Off and on I've been re-reading Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" which is his collection of myths and events that occurred thousands (millions) of years before his Lord of the Rings story.

In particular I've just finished the chapter "The Akallabeth" which is Tolkien's retelling of the myth of Atlantis. Faithful humans are given a great island in the West and abilities/knowledge far beyond that of the average human.

However over time they grow increasingly jealous of the gifts of the elves and fall into evil, becoming imperialists and men of war and brutality. Eventually they reject good completely. Seeking not only immortality but mastery over all creation, they turn to the worship of Sauron and launch an attack on Paradise.

So God changes the world so that not only is Paradise completely removed from men for evermore but Numenor itself is destroyed and falls into the sea. It's really a very lyrical and elegant story and is somewhat of an allegory or metaphor (though Tolkien famously hated both) of the inability of humans to be happy with what they have.

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming

Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.