(urth) Silmarillion

[James Wynn]

> This is only one reading.
>    

This is the way Tolkien described it. See "The Letters of  JRR Tolkien"

>
> In what way does what you say contradict what I say?
>    

Well, to the extent that 1) what I say is the way Tolkien described the 
creation of his world in very straightforward and engaging terms, and 2) 
that he never offered "deep history" as an explanation...well it doesn't 
*contradict* what your saying. Saying "Oranges grow from trees in 
Florida" does not contradict "Oranges can be thought of as a symbol of 
fertility." But only one statement tells me where to buy oranges wholesale.