their part is in the healing of Arda as the only being powerful enough to face Melkor/Morgoth is Eru alone. Only beings directly connected to Eru the way Men are could usher in the recreation of Arda. Furthermore, in the notes on the Athrabeth, it is mentioned that Finrod believes that when Eru does come to recreate Arda, He will do so “incarnated in human form,” due to his necessity as Creator to remain to some degree outside the Drama at all times.
This point on the dual nature of Eru ties in the necessity of human mortality as mortality places Men in a position with one foot out the door all the time. While Elves are constrained to the world of Arda, meant to live as long as it lives and cannot be removed from it, Men are merely guests which in a cosmological sense makes Men, like Eru. both outside the Drama and inside it at all times, although they have no knowledge of what awaits them outside of it. Men need to die in order to be of that dual nature of being both outside and inside Arda to play the role of healer for Arda as a plane of existence. Their purpose is not tied to Arda in its marred state, so their lifespans cannot be either.
Through this train of thought, we fundamentally come to the conclusion that lifespan is directly tied to the purposes of elves and Men. Men are meant to die so that they can maintain the separation necessary to usher in the recreation of Arda, but then what of elves who are bound to Arda’s lifespan? What is the purpose of immortality, or rather a lifespan defined by the lifespan of Arda itself? There are two salient purposes I see for the elves in Arda: a people to cultivate and appreciate Arda and a foil for Man.
The cultivating aspect is much more intuitive from the topic of lifespan as Elves are some of the only beings that can, in a cosmological sense, call Arda home and really get to know it. They have the length of life, as long as they are not interrupted, to see almost the entire life of Arda from the earliest days when Elves were themselves created to the end of Arda entirely. Their entire existence is tied to Arda so it logically follows that being in this position necessitates them to devote themselves to understanding Arda, appreciating it and creating within it, for how better to appreciate something than to utilize it to its fullest potential? As Finrod explains it to Andreth, what Man discovers in fleeting moments with wonder, elves find familiar and precious. Elves have the time to get to know Arda and so they each in their own ways strive to do so either through subcreation and handicraft or intellectual cultivation, as is the case with Finrod. Through these, elves uncover the possibilities of Arda and ensure that its fullest potential is exercised, and they can do that because they live as long as Arda does and can witness its entirety.
Another salient conclusion from the lifespan of elves is their ability to function as a foil for humanity. As the only real difference between Tolkien’s elves and men lies in their different speeds of death, elves provide a unique opportunity for humans to consider and appreciate their own humanity and subsequently their own mortality. We see this exactly with Andreth and Finrod as Andreth comes to learn more about why her people have to die by getting the perspective from someone who isn’t bound by human death. Elves and Men are the closest beings to each other in Arda, so it is logical to assume that they are meant to interact, and it is further logical to deduce that appreciating their mortalities and how it informs their respective purposes is itself another purpose of their creations. In essence, they were both created to be together. Now this may be counterintuitive to both elves and Men in Arda as they both tend to stay away from each other, but it cannot be ignored that they were created so similar.
In short, Tolkien created elves and Men in Arda to explore the concept of death and find meaning in it. He understood death as something beautiful and meaningful and through his elves and Men he had the opportunity to prove that to the Andreth’s reading who can’t help but fear the disruption and unknown that comes with something like death.
- Alyse Leonard
2 comments:
I really enjoyed reading this outworking of the principles of the "Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth"—definitely one of the most curious and profound of Tolkien's writings. It is interesting that it was written about a decade after the publication of the Lord of the Rings; Tolkien seems to have created his languages first, then his characters and stories, and only at the end worked out the philosophy the stories implied.
A couple questions that your post prompts: Why think that FInrod is saying that only Men have a vocation from Eru Himself? If Elves and Men are alike the Children of Illuvatar, it would be strange to think that. Presumably preserving and cherishing the original creation is a divine mission, just as anticipating the renewal of it is. I'm also a little hesitant at your final claim that Tolkien "understood death as something beautiful and meaningful." The *acceptance* of death in hope and humility, as Aragorn does, is clearly something beautiful for Tolkien. But does that mean that death is per se a good?
~LJF
Tolkien definitely means us to wrestle with the tension that Elves and Men present, but I wonder that putting it in quite these terms makes it too easy—what of the great sorrow of the Elves? What of the great fears of the Men? Does Tolkien's juxtaposition of their lifespans solve the tension either for his own characters or for us as his readers? RLFB
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