Who was the Giver of Gifts? Morgoth or Sauron?

[Dworkin]

I came upon an odd passage in SILM: Of the coming of Men...:

'... that when Men awoke in Hildórien at the rising of the sun the
spies of Morgoth were watchful,..
he himself departed from Angband and went forth into Middle Earth,
leaving to Sauron the command of the war.'

Already this I found odd: The war was not at all going well for
Morgoth at that time and Angband was under siege. Not a good moment
for the chief commander to go alone into the wild, risking to be
caught by Oromë, let alone to be off duty while the Noldor could have
launched an all out rally on Angband, as far as Morgoth might have
known.
And Morgoth had been described a coward, since so much power had
already left him. But OK, I go on.

What did Morgoth look like? In the SILM: Darkening of Valinor I read:
'For he was yet as one of the Valar, and could change his form, or
walk unclad, as could his brethren; though that power he was soon to
lose forever.'
Followed by: 'he put on again the form that he had worn as the tyrant
of Utumno: A dark Lord, tall and terrible. In that form he remained
ever after.'

And all this happened BEFORE the rising of the sun.

In MR: Anthrabeth Finrod an Andreth we read what the guy looked like,
who lured the newly awoken Men to abjure the Voice and thus shorten
their lifespan: 'Then one appeared among us, in our own form visible,
but greater and more beautiful.. I am the Giver of Gifts, he said.'

Now this seems to exclude Morgoth. Who else could it have been,
capable of working evil among men? Sauron was very good at that,
whereas Morgoth understood little of men, he rather played with
immortals. Sauron was still able to assume whatever form he wanted.
Furthermore, the title Giver of Gifts, that comes so close to Lord of
Gifts that he used in the SA to fool the Noldor.

Are there any essays or letters about this? Or will any one of you
share his wisdom to unravel this?

[Öjevind Lång]

"Dworkin" <u.fe...@pl.hanze.nl> skrev i meddelandet
news:499604ce-c67f-4ac5...@o28g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...

> I came upon an odd passage in SILM: Of the coming of Men...:
>

> '... that when Men awoke in Hild�rien at the rising of the sun the

> spies of Morgoth were watchful,..
> he himself departed from Angband and went forth into Middle Earth,
> leaving to Sauron the command of the war.'
>
> Already this I found odd: The war was not at all going well for
> Morgoth at that time and Angband was under siege. Not a good moment
> for the chief commander to go alone into the wild, risking to be

> caught by Orom�, let alone to be off duty while the Noldor could have

> launched an all out rally on Angband, as far as Morgoth might have
> known.
> And Morgoth had been described a coward, since so much power had
> already left him. But OK, I go on.

Well, perhaps the cowardly Morgoth thought it was safest no to be in
besieged Angband, in case it fell... Odd to think of Saurom as a loyal
subordinate who at least didn't show any cowardice. There is no mention of
him quaking during the battle against the combined armies of Eledenil and
Gil-galad.

�jevind