# The Shadow of Melkor



## Ithrynluin (Feb 3, 2007)

> _The Silmarillion: Of the Beginning of Days_
> In that time the Valar brought order to the seas and the lands and the mountains, and Yavanna planted at last the seeds that she had long devised. And since, when the fires were subdued or buried beneath the primeval hills, there was need of light, Aulë at the prayer of Yavanna wrought two mighty lamps for the lighting of the Middle-earth which he had built amid the encircling seas. Then Varda filled the lamps and Manwë hallowed them, and the Valar set them upon high pillars, more lofty far than are any mountains of the later days. One lamp they raised near to the north of Middle-earth, and it was named Illuin; and the other was raised in the south, and it was named Ormal; and the light of the Lamps of the Valar flowed out over the Earth, so that all was lit as it were in a changeless day.





> Now therefore the Valar were gathered upon Almaren, fearing no evil, and because of the light of Illuin they did not perceive the shadow in the north that was cast from afar by Melkor; for he was grown dark as the Night of the Void. And it is sung that in that feast of the Spring of Arda Tulkas espoused Nessa the sister of Oromë, and she danced before the Valar upon the green grass of Almaren.



Now in that first quote we see that the lamps were set higher than any mountain in Arda, so as to be able to illuminate as much of the land. 

The second quote tells us that the light of the northern lamp sort of annulled Melkor's shadow.

Are we to think that Melkor was so tall that he cast a shadow from the north even onto the dwelling of the Valar (which was located in the middle of Middle-earth)?

If he could indeed appear in this gigantic form, couldn't he have used this against most of his enemies (i.e. the Elves and Men) in later days, to just stomp all over them, rather than fight an actual war?  Or perhaps because of the scattering of his power he was diminished and could not assume such a hefty body anymore? 

Or perhaps the word "Melkor" stands not only for himself, but for his armies as a whole, and the shadow is more one of war rather than an actual shadow?

Or another explanation/theory?


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## Barliman Butterbur (Feb 3, 2007)

Ithrynluin said:


> ...Are we to think that Melkor was so tall that he cast a shadow from the north even onto the dwelling of the Valar (which was located in the middle of Middle-earth)?...Or perhaps the word "Melkor" stands not only for himself, but for his armies as a whole, and the shadow is more one of war rather than an actual shadow?
> 
> Or another explanation/theory?



Your latter explanation is the correct one; "the shadow of Melkor" refers to his _influence_ and the destruction that he was to unleash.

Barley


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## Ithrynluin (Feb 3, 2007)

If what is meant is influence, why then is the lamp mentioned as blotting out the shadow of Melkor? Wouldn't a literal shadow have made more sense?

Or did the lamp give off an air of peacefulness that lulled the Valar into a false sense of security? ("Where there's light, all is right!" )

Oh and Barley, I am glad to see you in the Sil forum, and even more glad that you did not provide your typical "Because Tolkien said so" reply.


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## Thorondor_ (Feb 4, 2007)

I believe that shadow is something used by the bad guys, and it is something material. The first example that comes to mind is Ungoliant's unlight:


Of the darkening of Valinor said:


> A cloak of darkness she wove about them when Melkor and Ungoliant set forth; an Unlight, in which things seemed to be no more, and which eyes could not pierce, for it was void.


Melkor too uses shadow to his own purposes later - which I am not surprised he can, seeing that he is a greater being than Ungoliant:


Of the return of the Noldor said:


> In the pits of Angband he caused vast smokes and vapours to be made, and they came forth from the reeking tops of the Iron Mountains, and afar off they could be seen in Mithrim, staining the bright airs in the first mornings of the world. A wind came out of the east, and bore them over Hithlum, darkening the new Sun; and they fell, and coiled about the fields and hollows, and lay upon the waters of Mithrim, drear and poisonous.





Of the begining of days said:


> Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from [Manwe's] halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world. Thus they brought word to him of well nigh all that passed in Arda; yet some things were hidden even from the eyes of Manwe and the servants of Manwe, for where Melkor sat in his dark thought impenetrable shadows lay.


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## Neumy (Feb 6, 2007)

I agree with Thorondor. I think the use of "shadow" that Tolkien use is a bit beyond how we regularly define it. 




> There she (Ungoliant) sucked up all light that she could find, and spun it forth again in dark nets of strangling gloom, until no light more could come to her abode; and she was famished.



Ungoliant is a perfect example, she distorts and consumes the light of the Valar which in turn spews forth darkness (or shadow).

I view the same thing for your quote of Melkor's shadow. As much as the lamps radiate light, the malice and hate of Melkor radiates the darkness (or shadow) from the north.

From a literary view, this is powerful imagery; the darkness of Melkor was so strong, it sent forth shadow and choked the light.


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## Ithrynluin (Feb 6, 2007)

Yes, but Melkor's shadow must have been far less potent than the light of the lamp, else it would have overshadowed the lamp and the Valar would have been alerted to his presence.

But perhaps I did not pose my original question clearly enough, so let's return to the original quote that is of interest to me: _"because of the light of Illuin they did not perceive the shadow in the north that was cast from afar by Melkor; for he was grown dark as the Night of the Void."_

So Melkor cast a shadow. I see three possibilities for this shadow: 

a) a shadow caused by the large number of forces he gathered to himself

b) a literal reference to himself, i.e. that he was so gigantic that his body cast a shadow far in front of him. 

This is supported by the second part of that quote, where it goes on to talk about Melkor himself, how he was grown dark, etc, but is perhaps incongruent with the rest of Tolkien's universe, e.g. why didn't an enormous Melkor just squish his competiton?

c) a shadow _caused_ by Melkor, as a kind of spell (that requires to be _cast_) or innate ability


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## Thorondor_ (Feb 11, 2007)

I still go with c).


> Yes, but Melkor's shadow must have been far less potent than the light of the lamp, else it would have overshadowed the lamp and the Valar would have been alerted to his presence.


The lamps have the power of both Varda and Manwe; Melkor fears Varda the most, probably because she still has the imperishable flame, which Myths Transformed tell us that Eru gave to her; so I wouldn't see a problem with one instance in which a creation of them being stronger than a creation of Melkor. 

Furthermore, the land of Almaren was the most illuminated part of Arda (plus it was surrounded by water, which can act as an almost blinding mirror in strong light). Missing out a shadow in a remote part, in such conditions, isn't something surprising in the extreme, seeing how relaxed our guys were, after performing some challenging acts, such as watching a girl dancing.


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