Fate and Free Will in Arda by Lyra

A Preliminary Bibliography

Primary Sources

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Is there anything relevant in The Hobbit? Possibly. Will investigate.

J.R.R. Tolkien, Mythopoeia

Tolkien's subcreation manifesto does contains some lines concerning Free Will, which I know because I know the darn thing by heart, don't judge me.

Humphrey Carpenter (ed.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), "Fate and Free Will". Tolkien Studies 6 (2009), 183-188

Is it still a primary source if it's Tolkien talking about his own work? I guess so. Unfortunately, a single copy of Tolkien Studies costs 60 bucks to access. Boo.

Augustine of Hippo, De civitate Dei
Erasmus of Rotterdam, De libero arbitrio (The Freedom of the Will)

Yeah, I should probably look up the original historical discourse on the matter. Boethius too? Possibly?

Secondary Sources

Christopher Kreuzer (ed.), Freedom, Fate and Choice in Middle-earth. Tolkien Society 2012.

Annie Birks, "Augustuinian and Boethian Insights into Tolkien’s Shaping of Middle-earth: Predestination, Prescience and Free Will". Hither Shore 8 (2011), 132 - 147

Verlyn Flieger, "The Music and the Task: Fate and Free Will in Middle-earth". Tolkien Studies 6 (2009), 151-181

These sound relevant.

Honorable mention

a.k.a. I'm not sure if it's relevant but it sounds interesting:

Claudio Testi, Pagan Saints in Middle-earth. Walking Tree Publishers, 2018