The Gift of Men Is Freedom, Not Death

I was recently listening to The Silmarillion on a run when I heard something I had never noticed in all my readings of it. The gift of Men is not only that they can die and go beyond the circles of the world. From what the text says, the gift is that they are free to choose their own fate.

That made me realize something about everyone else. Every other creature, including the Elves (the other Children of Ilúvatar), is not only bound to Arda but also less free in its will than Men are. That freedom is the true gift: not just the ability to die, but the ability to live as they choose, then die and go beyond the circles of the world. Later, Men will join the Second Music of the Ainur, sung together with all the Children of Ilúvatar, in the remaking of Arda. So they are still part of the whole symphony. But their gift is not the ability to die. It is their greater free will.

I find this interesting, and I had certainly not noticed it before. In my mind, the gift of Men was simply what set them apart from the Elves. The Elves are immortal, but they are bound to the fate of Arda, whatever that fate turns out to be. Men can leave Arda and are not bound to its fate.

Being bound to Arda can be both good and bad. The Elves get a deeper enjoyment and understanding of the music woven into Arda. But they also suffer much more when the lands are marred. They feel that they are diminishing, and Arda with them, and they feel it far more deeply than Men do. That is why they made the Rings.

Of course, Melkor later corrupted the gift of Men. And the corruption is usually all we focus on. Men become afraid of death, eventually rebel, and are diminished by their rebellion. The Númenóreans mingle with lesser Men, and their lifespan, their craft and everything else are lessened. But the text makes it clear, or at least clearer to me now, that the gift is the freedom, not the death.

That is what stood out to me on this latest listen. The passage that made it click is in the chapter Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor.