How accurate was Tolkien?

[artanaro]

I have come to question the accuracy of Tolkien concerning the
beliefs and legends of the Eldar. In Morgoth's Ring Tolkien makes
this statement : "It is now clear to me that in nay case the
Mythology must actually be a "Mannish" affair. (Men are really only
interested in Men and in Men's ideas and visions.) The High Eldar
living and being tutored by the demiurgic beings must have known or
at least their writers and loremasters must have known, the 'truth'
(according to the measure of their understanding). What we have in
the Silmarillion etc. are traditions (especially personalized and
centered upon actors, such as Feanor) handed on by Men in Numenor
and later in Middle earth (Arnor and Gondor); but already far back -
from the first association of the Dunedain and Elf-friends with the
Eldar in Beleriand - blended and confused with their own Mannish
myths and cosmic ideas."
On top of this, if we are to hold that Tolkien acted as a sort of
channel, the information thus already jumbled went through Tolkien's
Catholic filter so to speak....Another statement supports this in
Tolkiens Letters (page 172) : "LOTR is of course a fundamentally
religious and Catholic work; UNCONSCIOUSLY so at first, but
CONSCIOUSLY in the revision."
I highly doubt the Elves were of a montheistic persuasion as Tolkien
would have us believe. Most of the theological ideas he attributed
to the Elves were simply his attempt to reconcile his own Catholic
faith with the spiritual beliefs of the inhabitants of Middle
Earth. Thus I think he changed it all around to conform to HIS
belief system. In effect, since Tolkien believed that the Catholic
faith was the one right way to live and believe he enforced it upon
the inhabitants of Middle Earth in the much the same way Christian
missionaries forced and even exterminated (with the help of our oh
so noble government) the Native American peoples.
Our memories should reveal this....It is also possible that we are
recreating our memories with elements of Tolkien's work woven in
which would make it appear to support Tolkien's claims of
spirituality in Middle Earth. For psychology has indeed shown
through experimentation that all memory is indeed reconstruction.
I think the memories that we share of events not mentioned by
Tolkien or in any book are much more credible than most of what
Tolkien wrote (at least in respect to the spiritual beliefs). Keep
in mind that all the above concerns only the spiritual aspect, for
Tolkien did accurately record alot of the customs and languages of
the Elves, and somewhat accurately events that happend (though even
Tolkien admitted that alot of it was made up by him to kind of fill
in the gaps of the channeled material.
Holy crap I wrote alot....I will stop rambling now...
Any thoughts?

Hantale
Artanaro

[Indis]

*smiles* I have to admit I beleive alot in Tolkiens works yes there are some left out things hidden things changed things. But I beleive in the legands alot. but I do agree that alot has been left out or changed.

[artanaro]

It was changed much more than you suppose mellon. For I do not remember any such monotheistic belief among the Eldar. Nor did we consider the world to be "Marred". These are simply Christian ideas and ideas I have heard among the Catholics. Of spiritual belief the only thing he left intact was the animist perception of the world (of which there is scant reference) and the names of the Valar. He changed the legends such as the Ainulindale to fit his Christian beliefs, for I do not remember such a tale. There was a creation myth, there were many actually but not like that. So I believe that not only were some things changed and left out, but rather he forced his Christian belief upon that which he channeled.

Again I refer to this statement made by him:
"LOTR is of course a fundamentally
religious and Catholic work; UNCONSCIOUSLY so at first, but
CONSCIOUSLY in the revision."

So the Elves were no more monotheistic or Christian than the Native Americans were. That is why I equate the Great Spirit with Eru Iluvatar and the Medicine Fathers with the Valar. Though not exactly the same in terms of mythology, the basics remain pretty much the same in two animistic/Shamanistic tribal societies...

And I am rambling again..... Oh well

Artanaro

So the only thing that remains intact are some of the customs he mentions such as the wedding and the naming and such as well as the language. the legends and "history" are based on reality though things did not necessarily go down the way Tolkien said they did.
ok Ill stop now.