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The cosmology of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium combines aspects of Christian theology and metaphysics, mythology (especially Germanic mythology) and pre-modern cosmological concepts in the flat Earth paradigm with the modern spherical Earth view of the solar system.〔"Actually in the imagination of this story we are now living on a physically round Earth. But the whole 'legendarium' contains a transition from a flat world ... to a globe ...." (Letter written in 1954), ''Letters'', #154〕 Tolkien's cosmology is based on a clear dualism between the spiritual and the material world. While the Ainur, the first created but immaterial angelic beings have the "subcreative" power of imagination, the power to create independent life or physical reality is reserved for Eru Ilúvatar (God); this power of (primary) creation is expressed by the concept of a "Secret Fire" or "Flame Imperishable". The term for the material universe is ''Eä'', "the World that Is", as distinguished from the purely idealist pre-figuration of creation in the minds of the Ainur. ''Eä'' (Quenya for "let (things ) be!") was the word spoken by Eru Ilúvatar (metaphorically, in the purported Quenya-language account of creation) by which he brought the physical universe into actuality. The legendarium examines the possibility of alternative theologies, in the sense of exotheology, by postulating immortality (via reincarnation) for the Elves, contrasting with the fate of Men, who remain subject to mortality.〔"... my ''legendarium'', especially the 'Downfall of Númenor' which lies immediately behind ''The Lord of the Rings'', is based on my view: that Men are essentially mortal and must not try to become 'immortal' in the flesh." (Letter written in 1954), ''Letters'', #153.〕 ==Ontology and creation== Eru Ilúvatar is the Elvish (Quenya) name of the monotheistic God of creation. ''Eru'' means "The One", or "He that is Alone"〔''The Silmarillion'', p. 329; the root ''er'' means "one" or "alone" (p. 358)〕 and ''Ilúvatar'' signifies "Father of All".〔''The Silmarillion'', p. 336; from ''ilúvë'' ("all, the whole", p. 360) and ''atar'' ("father", p. 356).〕 The names appear in Tolkien's work both in isolation and paired (''Eru Ilúvatar''). He first created a group of angelic beings, called in Elvish the Ainur, and these holy spirits were co-actors in the creation of the universe through a holy music and chanting called the "Music of the Ainur", or Ainulindalë in Elvish. Eru alone can create independent life or reality by giving it the Flame Imperishable. All beings not created directly by Eru, (e.g., Dwarves, Ents, Eagles), still need to be accepted by Eru to become more than mere puppets of their creator. Melkor desired the Flame Imperishable and long sought for it in vain, but he could only twist that which had already been given life. The abode of Eru and the Ainur outside of time or the physical universe is also called the "Timeless Halls" (Heaven). Tolkien made a point of keeping the ultimate fate of the souls of Men and the nature of their mortality open, and unknown to the Elves (who are tied to the physical world for the time of its duration, and Christian eschatology is not applicable to them). In the tale of Adanel it is suggested that Men return to Eru after death. ''Fëa'' and ''hröa'' are words for "soul" (or "spirit") and "body" of the Children of Ilúvatar, Elves and Men. Their ''hröa'' is made out of the matter of Arda (''erma''); for this reason ''hröar'' are Marred (or, using another expression by Tolkien himself, contain a "Melkor ingredient"〔X:400〕). When an Elf dies, the ''fëa'' leaves the ''hröa'', which then "dies". The ''fëa'' is summoned to the Halls of Mandos, where it is judged; however as with death their free-will is not taken away, they could refuse the summons.〔X:339〕 If allowed by Mandos, the ''fëa'' may be re-embodied into a new body that is identical to the previous ''hröa''. (In earlier versions of the ''legendarium'' it may also re-enter the incarnate world through child-birth.〔X:361-366; Tolkien abandoned this conception in the 1950s〕) The situation of Men is different: a Mannish ''fëa'' is only a visitor to Arda, and when the ''hröa'' dies, the ''fëa'', after a brief stay in Mandos, leaves Arda completely. Originally men could "surrender themselves: die of free will, and even of desire, in ''estel''"〔X:341. ''Estel'' is a kind of hope, the "trust in Eru."〕 but Melkor made Men fear death, instead of accept with joy the Gift of Eru. Peter Hastings, manager of the Newman Bookshop (a Catholic bookshop in Oxford), had written to Tolkien (himself a Catholic) objecting to his description of the reincarnation as applicable to the Elves: In a 1954 draft of a reply to Hastings, Tolkien defended his creative ideas as an exploration of the infinite "potential variety" of God: that it need not conform to the reality of our world so long as it does not misrepresent the essential nature of the divine: The account of the "events" predating creation is not presented from an omniscient perspective but presented as a fictional tradition, purportedly a record of the account given by the Valar to the Elves in Aman, and from there transmitted to Middle-earth, and translated from Valarin at first into Quenya and later into human languages. It is understood that the Valar, who were present at the moment of creation as Ainur, gave an honest account to the Elves, but were constrained by the limitations of language, the description of the "Music" or of the words "spoken" by Eru, or his "Halls" and the secret "Flame" etc. are to be taken as metaphors. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cosmology of Tolkien's legendarium」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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