The Two Trees

[Grendel]

If you look into Norse mythology (which is the region where much of Tokien's language derives) you will see that Tolkien's writings regarding death and Mandos very closely match the myth of Ragnarok. In the myth, all the dead are kept in "stasis" until the final battle, where good and evil will clash and the world will be broken and then re-made.

Grendel

[Captain Stern]

I know that Norse Mythology was the inspiration for many of Tolkien's ideas concerning his mythological world but I'm sure I've read in many places that the many languages used in Tolkien's world were inspired by the Welsh Language. I speak Welsh myself and I've spotted many similarities.

[Grendel]

"I'm sure I've read in many places that the many languages used in Tolkien's world were inspired by the Welsh Language. I speak Welsh myself and I've spotted many similarities."

Quite right. Welsh is primarily Indo-European but is had a great deal of influence from the hundreds of years of invasions from the Northeast; Vikings, Danes, Norwegians. Names like Olwe, Elwe, and Manwe are surely born from the Nordic languages, whereas names like Eomer and Arwen seem more Welsh.

Grendel

[Ñólendil]

'Elwe', 'Olwe' and 'Manwe' comes from a language (Quenya) with a structure based on Finnish and influenced by Latin, so I guess you're right on the dot. 'Arwen', too, is from Sindarin, which had a structure like Welsh. 'Éomer' though is Old English, as far as I know.

[Kirinki54]

Originally posted by Inoldonil
'Elwe', 'Olwe' and 'Manwe' comes from a language (Quenya) with a structure based on Finnish and influenced by Latin, so I guess you're right on the dot.

I think you are right about the roots Inoldonil, but none of these are Nordic as Grendel suggests.
Finnish belongs to a very different group of languages, The Finno-Ugric (with Estonian and Hungarian for example).

[Ñólendil]

If you say so!

[Arien the Maia]

does anyone know if Tolkien ever said how big the Trees were? I mean they would have to be somewaht bigger than any tree we see living today wouldn't they? They would have had to lit most of Aman right?

[Durin1]

My interpretation for Yavanna not being able to re-make the Two Trees are:

1. As has been said, some things you can only make once.

2. Much power has gone into the making, though unlike Melkor, this wasn't disseminated.

3. More importantly (for me, at least), in terms of the Themes in the Music, the Valar would have realised that the "story" (of the world) would have to continue; you couldn't go back to an earlier part of the story, nor begin to rewrite it, even if you wanted to. Hence, we see the Valar "creating" the Sun and Moon as being the next part of the Music.

Remember the two lamps that had initially provided light to Arda. Also the Valar's first dwelling in ME before removing to Aman.

In Morgoth's Ring, in one of the essays, something along similar lines is said of the Valar's decision to bring the Elves to Aman from the very beginnings of that people. Tolkien implies that this was not necessarily a good decision, even to the the extent of saying that Eru wanted them to dwell in ME (otherwise what was the point of having them being born in ME in the first place?). However, he goes on to say that the nature of the Elves was forever changed as a result (or something to that effect), in terms of their spirits and soul. This couldn't be "undone" or "re-made" in anyway.

Hope that makes sense

[Thorin II]

My understanding is that creation of this scale somehow diminishes the creator. Perhaps a Vala can never really get weaker, but they seem to have a limited number of "great" acts they can perform.