Fate, Doom, and Free Will Theme Analysis

The Silmarillion begins with the first conceptualization of the world, Arda, by the omniscient being Ilúvatar, and explores the boundaries of free will in a world controlled by fate. There are three kinds of fate at work in Arda—one is individually driven by choices and actions, one is the result of curses and inheritance, and one is the plan of Ilúvatar that drives the world towards a preordained “doom” (a word Tolkien uses to mean a neutral or even positive fated end). The fates of individuals are almost exclusively driven by their own choices rather than divine intervention. Curses, however, such as Mandos’s curse on the Noldor and Melkor’s curse on the children of Húrin, create fates that are far more difficult to avoid. Still, the Noldor bring their dark fates upon themselves with their greed and violence, and the children of Húrin suffer primarily because of Melkor’s interference in their lives. Finally, complicating the first two forms of fate, the “doom” of the world is both malleable and inevitable; no matter what individual choices the people of Arda make, everything contributes to Ilúvatar’s wonderful and glorious plan. Not even Melkor can ruin it, despite his rebellion against Ilúvatar and his efforts to mar the beauty and goodness of Arda. In The Silmarillion, then, fate ultimately means that things like individual free will and curses work together to bring about Ilúvatar’s intentions for the world, though precisely how they interact isn’t comprehensible to beings who aren’t omniscient.

Free will exists on Arda and is granted to all creations of Ilúvatar. The Vala Aulë’s dwarves—living beings with speech but no ability to think or move without their creator’s command—exemplify life without free will. When Ilúvatar adopts Aulë’s dwarves and grants them free will, they’re able to feel fear, move without prompting, and “speak with their own voices,” like elves and men. Men, in particular, receive the gift of disobedience from Ilúvatar. He grants them the ability to “shape their life, amid the powers and chances of the world, beyond the Music of the Ainur, which is fate to all things else,” meaning, if they wish, they can rebel against Ilúvatar’s plan for the world. Even so, human disobedience will only increase “the glory” of Ilúvatar’s world. All their actions, rebellious or obedient, will contribute to the fulfillment of the doom of the world. The same is true of Melkor, who rebels against Ilúvatar during the Music of the Ainur and later, on Arda, tries to subvert his plan for the world. Everything Melkor does is incorporated into the doom of the world and is “tributary to its glory”—he can create bitter cold, but it only inadvertently leads to the beauty of snow and frost. Though free will allows for alterations and subversions within Ilúvatar’s plan, in other words, the world’s doom is inescapable.

Some individuals, such as Beren, have a predestined fate that doesn’t impact their free will but is instead the outcome of their choices. Fate isn’t a controlling force; it arises from Ilúvatar’s foreknowledge of the choices characters will make and where those choices will lead them. When Ilúvatar chooses to reveal a future outcome to the Valar or Melian, the people of Arda understand it as fate—something that will definitely happen—and often use language that suggests fate itself has the power to ensure an event, whereas actually, it’s the result of freely made choices. Beren is described as being “defended by fate” during an orc raid, a romantic figure of speech indicating that Beren’s swiftness protects him, and Ilúvatar already knows that Beren’s choices will lead him to a more significant death later. Still, the fates of individuals are uncertain to everyone but Ilúvatar. Melian doesn’t know how Beren’s quest will end because Beren and Lúthien’s choices will impact their fates. Beren and Lúthien aren’t bound by fate, but rather consciously engage with it, deciding whether to “turn from” it or “challenge” it together. For example, Lúthien is “caught” in the fate of men, mortality (which is part of Ilúvatar’s inescapable plan for the world). Her doom, to become mortal and die with Beren, only comes upon her after she falls in love with him—though it might have been foreseen, it isn’t beyond her control. Ultimately, Mandos (the Vala who declares fates) gives Lúthien a choice, and she freely chooses to become mortal to remain with Beren.

Even curses, though they influence the lives of their subjects, are still the results of individual choices and free will. Melkor curses Húrin’s children to sorrow and misfortune but understands that there are opportunities for them to change their fate. Melkor sends Glaurung to personally ensure Túrin’s misery and prevent him from making the choice (rescuing Finduilas) that could have saved him from disaster. Mandos’s curse on the Noldor is similar—it is their punishment and a result of their violent and hateful choices. Mandos gives them an opportunity to avoid it (returning to Valinor to repent), but most of them refuse it. In doing so, they choose to accept the consequences of the curse and the fate of a bad end.

The subject of fate in Arda is a complicated one; not even the Valar (spirits created by Ilúvatar who helped conceptualize the world and now oversee it) have the capacity to fully understand it. Though Ilúvatar showed them a vision of the world that spanned millennia of its existence, they didn’t see the ultimate doom of the world and, since they aren’t omniscient, can’t understand how individuals’ choices and resulting fates contribute to it. Still, they know that Ilúvatar’s doom is inexorable, and they trust that every choice they and the other inhabitants of Arda make (even Melkor) helps to create it.