The scholar of English literature Catherine Madsen notes the reflection of mortality in the fading of Middle-earth from the enormous powers like Morgoth and Elbereth that battled in the First Age. She writes that Aragorn is a hero and a descendant of heroes, but he is brought up in hiding and given the name of Hope [Estel]; Arwen possesses the beauty of Lúthien, but she is born in the twilight of her people and her title is Evenstar; these two restore the original glories only for a little while, before the world is altered and 'fades into the light of common day'. Rateliff, writing on the theme of the evocation of loss in Tolkien's works, describes the 'Gift of Men' as being to accept loss and decay as essential parts of the world and draws parallels with other writings by Tolkien: The Elves cling to the past and so are swept away with it; in a fallen world, acceptance of the inevitability of death is the only way to pass beyond the world's limitations, for Brendan or Niggle or Arwen.