J.R.R. Tolkien intricately and intellectually created his own universe, widely and reputably known. Middle-earth consists of a wide assortment of diverse races including men, orcs, elves, hobbits, and trolls. Men and elves are the children of the deity, Ilúvatar. They were conceived straight from his thoughts and are referred to as The First Children of Ilúvatar. Despite the many differences, men and elves have more in common than one might think. “West, North, and South the children of Men spread and wandered, and their joy was the joy of the morning before the dew is dry, when every leaf is green” (Tolkien 96, The Silmarillion). Men as described by John R.R. Tolkien are the second race of creatures descended from the supreme deity of…show more content… In The Lord of the Rings, both men and elves face corruption. This is one similarity between the two races. Corruption is a crucial portion of The Lord of the Rings. Corruption was used to show how easily characters can or cannot resist their temptations. Tolkien was clever in his usage of corruption, and was able to show its effectiveness. Melkor, the first Dark Lord and master of Sauron, tried to lead the Elves into temptation. Melkor was brought before Manwë, the king of Arda, and faked remorse. The honest and moral Manwë did not understand how wicked and malevolent Melkor was and released him. After his release, Melkor saw the blissfulness of the Elves and remembered that it was because of them that he was overthrown. Thus, Melkor yearned to bring corruption upon the Elves. Out of all of the three main groups of Elves, he discovered that the Noldor would be the most susceptible to his malice. Melkor began his corruption by convincing Feanor, the prince of the Noldor, that his half-brother was planning to seize his position as heir to Finwe. This act caused Feanor to threaten his brother, and this eventually lead to Feanor’s banishment. Although Feanor was “made the mightiest in all parts of body and mind: in valor, in endurance, in beauty, in understanding, in skill, in strength and subtlety alike: of all the Children of Ilúvatar, and a bright flame was in him,” (Tolkien 89, The…show more content… In general Elves have better senses than men, such as vision and hearing. They also have skills and abilities that are impossible for Men, and many elves can be consider as magical. In The Silmarillion, it is revealed that Elves are the closest related to the Ainur, and that Elves possess a delicate elegance and numerous powers. Elves walk daintily and are able to trek long distances without leaving behind footprints, and also they often can tread lightly across snow whereas Men would sink. Elves do not require sleep, but they are able to enter a conscious meditative state to recuperate. Tolkien wrote in a letter to Michael Straight that “The Elves represent, as it were, the artistic, aesthetic, and purely scientific aspects of the Humane nature raised to a higher level than is actually seen in Men” (Tolkien 254, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien). The real difference between Elves and Men is not in their life, it is in their death. Men bear the Gift of Men, which is mortality, hence they grow old and die when their time comes, and are susceptible to illness and disease. Whereas Elves are immortal, they are immune to aging and disease. Even if their bodies are slain, their spirits will still linger until the world ends, and pass onto the halls of Mandos to wait until they are released or the world is terminated. Tolkien describes this in the following
