#discussing how (at least in judaism) a vow undertaken before g-d (even Solely To Oneself)

[pacificgasandelectric]

getting In My Feels about kol nidrei & the oath of fëanor....

#mine #silm #judaism is the Best lens to analyze tolkien thru bc jewish philosophy and theology is simply full of Good Takes #and also bc like the Oath is one of THE MAIN THINGS in the silm and the fact that like #the text itself doesn't rlly give it much Weight tends to bug me #esp in terms of thinking like. this binary 'either it's metaphysically binding or it Isn't' way #i personally like to envision it as a metaphysical binding bc that's Tasty #but i think that even if the oath has no power In And Of Itself there's a rlly interesting alternate take #(that i will hopefully write up in more detail at some later point) #discussing how (at least in judaism) a vow undertaken before g-d (even Solely To Oneself) #is Still considered binding—and breaking it is therefore a transgression #obviously in Real Life and in judaism we don't believe that the *vow itself* has the power to eat our souls or w/e #but nonetheless once a vow or oath is *spoken* there *is* a binding on the soul—that is what a vow/oath Does #and therefore it's not the Conditions in the text of the vow that concern one but the fact that even if said conditions are impossible #there is still A Vow and breaking it is Bad and Has Moral Consequences #so what i'm driving at here is that i think another Fun reading of the oath of feanor is #'no it can't Literally eat their souls if they fail BUT failure to fulfill it Will still be a Moral Failure' #'because a vow that is sworn is metaphysically binding not by virtue of what it calls upon the vow-takers' #'but by virtue of it *being a vow* (before the gods)' #'so forswearing it Would still have negative consequences for the sons of feanor even If those consequences aren't permadeath' #anyways also i'm just sitting here like. if the elves had kol nidrei they literally would not even Be in that situation #just saying! seems like the fantasy catholics really just Missed An Opportunity there