Letter 200

Tolkien wrote this letter to Major R. Bowen in 1957. It is concerned with the creation of the world and the desire of those angelic “artists” who helped bring it about to enter into the world they had sub-created once God gave it a reality outside their own imaginative efforts. Manwë, the Elder King, had the broadest knowledge of his Creator’s plans, while some of the lesser angels concerned themselves with only what interested them personally. An interesting note is made about the choice of some Maiar to associate themselves with a particular Vala: “Some had attached themselves to such major artists and knew things chiefly indirectly through their knowledge of the minds of these masters. Sauron had been attached to the greatest, Melkor, who ultimately became the inevitable Rebel and self worshipper of mythologies that begin with a transcendent unique Creator. Olórin...had been attached to Manwë.” The Silmarillion states that was Olórin was “[w]isest of the Maiar” and also frequently visited the Vala Nienna (p. 18 of the 2004 hardcover illustrated by my favorite Tolkien artist, Ted Nasmith).

This letter also speaks of Elves and Men being the Children of God, conceived entirely by God. “Being other than the Spirits, of less ‘stature’, and yet of the same order [both being created by God], they were the object of hope and desire to the greater spirits... But they also realized that the Children of God must not be ‘dominated’, though they would be specially susceptible to it.

“It was because of this pre-occupation with the Children of God that the spirits so often took the form and likeness of the Children, especially after their appearance. It was thus that Sauron appeared in this shape.”

Tolkien goes on to assume that this shape was physically real which meant it could be destroyed and would take some time to build into actuality, as opposed to a vision sent into the mind of someone in which the sender could appear to look like someone other than he truly was. That the latter was done by the angelic spirits is borne out by Gandalf’s reply when Gimli tells him at Isengard, “I wish to see him [Saruman] and learn if he really looks like you” and the hidden Maia says, “And how will you learn that ... Saruman could look like me in your eyes, if it suited his purpose with you” (Two Towers 562).

Tolkien also says Sauron was “always de-bodied” when defeated and the more times the Dark Lord had to re build himself the longer it took. He is unable to do it ever again once the Ring is destroyed, but his spirit lives on.