I like these passages in Lord of the Rings because it describes the nature of evil as a perversion of what is good. (ie Augustine) In other words, evil has no ontological status.
The Silmarillion says:
"Naught that had life of its own, nor the semblance of life, could ever Melkor make . . . so say the wise."
Melkor (someone like the first fallen angel) can only take something good created by Iluvatar and pervert it.
Treebeard the Ent comments:
"Trolls are only counterfeits, made by the Enemy in the Great Darkness, in mockery of the Ents, as Orcs were of Elves."
My favorite passage on this:
Sam: “Don’t orcs eat, and don’t they drink? Or do they just live on foul air and poison?”
Frodo:
“No, they eat and drink, Sam. The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. I don’t think it gave life to the orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them; and if they are to live at all, they have to live like other living creatures.”
Posted by Hedonese
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