The information dump is incoming. Please keep in mind that your brain will be melted; bring snacks.
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Magic is the essence that makes every Otaku cream his pants, and every nerd dreams of other worlds. Where Sci-Fi had future technology that allowed impossible things to happen, the fantasy genre had Magic. What is magic, though? Every world has its system and understanding of it. The world of Tolkien was no different.
The many feats of characters he wrote about are attributed to such a force. It's like Gandalf slaying a Balrog and coming back to life, Sauron's forging of the Rings of Power, and the enshrinement of them with supernatural powers. All these things are attributed to magic, which helped shape the core purpose driving the story of Middle Earth.
So why did Tolkien never go into detail about such an extraordinary power and leave only obscure lines to describe it? The answer I have uncovered through my meticulous study and drive to learn from my new Eleven teacher.
Magic is boring.
Tolkien could have designed any system or taken inspiration from other works; instead, I am learning the most boring way to use magic in all the realms.
Sighing for the umpteenth time, all I receive is a smack to my leg for my suffering. It has been… however many years since I started studying under Alvaerelle, and at the end of the day, I could summarize it quickly, but using it takes a ridiculously long time.
Magic, in essence, is manipulating the surrounding natural forces to cause a beneficial phenomenon. It sounds fancy, but truthfully, it just means you have to understand the phenomena around you intimately.
A 'spell' is cast in Ancient Sindarin due to it being the closest language to creation that mortals can speak. The structure of a spell is not set but boils down to three parts: the element you wish to influence, the action you want, and the target of that action.
Many people (fans) believe that only the Ainur and the First People (Elves) can use Magic, but that is not the case. Anyone can learn Magic, but the Ainur who are closest to creation and the Elves are the only ones with the time to actually understand the world.
Humans, if lucky, live only a hundred years, while Dwarves live only a few centuries. There are even cases of very talented Dwarves being able to use Magic.
Anyway, I digress. I have been living in this world for many centuries, but I had never once thought to study its composition, so I know very little. Hence the constant scolding.
"What do you mean water just comes from the air? I have told you countless times that to summon rain, you must visualize Ulmo, Lord of Waters and King of the Sea!"
Of course, I knew about the cycles of Evaporation, Condensation, and Precipitation. I even knew the atomic makeup of H2O. So why does she keep talking about the 'Ulmo' guy?
"Yes, we know that he does not represent the phenomena of water in creation, but YOU, who have been studying for NO TIME, need to use his power, INFLUENCE, to help cast the spell because you are terrible at MAGIC!"
Now, you see. This is just abuse.
"AGAIN!"
Ugh.