The Ainulindalë and Other Creation Stories

The Ainulindalë and Other Creation Stories
In Tolkien's universe, the world begins as a void and from that void Eru Illuvatar is born. Illuvatar then created both the Valar and the Maiar who he then teaches music. After the Ainur learned how to make music that fit the themes given to them and to merge their themes and songs together, they were instructed to begin the Chorus. However, as the other Ainur were collaborating with one another and learning their place in the world Melkor set himself apart, as he knew Illuvatar's thoughts and what his role in the universe was. Melkor looked down on the other Ainur who had to search for their purpose and began to seclude himself singing to no one and hoarding his ideas. When the time came for the Chorus to sing the world into being Melkor had kept himself apart for so long that his song couldn't merge with the other Ainur and had taken on an arrogant note that set his song in conflict with the rest of the Chorus.
Now this creation story shares similarities with other creations stories from cultures around the world. Most creation stories start with a void with possibly an ocean underneath it. This void is known as Chaos in most culture and from the Chaos, a Supreme Creator is either born, or the Supreme Creator was already there. The Supreme Creator then creates lesser creators. In Greek mythology these lesser creators were the Titans and then later the Olympians, In Christianity the lesser creators are angles. Tolkiens influences show in the Ainur as the Valar have many strong references to Greek Gods and Titans while the Maiar can be compared to angles or share the comparison of the Valar. The conflict between Melkor and the other Ainur and Illuvatar has direct comparisons to the fight between Lucifer and God, specifically in that Melkor convinces some of the Maiar to come with him, as Lucifer convinced a third of the angles and that Melkor chiefly fights the other Valar instead of Illuvatar himself. 
The Popul Vuh is the Mayan creation myth and while its unlikely that Tolkien was influenced by it, the story shares similarities with the Ainulindalë. In the Popul Vuh there exists the sky and the sea and inside of the sea, there was the Maker and the Feathered Serpent. The Maker and the Feathered Serpent then created the World using words just as the Great Song created Arda. 
Image result for ainulindalë

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elder Scrolls: Snow Elves and Dwemer, A Dark History of Betrayal and Enslavement

Image
      As a person who wishes to become a fiction writer, I often find that many of the stories that I both write and read belong in the fantasy genre. With both fantasy games and books giving views into worlds that often have a life of their own. Such as the famous Tolkien books and Elder Scrolls games. The Elder Scrolls , published by Bethesda, is a long running series that starts back in 1994 with Elder Scrolls Arena. Since the beginning of the Elder Scrolls, many inpreations from Tolkiens work can be found,  such as the Elves in both attitude and magical nature to their Nine Divines sharing aspects with the eight Valar. Each game following a chronological timeline over hundreds years between games, often foreshadowing or mentioning events that occurred within one game as distant legend, though other times these games will bring mention to races and cultures that are not present...
Read more

Khal Drogo Based On Attila The Hun?

Image
George R.R. Martin has mentioned that the Dothraki are inspired by a blend of the Mongols, Huns, Alans, Turks, and Native American tribes. Khal Drogo, the leader of the Dothraki tribe, can be compared to Attila the Hun, who was the leader of the ancient nomadic people known as the Huns. The Huns roamed Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Europe. Every city or village The Huns passed, they would raid these regions. Similarly, the Dothraki people roamed the continent of Essos to the Dothraki Sea. They also raided villages and cities which they passed through within the continent of Essos. Additionally, Both Attila the Hun and Khal Drogo exploited their military strength to demand tributes in the form of gold, trade, and residences from their neighbors. In 439 AD Attila and his brother Bleda negotiated a treaty with the Romans, known as the Treaty of Margus. In this treaty, the Rome was to pay money or tribute in the form of gold to prevent Attila and the Huns from invad...
Read more

Polygenesis in The Silmarillion

Image
How authors portray the world in their own stories can give us great insight on how they perceived the real world that was around them. It can also help give current readers an explanation or reasoning as to why the authors made certain choices in their writing. An instance of this occurs in J.R. Tolkien’s novels, where current day scholars and fans are trying to understand the use of certain racial stereotypes of characters in his novels. An example of this is the polygenesis theory. Polygenesis theory describes the origin of different races as independent/non-related species. The polygenesis theory has shaped folklore and modern day racial dynamics, which of course echoes into some of our favorite author’s works. It creates a hierarchical society where one ‘species’ dominates over the others. This can clearly be seen in The Silmarillion where each of the species have different origins and creators. Their hierarchal status and racial characteristics are dependent on who...
Read more