Is bringing the Elves to Valinor wrong?

[Sister Golden Hair]

Originally Posted by Durin1

That's one perspective that I hadn't thought of! Although here's my thoughts on this:

Iluvatar brings into being the results of the Music. He then empowers the Valar to prepare and govern Arda in readiness for the Children. He does not directly play a part in the world until the drowning of Numenor (in the physical sense), if I recall. Hence, it is upto the Valar, not Iluvatar himself to "take care of business".

Perhaps culpability isn't the right word. I don't see though where Iluvatar is blameless in all this. He does bring into being the results of the Music, and he does empower the Valar to prepare Arda in readiness for the coming of the Children. However, the vision is incomplete and Iluvatar chose for the Valar not to know all.

From the Silmarillion, Ainulindale, Houghton Mifflin edition, 1977:

And many other things Iluvatar spoke to the Ainur at that time, and because of their memory of his words, and the knowledge that each has of the music that he himself made, the Ainur know much of what was, and is, and is to come, and few thing are unseen by them. Yet some things there are that they cannot see, neither alone nor in taking counsel together; for to none but himself has Iluvatar revealed all that he has in store, and in every age there comes forth things that are new and have no foretelling, for they do not proceed from the past. And so it was that as this vision of the World was played before them, the Ainur saw that it contained things which they had not thought. And they saw with amazement the coming of the Children of Iluvatar, and the habitation that was prepared for them; and they perceived that they themselve in the labour of their music had been busy with the preparation of this dwelling, and yet knew not that it had any purpose beyond its own beauty. For the Children of Iluvatar were conceived by him alone; and they came with the third theme, and were not in the theme which Iluvatar propounded at the beginning, and none of the Ainur had part in their making. Therefore, when they beheld them, the more did they love them, being things other than themselves, strange and free, wherein they saw the mind of Iluvatar reflected anew, and learned yet a little more of his wisdom, which otherwise had been hidden even from the Ainur.

Originally posted by Durin1

Also, many ages pass between the making of the world, its fashioning and the strifes between Melkor and the other Valar (throwing down of the lamps, moving from Almaren etc etc, not to mention all the "quiet" periods. So how could it be bad timing? The Valar should have made war upon Melkor sooner (so says Iluvatar) and they shouldn't have brought them to Valinor: as Iluvatar had intended for them to live in the lands of their awakening. A few times in the Sil we have hints that the Valar anticipate the awakening of the Elves, and yet they still delay. How could Iluvatar be culpable for that?

Iluvatar chose not to intervene. It just seems somewhat that the Valar were confused as to what they could and could not do, or what they should do. Iluvatar was aware of the struggle between Melkor and the other Valar.

From Ainulindale:

And Iluvatar spoke to Ulmo, and said: "seeist thou not how here in this little realm in the Deeps of Time Melkor hath made war upon thy province? He hath bethopught him of bitter cold immoderate, and yet hath not destryed the beauty of thy fountains, nor of thy clear pools.

Originally posted by Durin1

The Valar not only wanted to protect the Elves, they wanted to "enjoy" their company. The fact that Melkor had been captured should have also provided the Valar the impetus to provide some sort of protection for the elves living in the lands of their birth.

Middle-earth had become severely damaged and dangerous. The Valar were spent in trying to repair its hurts. Therefore, their solution to protecting the Elves was to summon them to Valinor.