Well evolution is such a vital and fundamental aspect of life itself, that I can't imagine JRRT would not see life within
Arda as evolving. But I guess the questions is, what examples are found in the text, like
hobbit relation to
men for instance.
Anyhow, to add to the great points brought up in this thread, here are some things I have wondered about, and a quote from JRRT.
Also worth mentioning that even in the earliest days of the
Elves at lake Cuivienen (not just by the time
Orome found them, but long before this) the three groups were distinct in nature and it is implied they were like this from the time they woke. I am not sure if the circumstances of their waking was the cause of the differences in nature of the groups or if it was to accomidate those differences. I find the notion that the circumstances of waking (not all woke together or at the same time!) fascinating and often tend to think this was the case. (Their love of stars being attributed to stars were the first thing they saw, not the other way around.) For anyone interested in those circumstances you will only find infomation in the tale
Cuivienyarna found in HoME 11.
I point this out because as a new reader I tended to think the differences in natures of the groups of elves was something that maybe was not there obviously in the begining but were just a result of things like their leader, few influencial or talented people, and the chance evolution of their skills and interests from seemingly random
events and developement of their cultures. Now I know this was not so, and I find it interesting. Of course this is not to say their natures didn't continue to change and develope because of influences they came to know in life.
The
elf groups also have their own common physical traits as well. Hair color is a well known example of this. This too is from the beginning though I doubt anyone thought otherwise given the way genetics work.
For any who have read
The Book of Lost Tales or are familiar with the story of the Awakening of Men in it, you may puzzle over similar questions as those I mentioned regarding elves. How much impact did the premature waking of Men by a curious elf have on the nature of them? How much variety among them when they woke?
Of course this was written decades before LotR was, and
The Silmarillion itself which evolved from these Lost Tales was drastically changed in almost every way. However, I think that JRRT's very old view on Men's waking coupled with what he says in Cuivienyarna are an indication that he might have imagined some real variety among when they woke. How much of that was physical, and how much concerning personaily...??
A final thought on that is that elves' immortality probably made it much easier for early events to have lasting effect on the
race through the
ages than it would for short-lived men whose generations are constantly changing and so losing knowledge of the past (among other things). (For thoughts on how the memories of elves differ from Men's and on how change hapens slower among elves see Dangweth
Pengolodh in HoME 12.)
I'lll end with a small statement made by JRRT in a discussion and "with proposals for the 'regeneration' of the mythology" (as his son says)... from
Myth's Transformed in HoME 10:
The coming of Men will therefore [because of a reason previously mentioned] be much further back. This will be better; for a bare 400 years is quite inadequate to produce the variety, and the advancement (e.g. of the
Edain) at the time of
Felagund.
Brackets are my doing, not Chistopher
Tolkien's. Just don't want anyone getting the idea that Men's variety was the sole reason that JRRT thought of moving their awakening back. There were several reasons probably not relevent to this topic but can be found in the same text for anyone interested.
Um..so in our world, creatures develope and change over time, as well as humans and such...Did this happen in Middle Earth?
