I suppose I might as well cover as much ground as I can recall to avoid repetition.
What can be a sub-creator?
Sub-creators as a term can refer to any created being who performs sub-creative actions. This can be of varying range and scaling, including the artistic creations of Elves such as say gems or jewels.
"
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. That is: they have a devoted love of the physical world, and a desire to observe and understand it for its own sake and as 'other' – sc. as a reality derived from God in the same degree as themselves – not as a material for use or as a power-platform. They also possess a 'subcreational' or artistic faculty of great excellence" - Letter 181.
What do WE mean by sub-creator?
However, this is not what we refer to when we use the term "sub-creator". When we refer to sub-creator, we specifically refer to the authors and writers of the Primary Reality, something which Tolkien (unintentionally or not) has made a exceedingly higher thing than any other sub-creator. Essentially, we refer to the real world and its creators of myths and fictions. This is what we refer to when we speak of those who can realise "any possible world"... something that was made exceedingly clear if you were keeping up with the actual thread folks.
We differ entirely about the nature of the relation of sub-creation to Creation. I should have said that liberation 'from the channels the creator is known to have used already' is the fundamental function of 'sub-creation', a tribute to the infinity of His potential variety, one of the ways in which indeed it is exhibited, as indeed I said in the Essay. I am not a metaphysician; but I should have thought it a curious metaphysic – there is not one but many, indeed potentially innumerable ones –that declared the channels known (in such a finite comer as we have any inkling of) to have been used, are the only possible ones, or efficacious, or possibly acceptable to and by Him! - Letter 153
- Note, I am not denying that Tolkien is making a theological defense, this is indeed acknowledged in page 2 of this thread in fact, but the point is that his metaphysical position has resulted in this kind of... result.
Mythopoeia
As noted in the extract posted in page 2, Tolkien created this poem as a rebuttal "To one who said that myths were lies and therefore worthless, even though 'breathed through silver'." Aka to C.S Lewis. However, through this, we are given much detail again on the position of "writers" within the perspective of Tolkien's metaphysics. Specifically, storytellers, or "sub-creators" as Tolkien likes to call this specific form of subcreation, are those who "reflect" a "splintered fragment of the true light" of God. Aka, they are those who tell a portion of God's light in their role as filtered and refracted fragments of it.
"...myths are “lies and therefore worthless, even though breathed through silver.” No, said Tolkien. They are not lies... Tolkien continued, not merely the abstract thoughts of man but also his imaginative inventions must originate with God, and must in consequence reflect something of eternal truth. In making a myth, in practising 'mythopoeia' and peopling the world with elves and dragons and goblins, a storyteller, or 'sub-creator' as Tolkien liked to call such a person, is actually fulfilling God's purpose, and reflecting a splintered fragment of the true light."
This specific instance of sub-creators certainly refers to the former the one mentioned in Letter 153 at least.
Do also recall that High 1-A+ is the realisation of all "possible" worlds. Eru makes it so the selection of "possible" worlds is limited by His únati. Aka, his impossibilities. Eru has made it so many things in the Legendarium, and therefore Tolkien's metaphysics, is impossible. For instance, the creation of life without Eru/God's interventions. That's not even a concern as a result.
- Limits upon sub creators such as the "únat, a thing impossible to be or to be done" that are "...a perpetual reminder of the existence of Eru and His invincibility" and hence not a significant mark against them - Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Two, IX
- Commands are literal and we have examples - "axani (laws, rules, as primarily proceeding from Eru) that were laid down upon the Valar with particular reference to their state" - Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Two, IX
Can the Ainur create?
No one but God/Eru can create anything, this is a null-point. However, subcreatively speaking, they can realise many things through the channels of God's infinity.
For instance, The Nature of Middle-Earth notes that even in the heavily reduced state they were within Eä, they were capable of designing things with corporeal life, even as they could not make corporeal life that has "independent minds or spirits".
- "The Valar had power to endue things that they designed with corporeal life; but they could not make things with independent minds or spirits: sc. they could not make things of equal order, but only ones of lower order. In ultimate truth they did not in fact “make” even corporeal life, which proceeded from Eru. But they had assisted in the general design of Eä, and severally, in different degrees and modes, in the production from the erma (or prime substance) of things of many kinds." - The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Three: The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants, III Powers of the Valar
Certainly an irrelevant point overall, but a handy example to their ability to subcreatively act.
Now, for a relevant point, did the Music have a real effect? This is something I painstakingly looked over before getting it accepted, but yes.
- "But to the Atani I will give a new gift.’ Therefore he willed that the hearts of Men should seek beyond the world and should find no rest therein; but they should have a virtue to shape their life, amid the powers and chances of the world, beyond the Music of the Ainur, which is as fate to all things else..." - The Silmarillion, Chapter 1: OF THE BEGINNING OF DAYS
- The Music of the Ainur is as fate, not the Flame Imperishable. The Music has a real effect.
- "The Valar reportno such [?intrusive] things in the Music other than the coming of the Children. But since Eru was not bound by the Theme, nor by the Ainulindalë (as made by the Ainur)" - The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Three: The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants, II The Primal Impulse
- While Eru gave life to the Drama formed from the Music, it is the Music itself that binds the inhabitants and it is the Ainur who are acknowledged by Tolkien as its creators and those who cause the binding.
- "Nienna, sister of the Fëanturi; she dwells alone. She is acquainted with grief, and mourns for every wound that Arda has suffered in the marring of Melkor. So great was her sorrow, as the Music unfolded, that her song turned to lamentation long before its end, and the sound of mourning was woven into the themes of the World before it began." - The Silmarillion: VALAQUENTA
- The common example of Ainur creating concepts is Melkor's discord, but we do have a description of Nienna being the one to weave "the sound of mourning" into the World before it had even begun.
- "Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs singing with words, began to fashion the theme of Ilúvatar to a great music; and a sound arose of endless interchanging melodies woven in harmony that passed beyond hearing into the depths and into the heights, and the places of the dwelling of Ilúvatar were filled to overflowing, and the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void." - The Silmarillion: AINULINDALË
- Making the Void "not void" is pretty explicitly a real effect.
Etc, there's plenty of real effects and given credit to the Ainur for the actual creation of the Music and its effects even as Eru was the one to give life to Eä. As previously agreed, it is therefore likely that Eru made Eä whereas the Music of the Ainur became something akin to the "framework", with the history, concepts, material, etc of Eä defined by the Ainur.
For the record, everything prior has already been covered in the blog, the thread itself, or previously accepted threads (and are on profile).
Sub-creator power levels?
This is the result of a relatively new discussion I had with Ultima, the matter of whether Ainur contradict the tier of High 1-A+ in terms of "are they all as powerful as each other" in a "punchy punchy" way. Of course, while 1-A characters (which Ainur would be even if High 1-A+ was rejected post-grace by a foundd issue) can be stronger than others in their tier, High 1-A+ can only "differ" in strength between the two types of beings in the tier.
To post a shortened version of my post in that convo.
Morgoth is the most powerful among the Ainur, even in their origin. This is a clear issue.
- "To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in all the gifts of his brethren." - The Silmarillion: AINULINDALË
So why was this not a crippling issue? It has to do with what we mean by "might" for the Ainur in their origin (not once in Eä. DO NOT use that for pre-Eä).
So let us look at Melkor's description. The knowledge part is just that, knowledge. The share in "all the gifts" is again, seemingly just that, knowledge (my intelligence revision noting that the Ainur were all given a certain amount of knowledge, that is the gift).
- "The Valar were themselves “on trial” – an aspect of the mystery of “free will” in created intelligences. They had a sufficient knowledge of the will of Eru and his “design” to undertake the responsibility of guiding its development by means of the great prowess given to them and according to their own reason and intelligence." - The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Two: Body, Mind and Spirit, XII The Knowledge of the Valar
- The "gift" seems to refer to their provided knowledge of Eru's design. It is this which allows them to guide the development of Eä upon entry into it according to their own ideas and will.
- "Then the themes of Ilúvatar shall be played aright, and take Being in the moment of their utterance, for all shall then understand fully his intent in their part, and each shall know the comprehension of each, and Ilúvatar shall give to their thoughts the secret fire, being well pleased." - The Silmarillion: AINULINDALË
- Again, it is by an understanding of their part and the intent behind it that they would comprehend each other and thus the whole of the Music in the creating of it.
- "Nienna, sister of the Fëanturi; she dwells alone. She is acquainted with grief, and mourns for every wound that Arda has suffered in the marring of Melkor. So great was her sorrow, as the Music unfolded, that her song turned to lamentation long before its end, and the sound of mourning was woven into the themes of the World before it began." - The Silmarillion: VALAQUENTA
- To reuse this example, Nienna was acquinted with the concept of grief, and it was her knowledge of it that let her weave it into the World before it had even begun. Knowledge seems to be the rub.
- "In this Myth the rebellion of created free-will precedes creation of the World (Eä); and Eä has in it, subcreatively introduced, evil, rebellions, discordant elements of its own nature already when the Let it Be was spoken." - Letter 212
Power is a stickling point, but it wasn't something that distinguished Melkor in capacity per say. Tolkien notes
- "...Of this we may be sure, we children of small strength: any one of the Valar might have taken the paths of Melkor and become like him: one was enough." - The Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Two, IX ÓSANWE-KENTA"
and
- "In the cosmogonic myth Manwë is said to be 'brother' of Melkor, that is they were coëval and equipotent in the mind of the Creator." - Letter 211
So clearly, "mightiest" doesn't necessarily refer to sheer strength if any of the Valar could accomplish what he did and the "weaker" sibling was coeval and equipotent to the "mightier".
So what does Tolkien mean by "mightiest" or "mightier" is these contexts? Knowledge appears to be the definer of power in the Ainur, at least prior to their descent and restriction by Eru. For example
- "Knowledge of the Story as it was when composed, before realization, gave them their measure of fore-knowledge; the amount varied very much, from the fairly complete knowledge of the mind of the Creator in this matter possessed by Manwë, the 'Elder King', to that of lesser spirits who might have been interested only in some subsidiary matter (such as trees or birds)." - Letter 200. - emphasis on fairly, Manwë comes as close as possible, no more than that.
- The lesser spirits being lesser in part as they were interested in subsidiary matters and would therefore possess less knowledge. Manwë's relative complete knowledge seems to have been part of the reason why he was, second to Melkor, "mightier" than other Ainur.
- "I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices" - The Silmarillion: AINULINDALË
- A rather explicit example. The "power" of the Ainur is kindled from their thoughts and "devices". It is their mind which defined whether they were more "powerful" or not.
- "God and the Valar (or powers: Englished as gods) are revealed. These latter are as we should say angelic powers, whose function is to exercise delegated authority in their spheres (of rule and government, not creation, making or re-making). They are 'divine', that is, were originally 'outside' and existed 'before' the making of the world. Their power and wisdom is derived from their Knowledge of the cosmogonical drama... The Knowledge of the Creation Drama was incomplete: incomplete in each individual 'god', and incomplete if all the knowledge of the pantheon were pooled." - Letter 131
- Another explicit example. The power of the Ainur derived from their knowledge. Indeed, this seems to have had some effect as to the varying levels of power among the Ainur following their descent when they became more "defined".
Of course, this lack of knowledge isn't restricting beyond say their creativity, they can go beyond their given roles due to their free-wills afterall. Therefore, there isn't a restriction on their ability to influence/create all possible words (having the capacity even if not the knowledge seems acceptable judging by profiles like
The Star-Maker).
- "...Melkor knew his will without questioning it; and he knew that Manwë was bound by the commands and injunctions of Eru, and would do this or abstain from that in accordance with them, always, even knowing that Melkor would break them as it suited his purpose." - The Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Two, IX ÓSANWE-KENTA
- "In this Myth the rebellion of created free-will precedes creation of the World (Eä); and Eä has in it, subcreatively introduced, evil, rebellions, discordant elements of its own nature already when the Let it Be was spoken." - Letter 212
Moreover, there isn't a true "power" difference in the "punch harder" way. For example, even at point-blank (relatively speaking on such a higher scale), none of the "lesser" Ainur were harmed by Melkor.
- "But the discord of Melkor rose in uproar and contended with it, and again there was a war of sound more violent than before, until many of the Ainur were dismayed and sang no longer, and Melkor had the mastery..." - The Silmarillion: AINULINDALË
- Btw, if the post-descent "power levels" were accurate to pre-descent, they would have been obliterated by Melkor considering none of them were noted as Valar.
Therefore, while an anti-feat can be argued here, it isn't one that cannot be explained away. In fact, it seems to have been resolved by what we know from the Legendarium alone.
Highest created beings?
"
To conclude: having mentioned Free Will, I might say that in my myth I have used 'subcreation' in a special way... to make visible and physical the effects of Sin or misused Free Will by men. Free Will is derivative, and is.'. only operative within provided circumstances; but in order that it may exist, it is necessary that the Author should guarantee it, whatever betides : sc. when it is 'against His Will', as we say, at any rate as it appears on a finite view. He does not stop or make 'unreal' sinful acts and their consequences. So in this myth, it is 'feigned' (legitimately whether that is a feature of the real world or not) that He gave special 'subcreative' powers to certain of His highest created beings: that is a guarantee that what they devised and made should be given the reality of Creation. Of course within limits, and of course subject to certain commands or prohibitions." - Letter 153
- Feigned as Tolkien doesn't know literal angels from which to guarantee whether Angels/Ainur would possess these abilities or traits. Heck, Tolkien notes everything about his writing is "feigned" since it's not literal reality, or at least not known as literal reality with certainty.
- "But, of course, I may be in error (at some or all points): my truths may not be true, or they may be distorted : and the mirror I have made may be dim and cracked. But I should need to be fully convinced that anything I have 'feigned' is actually harmful, per se and not merely because misunderstood, before I should recant or rewrite anything."- Letter 153
So the Ainur are the "highest created beings". Does this make them stronger than sub-creators? Is that not contradictory? No, although I don't doubt Tolkien believed literal angels to be stronger than himself, for the context of his writings, no.
Let us do a brief (and it will be brief) breakdown of words (
limitless extensions flashback).
- "Highest created beings" makes logical sense as they are Eru's first creation and Eru's "closest" in that they receive direct gifts of knowledge and such from Eru (alongside more of a direct connection in terms of relative communication).
- The "special" subcreative power could also refer to this knowledge too (in the sense of knowledge of what to create). Afterall, knowledge relates to the capacity of a sub-creator to realise any possible world, even if they hold the actual power to do so already
(star-maker much?).
And, most importantly, there isn't exactly a mention of "power" in the sense of might in regards to the "highest" or "special 'subcretive' powers" per say. What is mentioned is "certainty". The Ainur receive a special boon to their "powers" in that they are given certainty in their creation of possible things unlike say, "the writers". This is a byproduct of the writers... well literally being people rather than the closest finite things to God.
Now, I'm done with this post, refer to page 2 with stuff like
this or
this if you have issues with the Metaphysics. They have (also) been discussed already in fair detail.
Edit: While the language here is still condescending, I believe this is the rebuttal I am more proud of.
