Whoa. What a chapter.
I’m so sorry that it’s taken such a ridiculously long time for me to begin its discussion, but along with a chronically ill computer and RL commitments that have taken up a good portion of my time, I really have had a most difficult time putting into words (at least, coherent words) my thoughts on what unfolds within these “mere†four pages of text. After many, many starts and stops, I think I’ve finally rustled up some kind of meaningful post, which I hope will stand as a beginning point for others to add to, because I got rather fixated, I’m afraid, on a very specific aspect of the chapter, and so have not addressed all that could be discussed!
In the Valaquenta, Tolkien wrote: |
He began with the desire of Light, but when he could not possess it for himself alone, he descended through fire and wrath into a great burning, down into Darkness. And darkness he used most in his evil works upon Arda, and filled it with fear for all living things."
Up until now, Melkor’s evil and malice have been either remotely “high and grandâ€, befitting his name and station as “He Who Arises in Might†(the marring of an entire world is pretty impressive, after all); or low, and even mundane – the covetous and duplicitous liar who takes advantage of the less noble aspects of human (or rather, “Elvishâ€) nature. But now, Melkor’s character finally becomes defined and set as the
Morgoth in this chapter, the “Black Enemy†of Light and all that it symbolizes in Tolkien’s world: the purity and blessedness of life, creation, hope, love, and mercy. I’ve always thought of his attack on the Two Trees as an act of premeditated murder, but not until this reading have I ever really considered the fact that he was unable to do this alone. The greatest of the Ainur, who could cast down the mountains and reshape the seas of Arda, who could destroy the great lamps of Iluin and Ormal, whose domination of Middle Earth caused his brethren to depart it forever and allowed him to dictate the course of so much of the histories of Elves and Men……this awesome being requires an accomplice to destroy the sacred Light of Valinor and steal away its only surviving manifestation as the heart of the Silmarils.
An accomplice........ at least, that’s how I had always thought of Ungoliant: a powerful and fearsome henchman, much like the other spirits and beings that Melkor corrupted and seduced into his service. But having re-thought her character and its role in light of this, my “dualism theme†reading of the Sil
, the symbolic nature and purpose of Ungoliant have changed, or rather, clarified, signifigantly for me.
Just what
is Ungoliant? I think that I have always considered her as “differentâ€, as something of a shadowy enigma, much like Tom Bombadil’s character in LOTR (although on opposite ends of the Tolkien spectrum). I’m sure that there are very sound arguments in favour of her being one of the Maiar, but that designation has never felt "right" to me somehow, and I note that in the essays and discussions of her origins that I have been able to access, there is no definitive answer to her place within Tolkien’s created world.
The Eldar knew not whence she came; but some have said that in ages long before she descended from the darkness that lies about Arda when Melkor first looked down in envy upon the Kingdom of Manwë
It’s almost as if Ungoliant is born, or at least becomes manifest, at the very moment of Melkor’s first view of what the Ainur had accomplished within Arda in his absence; that the envy and lust and malice that he feels towards the purity of their bliss and the beauty of their creations somehow unleashes this force, this being, that will become the “Gloomweaverâ€. To me she can be viewed almost as a separate physical embodiment of his darkest characteristics, like a perverse female
yin quality born as some kind of hideous compliment to his own driving
yang force.
Both “hunger†for light, but in different ways: Melkor desiring to unlock its mysteries and master its unfathomable power, and Ungoliant desperate to consume it in order to fill the terrible emptiness that is the core of her being (she really does remind me of a junkie looking for the ultimate fix). Both desire absolute mastery over their existence, and in their solitude, in their total rejection of the company and influence of others, develop singular egos of horrific proportion. If Melkor “corrupted Ungoliant to his service†in the beginning, it is certainly something more than a “servant†that he finds when he comes to Avathar. She is not cowed by his form as a
“dark Lord, tall and terrible†nor wholly persuaded by the terrible temptation to feed on the Light of the Trees, and Melkor must court her with the promise of giving her
“whatsoever thy lust may demandâ€.
I use the word “court†here because this is close to what I feel is happening during Melkor’s and Ungoliant’s “deal-makingâ€. Upon this reading, I was reminded of a passage in the Valaquenta about Manwe and Varda, and how, when together, each achieves greater power than when alone; how they draw from each other and share with each other, and become “more†because of this:
When Manwe there ascends his throne and looks forth, if Varda is beside him, he sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea. And if Manwe is with her, Varda hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west, from the hills and the valleys, and from the dark places that Melkor has made upon Earth.
Within that same paragraph in the Valaquenta, Tolkien also tells us that Melkor courted Varda long before the making of the Music and that she
"rejected him, and he hated her, and feared her more than all others whom Eru made." It is somehow so fitting (in a dark and twisted way) that now Melkor turns to the “devourer of light†rather than the “kindler of light†to be his (albeit temporary) “consortâ€, willing to endure a somewhat equal partnership in order to achieve his goal. Interestingly, I think this is how Ungoliant views the relationship as well: a marriage of convenience, with each partner coldly calculating the ultimate usefulness of the other. Like a stained and corrupted version of Manwe and Varda, Melkor and Ungoliant together become a greater force, a terrible power capable of accomplishing what each alone cannot.
And what a horrifically memorable couple they make! The image of these two monstrous beings, wrapped in webs of darkness, looking down upon the Blessed Realm, instantly resonated with me from my first reading, like Thingol and Melian’s enchantment, or Húrin’s desperate last stand, or Maedhros’ agonizing imprisonment (to name just a few that immediately come to mind!). It is such an iconic moment – the “deep breath before the plunge†that will not only mark the greatest of the great crimes committed upon Arda , but will also set the course for the proceeding histories of all its inhabitants.
I find it interesting that the actual attack upon the Trees takes place at the moment of their Light’s mingling; the moment of greatest beauty and joy and blessedness for all within Aman. It is also, of course, during a time of thanksgiving, a celebration of the rich abundance of life upon Arda, which Manwë deems can also be a time of healing for the strife between the Noldor. A master of symbolism, Tolkien sets the stage for the opposite nature of all these elements to become dominant upon the Trees’ destruction: light becomes darkness, beauty becomes ugliness, joy becomes despair, blessedness becomes defilement, celebration becomes mourning, and Life becomes Death. This, I believe is the ultimate purpose of Melkor’s and Ungoliant’s pairing: the manifestation of “Death the Hunterâ€, of “Darkness Inescapable†upon the Earth.
In that hour was made a Darkness that seemed not lack but a thing with being of its own: for it was indeed made by malice out of Light, and it had power to pierce the eye, and to enter the heart and mind, and strangle the very will.
This is not the darkness under the stars that the Elves awoke to, nor is it any kind of darkness that is found in the natural world. It is something wholly new that is born into the world, as Melkor was born of Iluvatar’s thought, and Ungoliant was born of Melkor’s hatred and envy, and it will become a central symbol enveloped within all of Tolkien’s works. It is sadly telling and chillingly foreboding that the
“first light that returned to Valinor†is
“the fire that was stricken from the hooves of Nahar†as the host of Oromë sets out on their futile pursuit: light that is neither joyful or blessed, but tainted with wrath and tinged with righteousness.
Let the tragedy begin.