Enemies

[davem]

Originally Posted by Raynor

I would say this would be an attack on his own premise for this world. Here, beauty is associated with goodness. Varda is not just a good valar; her beauty is too great to be declared in words; Ungoliant is not just evil, she is a hideous spider. Luthien isn't just the only one who can, arguably, single-handedly out-wit and out-power Melkor, she is the most beautiful of Eru's children. Melkor and Sauron, as they become more evil, they become more hideous. The elves are not the most gifted, and the closer to the valar in values and behaviour; they are the fair folk. Orcs are not just some of the cruelest beings, they are just plain ugly. The drugs challenge all this; and the fact that they are secretive and wary, and apparently use transfer of power to objects (Tolkien admits that one can consider this a miniature of the transfer of Sauron's power to the one ring or Barad-dur) really does not help their case.

Well, I could come back with Annatar, point out that the Elves were accused of considering themselves morally superior to other races & being 'embalmers', that Hobbits were not beautiful, but plain looking & Frodo's statement that if Aragorn really had been a servant of the enemy he would have 'looked fairer & felt fouler'.

I'm not sure about this - it seems highly morally questionable - the Woses were hunted & killed because they were ugly, secretive & wary?

No, because they were apparently living like this, "content", ever since they were co-habitating with the folk of Haleth. It seems this is their 'natural' way of life.

This seems like Rohirrim propaganda. How else could they have 'chosen' to live considering they had been dispossessed & driven into the wilds?