Editing Valinor (section)

=== Original sin ===

[[File:2017 Notre-Dame de Paris P52.jpg|thumb|The strife among the Elves and their resulting exit from Valinor has been compared to the Biblical [[fall of man]].<ref name="Letter 131" group=T/>{{sfn|Gallant|2014|pp=109–129}} The [[Serpent (Bible)|serpent]] tempts [[Adam (Bible)|Adam]] and [[Eve]] to eat the forbidden fruit, [[Notre Dame de Paris]]]]

The scholar of literature Richard Z. Gallant comments that while Tolkien [[Paganism in Middle-earth|made use of pagan]] Germanic heroism in his legendarium, and admired its [[Northern courage in Middle-earth|Northern courage]], he disliked its emphasis on "overmastering pride". This created a conflict in his writing. The pride of the Elves in Valinor resulted in a fall, analogous to the biblical [[fall of man]]. Tolkien described this by saying "The first fruit of their fall was in Paradise [Valinor], the slaying of Elves by Elves"; Gallant interprets this as an allusion to the fruit of the biblical [[tree of the knowledge of good and evil]] and the resulting exit from the Garden of Eden.<ref name="Letter 131" group=T>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2023|loc=#131 to [[Milton Waldman]], late 1951 }}</ref>{{sfn|Gallant|2014|pp=109–129}} The leading prideful elf is Fëanor, whose actions, Gallant writes, set off the whole dark narrative of strife among the Elves described in ''The Silmarillion''; the Elves fight and leave Valinor for Middle-earth.{{sfn|Gallant|2014|pp=109–129}}