Where Have All the Dragons Gone? - Page 7
© Michael Martinez
Therefore walking at guess [Nienor] found the hill [of Amon Ethir], which was indeed close at hand, by the rising of the ground before her feet; and slowly she climbed the path that led up from the east. And as she climbed so the fog grew thinner, until she came at last out into the sunlight on the bare summit. Then she stepped forward and looked westward. And there right before her was the great head of Glaurung, who had even then crept up from the other side; and before she was aware her eyes looked in his eyes, and they were terrible, being filled with the fell spirit of Morgoth, his master.When Turin asked the Men of Brethil to help him fight the dragon, he said: "I know somewhat of him. His power is rather in the evil spirit that dwells within him than in the might of his body, great though that be." I have long wondered what these passages might mean. Did Morgoth imprison or embed some spirit within the body of the dragon? If so, where did it come from? Only Iluvatar could create a spirit, and Tolkien was troubled by the idea that Iluvatar might create something he knew would turn to evil, which must turn to evil. Of course, Iluvatar must have known that Melkor would eventually become evil. So at some point it is reasonable to say that if there is a freedom of choice for the spirit, then Iluvatar would create it. But is there a freedom of choice for such monsters as dragons? An alternative explanation of these passages is a simpler one: the spirit referred to is literally the spirit of Morgoth. Not the primary will of Morgoth, his awareness or consciousness, if you will. But simply a part of his power, his strength. The One Ring provides an example of how, when a great being's power is partially externalized, a thing can seem to take on a will and conciousness of its own. The One Ring strove to return to Sauron, and in many ways it tried to corrupt and master those who bore it, or who could potentially take it and use it. Through the years many people have tried to rationalize how this Ring could act on its own accord if it wasn't a truly sentient thing. Analogies with computers have been devised, but I think such analogies miss the point.
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