Post by Caitlin on Jan 12, 2005 13:03:18 GMT -5
Magic is used very sparingly in Middle-earth, and few possess it. But there are two types: Preservation (or "slowing of decay") and Dominance. Any "magic" falls into one of those two categories; for example, the long lives of the Númenórëans (Preservation) and the One Ring (Dominance). All "magic" stems from the Valar and their control of nature.
I put "magic" in quotation marks for a reason -- a lot of the instances of "magic" in Middle-earth is nothing more than technology. To someone living in antient Egypt, a car would probably seem like magic; to us, the Dwarves making magic doors may seem like magic, but be nothing more than technology.
As I said, though, there is real magic, and it comes from the Valar's control of nature. They created the world (to an extent), and could therefore do all kinds of things with their understanding of it. That "power", however, depended a lot on their personal skill and expertise; Aulë was an excellent smith, but had no control over plant life, for that was his wife Yavanna's domain.
Of the non-Ainur races, Elves seem to possess the most Valar-given power. Which makes sense, for they were the race that associated with the Valar the most. Notice, however, that most Elves who are famous for their magic are directly connected to the Valar! For example, Elrond has magic, but it comes from his Ring, which comes from Sauron (once a member of the Valar, still with power) teaching the Elves how to make Rings of Power.
Even those people who do have magic, however, use it very sparingly. It's more of a last-resort thing. Or, as Tolkien himself put it, "Both sides live mainly by 'ordinary' means." (Letter #155) Magic in Middle-earth is much more subtle than a mage striding in and having a fireworks-like battle with another mage! The "magic" in an item is more apparent by what it does than the thing itself; for example, Galadriel's mirror looks like an ordinary pan, filled with ordinary water, but when one looks into it one sees that it's anything but ordinary.
Hope this helps! If anyone has anything to add, feel free to PM me, and I'll add it here.
I put "magic" in quotation marks for a reason -- a lot of the instances of "magic" in Middle-earth is nothing more than technology. To someone living in antient Egypt, a car would probably seem like magic; to us, the Dwarves making magic doors may seem like magic, but be nothing more than technology.
As I said, though, there is real magic, and it comes from the Valar's control of nature. They created the world (to an extent), and could therefore do all kinds of things with their understanding of it. That "power", however, depended a lot on their personal skill and expertise; Aulë was an excellent smith, but had no control over plant life, for that was his wife Yavanna's domain.
Of the non-Ainur races, Elves seem to possess the most Valar-given power. Which makes sense, for they were the race that associated with the Valar the most. Notice, however, that most Elves who are famous for their magic are directly connected to the Valar! For example, Elrond has magic, but it comes from his Ring, which comes from Sauron (once a member of the Valar, still with power) teaching the Elves how to make Rings of Power.
Even those people who do have magic, however, use it very sparingly. It's more of a last-resort thing. Or, as Tolkien himself put it, "Both sides live mainly by 'ordinary' means." (Letter #155) Magic in Middle-earth is much more subtle than a mage striding in and having a fireworks-like battle with another mage! The "magic" in an item is more apparent by what it does than the thing itself; for example, Galadriel's mirror looks like an ordinary pan, filled with ordinary water, but when one looks into it one sees that it's anything but ordinary.
Hope this helps! If anyone has anything to add, feel free to PM me, and I'll add it here.