Music and Magic in the World of Arda

MUSIC AND MAGIC IN THE WORLD OF ARDA In Tolkien’s legendarium, magic as it appears in contemporary sword-and-sorcery stories does not exist. Tolkien makes it clear in essays and debates that his magic is far more complex than the waving of a wand, and does not follow strict, clear-cut rules. Instead, power over the laws of nature and reality lies to a great extent in song and music. The first act of creation in the “Ainulindalë”, by which the foundations for Arda’s creation were laid, was the singing of the Music of the Ainur by Ilúvatar and the divine beings beneath him. When the beings of Arda create song, the result is often ‘magical’, whether in an emotional sense or if it has a tangible effect upon the world around it. In both the “Ainulindalë” and “Of Beren and Lúthien” this is quite evident. Singing in Tolkien’s legendarium is in some ways a magical act, in that any of the Children of Ilúvatar engaged in it are reflecting the original creative acts of the Ainur, sub-creating and greatly affecting the world around them, and that the only limits on a being’s ability to create music are its purpose – whether to dominate or to create – and the sheer force of will it places behind its magical, musical intent. Singing has a variety of effects within Tolkien’s works, but the most dramatic ones by far are those visible in the “Ainulindalë”. Here, singing is synonymous with creation itself. The notes of the many Ainur, including Melkor, as well as those of Ilúvatar, all coalesce in order to form the basis for Arda and its history. The act of song-making as creation is not metaphorical: the Ainur originally conceive of the world through music, and the voices of the Ainur are even described as “like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs with words” (Tolkien 4). Even the conflict between Ilúvatar, who seeks to create a world of beauty and freedom for its future inhabitants, and Melkor, who seeks to

Cited: Tolkien, J.R.R., and Christopher Tolkien. The Silmarillion. 2nd Ed. Del Rey Books, 2001. Print.