Posted: September 27, 1999 at 01:39:40: by shadowfax
Tolkien's interpretation of LOtR was profoundly christian.
In christian/biblical tradition, there are a large number of angels, and these are analgaous to the Ainu. Tolkien is more precise than the Bible, and states that the Ainu are the offspring of the thoughts of Illuvatar (God). Each comes from a different thought and has a different task. At the End, all Ainu will join together again, and make a music which was even greater than the first (analagous to some of the stuff in Revelations). As all will still be needed at the end, none can be destroyed completely, but their powers can change. Sauron becomes a small spirit of Malice (as a result of his own foolishness: no godly intervention required). The same is true of Saruman, whose spirit is not accepted by the West, but must wander shapeless, powerless and harmless. Melkor, by contrast, retains sufficient power to sow more than his share of havoc. He was originally the greatest of the Ainu, and was cast down from the favour of Illuvatar (analagous to Lucifer) He will not be allowed to come back from the Void until the End, when the last great Music will begin, and where he will take his part. What will ultimately become of him, I don't know. I can't remember what ultimately happens to Satan in Revelations, but Tolkien would probably have modelled it on that.
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