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醿♂儤醿氠儧醿愥儬醿樶儦醿樶儩醿溼儤
鈥濁儜醿斸儹醿撫償醿戓儤醿� 醿涐儜醿犪儷醿愥儨醿斸儜醿氠儤醿♂儛鈥� 醿撫儛 鈥濁儼醿濁儜醿樶儮醿樶儭鈥� 醿斸優醿樶儥醿ａ儬醿� 醿儤醿溼儛醿涐儩醿犪儜醿斸儞醿�. 醿愥儞醿犪償醿ａ儦 醿撫儲醿斸償醿戓儴醿� 醿ㄡ儯醿愥儺醿涐償醿氠償醿椺儴醿� 醿炨儤醿犪儠醿斸儦醿� 醿戓儨醿斸儦醿� 醿涐償醿ａ儰醿�, 醿涐儩醿犪儝醿濁儮醿� 醿♂儛醿儦醿濁儜醿撫儛. 醿涐儛醿� 醿ａ儢醿斸儨醿愥償醿♂儤 醿斸儦醿め償醿戓儤 醿斸儩醿涐償醿戓儩醿撫儨醿斸儨, 醿犪儛醿椺儛 醿儛醿犪儣醿涐償醿ａ儦醿� 醿♂儛醿涐儤 醿儠醿樶儬醿め儛醿♂儤 醿メ儠醿� - 鈥濁儭醿樶儦醿涐儛醿犪儤醿氠償醿戓儤鈥� 醿撫儛醿斸儜醿犪儯醿溼償醿戓儤醿溼儛醿�.
醿♂儤醿氠儧醿愥儬醿樶儦醿樶儩醿溼儤 醿涐儩醿掅儠醿樶儣醿儬醿濁儜醿� 醿め償醿愥儨醿濁儬醿樶儭醿� 醿撫儛 醿涐儤醿♂儤 醿椺儛醿溼儛醿涐儩醿儧醿斸償醿戓儤醿� 醿︶儧醿斸儬醿椺儣醿� 醿儤醿溼儛醿愥儲醿涐儞醿斸儝 醿愥儻醿愥儨醿п償醿戓儛醿栣償, 醿斸儦醿め儣醿� 醿撫儛 醿愥儞醿愥儧醿樶儛醿溼儣醿� 醿濁儧醿樶儭 醿ㄡ償醿♂儛醿償醿�, 醿犪儩醿涐償醿氠儤醿�, 醿涐儛醿椺儤 醿♂儤醿涐儛醿涐儛醿儤醿� 醿涐儤醿ａ儺醿斸儞醿愥儠醿愥儞, 醿涐儛醿犪儶醿儤醿♂儣醿曖儤醿� 醿樶儳醿� 醿掅儛醿溼儸醿樶儬醿ａ儦醿�.
醿椺儱醿曖償醿� 醿儤醿溼儛醿ㄡ償 醿ㄡ儯醿愥儺醿涐償醿氠償醿椺儤醿� 醿涐儛醿⑨儤醿愥儨醿斸儛.
醿♂儤醿氠儧醿愥儬醿樶儦醿樶儩醿溼儤 醿涐儩醿掅儠醿樶儣醿儬醿濁儜醿� 醿め償醿愥儨醿濁儬醿樶儭醿� 醿撫儛 醿涐儤醿♂儤 醿椺儛醿溼儛醿涐儩醿儧醿斸償醿戓儤醿� 醿︶儧醿斸儬醿椺儣醿� 醿儤醿溼儛醿愥儲醿涐儞醿斸儝 醿愥儻醿愥儨醿п償醿戓儛醿栣償, 醿斸儦醿め儣醿� 醿撫儛 醿愥儞醿愥儧醿樶儛醿溼儣醿� 醿濁儧醿樶儭 醿ㄡ償醿♂儛醿償醿�, 醿犪儩醿涐償醿氠儤醿�, 醿涐儛醿椺儤 醿♂儤醿涐儛醿涐儛醿儤醿� 醿涐儤醿ａ儺醿斸儞醿愥儠醿愥儞, 醿涐儛醿犪儶醿儤醿♂儣醿曖儤醿� 醿樶儳醿� 醿掅儛醿溼儸醿樶儬醿ａ儦醿�.
醿椺儱醿曖償醿� 醿儤醿溼儛醿ㄡ償 醿ㄡ儯醿愥儺醿涐償醿氠償醿椺儤醿� 醿涐儛醿⑨儤醿愥儨醿斸儛.
464 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 1977
39.3k people are currently reading
268k people want to read
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
669听books75.2k听followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien鈥檚 most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns 鈥� love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride 鈥� giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this 鈥榣egendarium鈥� that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children鈥檚 stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien鈥檚 most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns 鈥� love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride 鈥� giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this 鈥榣egendarium鈥� that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children鈥檚 stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 15,175 reviews
February 7, 2021
That麓s how worldbuilding has to be done the ultimate overachiever way. The only true one, the writing a life long on it mode, the one narrative style to rule them all.
Don麓t expect anything similar to Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, this is Tolkiens麓s self made manual, the extreme, pedantic, perfected expansion of the wonderful addendums that make general high fantasy with all its maps and sci-fi timelines and tech trees with astronomical maps so amazing.
But, as said, be aware, these stories are disguised nerdgasms so full of the language Tolkien adapted from originals and invented himself, such a celebrating of OCD perfectionism, a planning close to no modern nowadays author would invest in her/ his work, the work of a lifetime, that it麓s truly no easy read.
But some of the best and most successful fantasy and sci-fi writers do it in a similar way, invent extremely detailed universes with cultures, fractions, detailed geography, etc. often inspired by the behemoths that came before them or mythology. It seems to be the necessary and intelligent effort to be able to live in these worlds and thereby describe them in a way impossible for the ones who just write without true passion and obsession. It must be a kind of wonderful fusion of learning the self made theory, internalizing the world, fusing protagonists, worldbuilding, and plot, and in this way intensifying the flow and pleasure of creation. Just as I do it with my deeply disturbing cosmic body horror extreme terror sci fi nightmare fuel visions, sigh.
Speech is a mighty tool and how Tolkien used his expertise and knowledge to pimp the old originals, that inspired his work, and created new combinations and own languages, is how it has to be done. Whoever is into linguistics and language in general, or simply wants to know what the deeper meanings and ideological and magical backgrounds of LotR are, can dive deep into the immense detail of this aspect.
Tolkienoholics, people with no real life or no interest in one like me, aspiring dark overlords and writers, etc. should watch this in awe and especially remember and appreciate that he used his academic knowledge; not to bore the heck out of poor students in the all perpetrating combination of anachronistic teaching methods still used nowadays everywhere in soft humanities; to create something worthy of being called magic, maybe even holy, because of its positive influence on the world by founding the genre of high fantasy. So one should do research, know the originals, and study the tropes and how they evolve. It麓s all about these tropes, humans themselves are a combination of epigenetic memes gone bonkers in their parents, just created like new subgenres out of the old ones.
Back to the show: If one is into playing with language, cool names, loads of mythology, and of course LotR backstory, this is the perfect, fine brew to consume in small doses and, for best results, contrast and compare with the original in addition. Might also be a good idea to combine it with a real rereading or first time reading (shame on you) LotR, because it gives the extra info to better fully dive into the world.
I will probably do it that way, just as I like to read my sci-fi and fantasy extra, outsourced exposition explanations about characters, chronological timelines, maps, fandom, etc., to get the flow better started.
Don麓t expect an average short story collection, this is far beyond what one is used to see as a prequel, sequel, extra short story collections, or whatever else is nowaday instrumentalized in the mainstream fantasy sci-fi industrial complex to boost the sales.
Might also be handy if one is into LARPG and wants to impress the hot elves with nerdiness so concentrated that it takes control over the brain applying it, whispering to the mind about seductive levels of fandom indistinguishable from complete loss of perception of reality.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
Don麓t expect anything similar to Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, this is Tolkiens麓s self made manual, the extreme, pedantic, perfected expansion of the wonderful addendums that make general high fantasy with all its maps and sci-fi timelines and tech trees with astronomical maps so amazing.
But, as said, be aware, these stories are disguised nerdgasms so full of the language Tolkien adapted from originals and invented himself, such a celebrating of OCD perfectionism, a planning close to no modern nowadays author would invest in her/ his work, the work of a lifetime, that it麓s truly no easy read.
But some of the best and most successful fantasy and sci-fi writers do it in a similar way, invent extremely detailed universes with cultures, fractions, detailed geography, etc. often inspired by the behemoths that came before them or mythology. It seems to be the necessary and intelligent effort to be able to live in these worlds and thereby describe them in a way impossible for the ones who just write without true passion and obsession. It must be a kind of wonderful fusion of learning the self made theory, internalizing the world, fusing protagonists, worldbuilding, and plot, and in this way intensifying the flow and pleasure of creation. Just as I do it with my deeply disturbing cosmic body horror extreme terror sci fi nightmare fuel visions, sigh.
Speech is a mighty tool and how Tolkien used his expertise and knowledge to pimp the old originals, that inspired his work, and created new combinations and own languages, is how it has to be done. Whoever is into linguistics and language in general, or simply wants to know what the deeper meanings and ideological and magical backgrounds of LotR are, can dive deep into the immense detail of this aspect.
Tolkienoholics, people with no real life or no interest in one like me, aspiring dark overlords and writers, etc. should watch this in awe and especially remember and appreciate that he used his academic knowledge; not to bore the heck out of poor students in the all perpetrating combination of anachronistic teaching methods still used nowadays everywhere in soft humanities; to create something worthy of being called magic, maybe even holy, because of its positive influence on the world by founding the genre of high fantasy. So one should do research, know the originals, and study the tropes and how they evolve. It麓s all about these tropes, humans themselves are a combination of epigenetic memes gone bonkers in their parents, just created like new subgenres out of the old ones.
Back to the show: If one is into playing with language, cool names, loads of mythology, and of course LotR backstory, this is the perfect, fine brew to consume in small doses and, for best results, contrast and compare with the original in addition. Might also be a good idea to combine it with a real rereading or first time reading (shame on you) LotR, because it gives the extra info to better fully dive into the world.
I will probably do it that way, just as I like to read my sci-fi and fantasy extra, outsourced exposition explanations about characters, chronological timelines, maps, fandom, etc., to get the flow better started.
Don麓t expect an average short story collection, this is far beyond what one is used to see as a prequel, sequel, extra short story collections, or whatever else is nowaday instrumentalized in the mainstream fantasy sci-fi industrial complex to boost the sales.
Might also be handy if one is into LARPG and wants to impress the hot elves with nerdiness so concentrated that it takes control over the brain applying it, whispering to the mind about seductive levels of fandom indistinguishable from complete loss of perception of reality.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
May 5, 2023
I had tried to read J.R.R. Tolkien' The Silamarillion multiple times in the past (and always unsuccessfully) and had basically given up, but I finally did manage to realise that I was attempting to read it the wrong way; I was trying to read The Silmarillion like I have read and with pleasure reread LOTR, as a story, an epic story, of course, but still first and foremost as a story. Now while The Silmarillion is of course also partially a story, it is (at least for me) first and foremost a religious type document, a biblical, mythological account of the Elder Days of Middle Earth. So this time, I read The Silmarillion the way I used to read my Bible and how I have also approached Hesiod's Theogony and other tomes on Greek, Roman and Norse mythology (perusing small bits and pieces as needed and desired and following along via audiobook at the same time if possible). And I do know this might indeed and in fact sound a bit strange, I actually tried singing some of the parts to myself. And yes, I will likely have to reread The Simarillion sometime soon, because there is just no way I am going to be able to keep all of the different names etc. clear in my head (and I kind of also wish I had taken notes). But for a first full and complete read, I can only say, wow. As good as LOTR, but also very very different, and I honestly and strongly do believe that in order to truly appreciate, savour and enjoy what J.R.R. Tolkien has created with and in The Silmarillion a totally different and novel approach and method of reading are necessary and required (for The Silmarillion just does not work as a typical novel, since it is not in any manner a typical novel, and heck, it is not even a typical epic for that matter either).
November 1, 2009
Ever since I joined GR I鈥檝e been putting off the writing of this book鈥檚 review鈥� but since I鈥檓 high as fuck on cold medicine I feel like I can do it so here suffer thru it!:
Along long time ago a little 3rd world kid with an afro became fascinated of what he read on the internet about some British writer named Tolkien鈥� he wanted his books鈥� it became his obsession鈥� so he embarked on a quest to find his books and read the shit out of them鈥� but alas! The book was no where to be found on his dumb little island鈥� but that wasn鈥檛 going to stop our little afro hero鈥� he looked and looked, he went to used bookstores, he ordered 5 times in the expensive ones, he looked online, on the streets, even on the flea markets鈥� but they were not to be found鈥� one day after wating for 2 hours for his translator to finish translating and E-copy of The Lord of The Ring: The Fellowship of The Ring. Into Spanish and realizing that it made no fucking sense once translated鈥� our little afro hero went into the internet and founded the only bookstore with most of Tolkien鈥檚 work on stock鈥� in Spanish! But there was only one problem鈥� the fucking bookstore was in freaking Spain鈥� the cost of the books + S&H was way more of what our hairy friend had on his piggy bank鈥� so he did the unthinkable鈥� his parents had been bitching about his afro for months鈥�. So he proposed to them that in exchange of his fro they should give him the books he wanted鈥� and they accepted鈥� in an act of self mutilation* our fuzzy friend shaved his head to show his parent鈥檚 his anger over making him lose his fro鈥� after that the money was given to him鈥� he could order now (his parents weren鈥檛 as stupid as he always thought) and that day.. That day the curse was born!!! It was like the curse of Feanor鈥� but lame, the books took an entire year to arrive鈥� now imagine our froless hero waiting and waiting and calling and emailing and checking and re checking for a whole mother fucking year with his shaved head鈥� (for those of you who wonder this is why I will never again buy a book from the internet, I鈥檓 fucking traumatized) but when they got there鈥� how to put it into words鈥� I read the first book (600 pages) in one day鈥� the second in 3 days, the third in 2 days, the fourth on a day and a half鈥� and then it was time for the Silmarillion鈥�
I didn鈥檛 know nothing about the Silmarillion鈥� I left it for last cuz I thought it would be the most boring one鈥� and boy was I wrong! The first part The Music of the Ainur was such a mind blowing experience to me to the point of I cannot talk about anything else but how metal it sounded that my friends started complaining (somebody got to the point of threaten me that if said something else about Melkor being the coolest I was going to get punch in the balls) I mean if you ever read this book you should know how Melkor invented heavy metal on it鈥� then it was the lamps and all the gay stuff that I didn鈥檛 like鈥� that鈥檚 when I used to think Melkor was the coolest鈥� then came The Trees鈥� and I was just fascinated of how beautiful everything was鈥� I know it sounds mad gay! But it was!!! And then Melkor did something that made me stop thinking of him as the coolest鈥� he killed The Trees鈥� is not like I cried or anything like that鈥� but you know that was fuck up! The guy is cool and all but I know it sounds stupid鈥� but I did like those Trees man鈥� =( by this time I was so lost in this book that one could actually call it an obsession鈥� I was walking while reading, talking to the characters鈥� (if I were to get a penny for every time I told a character on this book 鈥渢urn back you fool鈥� I鈥檇 be rich by now!)鈥� look I don鈥檛 wanna ruin anything to anybody I could honestly talk for hours about how fucking awesome Feanor is鈥�. Or how big Fingolfin鈥檚 balls are (bigger than Steven鈥檚) or how beautiful Luthien was and how I wished she never met Beren, or how fucking sick and twisted Morgoth gets鈥� I mean the man was sick! But I need to stop! Cuz if I don鈥檛 I鈥檓a be here for ever鈥� I wanna say is that Tolkien was the mother fucking greatest of all times man鈥� this is just such a beautiful book鈥�
*:(even tho the paper don鈥檛 agree with me on this鈥� it was self mutilation!!! She has no idea how 鈥渁ttached鈥�
I was to that fro!!!!)
Along long time ago a little 3rd world kid with an afro became fascinated of what he read on the internet about some British writer named Tolkien鈥� he wanted his books鈥� it became his obsession鈥� so he embarked on a quest to find his books and read the shit out of them鈥� but alas! The book was no where to be found on his dumb little island鈥� but that wasn鈥檛 going to stop our little afro hero鈥� he looked and looked, he went to used bookstores, he ordered 5 times in the expensive ones, he looked online, on the streets, even on the flea markets鈥� but they were not to be found鈥� one day after wating for 2 hours for his translator to finish translating and E-copy of The Lord of The Ring: The Fellowship of The Ring. Into Spanish and realizing that it made no fucking sense once translated鈥� our little afro hero went into the internet and founded the only bookstore with most of Tolkien鈥檚 work on stock鈥� in Spanish! But there was only one problem鈥� the fucking bookstore was in freaking Spain鈥� the cost of the books + S&H was way more of what our hairy friend had on his piggy bank鈥� so he did the unthinkable鈥� his parents had been bitching about his afro for months鈥�. So he proposed to them that in exchange of his fro they should give him the books he wanted鈥� and they accepted鈥� in an act of self mutilation* our fuzzy friend shaved his head to show his parent鈥檚 his anger over making him lose his fro鈥� after that the money was given to him鈥� he could order now (his parents weren鈥檛 as stupid as he always thought) and that day.. That day the curse was born!!! It was like the curse of Feanor鈥� but lame, the books took an entire year to arrive鈥� now imagine our froless hero waiting and waiting and calling and emailing and checking and re checking for a whole mother fucking year with his shaved head鈥� (for those of you who wonder this is why I will never again buy a book from the internet, I鈥檓 fucking traumatized) but when they got there鈥� how to put it into words鈥� I read the first book (600 pages) in one day鈥� the second in 3 days, the third in 2 days, the fourth on a day and a half鈥� and then it was time for the Silmarillion鈥�
I didn鈥檛 know nothing about the Silmarillion鈥� I left it for last cuz I thought it would be the most boring one鈥� and boy was I wrong! The first part The Music of the Ainur was such a mind blowing experience to me to the point of I cannot talk about anything else but how metal it sounded that my friends started complaining (somebody got to the point of threaten me that if said something else about Melkor being the coolest I was going to get punch in the balls) I mean if you ever read this book you should know how Melkor invented heavy metal on it鈥� then it was the lamps and all the gay stuff that I didn鈥檛 like鈥� that鈥檚 when I used to think Melkor was the coolest鈥� then came The Trees鈥� and I was just fascinated of how beautiful everything was鈥� I know it sounds mad gay! But it was!!! And then Melkor did something that made me stop thinking of him as the coolest鈥� he killed The Trees鈥� is not like I cried or anything like that鈥� but you know that was fuck up! The guy is cool and all but I know it sounds stupid鈥� but I did like those Trees man鈥� =( by this time I was so lost in this book that one could actually call it an obsession鈥� I was walking while reading, talking to the characters鈥� (if I were to get a penny for every time I told a character on this book 鈥渢urn back you fool鈥� I鈥檇 be rich by now!)鈥� look I don鈥檛 wanna ruin anything to anybody I could honestly talk for hours about how fucking awesome Feanor is鈥�. Or how big Fingolfin鈥檚 balls are (bigger than Steven鈥檚) or how beautiful Luthien was and how I wished she never met Beren, or how fucking sick and twisted Morgoth gets鈥� I mean the man was sick! But I need to stop! Cuz if I don鈥檛 I鈥檓a be here for ever鈥� I wanna say is that Tolkien was the mother fucking greatest of all times man鈥� this is just such a beautiful book鈥�
*:(even tho the paper don鈥檛 agree with me on this鈥� it was self mutilation!!! She has no idea how 鈥渁ttached鈥�
I was to that fro!!!!)
January 31, 2025
She went then to the gardens of L贸rien and lay down to sleep; but though she seemed to sleep, her spirit indeed departed from her body, and passed in silence to the halls of Mandos. The maidens of Est毛 tended the body of M铆riel, and it remained unwithered; but she did not return. Then Finw毛 lived in sorrow; and he went often to the gardens of L贸rien, and sitting beneath the silver willows beside the body of his wife he called her by her names. But it was unavailing; and alone in all the Blessed Realm he was deprived of joy. After a while he went to L贸rien no more.
(Credit goes to Elena Kukanova. Check out her Tolkien art, it's amazing)
To be honest, The Silmarillion is not an easy read. There's Valinor, N煤menor, Middle-earth, creation of the world, music battles (I am not joking), the Valar, the Maiar; Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri elves, men, orcs, beasts, wizards, dragons, and jewels.
At one point, my brain almost malfunctioned.
It was worth it for the rich lore, doomed romances, and scheming dark lords.
If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings books and/or movies and wish to explore the lore in-depth, this book is perfect for you. Tolkien takes us back to the beginning, where we learn about the creation of the world and The Ainur (also called The Valar), who were beings above everyone, second only to the Il煤vatar. The book takes us through the Years of the Lamps, Years of the Trees, the First Age, and the Sixth Age, providing a comprehensive understanding of the Lord of the Rings universe.
*spoilers*
We meet Tolkien's most powerful villain. No, not Sauron. Morgoth (also called Melkor). The most powerful Ainur/Valar. We learn more about Valinor (Valinor is where Frodo and Bilbo depart at the end of the Lord of the Rings). Valinor is the home of the Valar (Ainur). We learn about the destruction of the Two Trees of Valinor by Morgoth and Ungoliant.
We follow the fates of The Children of Il煤vatar - Elves and Men. We witness the kin slaying between the Noldor and the Teleri elves. We travel to N煤menor, the greatest kingdom of men. For those that don't know- the first king of N煤menor was Elros, the twin brother of Elrond. Unlike his brother Elrond, Elros chose to be mortal. He became a great king of men, and it was through his line that Aragorn was born 62 generations later. Much like Atlantis, N煤menor was destroyed and sunk beneath the ocean.
At the heart of the book is the story of the Silmarils. F毛anor, the Elven King of the Noldor, crafted the Silmarils. These magical jewels contained the essence of the Two Trees of Valinor. F毛anor asked his niece, Galadriel, the princess of Noldor, for a few strands of hair to put in The Silmarils, but she refused him. If you remember, she granted the request to Gimli in the Fellowship of the Ring.
The Silmarils, beautiful as they were, were the cause of all the drama in the book. Morgoth stole the jewels and placed them in his crown. For thousands of years, the fate of many heroes was determined by the Silmarils.
F毛anor sucks.
T煤rin Turambar, Ni毛nor N铆niel, and the dragon Glaurung are central figures in what is arguably the most tragic tale ever written by Tolkien.
Their narrative is thoroughly explored in The Children of H煤rin. I firmly believe that George R.R. Martin drew inspiration from this story, which features elements of tragedy, incest, and dragons.
Of all the stories, my favorite were the ones involving Beren, L煤thien, Melian, and Thingol. And, of course, my fictional husbands - Glorfindel and Finrod Felagund. Yes, I am allowed to have more than one fictional husband. How could Tolkien create such incredible characters like Aragorn, Faramir, Legolas, 脡omer, Beren, Glorfindel, and Finrod and not expect his readers to fall in love with them? Glorfindel was a powerful elf from Gondolin who appeared in The Silmarillion and the Fellowship of the Ring (some of his scenes in the movie version were given to Arwen). Glorfindel perished in battle against a Balrog. Although he triumphed over the creature, he succumbed to his injuries. Eventually, he was reincarnated and returned to Middle-earth.
Glorfindel
Many are the songs that have been sung of the duel of Glorfindel with the Balrog upon a pinnacle of rock in that high place; and both fell to ruin in the abyss. Then Thorondor bore up Glorfindel's body out of the abyss, and they buried him in a mound of stones beside the pass; and a green turf came there, and yellow flowers bloomed upon it amid the barrenness of stone, until the world was changed.
Finrod Felagund, a 脩oldorin Elf and the brother of Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel, was the King of Nargothrond. He was known for being honorable and was referred to as "Friend of Men." Even though he knew it meant certain death, he agreed to help the mortal Beren in his quest. He met his end while defending Beren from Sauron's werewolf. Although he managed to slay the beast, he succumbed to his injuries.
One of my most cherished pieces of writing by Tolkien is 'Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth,' which can be found in Morgoth's Ring. Finrod engages in a profound dialogue in this narrative with Andreth, a mortal woman who harbors feelings for his brother Aegnor. Despite Aegnor's love for Andreth, he refrained from marrying her, fearing the sorrow that would follow his inevitable death. Ironically, Aegnor perished in battle around the same time Andreth succumbed to old age, and Finrod also faced a tragic fate. This tale illustrates that even though elves are immortal, they are not exempt from life's unpredictable nature.
Older Andreth and Finrod Felagund by Elena Kukanova
鈥淭hey buried the body of Felagund upon the hill-top of his own isle, and it was clean again; and the green grave of Finarfin's son, fairest of all the princes of the Elves, remained inviolate, until the land was changed and broken, and foundered under destroying seas. But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.鈥�
Beren and L煤thien:
Tolkien's most cherished love story. L煤thien was inspired by Tolkien's wife, Edith, and the tale first came to him in a small woodland glade adorned with hemlock flowers near Roos in Yorkshire, where he observed his wife dancing.
Beren, L煤thien, and Huan by danielosu
Farewell sweet earth and northern sky,
for ever blest, since here did lie
and here with lissom limbs did run
beneath the Moon, beneath the Sun,
L煤thien Tin煤viel
more fair than mortal tongue can tell.
Though all to ruin fell the world
and were dissolved and backward hurled
unmade into the old abyss,
yet were its making good, for this鈥�
the dusk, the dawn, the earth, the sea鈥�
that L煤thien for a time should be.
Beren and L煤thien's love story is the heart of the book. Before diving into their tale, let me give you a little background on L煤thien's parents. Melian, like Sauron, was a powerful Maia. The Maiar are more powerful than Elves but weaker than the Valar. Thingol, also known as Elw毛, was a Sindar elf. One day, while traveling through the forest, he met Melian and instantly fell in love with her. Melian felt the same way. It was unheard of for a Maia to fall in love with an elf, and it would never happen again. They ruled the kingdom of Doriath together and had a daughter, L煤thien Tin煤viel, the most beautiful of all the Children of Il煤vatar. L煤thien fell in love with a mortal man named Beren, but Thingol was furious and forbade their marriage. He eventually changed his mind but on one condition: Beren would have to bring him a Silmaril. It was an impossible task.
Beren sees L煤thien dancing in the forest by Elena Kukanova
Beren embarked on the perilous journey with Galadriel's brother, Finrod Felagund. Unfortunately, Sauron and his minions captured them and killed Finrod. L煤thien, who followed them along with her faithful companion Huan, a wolfhound, confronted Sauron. She and Huan defeated him and managed to take one of the Silmarils. However, Beren succumbed to his injuries, and L煤thien died of grief. Mandos, the Doomsman of the Valar responsible for the judgment of the Spirits, took pity on her and gave her a choice - she and Beren could be revived and return to Middle-earth. But there was a catch - she had to give up her immortality. L煤thien agreed to come back to Middle-earth as a mortal. L煤thien and Beren were the great-grandparents of Elrond and Elros and the great-great-grandparents of Arwen. Arwen shared L煤thien's physical appearance as well as her fate. She, too, would choose a mortal life and marry a man.
King Thingol was murdered. Melian returned to Valinor without her husband and daughter. The kingdom of Doriath passed to Dior the Fair, the son of L煤thien and Beren, yet he too met a sorrowful end, leading to the kingdom's downfall. Dior's daughter, Elwing, survived the destruction of Doriath and had a complex fate that is too intricate to detail in this review. Tolkien's grave is inscribed with the name "Beren," while his wife Edith's grave bears the name "L煤thien."
Thingol and Melian by Elena Kukanova
Other favorites: E枚l, the Dark Elf, and his reluctant bride, Aredhel, the White Lady of the 脩oldor. The drama of Gondolin featuring E枚l and Aredhel's son, Maeglin, elven princess Idril, and her mortal husband, Tuor. The bittersweet love story of E盲rendil, the son of Idril and Tuor, and Elwing, the granddaughter of Beren and L煤thien.
Sauron and Finrod Felagund
(Credit goes to Elena Kukanova. Check out her Tolkien art, it's amazing)
To be honest, The Silmarillion is not an easy read. There's Valinor, N煤menor, Middle-earth, creation of the world, music battles (I am not joking), the Valar, the Maiar; Vanyar, Noldor, and Teleri elves, men, orcs, beasts, wizards, dragons, and jewels.
At one point, my brain almost malfunctioned.
It was worth it for the rich lore, doomed romances, and scheming dark lords.
If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings books and/or movies and wish to explore the lore in-depth, this book is perfect for you. Tolkien takes us back to the beginning, where we learn about the creation of the world and The Ainur (also called The Valar), who were beings above everyone, second only to the Il煤vatar. The book takes us through the Years of the Lamps, Years of the Trees, the First Age, and the Sixth Age, providing a comprehensive understanding of the Lord of the Rings universe.
*spoilers*
We meet Tolkien's most powerful villain. No, not Sauron. Morgoth (also called Melkor). The most powerful Ainur/Valar. We learn more about Valinor (Valinor is where Frodo and Bilbo depart at the end of the Lord of the Rings). Valinor is the home of the Valar (Ainur). We learn about the destruction of the Two Trees of Valinor by Morgoth and Ungoliant.
We follow the fates of The Children of Il煤vatar - Elves and Men. We witness the kin slaying between the Noldor and the Teleri elves. We travel to N煤menor, the greatest kingdom of men. For those that don't know- the first king of N煤menor was Elros, the twin brother of Elrond. Unlike his brother Elrond, Elros chose to be mortal. He became a great king of men, and it was through his line that Aragorn was born 62 generations later. Much like Atlantis, N煤menor was destroyed and sunk beneath the ocean.
At the heart of the book is the story of the Silmarils. F毛anor, the Elven King of the Noldor, crafted the Silmarils. These magical jewels contained the essence of the Two Trees of Valinor. F毛anor asked his niece, Galadriel, the princess of Noldor, for a few strands of hair to put in The Silmarils, but she refused him. If you remember, she granted the request to Gimli in the Fellowship of the Ring.
The Silmarils, beautiful as they were, were the cause of all the drama in the book. Morgoth stole the jewels and placed them in his crown. For thousands of years, the fate of many heroes was determined by the Silmarils.
F毛anor sucks.
T煤rin Turambar, Ni毛nor N铆niel, and the dragon Glaurung are central figures in what is arguably the most tragic tale ever written by Tolkien.
Their narrative is thoroughly explored in The Children of H煤rin. I firmly believe that George R.R. Martin drew inspiration from this story, which features elements of tragedy, incest, and dragons.
Of all the stories, my favorite were the ones involving Beren, L煤thien, Melian, and Thingol. And, of course, my fictional husbands - Glorfindel and Finrod Felagund. Yes, I am allowed to have more than one fictional husband. How could Tolkien create such incredible characters like Aragorn, Faramir, Legolas, 脡omer, Beren, Glorfindel, and Finrod and not expect his readers to fall in love with them? Glorfindel was a powerful elf from Gondolin who appeared in The Silmarillion and the Fellowship of the Ring (some of his scenes in the movie version were given to Arwen). Glorfindel perished in battle against a Balrog. Although he triumphed over the creature, he succumbed to his injuries. Eventually, he was reincarnated and returned to Middle-earth.
Glorfindel
Many are the songs that have been sung of the duel of Glorfindel with the Balrog upon a pinnacle of rock in that high place; and both fell to ruin in the abyss. Then Thorondor bore up Glorfindel's body out of the abyss, and they buried him in a mound of stones beside the pass; and a green turf came there, and yellow flowers bloomed upon it amid the barrenness of stone, until the world was changed.
Finrod Felagund, a 脩oldorin Elf and the brother of Angrod, Aegnor, and Galadriel, was the King of Nargothrond. He was known for being honorable and was referred to as "Friend of Men." Even though he knew it meant certain death, he agreed to help the mortal Beren in his quest. He met his end while defending Beren from Sauron's werewolf. Although he managed to slay the beast, he succumbed to his injuries.
One of my most cherished pieces of writing by Tolkien is 'Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth,' which can be found in Morgoth's Ring. Finrod engages in a profound dialogue in this narrative with Andreth, a mortal woman who harbors feelings for his brother Aegnor. Despite Aegnor's love for Andreth, he refrained from marrying her, fearing the sorrow that would follow his inevitable death. Ironically, Aegnor perished in battle around the same time Andreth succumbed to old age, and Finrod also faced a tragic fate. This tale illustrates that even though elves are immortal, they are not exempt from life's unpredictable nature.
Older Andreth and Finrod Felagund by Elena Kukanova
鈥淭hey buried the body of Felagund upon the hill-top of his own isle, and it was clean again; and the green grave of Finarfin's son, fairest of all the princes of the Elves, remained inviolate, until the land was changed and broken, and foundered under destroying seas. But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.鈥�
Beren and L煤thien:
Tolkien's most cherished love story. L煤thien was inspired by Tolkien's wife, Edith, and the tale first came to him in a small woodland glade adorned with hemlock flowers near Roos in Yorkshire, where he observed his wife dancing.
Beren, L煤thien, and Huan by danielosu
Farewell sweet earth and northern sky,
for ever blest, since here did lie
and here with lissom limbs did run
beneath the Moon, beneath the Sun,
L煤thien Tin煤viel
more fair than mortal tongue can tell.
Though all to ruin fell the world
and were dissolved and backward hurled
unmade into the old abyss,
yet were its making good, for this鈥�
the dusk, the dawn, the earth, the sea鈥�
that L煤thien for a time should be.
Beren and L煤thien's love story is the heart of the book. Before diving into their tale, let me give you a little background on L煤thien's parents. Melian, like Sauron, was a powerful Maia. The Maiar are more powerful than Elves but weaker than the Valar. Thingol, also known as Elw毛, was a Sindar elf. One day, while traveling through the forest, he met Melian and instantly fell in love with her. Melian felt the same way. It was unheard of for a Maia to fall in love with an elf, and it would never happen again. They ruled the kingdom of Doriath together and had a daughter, L煤thien Tin煤viel, the most beautiful of all the Children of Il煤vatar. L煤thien fell in love with a mortal man named Beren, but Thingol was furious and forbade their marriage. He eventually changed his mind but on one condition: Beren would have to bring him a Silmaril. It was an impossible task.
Beren sees L煤thien dancing in the forest by Elena Kukanova
Beren embarked on the perilous journey with Galadriel's brother, Finrod Felagund. Unfortunately, Sauron and his minions captured them and killed Finrod. L煤thien, who followed them along with her faithful companion Huan, a wolfhound, confronted Sauron. She and Huan defeated him and managed to take one of the Silmarils. However, Beren succumbed to his injuries, and L煤thien died of grief. Mandos, the Doomsman of the Valar responsible for the judgment of the Spirits, took pity on her and gave her a choice - she and Beren could be revived and return to Middle-earth. But there was a catch - she had to give up her immortality. L煤thien agreed to come back to Middle-earth as a mortal. L煤thien and Beren were the great-grandparents of Elrond and Elros and the great-great-grandparents of Arwen. Arwen shared L煤thien's physical appearance as well as her fate. She, too, would choose a mortal life and marry a man.
King Thingol was murdered. Melian returned to Valinor without her husband and daughter. The kingdom of Doriath passed to Dior the Fair, the son of L煤thien and Beren, yet he too met a sorrowful end, leading to the kingdom's downfall. Dior's daughter, Elwing, survived the destruction of Doriath and had a complex fate that is too intricate to detail in this review. Tolkien's grave is inscribed with the name "Beren," while his wife Edith's grave bears the name "L煤thien."
Thingol and Melian by Elena Kukanova
Other favorites: E枚l, the Dark Elf, and his reluctant bride, Aredhel, the White Lady of the 脩oldor. The drama of Gondolin featuring E枚l and Aredhel's son, Maeglin, elven princess Idril, and her mortal husband, Tuor. The bittersweet love story of E盲rendil, the son of Idril and Tuor, and Elwing, the granddaughter of Beren and L煤thien.
Sauron and Finrod Felagund
May 13, 2020
Writing a review of the Silmarillion is like trying to review the Bible. Where do you even start? There鈥檚 just so much story in here. Any attempt to convey it in a review would be to do the book a massive disservice. There would only ever be enough space to talk about one or a few elements of the work.
So instead I thought I鈥檇 give my reasoning as to why every Tolkien enthusiast needs to read this in order to fully understand Tolkien: the sheer depth of the work.
鈥淚t is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Il煤vatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.鈥�
The history of middle-earth is very rich, and it stretches a very long way. Much further than the time of Sauron and the Ring. And this sense of history is only very briefly glimpsed within The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit if at all. The Silmarillion is the entire picture; it is the entire vison of Tolkien鈥檚 fantasy world. It鈥檚 a huge piece of world building, and there really is nothing else quite like it. In here he relays a huge amount of history, a truly staggering amount for a fictional world to possess.
I often talk about the need for world building in fantasy, and here it is in full force. It鈥檚 astonishing. It鈥檚 beyond imaginative. It goes further than anything before it and since. And this is why Tolkien is the master of the genre. He wasn鈥檛 the first, and he certainly won't be the last to write such fiction, but he was the best writer to ever attempt it. He more than set the benchmark when he wrote this. So if you鈥檙e thinking about reading this, but find the task at hand a little bit too daunting, then stop thinking. Pick this book and lose yourself in the history of the greatest fantasy universe ever created. You won't regret it.
________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via .
__________________________________
So instead I thought I鈥檇 give my reasoning as to why every Tolkien enthusiast needs to read this in order to fully understand Tolkien: the sheer depth of the work.
鈥淚t is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Il煤vatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.鈥�
The history of middle-earth is very rich, and it stretches a very long way. Much further than the time of Sauron and the Ring. And this sense of history is only very briefly glimpsed within The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit if at all. The Silmarillion is the entire picture; it is the entire vison of Tolkien鈥檚 fantasy world. It鈥檚 a huge piece of world building, and there really is nothing else quite like it. In here he relays a huge amount of history, a truly staggering amount for a fictional world to possess.
I often talk about the need for world building in fantasy, and here it is in full force. It鈥檚 astonishing. It鈥檚 beyond imaginative. It goes further than anything before it and since. And this is why Tolkien is the master of the genre. He wasn鈥檛 the first, and he certainly won't be the last to write such fiction, but he was the best writer to ever attempt it. He more than set the benchmark when he wrote this. So if you鈥檙e thinking about reading this, but find the task at hand a little bit too daunting, then stop thinking. Pick this book and lose yourself in the history of the greatest fantasy universe ever created. You won't regret it.
________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via .
__________________________________
August 5, 2021
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by English writer J.R.R. Tolkien, edited and published posthumously by his son, Christopher Tolkien, in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay.
The Silmarillion, along with J.R.R. Tolkien's other works, forms an extensive, though incomplete, narrative that describes the universe of E盲 in which are found the lands of Valinor, Beleriand, N煤menor, and Middle-earth, within which The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place.
This book is the first and last book of Tolkien, the story of the first period, from the imaginary world of Tolkien, the "old drama" in which the characters of "Lord of the Rings" can also find their roots.
Other well-known names of "Lord of the Rings", such as "Elrond" and "Galadriel" are also heroes of part of a short story in this book.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 蹖讴賲 賲丕賴 爻倬鬲丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 2009 賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 噩蹖.丌乇.丌乇 (噩丕賳 乇賵賳丕賱丿 乇賵卅賱) 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳貨 賵蹖乇丕蹖卮: 讴乇蹖爻鬲賵賮乇 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲乇蹖賲 賵丕孬賯蹖 倬賳丕賴貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 爻亘夭丕賳貙 1385貨 丿乇 455氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9648249407貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 乇囟丕 毓賱蹖夭丕丿賴貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 乇賵夭賳賴貙 1386貨 丿乇 624氐貙 賳賯卮賴貨 卮丕亘讴 9643342662貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 丨爻蹖賳 鬲乇讴賲賳 賳跇丕丿貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 睾賳趩賴貙 1393貨 丿乇 丿賵 噩賱丿貙 卮丕亘讴 丿賵乇賴 9786007721070貨
丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘貙 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賵 丌禺乇蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄 亘夭乇诏賵丕乇 丕爻鬲貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丿賵乇丕賳 賳禺爻鬲貙 丕夭 噩賴丕賳 禺蹖丕賱 丕賳诏蹖夭 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄貙 芦丿乇丕賲 讴賴賳蹖禄 讴賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲賴丕蹖 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄 賳蹖夭貙 乇诏 賵 乇蹖卮賴 蹖 禺賵丿 乇丕貙 丿乇 丌賳 賲蹖鬲賵丕賳賳丿 亘蹖丕亘賳丿貨 亘乇禺蹖 丿蹖诏乇 丕夭 賳丕賲 丌卮賳丕蹖丕賳 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄貙 賴賲趩賵賳: 芦丕賱乇賵賳丿禄 賵 芦诏丕賱丕丿乇蹖賱禄 賳蹖夭 丕夭 賯賴乇賲丕賳丕賳 亘禺卮蹖 丕夭 蹖讴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 讴賵趩讴卮 賴爻鬲賳丿貨 亘乇丕蹖 賮賴賲蹖丿賳卮 卮丕蹖丿 讴鬲丕亘 乇丕貙 亘丕乇賴丕 禺賵丕賳丿賴 亘丕卮賲貨 丕賳诏丕乇 丿蹖诏乇 倬蹖乇 卮丿賴 丕賲貙 丕賲丕 賴乇亘丕乇 讴賴 禺賵丕賳丿賴 丕賲貙 賳讴鬲賴 丕蹖 亘乇 丿丕賳爻鬲賴 賴丕蹖 倬蹖卮蹖賳賲 丕夭 噩賴丕賳 禺蹖丕賱蹖 讴賴 丕蹖卮丕賳 亘乇爻丕禺鬲賴貙 丕賮夭賵賳 诏卮鬲賴 丕爻鬲貨 丿丕蹖乇丞 丕賱賲毓丕乇賮 賳丕賲賴丕蹖 讴鬲丕亘 賳蹖夭貙 讴賴 丿乇 丕賵乇丕賯 賵 亘禺卮賴丕蹖 丕賳鬲賴丕蹖蹖 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘 丌乇賲蹖丿賴貙 亘蹖 賳馗蹖乇 丕爻鬲貙 乇蹖卮賴 蹖 亘蹖卮鬲乇 讴賱賲丕鬲卮 丕賳诏丕乇 丌卮賳丕爻鬲貙 丕賱亘鬲賴 丕诏乇 賳蹖讴 亘賳诏乇蹖丿
讴鬲丕亘 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥� 丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲貙 賵 丿賵乇賴 蹖 賳禺爻鬲 噩賴丕賳 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄 丕爻鬲貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇禄 賵 芦賲賱讴賵乇禄貙 鬲丕 倬丿蹖丿丕乇 卮丿賳 芦丕賽賱賮禄賴丕 賵 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏ж池�.貨 讴鬲丕亘 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 乇賵夭诏丕乇丕賳 倬蹖卮蹖賳貙 丿賵乇賴 蹖 賳禺爻鬲貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦丌乇丿丕禄貙 賵 丕夭 丿賳蹖丕 賵 賳蹖乇賵賴丕蹖蹖 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿貙 讴賴 丌賳 丿賳蹖丕 乇丕 爻丕禺鬲賳丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賳亘乇丿 禺蹖乇 賵 卮乇貙 丿乇 爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳賴 丕爻鬲貙 賵 噩賳诏 亘丕 賱乇丿 爻蹖丕賴 芦賲賵乇诏賵鬲禄貙 讴爻蹖 讴賴 芦爻丕乇賵賳禄貙 鬲賳賴丕 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 禺丿賲鬲讴丕乇丕賳卮 亘賵丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賲丿賳 芦丕賱賮禄賴丕貙 賵 爻丕禺鬲賴 卮丿賳 噩賵丕賴乇丕鬲 賲賯丿爻卮丕賳貙 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱禄賴丕貙 讴賴 芦賲賵乇诏賵鬲禄 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 丿夭丿蹖丿貙 賵 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 丌賳貙 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丕蹖 丕夭 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖賴丕 乇禺 丿丕丿貨 讴賴 芦賲乇诏 賵 賳蹖爻鬲蹖禄貙 芦禺蹖丕賳鬲禄貙 芦倬蹖乇賵夭蹖禄貙 芦丕賲蹖丿 賵 蹖丕爻禄貙 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 丿丕卮鬲.貨 丕夭 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖 毓丕卮賯丕賳賴 蹖 芦亘乇賳禄 賵 芦賱賵鬲蹖賳禄貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 賳賮乇蹖賳 卮丿賴 蹖 芦賴賵乇蹖賳禄貙 禺蹖丕賳鬲 芦賲丕卅诏賱蹖賳禄貙 賵 爻賯賵胤 卮賴乇 氐禺乇賴 賴丕蹖 倬賳賴丕賳 芦诏賵賳丿賵賱蹖賳禄 賳蹖夭 爻禺賳 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賲丿賳 丌丿賲蹖丕賳 乇丕 賳蹖夭 亘丕夭賲蹖诏賵蹖丿貙 賵 乇夭賲賴丕卮丕賳 乇丕貙 賵 丕蹖賳讴賴 趩诏賵賳賴 爻乇賳賵卮鬲 丌丿賲蹖丕賳貙 賵 芦丕賱賮禄賴丕 亘賴 賴賲 诏乇賴 禺賵乇丿貙 賵 芦賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇蹖禄賴丕 乇丕 倬丿蹖丿丕乇 讴乇丿貨 賳鬲蹖噩賴 蹖 丕蹖賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕貙 賴賲 丿乇 賱丨賳 賵 賴賲 丿乇 爻亘讴 賳诏丕乇卮貙 亘爻蹖丕乇 賲鬲賮丕賵鬲 丕夭 芦賴丕亘蹖鬲禄貙 蹖丕 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄爻鬲貙 鬲丕 噩丕蹖蹖讴賴貙 亘乇禺蹖 丕夭 胤乇賮丿丕乇丕賳 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄 禺賵丕賳卮 丌賳乇丕 丿卮锟斤拷丕乇 賲蹖蹖丕亘賳丿貙 丕賲丕 讴爻丕賳蹖 讴賴 亘賴 丿乇讴蹖 跇乇賮 丕夭 丌賳 丿爻鬲 蹖丕亘賳丿貨 賲蹖丿丕賳賳丿 讴賴 丕乇夭卮 丕卮 亘爻蹖丕乇 賮乇丕鬲乇 丕夭 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄爻鬲貨 賵 亘爻鬲乇蹖 爻鬲 亘乇丕蹖 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 丌賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕.貨
讴鬲丕亘 丿乇 倬賳噩 亘禺卮 丌乇丕爻鬲賴 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲: 亘禺卮 賳禺爻鬲: 芦丌蹖賳賵賱蹖賳丿丕賱賴禄 賴賲丕賳 芦丌賴賳诏 丌蹖賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 噩賴丕賳 鬲賵爻胤 芦丕賽乇賵禄貨 亘禺卮 丿賵賲: 芦賵丕賱丕讴賵卅賳鬲丕禄 芦丨讴丕蹖鬲 賵丕賱丕乇禄貙 丨讴丕蹖鬲 芦賵丕賱丕乇禄 賵 芦賲丕蹖丕乇禄 亘賳丕 亘賴 乇賵丕蹖鬲 芦丕賽賱丿丕乇禄貨 亘禺卮 爻賵賲: 讴賵卅賳鬲丕 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳 芦鬲丕乇蹖禺趩賴贁 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱鈥屬囏� - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄 讴賴 卮丕賲賱 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й� 丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲 芦賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇禄 賵 丿賵乇賴 丕賵賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�.貨 亘禺卮 趩賴丕乇賲: 芦丌讴丕賱丕亘鬲禄 芦爻賯賵胤 賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 爻賯賵胤 芦賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇禄 賵 賲乇丿賲丕賳卮貙 賵 丿賵乇賴 丿賵賲貨 亘禺卮 倬賳噩賲: 丨丿蹖孬 丨賱賯賴 賴丕蹖 賯丿乇鬲 丕爻鬲貙 賵 丿賵乇賴 爻賵賲 - 讴賴 亘丕 倬丕蹖丕賳 丌賳 丕蹖賳 丨讴丕蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 賳蹖夭 亘賴 倬丕蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必池�
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄: 芦賮蹖丕賳賵乇禄 亘夭乇诏鬲乇蹖賳 芦丕賽賱賮禄 夭賲丕賳賴 丿乇 賴賳乇 賵 賲毓乇賮鬲 亘賵丿.貨 賴賲賵 亘賵丿 讴賴 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱賴丕禄 蹖丕 賴賲丕賳 噩賵丕賴乇丕鬲 賲賯丿爻 乇丕 爻丕禺鬲 賵 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 亘丕 倬乇鬲賵 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲 芦賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇禄 丌讴賳丿.貨 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲蹖 讴賴 賲蹖賵賴 賵 卮讴賵賮賴 卮丕賳 禺賵乇卮蹖丿 賵 賲丕賴 卮丿.貨 丕賲丕 芦賲賱讴賵乇禄貙 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賮乇賲丕賳乇賵丕蹖 鬲丕乇蹖讴蹖貙 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 丿夭丿蹖丿 賵 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 丌賳 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丕蹖 丕夭 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖賴丕 乇禺 丿丕丿.貨 賲丨賵乇 丕氐賱蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘禺卮 爻賵賲 讴鬲丕亘 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄貙 丨賵賱 爻賴 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱禄 賲蹖诏乇丿丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄 诏丕賴 亘賴 诏匕卮鬲賴 蹖 丿賳蹖丕 賳蹖夭 賲蹖乇賵丿貙 亘賴 賴賲丕賳 丿賵乇丕賳 賳禺爻鬲! 賵 丌賳 鬲丕乇蹖禺趩賴 乇丕 賳蹖夭 丿乇 噩丕賴丕蹖蹖 亘丕夭 賲蹖讴賳丿.貨
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 01/06/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 13/05/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
The Silmarillion is a collection of mythopoeic works by English writer J.R.R. Tolkien, edited and published posthumously by his son, Christopher Tolkien, in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay.
The Silmarillion, along with J.R.R. Tolkien's other works, forms an extensive, though incomplete, narrative that describes the universe of E盲 in which are found the lands of Valinor, Beleriand, N煤menor, and Middle-earth, within which The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place.
This book is the first and last book of Tolkien, the story of the first period, from the imaginary world of Tolkien, the "old drama" in which the characters of "Lord of the Rings" can also find their roots.
Other well-known names of "Lord of the Rings", such as "Elrond" and "Galadriel" are also heroes of part of a short story in this book.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 蹖讴賲 賲丕賴 爻倬鬲丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 2009 賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 噩蹖.丌乇.丌乇 (噩丕賳 乇賵賳丕賱丿 乇賵卅賱) 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳貨 賵蹖乇丕蹖卮: 讴乇蹖爻鬲賵賮乇 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲乇蹖賲 賵丕孬賯蹖 倬賳丕賴貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 爻亘夭丕賳貙 1385貨 丿乇 455氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9648249407貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 乇囟丕 毓賱蹖夭丕丿賴貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 乇賵夭賳賴貙 1386貨 丿乇 624氐貙 賳賯卮賴貨 卮丕亘讴 9643342662貨
賲鬲乇噩賲: 丨爻蹖賳 鬲乇讴賲賳 賳跇丕丿貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 睾賳趩賴貙 1393貨 丿乇 丿賵 噩賱丿貙 卮丕亘讴 丿賵乇賴 9786007721070貨
丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘貙 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賵 丌禺乇蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄 亘夭乇诏賵丕乇 丕爻鬲貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丿賵乇丕賳 賳禺爻鬲貙 丕夭 噩賴丕賳 禺蹖丕賱 丕賳诏蹖夭 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄貙 芦丿乇丕賲 讴賴賳蹖禄 讴賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲賴丕蹖 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄 賳蹖夭貙 乇诏 賵 乇蹖卮賴 蹖 禺賵丿 乇丕貙 丿乇 丌賳 賲蹖鬲賵丕賳賳丿 亘蹖丕亘賳丿貨 亘乇禺蹖 丿蹖诏乇 丕夭 賳丕賲 丌卮賳丕蹖丕賳 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄貙 賴賲趩賵賳: 芦丕賱乇賵賳丿禄 賵 芦诏丕賱丕丿乇蹖賱禄 賳蹖夭 丕夭 賯賴乇賲丕賳丕賳 亘禺卮蹖 丕夭 蹖讴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 讴賵趩讴卮 賴爻鬲賳丿貨 亘乇丕蹖 賮賴賲蹖丿賳卮 卮丕蹖丿 讴鬲丕亘 乇丕貙 亘丕乇賴丕 禺賵丕賳丿賴 亘丕卮賲貨 丕賳诏丕乇 丿蹖诏乇 倬蹖乇 卮丿賴 丕賲貙 丕賲丕 賴乇亘丕乇 讴賴 禺賵丕賳丿賴 丕賲貙 賳讴鬲賴 丕蹖 亘乇 丿丕賳爻鬲賴 賴丕蹖 倬蹖卮蹖賳賲 丕夭 噩賴丕賳 禺蹖丕賱蹖 讴賴 丕蹖卮丕賳 亘乇爻丕禺鬲賴貙 丕賮夭賵賳 诏卮鬲賴 丕爻鬲貨 丿丕蹖乇丞 丕賱賲毓丕乇賮 賳丕賲賴丕蹖 讴鬲丕亘 賳蹖夭貙 讴賴 丿乇 丕賵乇丕賯 賵 亘禺卮賴丕蹖 丕賳鬲賴丕蹖蹖 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘 丌乇賲蹖丿賴貙 亘蹖 賳馗蹖乇 丕爻鬲貙 乇蹖卮賴 蹖 亘蹖卮鬲乇 讴賱賲丕鬲卮 丕賳诏丕乇 丌卮賳丕爻鬲貙 丕賱亘鬲賴 丕诏乇 賳蹖讴 亘賳诏乇蹖丿
讴鬲丕亘 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥� 丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲貙 賵 丿賵乇賴 蹖 賳禺爻鬲 噩賴丕賳 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄 丕爻鬲貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇禄 賵 芦賲賱讴賵乇禄貙 鬲丕 倬丿蹖丿丕乇 卮丿賳 芦丕賽賱賮禄賴丕 賵 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏ж池�.貨 讴鬲丕亘 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 乇賵夭诏丕乇丕賳 倬蹖卮蹖賳貙 丿賵乇賴 蹖 賳禺爻鬲貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦丌乇丿丕禄貙 賵 丕夭 丿賳蹖丕 賵 賳蹖乇賵賴丕蹖蹖 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿貙 讴賴 丌賳 丿賳蹖丕 乇丕 爻丕禺鬲賳丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賳亘乇丿 禺蹖乇 賵 卮乇貙 丿乇 爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳賴 丕爻鬲貙 賵 噩賳诏 亘丕 賱乇丿 爻蹖丕賴 芦賲賵乇诏賵鬲禄貙 讴爻蹖 讴賴 芦爻丕乇賵賳禄貙 鬲賳賴丕 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 禺丿賲鬲讴丕乇丕賳卮 亘賵丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賲丿賳 芦丕賱賮禄賴丕貙 賵 爻丕禺鬲賴 卮丿賳 噩賵丕賴乇丕鬲 賲賯丿爻卮丕賳貙 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱禄賴丕貙 讴賴 芦賲賵乇诏賵鬲禄 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 丿夭丿蹖丿貙 賵 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 丌賳貙 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丕蹖 丕夭 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖賴丕 乇禺 丿丕丿貨 讴賴 芦賲乇诏 賵 賳蹖爻鬲蹖禄貙 芦禺蹖丕賳鬲禄貙 芦倬蹖乇賵夭蹖禄貙 芦丕賲蹖丿 賵 蹖丕爻禄貙 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 丿丕卮鬲.貨 丕夭 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖 毓丕卮賯丕賳賴 蹖 芦亘乇賳禄 賵 芦賱賵鬲蹖賳禄貙 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 賳賮乇蹖賳 卮丿賴 蹖 芦賴賵乇蹖賳禄貙 禺蹖丕賳鬲 芦賲丕卅诏賱蹖賳禄貙 賵 爻賯賵胤 卮賴乇 氐禺乇賴 賴丕蹖 倬賳賴丕賳 芦诏賵賳丿賵賱蹖賳禄 賳蹖夭 爻禺賳 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賲丿賳 丌丿賲蹖丕賳 乇丕 賳蹖夭 亘丕夭賲蹖诏賵蹖丿貙 賵 乇夭賲賴丕卮丕賳 乇丕貙 賵 丕蹖賳讴賴 趩诏賵賳賴 爻乇賳賵卮鬲 丌丿賲蹖丕賳貙 賵 芦丕賱賮禄賴丕 亘賴 賴賲 诏乇賴 禺賵乇丿貙 賵 芦賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇蹖禄賴丕 乇丕 倬丿蹖丿丕乇 讴乇丿貨 賳鬲蹖噩賴 蹖 丕蹖賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕貙 賴賲 丿乇 賱丨賳 賵 賴賲 丿乇 爻亘讴 賳诏丕乇卮貙 亘爻蹖丕乇 賲鬲賮丕賵鬲 丕夭 芦賴丕亘蹖鬲禄貙 蹖丕 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄爻鬲貙 鬲丕 噩丕蹖蹖讴賴貙 亘乇禺蹖 丕夭 胤乇賮丿丕乇丕賳 芦鬲丕賱讴蹖賳禄 禺賵丕賳卮 丌賳乇丕 丿卮锟斤拷丕乇 賲蹖蹖丕亘賳丿貙 丕賲丕 讴爻丕賳蹖 讴賴 亘賴 丿乇讴蹖 跇乇賮 丕夭 丌賳 丿爻鬲 蹖丕亘賳丿貨 賲蹖丿丕賳賳丿 讴賴 丕乇夭卮 丕卮 亘爻蹖丕乇 賮乇丕鬲乇 丕夭 芦丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕禄爻鬲貨 賵 亘爻鬲乇蹖 爻鬲 亘乇丕蹖 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 丌賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕.貨
讴鬲丕亘 丿乇 倬賳噩 亘禺卮 丌乇丕爻鬲賴 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲: 亘禺卮 賳禺爻鬲: 芦丌蹖賳賵賱蹖賳丿丕賱賴禄 賴賲丕賳 芦丌賴賳诏 丌蹖賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 噩賴丕賳 鬲賵爻胤 芦丕賽乇賵禄貨 亘禺卮 丿賵賲: 芦賵丕賱丕讴賵卅賳鬲丕禄 芦丨讴丕蹖鬲 賵丕賱丕乇禄貙 丨讴丕蹖鬲 芦賵丕賱丕乇禄 賵 芦賲丕蹖丕乇禄 亘賳丕 亘賴 乇賵丕蹖鬲 芦丕賽賱丿丕乇禄貨 亘禺卮 爻賵賲: 讴賵卅賳鬲丕 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳 芦鬲丕乇蹖禺趩賴贁 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱鈥屬囏� - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄 讴賴 卮丕賲賱 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й� 丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲 芦賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇禄 賵 丿賵乇賴 丕賵賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�.貨 亘禺卮 趩賴丕乇賲: 芦丌讴丕賱丕亘鬲禄 芦爻賯賵胤 賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 爻賯賵胤 芦賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇禄 賵 賲乇丿賲丕賳卮貙 賵 丿賵乇賴 丿賵賲貨 亘禺卮 倬賳噩賲: 丨丿蹖孬 丨賱賯賴 賴丕蹖 賯丿乇鬲 丕爻鬲貙 賵 丿賵乇賴 爻賵賲 - 讴賴 亘丕 倬丕蹖丕賳 丌賳 丕蹖賳 丨讴丕蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 賳蹖夭 亘賴 倬丕蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必池�
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄: 芦賮蹖丕賳賵乇禄 亘夭乇诏鬲乇蹖賳 芦丕賽賱賮禄 夭賲丕賳賴 丿乇 賴賳乇 賵 賲毓乇賮鬲 亘賵丿.貨 賴賲賵 亘賵丿 讴賴 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱賴丕禄 蹖丕 賴賲丕賳 噩賵丕賴乇丕鬲 賲賯丿爻 乇丕 爻丕禺鬲 賵 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 亘丕 倬乇鬲賵 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲 芦賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇禄 丌讴賳丿.貨 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲蹖 讴賴 賲蹖賵賴 賵 卮讴賵賮賴 卮丕賳 禺賵乇卮蹖丿 賵 賲丕賴 卮丿.貨 丕賲丕 芦賲賱讴賵乇禄貙 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 賮乇賲丕賳乇賵丕蹖 鬲丕乇蹖讴蹖貙 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 丿夭丿蹖丿 賵 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 丌賳 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丕蹖 丕夭 鬲乇丕跇丿蹖賴丕 乇禺 丿丕丿.貨 賲丨賵乇 丕氐賱蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘禺卮 爻賵賲 讴鬲丕亘 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄貙 丨賵賱 爻賴 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱禄 賲蹖诏乇丿丿.貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 芦爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱蹖賵賳禄 诏丕賴 亘賴 诏匕卮鬲賴 蹖 丿賳蹖丕 賳蹖夭 賲蹖乇賵丿貙 亘賴 賴賲丕賳 丿賵乇丕賳 賳禺爻鬲! 賵 丌賳 鬲丕乇蹖禺趩賴 乇丕 賳蹖夭 丿乇 噩丕賴丕蹖蹖 亘丕夭 賲蹖讴賳丿.貨
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 01/06/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 13/05/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
October 5, 2024
How To Build A Truly Convincing Fantasy World
1. It's all about the language. Make sure your world's language is convincing, and you're pretty much there. Conversely, if your language sucks then everything else will.
2. Your book can't include more than a few sentences in your invented language without losing your audience. But it can include plenty of names. So what people will really judge you on is the quality of the names.
3. In fact, a world with only one language is implausible. You should have a bunch of them.
4. Languages are related to each other. Arrange things so that your invented languages have a family structure.
5. The relationships between languages aren't arbitrary, but come from the histories of the cultures that speak them. So work out a history too, and have the languages fit into that.
6. The origins of language go so far back that history sounds like myth. Make your history into a set of complex mythologies.
7. History and geography go together. Add geography too when you require it.
8. If you want all this to look imposing rather than stupid, you'd better get the details right. It'll take a while. Be prepared to spend at least half your life working on it. Oh, and of course it'll help if you've also spent a lot of time studying philology first.
9. You'll end up with far more material than you can possibly use. Leave most of it as background, and just give the readers a tantalising glimpse every now and again.
10. Burn all your notebooks and make sure everything stays mysterious. Your fans will curse you, but really you're doing them a huge favour. They don't want to see the man behind the curtain.
_____________________
Tolkien came amazingly close to a full realization of this scheme. The only thing he missed was item #10.
1. It's all about the language. Make sure your world's language is convincing, and you're pretty much there. Conversely, if your language sucks then everything else will.
2. Your book can't include more than a few sentences in your invented language without losing your audience. But it can include plenty of names. So what people will really judge you on is the quality of the names.
3. In fact, a world with only one language is implausible. You should have a bunch of them.
4. Languages are related to each other. Arrange things so that your invented languages have a family structure.
5. The relationships between languages aren't arbitrary, but come from the histories of the cultures that speak them. So work out a history too, and have the languages fit into that.
6. The origins of language go so far back that history sounds like myth. Make your history into a set of complex mythologies.
7. History and geography go together. Add geography too when you require it.
8. If you want all this to look imposing rather than stupid, you'd better get the details right. It'll take a while. Be prepared to spend at least half your life working on it. Oh, and of course it'll help if you've also spent a lot of time studying philology first.
9. You'll end up with far more material than you can possibly use. Leave most of it as background, and just give the readers a tantalising glimpse every now and again.
10. Burn all your notebooks and make sure everything stays mysterious. Your fans will curse you, but really you're doing them a huge favour. They don't want to see the man behind the curtain.
_____________________
Tolkien came amazingly close to a full realization of this scheme. The only thing he missed was item #10.
September 11, 2015
Buddy re-read with Shii!
I鈥檝e been contemplating whether or not to tackle the challenge of actually reviewing this masterpiece for quite some time now. In the end, after having finished reading it for the second time, I realised that I should at least throw out my thoughts on it. So here we go鈥�
This is in my eyes the most impressive book ever written.
Notice how I did not say 鈥渂est鈥�. That was completely intentional. I do not believe it is the best book ever written, even though I know others think so, and I understand their opinions. I also know people who have given up on reading this book, or been baffled by the thought of even attempting it. And I understand them too. This is not the most exciting fantasy book you鈥檒l find. But I stand by it being the most impressive one.
After almost reluctantly publishing The Hobbit and very reluctantly writing and publishing its sequel The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien could finally concentrate on what he actually wanted to do: to complete his collection of tales on the mythology and origins of Arda, often just referred to as Middle-Earth. The result, though published after the great man himself had passed away, became The Silmarillion
On the back of my little blue timeworn paperback, which is almost twice as old as I am, I read a little quote from the Guardian review of the original release. It says 鈥淗ow, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?鈥� And the question more or less summarises my own feelings on this book and Tolkien鈥檚 other works. These three hundred pages have given life to the most impressive achievement of human creativity ever. No fantasy author has ever done anything matching this, and it is my firm belief that no one ever will. The only book The Silmarillion can be compared to is the Bible and (I hope I do not offend anyone by saying this) even it does not come close to this.
The creation of the World by the songs of the Ainur鈥� the schemes of Morgoth Bauglir for dominion over the world鈥� the making of the wondrous Silmarils鈥� the breeding of great Dragons in the firepits of Angband鈥� the story of Beren and L煤thien鈥� tales of war and betrayal and love and loss and joy and grief and everything you could possibly imagine in a tale of fantasy. All of it can be found within the pages of this little book.
This book is not for everyone. In fact, I would only recommend it to those who have read and loved both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But I wouldn鈥檛 hesitate to call it the greatest masterpiece of worldbuilding the fantasy genre has ever had.
All that remains is to refer you to my little collection of quotes and artwork from the most important scenes of the book. Most of you have already seen it, but for those who haven鈥檛, please have a look:
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When the Valar entered into E盲 they were at first astounded and at a loss, for it was as if naught was yet made which they had seen in vision, and all was but on point to begin and yet unshaped, and it was dark. For the Great Music had been but the growth and flowering of thought in the Timeless Halls, and the Vision only a foreshowing; but now they had entered in at the beginning of Time, and the Valar perceived that the World had been but foreshadowed and foresung, and they must achieve it. So began their great labours in wastes unmeasured and unexplored, and in ages uncounted and forgotten, until in the Deeps of Time and in the midst of the vast halls of E盲 there came to be that hour and that place where was made the habitation of the Children of Il煤vatar.
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Dark now fell the shadow on Beleriand, as is told hereafter, but in Angband Morgoth forged for himself a great crown of iron, and he called himself King of the World. In token of this he set the Silmarils in his crown. His hands were burned black by the touch of those hallowed jewels, and black they remained ever after; nor was he ever free from the pain of the burning, and the anger of the pain.
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The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining as silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves. The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were of glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light.
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So in that place which was called Losgar at the outlet of the Firth of Drengist ended the fairest vessels that ever sailed the sea, in a great burning, bright and terrible. And Fingolfin and his people saw the light afar off, red beneath the clouds; and they knew that they were betrayed.
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In the front of that fire came Glaurung the golden, father of dragons, in his full might; and in his train were Balrogs, and behind them came the black armies of the Orcs in multitudes such as the Noldor had never seen or imagined.
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He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Orom毛 himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar. Thus he came alone to Angband鈥檚 gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. And Morgoth came.
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Blue was her raiment as the unclouded heaven, but her eyes were grey as the starlit evening; her mantle was sewn with golden flowers, but her hair was dark as the shadows of twilight. As the light upon the leaves of trees, as the voice of clear waters, as the stars above the mists of the world, such was her glory and her loveliness; and in her face was a shining light.
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Before the rising of the sun Earendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.
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And thus it came to pass that the Silmarils found their long homes: one in the airs of heaven, and one in the fires of the heart of the world, and one in the deep waters.
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Ever they dwindled with the years, until their glory passed, leaving only green mounds in the grass. At length naught was left of them but a strange people wandering secretly in the wild, and other men knew not their homes nor the purpose of their journeys, and save in Imladris, in the house of Elrond, their ancestry was forgotten.
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Then the name of the forest was changed and Mirkwood it was called, for the nightshade lay deep there, and few dared to pass through, save only in the north where Thranduil's people still held the evil at bay.
___________________________________________
In the twilight of autumn it sailed out of Mithlond, until the seas of of the Bent World fell away beneath it, and the winds of the round sky troubled it no more, and borne upon the high airs above the mists of the world it passed into the Ancient West, and an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song.
I鈥檝e been contemplating whether or not to tackle the challenge of actually reviewing this masterpiece for quite some time now. In the end, after having finished reading it for the second time, I realised that I should at least throw out my thoughts on it. So here we go鈥�
This is in my eyes the most impressive book ever written.
Notice how I did not say 鈥渂est鈥�. That was completely intentional. I do not believe it is the best book ever written, even though I know others think so, and I understand their opinions. I also know people who have given up on reading this book, or been baffled by the thought of even attempting it. And I understand them too. This is not the most exciting fantasy book you鈥檒l find. But I stand by it being the most impressive one.
After almost reluctantly publishing The Hobbit and very reluctantly writing and publishing its sequel The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien could finally concentrate on what he actually wanted to do: to complete his collection of tales on the mythology and origins of Arda, often just referred to as Middle-Earth. The result, though published after the great man himself had passed away, became The Silmarillion
On the back of my little blue timeworn paperback, which is almost twice as old as I am, I read a little quote from the Guardian review of the original release. It says 鈥淗ow, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?鈥� And the question more or less summarises my own feelings on this book and Tolkien鈥檚 other works. These three hundred pages have given life to the most impressive achievement of human creativity ever. No fantasy author has ever done anything matching this, and it is my firm belief that no one ever will. The only book The Silmarillion can be compared to is the Bible and (I hope I do not offend anyone by saying this) even it does not come close to this.
The creation of the World by the songs of the Ainur鈥� the schemes of Morgoth Bauglir for dominion over the world鈥� the making of the wondrous Silmarils鈥� the breeding of great Dragons in the firepits of Angband鈥� the story of Beren and L煤thien鈥� tales of war and betrayal and love and loss and joy and grief and everything you could possibly imagine in a tale of fantasy. All of it can be found within the pages of this little book.
This book is not for everyone. In fact, I would only recommend it to those who have read and loved both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But I wouldn鈥檛 hesitate to call it the greatest masterpiece of worldbuilding the fantasy genre has ever had.
All that remains is to refer you to my little collection of quotes and artwork from the most important scenes of the book. Most of you have already seen it, but for those who haven鈥檛, please have a look:
___________________________________________
When the Valar entered into E盲 they were at first astounded and at a loss, for it was as if naught was yet made which they had seen in vision, and all was but on point to begin and yet unshaped, and it was dark. For the Great Music had been but the growth and flowering of thought in the Timeless Halls, and the Vision only a foreshowing; but now they had entered in at the beginning of Time, and the Valar perceived that the World had been but foreshadowed and foresung, and they must achieve it. So began their great labours in wastes unmeasured and unexplored, and in ages uncounted and forgotten, until in the Deeps of Time and in the midst of the vast halls of E盲 there came to be that hour and that place where was made the habitation of the Children of Il煤vatar.
___________________________________________
Dark now fell the shadow on Beleriand, as is told hereafter, but in Angband Morgoth forged for himself a great crown of iron, and he called himself King of the World. In token of this he set the Silmarils in his crown. His hands were burned black by the touch of those hallowed jewels, and black they remained ever after; nor was he ever free from the pain of the burning, and the anger of the pain.
___________________________________________
The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining as silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves. The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were of glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light.
___________________________________________
So in that place which was called Losgar at the outlet of the Firth of Drengist ended the fairest vessels that ever sailed the sea, in a great burning, bright and terrible. And Fingolfin and his people saw the light afar off, red beneath the clouds; and they knew that they were betrayed.
___________________________________________
In the front of that fire came Glaurung the golden, father of dragons, in his full might; and in his train were Balrogs, and behind them came the black armies of the Orcs in multitudes such as the Noldor had never seen or imagined.
___________________________________________
He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Orom毛 himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar. Thus he came alone to Angband鈥檚 gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. And Morgoth came.
___________________________________________
Blue was her raiment as the unclouded heaven, but her eyes were grey as the starlit evening; her mantle was sewn with golden flowers, but her hair was dark as the shadows of twilight. As the light upon the leaves of trees, as the voice of clear waters, as the stars above the mists of the world, such was her glory and her loveliness; and in her face was a shining light.
___________________________________________
Before the rising of the sun Earendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.
___________________________________________
And thus it came to pass that the Silmarils found their long homes: one in the airs of heaven, and one in the fires of the heart of the world, and one in the deep waters.
___________________________________________
Ever they dwindled with the years, until their glory passed, leaving only green mounds in the grass. At length naught was left of them but a strange people wandering secretly in the wild, and other men knew not their homes nor the purpose of their journeys, and save in Imladris, in the house of Elrond, their ancestry was forgotten.
___________________________________________
Then the name of the forest was changed and Mirkwood it was called, for the nightshade lay deep there, and few dared to pass through, save only in the north where Thranduil's people still held the evil at bay.
___________________________________________
In the twilight of autumn it sailed out of Mithlond, until the seas of of the Bent World fell away beneath it, and the winds of the round sky troubled it no more, and borne upon the high airs above the mists of the world it passed into the Ancient West, and an end was come for the Eldar of story and of song.
July 16, 2024
Though I had many near-misses with The Silmarillion throughout the years (having been introduced to Tolkien's universe by discovering The Hobbit in my school's library in 5th grade), I finally slogged my way through it during the summer after my sophomore year of college. The first two years of my undergraduate degree were rather gruelling, and I wanted, more than anything else at that time, to just read a bunch of books I wasn't required to read. After making my way through The Complete Sherlock Holmes, I decided to revisit Tolkien.
I had read The Hobbit twice before and the Lord of the Rings once (and a half). As I've stated, I dipped my toes in The Silmarillion, but never let myself dive in. This time, in the interest of reading something other than required reading, I jumped in with both feet.
It was cold. And deep. And dark. It took a while to feel my limbs. It took even longer to get my arms and legs moving, but I soon found I was OK: Still breathing and able to dog paddle.
As I worked my way into it (and it was work!), I discovered that certain tidbits in the myths and legends of middle earth rang familiar. I knew that much of The Silmarillion had been "back-written" after the fact, which might strike people as some sort of disingenuous act on the part of the Tolkiens. I was thrilled. Here I learned who Elrond was, the significance of the fall of Saruman, and the true nature of and relationship between Gandalf and the Balrog. This was a revelation.
I plugged my way through and finished. No, I didn't remember everything and I probably never will. That summer was a unique opportunity for me, to read almost interrupted for such a long stretch. I followed up by reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in succession, immediately after finishing The Silmarillion. Then, and only then, did I appreciate the full magnitude of Tolkien's brilliance. It was a whole new world. I had already visited it, but now the scales fell from my eyes and I saw it in a whole new light. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were transformed, for me, from great books to epic.
Rather than being caught up in complaining about how difficult The Silmarillion was, I felt richly rewarded. I had worked for the glittering prize and it was even more beautiful than the time when I first laid eyes on it in that musty school library in Nebraska. Can nostalgia be forward-looking? It was for me that summer. I was caught in some sort of blissful time-loop that only released me when the urgency of school set upon me again that fall. But something joyful was sparked in me that hasn't ever fully left, thanks to The Silmarillion.
I had read The Hobbit twice before and the Lord of the Rings once (and a half). As I've stated, I dipped my toes in The Silmarillion, but never let myself dive in. This time, in the interest of reading something other than required reading, I jumped in with both feet.
It was cold. And deep. And dark. It took a while to feel my limbs. It took even longer to get my arms and legs moving, but I soon found I was OK: Still breathing and able to dog paddle.
As I worked my way into it (and it was work!), I discovered that certain tidbits in the myths and legends of middle earth rang familiar. I knew that much of The Silmarillion had been "back-written" after the fact, which might strike people as some sort of disingenuous act on the part of the Tolkiens. I was thrilled. Here I learned who Elrond was, the significance of the fall of Saruman, and the true nature of and relationship between Gandalf and the Balrog. This was a revelation.
I plugged my way through and finished. No, I didn't remember everything and I probably never will. That summer was a unique opportunity for me, to read almost interrupted for such a long stretch. I followed up by reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in succession, immediately after finishing The Silmarillion. Then, and only then, did I appreciate the full magnitude of Tolkien's brilliance. It was a whole new world. I had already visited it, but now the scales fell from my eyes and I saw it in a whole new light. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were transformed, for me, from great books to epic.
Rather than being caught up in complaining about how difficult The Silmarillion was, I felt richly rewarded. I had worked for the glittering prize and it was even more beautiful than the time when I first laid eyes on it in that musty school library in Nebraska. Can nostalgia be forward-looking? It was for me that summer. I was caught in some sort of blissful time-loop that only released me when the urgency of school set upon me again that fall. But something joyful was sparked in me that hasn't ever fully left, thanks to The Silmarillion.
September 6, 2017
"Oh woe-begotten spirit, fall now into dark oblivion, and forget for a while the dreadful doom of life."
I must admit. I struggled.
Though I love the Lord of the Rings and the Middle Earth Universe with all of my heart, tackling a large part of its history in this manner was tough going.
The world Tolkien created is absolutely extraordinary, without a doubt. Unfortunately The Silmarillion is written as a long history or mythology of biblical proportions. Name after name, battle after battle, son after son. It was hard to follow.
I can respect how wonderfully intricate and detailed the world is - but with that many characters and no straight story to follow through.... I'm pleased to be able to say I've done it, but I don't think it's one I'll be able to come back to time and again. I'll stick to LOTR I think. Though I will read and when I can. Tolkien truly is a master. 3.5 stars.
"Help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the wise falter."
I must admit. I struggled.
Though I love the Lord of the Rings and the Middle Earth Universe with all of my heart, tackling a large part of its history in this manner was tough going.
The world Tolkien created is absolutely extraordinary, without a doubt. Unfortunately The Silmarillion is written as a long history or mythology of biblical proportions. Name after name, battle after battle, son after son. It was hard to follow.
I can respect how wonderfully intricate and detailed the world is - but with that many characters and no straight story to follow through.... I'm pleased to be able to say I've done it, but I don't think it's one I'll be able to come back to time and again. I'll stick to LOTR I think. Though I will read and when I can. Tolkien truly is a master. 3.5 stars.
"Help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the wise falter."
May 24, 2023
2023 review
So I was asking myself - Jen, how do you review the Silmarillion? How do you review the events of thousands of years of heavily condensed material and make it palatable that this is in fact, a classic and a must for all Tolkien fans?
Well I've thought about that. I'm not going to review the material itself, or I'd just end up rewriting the book. But what I can say about this is that reading the Silmarillion, although incredibly challenging to keep up with all the names, battles and the second names Tolkien gives to characters and battles ("It was known as X in the tongue of the Elves, but Y in the tongues of men, but the dwarves called it Z" - if you know you know), is a fantastic experience in terms of what I'd like to call a taste of Tolkien. There are so many stories squished into this epic that just as you get invested into one, a new one starts. But if you find a story that resonates with you, there is a small possibility that Christopher Tolkien has adapted this in a more narrative and expanded form. Case in point - , , or . It is a likelihood, considering the Fall of Numenor was published after Christopher's death, that the Tolkien estate will continue to find writers to expand upon the genius material that Tolkien has given to us. So if you want a taste of Tolkien, read the Silmarillion and choose from there.
And if the Silmarillion wasn't enough, jump straight into the History of Middle Earth series. A massive undertaking but one I recommend if you couldn't get enough.
In the end, it's incredibly sad to me that we never got to read Tolkien's own expanded version of these stories. It's one of the great tragedies of classic writers, though I may be biased.I totally am. Enjoy what was, what is and what has not yet come to pass.
So I was asking myself - Jen, how do you review the Silmarillion? How do you review the events of thousands of years of heavily condensed material and make it palatable that this is in fact, a classic and a must for all Tolkien fans?
Well I've thought about that. I'm not going to review the material itself, or I'd just end up rewriting the book. But what I can say about this is that reading the Silmarillion, although incredibly challenging to keep up with all the names, battles and the second names Tolkien gives to characters and battles ("It was known as X in the tongue of the Elves, but Y in the tongues of men, but the dwarves called it Z" - if you know you know), is a fantastic experience in terms of what I'd like to call a taste of Tolkien. There are so many stories squished into this epic that just as you get invested into one, a new one starts. But if you find a story that resonates with you, there is a small possibility that Christopher Tolkien has adapted this in a more narrative and expanded form. Case in point - , , or . It is a likelihood, considering the Fall of Numenor was published after Christopher's death, that the Tolkien estate will continue to find writers to expand upon the genius material that Tolkien has given to us. So if you want a taste of Tolkien, read the Silmarillion and choose from there.
And if the Silmarillion wasn't enough, jump straight into the History of Middle Earth series. A massive undertaking but one I recommend if you couldn't get enough.
In the end, it's incredibly sad to me that we never got to read Tolkien's own expanded version of these stories. It's one of the great tragedies of classic writers, though I may be biased.
December 18, 2018
3.5/5 stars
With a new interest and determination, I have finally finished reading The Silmarillion.
I have failed this book twice and I was so sure that I won鈥檛 attempt reading it again. However, I have just finished re-watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy extended editions and reading the Three Great Tales of Middle-Earth that鈥檚 edited by Christopher Tolkien. I know this is not the recommended reading order but it's only because of doing these two activities that I found a new interest, knowledge, and motivation to actually persevere and finish this book.
Picture: Fingolfin versus Morgoth by Art-Calavera
Finishing The Silmarillion for the first time was one of the most difficult reads I鈥檝e ever attempted in my life. It was so difficult that in my opinion, reading this book alone was harder than reading the entirety of Malazan Book of the Fallen. My main problem with it was that that I found it the first half of this book to be extremely boring. I鈥檓 talking about hundreds of names (characters, places, events) being fired non-stop at readers, monumental events happening in two sentences, and the extreme difficulty in caring with the characters because there was close to zero character鈥檚 thoughts exploration due to the biblical style of writing. However, after reading the three Great Tales of Middle-Earth, these names started to become more familiar and much easier to remember. In fact, when I got back to it, I found the second half to be so full of engaging and epic events.
I won鈥檛 be reviewing each story in this book, there are way too many of them and I genuinely think a lot of Tolkienist can do a much better job in explaining the greatness of this book. Instead, I鈥檒l say this. The First Age of Middle-Earth makes the event of the Third Age (events in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) looks like a normal skirmish. There were so many incredible and epic battle waged; tons of tragedy and loss; unmeasurable evil of Morgoth that makes Sauron looks like a brat. Out of all the stories included in this book, there were two that stands out the most to me. One is obviously the story of Turin Turambar that has already been told in full details on The Children of Hurin. I have done a full review on this story but to summarize it, I absolutely loved it and I have no doubt it will be even better upon a reread one day.
Picture: The Sack of Nargothrond by Donato Giancola
The other favorite story was definitely the War of Wrath which depicts the final battle of colossal proportion that ended the First Age of Middle-Earth. It鈥檚 such a shame though that this chapter was super short. Like many of the stories contained in this book, I genuinely think that if the right author re-wrote these stories with multi-characters POV to follow instead of an omniscient biblical style of writing, War of Wrath would definitely be one of the most epic fantasy war to be written. It鈥檚 seriously hard to explain the scope of this battle, instead, I鈥檒l show you an image of the battle between Earendil (the tiny blue light in the picture) and Ancalagon the Black.
Picture: The Dragon and the Star by Manuel Casta帽贸n
The Silmarillion was not an easy read and the first half of the book was completely not fun at all to read. Due to the nature of writing style, there were also a lot of events that could鈥檝e worked so much better rather than making me feel so distant. However, this book clearly shows Tolkien鈥檚 capability as a pioneer in fantasy world-building. I didn鈥檛 even know how rich the lore and history behind Middle-Earth was until I鈥檝e read this one. I highly recommend this book for patient readers and obviously, fans of Tolkien. If you鈥檙e not a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I really think that it鈥檚 not mandatory for you to push through this book if it鈥檚 not working for you. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of great scenes that really shows Tolkien's imagination at its highest level. But overall, I think I'm left wanting more out of the stories than feeling completely satisfied.
You can order the book from:
You can find and the rest of my reviews at
With a new interest and determination, I have finally finished reading The Silmarillion.
I have failed this book twice and I was so sure that I won鈥檛 attempt reading it again. However, I have just finished re-watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy extended editions and reading the Three Great Tales of Middle-Earth that鈥檚 edited by Christopher Tolkien. I know this is not the recommended reading order but it's only because of doing these two activities that I found a new interest, knowledge, and motivation to actually persevere and finish this book.
Picture: Fingolfin versus Morgoth by Art-Calavera
Finishing The Silmarillion for the first time was one of the most difficult reads I鈥檝e ever attempted in my life. It was so difficult that in my opinion, reading this book alone was harder than reading the entirety of Malazan Book of the Fallen. My main problem with it was that that I found it the first half of this book to be extremely boring. I鈥檓 talking about hundreds of names (characters, places, events) being fired non-stop at readers, monumental events happening in two sentences, and the extreme difficulty in caring with the characters because there was close to zero character鈥檚 thoughts exploration due to the biblical style of writing. However, after reading the three Great Tales of Middle-Earth, these names started to become more familiar and much easier to remember. In fact, when I got back to it, I found the second half to be so full of engaging and epic events.
鈥淎ll have their worth and each contributes to the worth of the others.鈥�
I won鈥檛 be reviewing each story in this book, there are way too many of them and I genuinely think a lot of Tolkienist can do a much better job in explaining the greatness of this book. Instead, I鈥檒l say this. The First Age of Middle-Earth makes the event of the Third Age (events in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) looks like a normal skirmish. There were so many incredible and epic battle waged; tons of tragedy and loss; unmeasurable evil of Morgoth that makes Sauron looks like a brat. Out of all the stories included in this book, there were two that stands out the most to me. One is obviously the story of Turin Turambar that has already been told in full details on The Children of Hurin. I have done a full review on this story but to summarize it, I absolutely loved it and I have no doubt it will be even better upon a reread one day.
Picture: The Sack of Nargothrond by Donato Giancola
The other favorite story was definitely the War of Wrath which depicts the final battle of colossal proportion that ended the First Age of Middle-Earth. It鈥檚 such a shame though that this chapter was super short. Like many of the stories contained in this book, I genuinely think that if the right author re-wrote these stories with multi-characters POV to follow instead of an omniscient biblical style of writing, War of Wrath would definitely be one of the most epic fantasy war to be written. It鈥檚 seriously hard to explain the scope of this battle, instead, I鈥檒l show you an image of the battle between Earendil (the tiny blue light in the picture) and Ancalagon the Black.
Picture: The Dragon and the Star by Manuel Casta帽贸n
The Silmarillion was not an easy read and the first half of the book was completely not fun at all to read. Due to the nature of writing style, there were also a lot of events that could鈥檝e worked so much better rather than making me feel so distant. However, this book clearly shows Tolkien鈥檚 capability as a pioneer in fantasy world-building. I didn鈥檛 even know how rich the lore and history behind Middle-Earth was until I鈥檝e read this one. I highly recommend this book for patient readers and obviously, fans of Tolkien. If you鈥檙e not a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I really think that it鈥檚 not mandatory for you to push through this book if it鈥檚 not working for you. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of great scenes that really shows Tolkien's imagination at its highest level. But overall, I think I'm left wanting more out of the stories than feeling completely satisfied.
You can order the book from:
You can find and the rest of my reviews at
May 10, 2011
Sauron was become now a sorceror of dreadful power, master of shadows and of phantoms, foul in wisdom, cruel in strength, misshaping what he touched, twisting what he ruled, lord of werewolves; his dominion was torment.Ah, Sauron, Maia of Aul毛鈥攂eyond doubt the singularly most enthralling antagonist whom I encountered as a young reader, possessing all of the malevolence and dark charisma and naked power of Satan, but unhobbled by the multi-aspectual morphology of Christian theology and popular culture that far too often rendered the Devil a ridiculous figure: a wild-eyed and beastly fornication ringmaster cavorting with naked acolytes; a scarlet-skinned, pitchfork-wielding fashion model for forked-tails and forehead horns; or slyly smiling traveling salesman, pitching his gimcrack wares backed by loosely-enforced contracts claiming lien upon some drink-tossed wastrel's dubiously-valuable soul. But Sauron鈥攖he dude fell, the dude schemed, the dude was scary, whether donning the raiments of a beautiful, translucent ring-wise man or an unbearably, searingly abhorrent humanoid vessel of the void.
There exists no other book that I've read as many times as The Silmarillion. Much more than the questing, heroic storyline of was I drawn to the background of all those tumultuous events, the grand personages and royal lineages that stretched back into the mists of primordial time. Where did Sauron come from? From what pit originally arose the Balrog? What order was Gandalf exactly a member of? Who were Beren and Luthien, and what relevance did their own story have to this ultimate chapter of the War of the Rings playing out on the pages before me? Immediately that I finished the trilogy I rushed into the Silmarillion; and though at that time I was still too young to appreciate the allusions to other great mythologies, to the wonderful intricacies of the languages that Tolkien had constructed for his Middle-Earth races, to the powerful theme of tragedy鈥攁lways linked with a hubris of the striving spirit鈥攖hat was enjoined to the Noldorin rebellion against the Valar and their heroic-but-doomed struggle against Melkor, He Who Arises in Might, Morgoth Bauglir the Black Enemy鈥擱adical Valar Renegade, Spawner of the Orcs, Dark Lord of the Balrogs, Tutoring Patron of Sauron; in toto, Supreme Badass Motherfucker of all Middle-Earth鈥攕till I was held spellbound by these glimpses into the Great Creation, the Dawn of Elves and Men, the Noldorin Exile and the fate of the Silmarils, which ended with such a perfect balance, the priceless jewels at rest at the bottom of the sea, the deepest of earthen chasms, and the highest heights of the heavens. What's more, after the breaking of Beleriand the reader is presented with the awesome arc of the founding and the doom of N煤menor, in which Sauron gloatingly laughed atop the Island's mountain temple and lustfully defied the punishing lighting strokes that sizzled through the nighttime air; and the concluding overview of the War of the Rings, in which much is explained that makes The Lord of the Rings even more enjoyably complete than when the trilogy鈥攁nd its prequel The Hobbit鈥攚ere the only source for the incredibly deep history that Tolkien had woven from his lifelong love of language.
These annals, with their brilliantly-etched admixtures of beauty and short-lived heroic triumphs set against an overpowering sense of futility and tragic defeat at the hands of an enemy whose cunning is as deep as the infernal pits of his cavernous dungeons and whose malice engirds the star-kissed world, whose very corruption has been bled into the core of creation itself, were just what were needed to spark a young imagination; Tolkien's private amusements and delights mirrored my own in their fledgling form, and inspired me to tributary tasks of creation that nobody else could understand or appreciate but which gave me immense personal satisfaction. They awoke within me the powerful demiurgical desire to craft worlds, populate them, endow them with their own gods and mythologies, formulate a history, laden it with political systems, the whole works, all in the service of a time-bound fate that culminates in an apocalyptic showdown betwixt the dark and the light. At that point in a person's life, when the complex and inscrutable mathematical rituals and hierarchical causality of all-powerful modern science have immense appeal but few handholds, the prismatic and primal allure of myth and magic, the intuitive interconnectedness of nature with the sorcerously creative will of man, even at that tender age a force struggling to avoid restraint and desperately endeavoring to draw power from those spiritual furnaces deep within, the font of dreams, such tales of heroism and fortitude in the face of the supernatural are, for many, very hard to resist. What's more, the channeling of natural phenomenon into organic spirits with anthropomorphic features and forms offers another intuitively-appealing means to understanding a vast material world that otherwise seems awesomely inexplicable and frighteningly unpredictable. Stories that tap into our innate desire both to be entertained and be edified by human theatre set within the panoramic vistas of a horizon-hid past鈥擳olkien delivered in spades.
I don't care that it was edited by Christopher Tolkien and Guy Gavriel Kay and, thus, can't be declared canonical. Who gives a shit? Some complain that it reads like a Middle-Earth bible, that its archaic style and portentous prose are a labor to struggle through, and provide nothing as satisfying as the great trilogy he had wrought. Ah, tell it to the judge. They read like the annals composed from the mythological strains that wend across a mysterious, fate-bound history that they, in fact, are: it's just that this particular history was played out solely within the mental confines鈥攁 rich cerebral theatre鈥攐f the author, and possessed a coherence and potency to rival the mythologies of the Greeks or the Northmen. What more could a reader want? If Tolkien's labour of love, crafted and edited, reworked and rewritten, was of such an amazing expressiveness and beauty and power that it both upheld the Ring Trilogy and lit its mythological intimations with a fulgent blaze that only served to augment one's appreciation of the latter's depths, then why not put it out there for that multitude of fans who were dying to sample more of the mystical marvels from one of the greatest and most uniquely imaginative minds of the past century?
February 28, 2022
*** 2022 Reread
I reread this wonderful book in anticipation of the upcoming Prime Video series. Still as good as ever.
Tolkien tells the story of the beginning of Middle Earth and has provided us with a very cool mythology for his creation. We learn about the Valar, the Maiar (of whom Gandolf and Suaron are both members) the tribes of the elves and the fall of the great cities of the Elves in Middle Earth.
The closing chapters also talks about Numenor and the rise and fall of the that great island nation and how this society led to the line of kings of whom Aragorn was one.
For Tolkien fans this is a MUST read and a great book of fantasy for SF/F aficionados.
*** 2020 reread
I first read this back in HS, more than 30 years ago. I recall being amazed at the magnificent world building and likened this to 鈥淥ld Testament鈥� Tolkien.
I must admit that one reason why it鈥檚 taken me so long to revisit was my memory of the etymology and I was hesitant to jump back into stilted language and a litany of begats and whose father was who in the time of this or that.
Tolkien is too good for that and modern readers should not at all be intimidated by a stuffy origin story. This reads like a cool mythology and each vignette is a page turning story on its own. Apparently this was actually first begun soon after The Hobbit in the late 1930s but publishers were none too keen. Christopher Tolkien collected his father鈥檚 notes and stories and put all this together for a 1977 publication, posthumous to JRR鈥檚 1973 death.
BTW 鈥� 1973
1 ring to rule them all
9 rings for men
7 rings for the dwarves
3 for elves
The first part, of Eru Iluvatar (God) is clearly inspired by the Christian Old Testament. The music of the Ainur (angels) has one Ainur who thought his voice was better than the rest 鈥� Melkor (Satan) and so Eru made the music into the world and fifteen Ainur came to reside in the world, including the troublemaker.
From here we have a pantheistic legendarium of the Valar (the Ainur who stayed) and of their conflict with Melkor and of the coming of the elves and of men. One of the Ainu formed the dwarves and had to petition Eru for this transgression.
The legends of the tribes of the elves and of their great migrations and of fantastic cities and of the wars against Melkor and his lieutenant Sauron fills this mythology with a richness that is for more than just for LOTR fans, this is good reading for any fantasy genre aficionado.
I reread this wonderful book in anticipation of the upcoming Prime Video series. Still as good as ever.
Tolkien tells the story of the beginning of Middle Earth and has provided us with a very cool mythology for his creation. We learn about the Valar, the Maiar (of whom Gandolf and Suaron are both members) the tribes of the elves and the fall of the great cities of the Elves in Middle Earth.
The closing chapters also talks about Numenor and the rise and fall of the that great island nation and how this society led to the line of kings of whom Aragorn was one.
For Tolkien fans this is a MUST read and a great book of fantasy for SF/F aficionados.
*** 2020 reread
I first read this back in HS, more than 30 years ago. I recall being amazed at the magnificent world building and likened this to 鈥淥ld Testament鈥� Tolkien.
I must admit that one reason why it鈥檚 taken me so long to revisit was my memory of the etymology and I was hesitant to jump back into stilted language and a litany of begats and whose father was who in the time of this or that.
Tolkien is too good for that and modern readers should not at all be intimidated by a stuffy origin story. This reads like a cool mythology and each vignette is a page turning story on its own. Apparently this was actually first begun soon after The Hobbit in the late 1930s but publishers were none too keen. Christopher Tolkien collected his father鈥檚 notes and stories and put all this together for a 1977 publication, posthumous to JRR鈥檚 1973 death.
BTW 鈥� 1973
1 ring to rule them all
9 rings for men
7 rings for the dwarves
3 for elves
The first part, of Eru Iluvatar (God) is clearly inspired by the Christian Old Testament. The music of the Ainur (angels) has one Ainur who thought his voice was better than the rest 鈥� Melkor (Satan) and so Eru made the music into the world and fifteen Ainur came to reside in the world, including the troublemaker.
From here we have a pantheistic legendarium of the Valar (the Ainur who stayed) and of their conflict with Melkor and of the coming of the elves and of men. One of the Ainu formed the dwarves and had to petition Eru for this transgression.
The legends of the tribes of the elves and of their great migrations and of fantastic cities and of the wars against Melkor and his lieutenant Sauron fills this mythology with a richness that is for more than just for LOTR fans, this is good reading for any fantasy genre aficionado.
April 8, 2023
J.R.R. Tolkien turns the world-building knob all the way up to 11 in The Silmarillion, which is a masterclass in high fantasy.
This book is Biblical is scope and also Biblical in its writing style. It's not for the casual reader, but it is a goldmine for the Tolkien enthusiast.
This particular edition of The Silmarillion is gorgeous. It is published on high-quality paper and features 45 pages of beautiful artwork. The artwork truly enhances the reading experience.
This edition also includes a foldout National Geographic-style map and a comprehensive glossary of characters, locations, and languages. Relevant family trees are also included.
This is a beautiful volume and deserves a prominent place on the bookshelves (or coffee tables) of Tolkien enthusiasts everywhere.
This book is Biblical is scope and also Biblical in its writing style. It's not for the casual reader, but it is a goldmine for the Tolkien enthusiast.
This particular edition of The Silmarillion is gorgeous. It is published on high-quality paper and features 45 pages of beautiful artwork. The artwork truly enhances the reading experience.
This edition also includes a foldout National Geographic-style map and a comprehensive glossary of characters, locations, and languages. Relevant family trees are also included.
This is a beautiful volume and deserves a prominent place on the bookshelves (or coffee tables) of Tolkien enthusiasts everywhere.
May 16, 2021
This is an epic masterpiece. This is the cosmology and history of Middle-earth. It starts with the creation of the world by the god-like being, Iluvatar. From there He creates angelic beings called Valar and Maiar. These beings interact with each other, create things, and the story perpetually unfolds. We learn of the creation of Elves, of Men, of Dwarves, and lots of other entities. There is F毛anor and the creation of the Silmarils, wars fought, and much more. Then there's Melkor: the angelic being who turns bad and falls from grace. He remains the antagonist throughout the narrative. All of it sets the stage for The Lord of the Rings timeframe.
This was very new and different to me because my only Middle-earth exposure is the Lord of the Rings films and The Hobbit book. There are a lot of charters, places, and concepts that I was unfamiliar with: so I resorted to Youtube videos and Wikipedia to help me along the way.
Its a little minblowing to think J.R.R. Tolkien came up with all of this. I would recommend this to fans of LOTR, The Hobbit, and the whole Middle-earth scene. Thanks!
This was very new and different to me because my only Middle-earth exposure is the Lord of the Rings films and The Hobbit book. There are a lot of charters, places, and concepts that I was unfamiliar with: so I resorted to Youtube videos and Wikipedia to help me along the way.
Its a little minblowing to think J.R.R. Tolkien came up with all of this. I would recommend this to fans of LOTR, The Hobbit, and the whole Middle-earth scene. Thanks!
September 24, 2017
Time for James鈥檚 unpopular opinion: I liked this better than The Lord of the Rings!
Before saying I am crazy, hear me out (actually, if you have nothing better to do, then read this review; if you have, then I gave this 5 stars, so you know my opinion anyway! See, you can鈥檛 say I don鈥檛 care for your time!).
Silmarillion tells the tale of the making of the world by Eru, the God of Middle-Earth and all that followed through the first two ages of creation, up until the events described in The Hobbit and LOTR. Christopher Tolkien did a great job of connecting his father鈥檚 writings on the subject, so we have a nice and chronological story. But it is not a novel exactly, for it covers countless years.
Eru and his Valar, spirits of great power, create Arda, which is the Earth that is seen and there they make the world ready for the coming of the First Born, the Elves. The Second Born, Men, come too at some point. Silmarillion is broken into 4 parts:
1. Ainulindale (the creation part)
2. Valaquenta (the bulk of the story, chronicling the rise of the Elves and then their fall from grace, the deeds of Melkor (or Morgoth), the greatest of the Valar that fell to darkness, also the master of Sauron (how awesome is that?!); and there鈥檚 also the coming of men and their part in the war that followed)
3. Akallabeth (of the great kings of Numenor, the ancestors of Aragorn from LOTR)
4. Of the Rings of Power and The Third Age (basically a summary of what happened in The Hobbit, LOTR and a bit before that)
Now, I said it is not exactly a novel. Silmarillion is written as a combination between The Bible and a history/mythology book. It has a huge number of characters, with some of them being very prevalent. You learn here of a lot of the things only mentioned in LOTR: like Galadriel and Elrond鈥檚 origins, Earendil, Gil-Galad, Hurin, Turin, the fall of Gondolin, the great city of the Elves, the Silmarils, the most beautiful jewels ever created, the great love story of Beren and Luthien, the archetype for the fate of Aragorn and Arwen.
I said I prefer this to LOTR and that is because the scope of Silmarillion is unimaginably huge. Next to it, the events in LOTR seem like child鈥檚 play. It is much more epic than LOTR and some of the characters really stick with you. The archaic style is also something I loved, unlike many people reviewing this book.
Actually, I am surprised at the low grade this has here on 欧宝娱乐. The only explanation I have for it is the fact that a lot of readers search for instant gratification these days. Sad really. It is true though that if you want to read this Tolkien epic, you need patience and attention. But it is soooooo worth it!
Now, I hope that some movie studio will adapt this one day (in a series of 10 movies or so that would be needed to fit all the story).
All in all, it is by far the best book I (re)read this year!
Before saying I am crazy, hear me out (actually, if you have nothing better to do, then read this review; if you have, then I gave this 5 stars, so you know my opinion anyway! See, you can鈥檛 say I don鈥檛 care for your time!).
Silmarillion tells the tale of the making of the world by Eru, the God of Middle-Earth and all that followed through the first two ages of creation, up until the events described in The Hobbit and LOTR. Christopher Tolkien did a great job of connecting his father鈥檚 writings on the subject, so we have a nice and chronological story. But it is not a novel exactly, for it covers countless years.
Eru and his Valar, spirits of great power, create Arda, which is the Earth that is seen and there they make the world ready for the coming of the First Born, the Elves. The Second Born, Men, come too at some point. Silmarillion is broken into 4 parts:
1. Ainulindale (the creation part)
2. Valaquenta (the bulk of the story, chronicling the rise of the Elves and then their fall from grace, the deeds of Melkor (or Morgoth), the greatest of the Valar that fell to darkness, also the master of Sauron (how awesome is that?!); and there鈥檚 also the coming of men and their part in the war that followed)
3. Akallabeth (of the great kings of Numenor, the ancestors of Aragorn from LOTR)
4. Of the Rings of Power and The Third Age (basically a summary of what happened in The Hobbit, LOTR and a bit before that)
Now, I said it is not exactly a novel. Silmarillion is written as a combination between The Bible and a history/mythology book. It has a huge number of characters, with some of them being very prevalent. You learn here of a lot of the things only mentioned in LOTR: like Galadriel and Elrond鈥檚 origins, Earendil, Gil-Galad, Hurin, Turin, the fall of Gondolin, the great city of the Elves, the Silmarils, the most beautiful jewels ever created, the great love story of Beren and Luthien, the archetype for the fate of Aragorn and Arwen.
I said I prefer this to LOTR and that is because the scope of Silmarillion is unimaginably huge. Next to it, the events in LOTR seem like child鈥檚 play. It is much more epic than LOTR and some of the characters really stick with you. The archaic style is also something I loved, unlike many people reviewing this book.
Actually, I am surprised at the low grade this has here on 欧宝娱乐. The only explanation I have for it is the fact that a lot of readers search for instant gratification these days. Sad really. It is true though that if you want to read this Tolkien epic, you need patience and attention. But it is soooooo worth it!
Now, I hope that some movie studio will adapt this one day (in a series of 10 movies or so that would be needed to fit all the story).
All in all, it is by far the best book I (re)read this year!
July 8, 2018
The whole day, I have been trying to find the best words to use in this review, but how can you find the right words to describe perfection? This book was just a delight to read, from start to finish. The fact that a single man was able to create a fictional world with so much detail absolutely blows my mind. You can feel the love Tolkien had for Middle-earth in every word he writes. The way everything comes together makes it hard to believe that all of this is truly just fictional. There is so much information loaded in these few hundred pages; I already know that I will reread this book many, many times throughout the rest of my life, just so that I might be able to some day understand and remember everything.
As wonderful and dear as this book is to me, I also want to say that:
1. You probably shouldn't read this before reading or The Lord of the Rings. I think it would be too confusing and just a bit too much as a starter to this world.
2. You also probably shouldn't read this if you didn't like either of the aforementioned books. You need to care for Middle-earth and its history to properly enjoy and appreciate this one.
3. If you did enjoy the aforementioned books, do NOT go into this one thinking that you're going to get a similar adventurous story. This isn't exactly what I would describe as a "novel". The description it probably fits the best is "bible of a fictitious world".
As wonderful and dear as this book is to me, I also want to say that:
1. You probably shouldn't read this before reading or The Lord of the Rings. I think it would be too confusing and just a bit too much as a starter to this world.
2. You also probably shouldn't read this if you didn't like either of the aforementioned books. You need to care for Middle-earth and its history to properly enjoy and appreciate this one.
3. If you did enjoy the aforementioned books, do NOT go into this one thinking that you're going to get a similar adventurous story. This isn't exactly what I would describe as a "novel". The description it probably fits the best is "bible of a fictitious world".
September 12, 2022
A video discussing why you should read The Silmarillion. Many have said it better than myself, but I hope my passion for this collection of wonderful stories can be seen.
The Silmarillion just strikes a chord within me. Whilst I understand how much of the beginning can be seen as dry, I love how this world is constructed, and then so many of the latter stories apart such emotion within me. Beren & Luthien, The Children of Hurin and more! I must admit that I love stats and family trees, so the amount of detail seems like ti was made for me!
Full Review to Come
The Silmarillion just strikes a chord within me. Whilst I understand how much of the beginning can be seen as dry, I love how this world is constructed, and then so many of the latter stories apart such emotion within me. Beren & Luthien, The Children of Hurin and more! I must admit that I love stats and family trees, so the amount of detail seems like ti was made for me!
Full Review to Come
July 28, 2021
Maybe I shouldn't have read this before The Lord of the Rings or maybe I just don't like this type of narration ('ancient myths and legends' type), but I didn't enjoy it all. Way too boring for my taste. Although Tolkien showed himself as a brilliant linguist and myth-maker it was completely impossible to follow dozens various plot lines. The amount of names (people, places, nations and events) is overwhelming and tiresome.
December 18, 2018
In terms of reading interest, this oscillated between three and five stars, but with respect to what Tolkien accomplished here, The Silmarillion deserves nothing less than five stars.
June 15, 2024
Edit: Captioned some of the pictures! :) Will caption more asap.
Convincing you to read The Silmarillion based on its aesthetic:
((with tips for reading The Silm in progress!))
The Creation of the Ainur at the beginning of time! :) Plus Melkor's downfall. He is to be the main antagonist, and a very powerful one too, of The Silmarillion.
Valinor aesthetic with Orom毛 and/or Celegorm. Valinor is considered to be the Blessed Realm by the Elves, a place where no mortal can survive for long because of its energy.
F毛anor marrying Nerdanel in the bliss of Valinor. Together, they will have seven sons, and later, F毛anor takes all of them away from her to their doom.
The Captivity of Morgoth after he wrecks havoc all over Middle-earth. He is imprisoned for three ages before he is given a second chance by Manw毛, the leader of the Valar. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a mistake as Morgoth is and will forevermore be super evil lol.
A ship of the gray-elves on the shores of Valinor. This is where Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Galadriel, etc. sailed toward at the end of LotR. Later, F毛anor will spill blood in the Blessed Realm to gain access to these ships.
F毛anor succeeds in creating the Silmarils, capturing the light of Valinor in them. This was a long and difficult process, and he considers them his crowning glory.
Aesthetic of Varda (one of the Ainur) and the blessed light of Valinor. Soon the light will be destroyed and only exist in F毛anor's Silmarils.
F毛anor and his half brothers, Fingolfin and Finarfin. F毛anor is the one with the jewels (his Silmarils). FYI, if you've read LotR, Fingolfin (the one with the staff) is Elrond Halfelven's great-great grandfather. And Finarfin (the blonde one) is Galadriel's father. :)
Gondolin. Sorry this isn't in the right timeline. :')
F毛anor draws his sword (that he created in secret) on Fingolfin, his half-brother, in front of everyone. This is a result of Morgoth's lies as he manipulated the two houses against each other.
In another world (Middle-Earth instead of Valinor), King Thingol meets Melian. Together, they stand for an age in the forest as the stars wheel by above them (this was actually before the sun and moon were made!) because Thingol was obsessed with how beautiful Melian is. Elrond from LotR is also descended from these two.
Maedhros, first son of F毛anor, aims to kill one of the gray-elves in order to fulfill his father's plan to steal their ships. This is the first kinslaying in which the Elves killed each other. :'(
The Elves are leaving Valinor to look for "freedom" in Middle-Earth. Here, Finarfin is parting with his children as he refuses to part with the Valar. He gives a ring with two snakes on it to his eldest son, Finrod Felagund. The other siblings (left to right: Orodreth, Galadriel, Aegnor, Angrod) watch. All but Galadriel will perish in Middle-Earth. The ring will pass on through the centuries to Aragorn in LotR.
After securing the ships, F毛anor betrays Fingolfin and Finarfin's people, stealing away the ships in the middle of the night and sailing to Middle-Earth without them. Then he burns them so that no one may return. Shame on you, F毛anor.
Three of the ladies of The Silmarillion! :) From top to bottom: Aredhel, Galadriel, and L煤thien. Aredhel is Fingolfin's daughter, L煤thien is the daughter of Thingol and Melian, and I think everyone knows Galadriel.
Fingolfin, left behind in Middle-Earth refuses to give up even after F毛anor's betrayal. He takes his people on a years-long journey through the Grinding Ice in an attempt to get to Middle-Earth. Many Elves die on this journey, and it was considered to be a huge feat of endurance.
饾挳饾憸 饾憭饾搩饾捁饾搱 饾挴饾捊饾憭 饾挳饾捑饾搧饾搨饾挾饾搰饾捑饾搧饾搧饾捑饾憸饾搩. 饾惣饾捇 饾捑饾搲 饾捊饾挾饾搱 饾搮饾挾饾搱饾搱饾憭饾捁 饾捇饾搰饾憸饾搨 饾搲饾捊饾憭 饾捊饾捑饾憯饾捊 饾挾饾搩饾捁 饾搲饾捊饾憭 饾挿饾憭饾挾饾搳饾搲饾捑饾捇饾搳饾搧 饾搲饾憸 饾捁饾挾饾搰饾搥饾搩饾憭饾搱饾搱 饾挾饾搩饾捁 饾搰饾搳饾捑饾搩, 饾搲饾捊饾挾饾搲 饾搶饾挾饾搱 饾憸饾捇 饾憸饾搧饾捁 饾搲饾捊饾憭 饾捇饾挾饾搲饾憭 饾憸饾捇 饾挏饾搰饾捁饾挾 饾憖饾挾饾搰饾搰饾憭饾捁...
Convincing you to read The Silmarillion based on its aesthetic:
((with tips for reading The Silm in progress!))
The Creation of the Ainur at the beginning of time! :) Plus Melkor's downfall. He is to be the main antagonist, and a very powerful one too, of The Silmarillion.
Valinor aesthetic with Orom毛 and/or Celegorm. Valinor is considered to be the Blessed Realm by the Elves, a place where no mortal can survive for long because of its energy.
F毛anor marrying Nerdanel in the bliss of Valinor. Together, they will have seven sons, and later, F毛anor takes all of them away from her to their doom.
The Captivity of Morgoth after he wrecks havoc all over Middle-earth. He is imprisoned for three ages before he is given a second chance by Manw毛, the leader of the Valar. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a mistake as Morgoth is and will forevermore be super evil lol.
A ship of the gray-elves on the shores of Valinor. This is where Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Galadriel, etc. sailed toward at the end of LotR. Later, F毛anor will spill blood in the Blessed Realm to gain access to these ships.
F毛anor succeeds in creating the Silmarils, capturing the light of Valinor in them. This was a long and difficult process, and he considers them his crowning glory.
Aesthetic of Varda (one of the Ainur) and the blessed light of Valinor. Soon the light will be destroyed and only exist in F毛anor's Silmarils.
F毛anor and his half brothers, Fingolfin and Finarfin. F毛anor is the one with the jewels (his Silmarils). FYI, if you've read LotR, Fingolfin (the one with the staff) is Elrond Halfelven's great-great grandfather. And Finarfin (the blonde one) is Galadriel's father. :)
Gondolin. Sorry this isn't in the right timeline. :')
F毛anor draws his sword (that he created in secret) on Fingolfin, his half-brother, in front of everyone. This is a result of Morgoth's lies as he manipulated the two houses against each other.
In another world (Middle-Earth instead of Valinor), King Thingol meets Melian. Together, they stand for an age in the forest as the stars wheel by above them (this was actually before the sun and moon were made!) because Thingol was obsessed with how beautiful Melian is. Elrond from LotR is also descended from these two.
Maedhros, first son of F毛anor, aims to kill one of the gray-elves in order to fulfill his father's plan to steal their ships. This is the first kinslaying in which the Elves killed each other. :'(
The Elves are leaving Valinor to look for "freedom" in Middle-Earth. Here, Finarfin is parting with his children as he refuses to part with the Valar. He gives a ring with two snakes on it to his eldest son, Finrod Felagund. The other siblings (left to right: Orodreth, Galadriel, Aegnor, Angrod) watch. All but Galadriel will perish in Middle-Earth. The ring will pass on through the centuries to Aragorn in LotR.
After securing the ships, F毛anor betrays Fingolfin and Finarfin's people, stealing away the ships in the middle of the night and sailing to Middle-Earth without them. Then he burns them so that no one may return. Shame on you, F毛anor.
Three of the ladies of The Silmarillion! :) From top to bottom: Aredhel, Galadriel, and L煤thien. Aredhel is Fingolfin's daughter, L煤thien is the daughter of Thingol and Melian, and I think everyone knows Galadriel.
Fingolfin, left behind in Middle-Earth refuses to give up even after F毛anor's betrayal. He takes his people on a years-long journey through the Grinding Ice in an attempt to get to Middle-Earth. Many Elves die on this journey, and it was considered to be a huge feat of endurance.
饾挳饾憸 饾憭饾搩饾捁饾搱 饾挴饾捊饾憭 饾挳饾捑饾搧饾搨饾挾饾搰饾捑饾搧饾搧饾捑饾憸饾搩. 饾惣饾捇 饾捑饾搲 饾捊饾挾饾搱 饾搮饾挾饾搱饾搱饾憭饾捁 饾捇饾搰饾憸饾搨 饾搲饾捊饾憭 饾捊饾捑饾憯饾捊 饾挾饾搩饾捁 饾搲饾捊饾憭 饾挿饾憭饾挾饾搳饾搲饾捑饾捇饾搳饾搧 饾搲饾憸 饾捁饾挾饾搰饾搥饾搩饾憭饾搱饾搱 饾挾饾搩饾捁 饾搰饾搳饾捑饾搩, 饾搲饾捊饾挾饾搲 饾搶饾挾饾搱 饾憸饾捇 饾憸饾搧饾捁 饾搲饾捊饾憭 饾捇饾挾饾搲饾憭 饾憸饾捇 饾挏饾搰饾捁饾挾 饾憖饾挾饾搰饾搰饾憭饾捁...
August 8, 2019
This is the epic backstory and mythology of Middle Earth. The grandeur and beauty of the language, and indeed the content, is reminiscent of the King James edition of the Bible, beloved by Tolkien.
Its beauty is sometimes counterbalanced by its opacity. My child was keen to read it, but aged only 7 or 8, struggled, so I read it aloud, which was quite a challenge: convoluted sentences half a page long, and complex genealogy, exacerbated by characters and places referred to by two or more names from different mythical languages (鈥�There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Il煤vatar.鈥�). Sometimes I had to go back to the start of a sentence or paragraph because I鈥檇 forgotten how it started. My child, blessed with an incredible memory for matters of interest, took in more than I did.
Ultimately, the important thing is the majesty of immersion and the feelings that instils, rather than conscious understanding of detail (like the Bible?!).
Image: The 1657 Polyglot Bible, at the Chained Library, Wells Cathedral (.)
If you're expecting something like The Hobbit (or even LotR), this will be a surprise - but an enriching one, I hope.
What鈥檚 Missing?
Reading this clarified two aspects of Middle Earth I鈥檇 vaguely pondered in The Hobbit and LotR:
Religion
Tolkien devised the history, mythology, culture, and languages (he was an early ) of the many races of Middle Earth in intricate detail, and he was a devout Catholic. There is often a sense of the sacred and profane (鈥�The Light failed; but the Darkness that followed was more than loss of light.鈥�), but there鈥檚 not even passing mention of temples, priests, prayers, rituals, sacraments, or holy texts. The elves come closest, but even so, I find it odd that there are no invocations in the darkest times - on the eve of battle or beside the dying - or thanksgiving at the happiest.
Families
Where are the women and children (other than the entwives, which Treebeard explains)? Obviously, they鈥檙e unlikely to go on a dangerous quest, let alone to battle, so wouldn鈥檛 be major characters, but it鈥檚 strange that there鈥檚 so little mention of longing for them or just moaning and gossiping about them. I think there are two related reasons. The families are mostly back in the Shire, because that鈥檚 the happy, heavenly safe place (until it isn鈥檛), as well as in the elven forests, and dwarf communities. Perhaps because Tolkien attended a single-sex day school and then a singe-sex Oxford college, that felt like the natural order of things.
Quotes
鈥� 鈥淣ow the Elves made many rings; but secretly Sauron made One Ring to rule all the others, and their power was bound up with it, to be subject wholly to it and to last only so long as it too should last. And much of the strength and will of Sauron passed into that One Ring; for the power of the Elven-rings was very great, and that which should govern them must be a thing of surpassing potency; and Sauron forged it in the Mountain of Fire in the Land of Shadow. And while he wore the One Ring he could perceive all the things that were done by means of the lesser rings, and he could see and govern the very thoughts of those that wore them.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淪hall we mourn here deedless forever a shadow-folk mist-haunting dropping vain tears in the thankless sea?鈥�
鈥� 鈥淚t is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Il煤vatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.鈥�
My Other Tolkien Reviews
鈥� The Hobbit HERE.
鈥� Letters from Father Christmas HERE.
Although I鈥檝e read the three volumes of Lord of the Rings, I鈥檝e not done so recently, and there are plenty of excellent reviews of them on GR already.
This Silmarillion review is totally new (except for a couple of sentences), August 2019.
Its beauty is sometimes counterbalanced by its opacity. My child was keen to read it, but aged only 7 or 8, struggled, so I read it aloud, which was quite a challenge: convoluted sentences half a page long, and complex genealogy, exacerbated by characters and places referred to by two or more names from different mythical languages (鈥�There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Il煤vatar.鈥�). Sometimes I had to go back to the start of a sentence or paragraph because I鈥檇 forgotten how it started. My child, blessed with an incredible memory for matters of interest, took in more than I did.
Ultimately, the important thing is the majesty of immersion and the feelings that instils, rather than conscious understanding of detail (like the Bible?!).
Image: The 1657 Polyglot Bible, at the Chained Library, Wells Cathedral (.)
If you're expecting something like The Hobbit (or even LotR), this will be a surprise - but an enriching one, I hope.
What鈥檚 Missing?
Reading this clarified two aspects of Middle Earth I鈥檇 vaguely pondered in The Hobbit and LotR:
Religion
Tolkien devised the history, mythology, culture, and languages (he was an early ) of the many races of Middle Earth in intricate detail, and he was a devout Catholic. There is often a sense of the sacred and profane (鈥�The Light failed; but the Darkness that followed was more than loss of light.鈥�), but there鈥檚 not even passing mention of temples, priests, prayers, rituals, sacraments, or holy texts. The elves come closest, but even so, I find it odd that there are no invocations in the darkest times - on the eve of battle or beside the dying - or thanksgiving at the happiest.
Families
Where are the women and children (other than the entwives, which Treebeard explains)? Obviously, they鈥檙e unlikely to go on a dangerous quest, let alone to battle, so wouldn鈥檛 be major characters, but it鈥檚 strange that there鈥檚 so little mention of longing for them or just moaning and gossiping about them. I think there are two related reasons. The families are mostly back in the Shire, because that鈥檚 the happy, heavenly safe place (until it isn鈥檛), as well as in the elven forests, and dwarf communities. Perhaps because Tolkien attended a single-sex day school and then a singe-sex Oxford college, that felt like the natural order of things.
Quotes
鈥� 鈥淣ow the Elves made many rings; but secretly Sauron made One Ring to rule all the others, and their power was bound up with it, to be subject wholly to it and to last only so long as it too should last. And much of the strength and will of Sauron passed into that One Ring; for the power of the Elven-rings was very great, and that which should govern them must be a thing of surpassing potency; and Sauron forged it in the Mountain of Fire in the Land of Shadow. And while he wore the One Ring he could perceive all the things that were done by means of the lesser rings, and he could see and govern the very thoughts of those that wore them.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淪hall we mourn here deedless forever a shadow-folk mist-haunting dropping vain tears in the thankless sea?鈥�
鈥� 鈥淚t is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Il煤vatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.鈥�
My Other Tolkien Reviews
鈥� The Hobbit HERE.
鈥� Letters from Father Christmas HERE.
Although I鈥檝e read the three volumes of Lord of the Rings, I鈥檝e not done so recently, and there are plenty of excellent reviews of them on GR already.
This Silmarillion review is totally new (except for a couple of sentences), August 2019.
June 7, 2019
This is actually my third time reading and I feel kinda bad because I keep picking up big new details I missed the first couple of times I read it.
Well, maybe I don't feel *THAT* bad. I mean, it is DAMN full of names and genealogies and it's probably a bit worse than having to slog through the Iliad for all that.
BUT. And here comes the huge, fire-belching butt of Melkor...
The Silmarillion is likely the best book of mythology I've ever read.
Better than any rendition of the Greeks or the Nordic... or anything.
I get the MOST out of this, get the most thrilled by this, and become an utter, raving fanboy. The more I learn, the more I imagine, and the more I imagine, the better the HUGE FREAKING EPIC BATTLES of the First Age of Arda (Also known as our Earth, with us living during the Fourth Age).
I mean, come on. Gods, all the creation myths, Melkor the corruptor, the jealous, among them. Epic battles that change whole lands, erupting volcanoes, armies full of balrogs and dragons and orcs. The full might of the Valar (gods tied to Arda) arrayed with the first Elves in the height of their craftsmanship, battling, and sometimes being defeated by, the dark god.
Let's not forget the glittering lamps that reach up like space elevators bathing the whole flat earth in light or their destruction. Or the gigantic trees that took their place, or the fruit and leaf of the destroyed trees that later became the sun and the moon, finally out of reach of the great corruptor.
Come on! This is GREAT stuff. :) And we even get to the ending of the First age, the ending of the Second age, getting the full story of Sauron's corrupting the Kings of Men, inflaming their desire to be immortal just like the Elves and ending with the utter destruction of their kingdom, their island, their Atlantis. :)
So much glory. So much tragedy. So much power, magic, and TIME. It's the full history of Earth, after all. And even the LoTR is encapsulated in a very cool cliff-notes version, no more than 30 or so pages out of all the other, even more glorious past. :)
Am I wrong to want such a full history to arrive on the big screen, or even on the little screen? Am I wrong to hope and NOT be disappointed in the new TV series coming up, Middle-Earth? AM I WRONG NOT TO WANT BEREN AND LUTHIEN trick and ensorcell a GOD in his own fortress of Angmar, cutting the jewel that houses the very spirit of Arda's FIRE from his crown? Doing what no other immortal or mortal had been able to do for hundreds upon hundreds of years of strife? Out of love??? :)
*BIG SIGH*
I can only hope and pray and pray and hope to Illuvatar that they do it right.
Well, maybe I don't feel *THAT* bad. I mean, it is DAMN full of names and genealogies and it's probably a bit worse than having to slog through the Iliad for all that.
BUT. And here comes the huge, fire-belching butt of Melkor...
The Silmarillion is likely the best book of mythology I've ever read.
Better than any rendition of the Greeks or the Nordic... or anything.
I get the MOST out of this, get the most thrilled by this, and become an utter, raving fanboy. The more I learn, the more I imagine, and the more I imagine, the better the HUGE FREAKING EPIC BATTLES of the First Age of Arda (Also known as our Earth, with us living during the Fourth Age).
I mean, come on. Gods, all the creation myths, Melkor the corruptor, the jealous, among them. Epic battles that change whole lands, erupting volcanoes, armies full of balrogs and dragons and orcs. The full might of the Valar (gods tied to Arda) arrayed with the first Elves in the height of their craftsmanship, battling, and sometimes being defeated by, the dark god.
Let's not forget the glittering lamps that reach up like space elevators bathing the whole flat earth in light or their destruction. Or the gigantic trees that took their place, or the fruit and leaf of the destroyed trees that later became the sun and the moon, finally out of reach of the great corruptor.
Come on! This is GREAT stuff. :) And we even get to the ending of the First age, the ending of the Second age, getting the full story of Sauron's corrupting the Kings of Men, inflaming their desire to be immortal just like the Elves and ending with the utter destruction of their kingdom, their island, their Atlantis. :)
So much glory. So much tragedy. So much power, magic, and TIME. It's the full history of Earth, after all. And even the LoTR is encapsulated in a very cool cliff-notes version, no more than 30 or so pages out of all the other, even more glorious past. :)
Am I wrong to want such a full history to arrive on the big screen, or even on the little screen? Am I wrong to hope and NOT be disappointed in the new TV series coming up, Middle-Earth? AM I WRONG NOT TO WANT BEREN AND LUTHIEN trick and ensorcell a GOD in his own fortress of Angmar, cutting the jewel that houses the very spirit of Arda's FIRE from his crown? Doing what no other immortal or mortal had been able to do for hundreds upon hundreds of years of strife? Out of love??? :)
*BIG SIGH*
I can only hope and pray and pray and hope to Illuvatar that they do it right.
Read
July 28, 2022I have now finished the fantasy bible and now I can rest.
September 14, 2020
I think of all the worlds I've visited in books, that created by Tolkien will always be my favourite.
The detail is so rich and its history so compelling that it so easily comes alive for me. If you want to know more about Middle Earth, the info is there. You just have to find the book that tells it. If you're looking for more beyond The Lord of the Rings, this is that book.
Now, I'm not going to lie - the first 150-or-so pages are a bit of a slog. This could be retitled "A Condensed History of Middle Earth" and it begins with the world's very creation. It's basically the Bible of Tolkien's world. Don't look for any mention of familiar names too soon. (This is also very likely the reason I gave up about a third of the way in when I first read it, back when I was 17 or so.)
First, there's The Big Guy, Illuvatar, who brings into being the Ainur, who essentially end up being the gods of this world (The Valar). Then there's the creation of the physical world, and the people destined to inhabit it. It's all described in rather complex detail, so this is not light reading, my friends.
From the very beginning, one of the Ainur has evil intentions, and Melkor (aka Morgoth) swiftly becomes the Big Bad who lurks throughout this entire history, darkening all that the others create. His presence sows the seed of good vs evil, and suddenly this fancy new world is marred into something tragically more recognisable and honestly far more interesting.
So the first half of the book is all about who creates what, who descends from who, what the land looks like, and who ends up in which lands. We know the elves are quick to inhabit, so then we must learn all of the elves of importance, and how they come to scatter throughout the lands of Middle Earth.
It gets incredibly confusing, not least because of the multitude of characters but additionally because each character tends to come with several names, and reference to them is not consistent.
Thankfully, there's an index and a few family trees at the back to assist, though it's not really until great deeds are done that the characters become somewhat familiar.
But, man, when those deeds begin, things start to get really interesting.
The underlying story is about the creation of three jewels, the silmaril, and the quest to reclaim them, yet this actually composes very little of the stories within these pages. It's more about the various fates of all those affected by the existence of the jewels, and the endless feud with Morgoth. The fates are many and varied, and I ended up sticking post-it notes throughout my book to remind myself of some of the most epic occurences within these pages:
We have people chained to mountains, limbs hacked off, people crushed by boulders and thrown from cliffs, destroyed by monstrous creatures, betrayal, murder, incest, lies, greed, arrogance, jealousy, veangeance ... there were actually so many moments in this book where I felt the need to cover my gaping mouth in horror.
I FREAKING LOVED IT.
Eventually I found my favourites among the stories, and characters I got to know and love - Turgon, Maedhros, Thingol and Melian, Hurin, Beren and Luthien and Huan the hound ... and so many others whose parts I loved but then forgot in favour of the next great hero to arise. That's another thing - you hear about the deeds of one, then they disappear from the story for a time, only to reappear later when you've all but forgotten them. It was confusing but it was also kind of fun to have friends coming back into the story.
There are also a lot of echoes of other myths and legends, and of deeds made familiar through The Lord of the Rings. There's definitely a sense that life is circular, and history often repeats.
I loved the complexity of it, but it doesn't make for easy reading. You really have to concentrate on every word of every sentence, so this is only for those fully committed to learning the lore of Tolkien's world. It's told more than shown so it can feel a little tedious at times, but if you stick with it you'll be rewarded by fantastic stories rich in detail. Consider the fact that within 366 pages we have centuries of history and lore - Tolkien actually does pretty well to keep it entertaining.
Truth is, I still managed to feel so much for some of these characters. I loved Thingol so his fate really affected me, and I was bemused to learn that the true hero of the story of Beren and Luthien was actually a dog. I loved that damn dog so much. The story of Turin Turambar horrified me so many times, and Maehdros was one I felt loyalty to without really remembering why. I loved the friendships and loathed the actions of those lacking honour and generally ended up being fully invested in everything. There are also little gems of information that will spark the memory of things read about elsewhere, or embellish a little. For example, one fun fact I learnt is that dwarves apparently went into battle wearing these terrifying masks. Oh if only those masks had appeared in Peter Jackson's imaginings.
Then of course as time draws closer to the Third Age, learning about Aragorn's ancestors was a real treat. Although working out that he was kiiiiinda related to Elrond made things a bit weird, if you follow me.
GUH.
This just ended up being so rewarding to read and I'm really glad for that. It's definitely reignited my love for this world, which never dies but does sleep from time to time as I immerse myself in other worlds.
This is probably only for the hardcore Tolkien junkies, but if you make the effort it will be well rewarded. I know I was.
The detail is so rich and its history so compelling that it so easily comes alive for me. If you want to know more about Middle Earth, the info is there. You just have to find the book that tells it. If you're looking for more beyond The Lord of the Rings, this is that book.
Now, I'm not going to lie - the first 150-or-so pages are a bit of a slog. This could be retitled "A Condensed History of Middle Earth" and it begins with the world's very creation. It's basically the Bible of Tolkien's world. Don't look for any mention of familiar names too soon. (This is also very likely the reason I gave up about a third of the way in when I first read it, back when I was 17 or so.)
First, there's The Big Guy, Illuvatar, who brings into being the Ainur, who essentially end up being the gods of this world (The Valar). Then there's the creation of the physical world, and the people destined to inhabit it. It's all described in rather complex detail, so this is not light reading, my friends.
From the very beginning, one of the Ainur has evil intentions, and Melkor (aka Morgoth) swiftly becomes the Big Bad who lurks throughout this entire history, darkening all that the others create. His presence sows the seed of good vs evil, and suddenly this fancy new world is marred into something tragically more recognisable and honestly far more interesting.
So the first half of the book is all about who creates what, who descends from who, what the land looks like, and who ends up in which lands. We know the elves are quick to inhabit, so then we must learn all of the elves of importance, and how they come to scatter throughout the lands of Middle Earth.
It gets incredibly confusing, not least because of the multitude of characters but additionally because each character tends to come with several names, and reference to them is not consistent.
Thankfully, there's an index and a few family trees at the back to assist, though it's not really until great deeds are done that the characters become somewhat familiar.
But, man, when those deeds begin, things start to get really interesting.
The underlying story is about the creation of three jewels, the silmaril, and the quest to reclaim them, yet this actually composes very little of the stories within these pages. It's more about the various fates of all those affected by the existence of the jewels, and the endless feud with Morgoth. The fates are many and varied, and I ended up sticking post-it notes throughout my book to remind myself of some of the most epic occurences within these pages:
We have people chained to mountains, limbs hacked off, people crushed by boulders and thrown from cliffs, destroyed by monstrous creatures, betrayal, murder, incest, lies, greed, arrogance, jealousy, veangeance ... there were actually so many moments in this book where I felt the need to cover my gaping mouth in horror.
I FREAKING LOVED IT.
Eventually I found my favourites among the stories, and characters I got to know and love - Turgon, Maedhros, Thingol and Melian, Hurin, Beren and Luthien and Huan the hound ... and so many others whose parts I loved but then forgot in favour of the next great hero to arise. That's another thing - you hear about the deeds of one, then they disappear from the story for a time, only to reappear later when you've all but forgotten them. It was confusing but it was also kind of fun to have friends coming back into the story.
There are also a lot of echoes of other myths and legends, and of deeds made familiar through The Lord of the Rings. There's definitely a sense that life is circular, and history often repeats.
I loved the complexity of it, but it doesn't make for easy reading. You really have to concentrate on every word of every sentence, so this is only for those fully committed to learning the lore of Tolkien's world. It's told more than shown so it can feel a little tedious at times, but if you stick with it you'll be rewarded by fantastic stories rich in detail. Consider the fact that within 366 pages we have centuries of history and lore - Tolkien actually does pretty well to keep it entertaining.
Truth is, I still managed to feel so much for some of these characters. I loved Thingol so his fate really affected me, and I was bemused to learn that the true hero of the story of Beren and Luthien was actually a dog. I loved that damn dog so much. The story of Turin Turambar horrified me so many times, and Maehdros was one I felt loyalty to without really remembering why. I loved the friendships and loathed the actions of those lacking honour and generally ended up being fully invested in everything. There are also little gems of information that will spark the memory of things read about elsewhere, or embellish a little. For example, one fun fact I learnt is that dwarves apparently went into battle wearing these terrifying masks. Oh if only those masks had appeared in Peter Jackson's imaginings.
Then of course as time draws closer to the Third Age, learning about Aragorn's ancestors was a real treat. Although working out that he was kiiiiinda related to Elrond made things a bit weird, if you follow me.
GUH.
This just ended up being so rewarding to read and I'm really glad for that. It's definitely reignited my love for this world, which never dies but does sleep from time to time as I immerse myself in other worlds.
This is probably only for the hardcore Tolkien junkies, but if you make the effort it will be well rewarded. I know I was.
June 11, 2021
爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賵賳 卮丕賲賱 倬賳噩 亘禺卮 丕爻鬲:
郾.听丌蹖賳賵賱蹖賳丿丕賱賴听芦丌賴賳诏 丌蹖賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 噩賴丕賳 鬲賵爻胤 丕賽乇賵 [丌賵丕夭 丌蹖賳賵乇 丕爻胤賵乇賴贁 丌賮乇蹖賳卮听丌乇丿丕听鬲賵爻胤听丕乇賵 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇听乇賵丕蹖鬲 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�. 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘丕 鬲賵氐蹖賮听丌蹖賳賵乇听亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�. 亘賴 丌賳賴丕 賴賳乇 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 丌賲賵禺鬲賴 卮丿賴 賵 賲賳噩乇 亘賴 夭賳丿诏蹖 噩丕賵丿丕賳賴 亘乇丕蹖 丌賳鈥屬囏� 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�. 丌蹖賳賵乇 丿乇 丿爻鬲賴鈥屬囏й� 讴賵趩讴 賵 亘夭乇诏 丿乇亘丕乇賴贁听鬲賲鈥屬囏й屰屘┵� 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 亘賴 賴乇 蹖讴 丕夭 丌賳賴丕 丿丕丿賴 丌賵丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗁嗀�. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 亘乇丕蹖 鬲讴 鬲讴 丌賳賴丕 鬲氐賲蹖賲鈥屬囏й� 亘夭乇诏蹖 丿丕乇丿. 蹖讴 爻賲賮賵賳蹖 亘丕卮讴賵賴 讴賴 亘丕 賴賲讴丕乇蹖 賴賲賴贁 丌賳賴丕 亘賴 丕賳鬲賴丕 賲蹖鈥屫必池� 賵 賴賲賴 亘丕 賴賲 丿乇 賴丕乇賲賵賳蹖 丌賵丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗁嗀�.
賲賱讴賵乇听賯賵蹖鈥屫臂屬� 丌蹖賳賵乇 丕爻鬲 賵 亘丕 亘賱賳丿蹖 亘蹖卮 丕夭 丨丿貙 賴丕乇賲賵賳蹖 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 乇丕 亘乇賴賲 賲蹖鈥屫操嗀�. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 賲蹖鈥屫й屫池� 賱亘禺賳丿 賲蹖鈥屫操嗀� 賵 丿爻鬲 趩倬卮 乇丕 亘丕賱丕 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 賵 蹖讴 鬲賲 鬲丕夭賴 乇丕 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�. 賲賱讴賵乇 丿賵亘丕乇賴 鬲賱丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 鬲賲 乇丕 亘乇賴賲 夭賳丿. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 丕蹖賳 亘丕乇 丿爻鬲 乇丕爻鬲卮 乇丕 亘丕賱丕 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 賵 亘乇丕蹖 亘丕乇 爻賵賲 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�. 賲賱讴賵乇 丿賵亘丕乇賴 鬲賱丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 乇丕 亘乇賴賲 夭賳丿 丕賲丕 丕蹖賳 亘丕乇 丌賳賯丿乇 亘賱賳丿 丕爻鬲 讴賴 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀�. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇貙 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 乇丕 亘賴 丕鬲賲丕賲 賲蹖鈥屫必池з嗀� 賲賱讴賵乇 乇丕 爻乇夭賳卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 丌蹖賳賵乇 乇丕 鬲賳賴丕 賲蹖鈥屭柏ж必�.
賲賯丕賲 禺丿丕蹖蹖 讴丕乇蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 鬲丕 丌蹖賳賵乇 亘亘蹖賳賳丿 讴賴 丕賵 趩诏賵賳賴 丕夭 賳蹖爻鬲蹖貙 丌乇丿丕 乇丕 丌賮乇蹖丿 . 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 鬲賲 丌禺乇 賲賳噩乇 亘賴 丌賲丿賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇貙 丕賱賮鈥屬囏� 賵 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏� 卮丿 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖 丕夭 丌蹖賳賵乇 禺賵丕爻鬲賳丿 鬲丕 亘賴 噩賴丕賳 乇賵賳丿 賵 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 亘亘蹖賳賳丿 丌賳賴丕 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳听賵丕賱丕听賵听賲丕蹖丕听亘賴 丌乇丿丕 乇賮鬲賳丿. 丕賲丕 亘乇禺蹖 丿乇 鬲丕賱丕乇 亘丿賵賳 夭賲丕賳 亘丕 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 賲丕賳丿賳丿. 丿乇 丕蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳 賲賱讴賵乇 亘丕乇賴丕 鬲賱丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賮乇賲丕賳乇賵丕蹖蹖 丌乇丿丕 乇丕 丿乇 丿爻鬲 亘诏蹖乇丿.]
鄄.听賵丕賱丕讴賵卅賳鬲丕听芦丨讴丕蹖鬲听賵丕賱丕乇 [賵丕賱丕乇 趩賴丕乇丿賴 乇賵丨 賯丿乇鬲賲賳丿 丕夭 賳跇丕丿听丌蹖賳賵乇听賲蹖鈥屫ㄘж促嗀� 讴賴 倬爻 丕夭 禺賱賯听丌乇丿丕听賵丕乇丿 丌賳 卮丿賳丿 賵 丕夭 爻賵蹖听丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇听丌賳 蹖诏丕賳賴 禺丕賱賯 賴爻鬲蹖 丿爻鬲賵乇 蹖丕賮鬲賳丿 讴賴 亘丕 乇賵丨 倬賱蹖丿听賲賱讴賵乇听亘賴 賲亘丕乇夭賴 亘倬乇丿丕夭賳丿] 賵 丨讴丕蹖鬲 听賲丕蹖丕乇 [ 賲丕蹖丕乇听(賲賮乇丿:听賲丕蹖丕) 賲賵噩賵丿丕鬲蹖 丕夭听乇卮鬲賴鈥屫з佖池з嗁団€屬囏й屘з勞┷屬喬呟屸€屫ㄘж促嗀�. 丌賳賴丕 賳蹖夭 賲丕賳賳丿听賵丕賱丕賴丕听丕夭 鬲亘丕乇听丌蹖賳賵乇貙 賵賱蹖 丕夭 賵丕賱丕賴丕 囟毓蹖賮 鬲乇 賴爻鬲賳丿. 賳丕賲 賲丕蹖丕乇 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 讴賵卅賳蹖丕蹖蹖 賵 丕夭 乇蹖卮賴 丕賱賮蹖貙 賲丕蹖丕 亘賴 賲毓賳蹖 芦亘爻蹖丕乇 毓丕賱蹖貙 賯丕亘賱 鬲丨爻蹖賳禄 丕爻鬲]听亘賳丕 亘賴 乇賵丕蹖鬲 丕賽賱丿丕乇.
鄢.听讴賵卅賳鬲丕 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賵賳听芦鬲丕乇蹖禺趩賴贁 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱鈥屬囏� - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賵賳 讴賴 卮丕賲賱 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й� 丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲听賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇听賵听丿賵乇賴 丕賵賱听賲蹖鈥屫促堌�.
[賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇听(爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賵丕賱丕乇听蹖丕听爻乇夭賲蹖賳听賵丕賱丕賴丕) 蹖讴 爻乇夭賲蹖賳 禺蹖丕賱蹖 丿乇听乇卮鬲賴鈥屫з佖池з嗁団€屬囏й� 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳听丕爻鬲 讴賴 丿乇 鬲氐乇賮 賵丕賱丕賴丕 丿乇听丕賲丕賳听丕爻鬲.]
鄞. 丌讴丕賱丕亘鬲 芦爻賯賵胤 賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 爻賯賵胤听賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇听賵 賲乇丿賲丕賳卮 賵听丿賵乇賴 丿賵賲.
[賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌碧�(亘賴听丕賳诏賱蹖爻蹖:听N煤menor) 蹖讴 噩夭蹖乇賴 鬲禺蹖賾賱蹖 丿乇 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屘з勞┷屬喬ж池�. 丕蹖賳 噩夭蹖乇賴 丕夭 賯賱賲乇賵賴丕蹖听丕賳爻丕賳賴丕听丿乇听丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵賲听亘賵丿. 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌� 賴丿蹖賴鈥屫й� 丕夭 胤乇賮听賵丕賱丕乇听亘賴听丕丿丕蹖賳听(讴爻丕賳蹖 讴賴 丿乇 讴賳丕乇听丕賱賮賴丕听囟丿賾听賲賵乇诏賵鬲听噩賳诏蹖丿賳丿) 亘賵丿. 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌� 丿丕乇丕蹖 鬲賲丿賾賳 亘夭乇诏蹖 亘賵丿 丕賲丕 亘丕 诏匕卮鬲 夭賲丕賳貙 胤賲毓 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌臂屫з� 亘賴 賳丕賲蹖乇丕 卮丿賳 卮乇賵毓 卮丿. 亘賴 丕氐乇丕乇听爻丕卅賵乇賵賳貙听丌乇-賮丕乇丕夭賵賳听爻毓蹖 讴乇丿 讴賴听爻乇夭賲蹖賳鈥屬囏й� 賳丕賲蹖乇丕听乇丕 鬲爻禺蹖乇 讴賳丿 丕賲丕 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌� 賳丕亘賵丿 卮丿 賵 夭蹖乇 丿乇蹖丕 賮乇賵乇賮鬲. 丿乇 丕蹖賳 亘蹖賳听蹖丕賵乇丕賳鈥屫з勝佁�(賲丐賲賳丕賳 亘賴 賵丕賱丕乇 賵听丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇) 夭賳丿賴 賲丕賳丿賳丿 賵 亘丕 乇賴亘乇蹖听丕賱賳丿蹖賱听亘賴听爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳賴听乇賮鬲賳丿 賵 賯賱賲乇賵賴丕蹖听诏丕賳丿賵乇听賵听丌乇锟斤拷賵乇听乇丕 倬丕蹖賴鈥屭柏ж臂� 讴乇丿賳丿.]
鄣. 丨丿蹖孬听丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 賯丿乇鬲听賵听丿賵乇賴 爻賵賲听- 讴賴 亘丕 丌賳 丕蹖賳 丨讴丕蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 亘賴 倬丕蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必池� 賵 乇丕賴賳賲丕蹖蹖 丕爻鬲 亘乇 丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏�. [丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 賯丿乇鬲听丿乇听乇卮鬲賴鈥屫з佖池з嗁団€屬囏й屘�. 丌乇. 丌乇. 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳听毓亘丕乇鬲 丕爻鬲 丕夭 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 噩丕丿賵蹖蹖 讴賴 鬲賵爻胤听爻丕卅賵乇賵賳听蹖丕听丕賱賮鈥屬囏й屘囐堎勠屬喬槽屫� 賳馗乇 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 爻丕禺鬲賴 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲. 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 賲蹖鈥屫堌ж池� 丿乇 丨丕賱蹖 讴賴 禺賵丿卮听丨賱賯賴 蹖诏丕賳賴听乇丕 亘丿爻鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 丕賱賮鈥屬囏ж屘┵堌堎勝団€屬囏執з嗀池з嗏€屬囏й屬� 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏� 乇丕 亘丿爻鬲 讴賳賳丿. 丕賵 亘丕 丕蹖賳 讴丕乇 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池� 爻乇賳賵卮鬲 爻賴 賳跇丕丿 爻丕讴賳 丿乇听爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳蹖听乇丕 亘丿爻鬲 诏蹖乇丿 趩賵賳 丨賱賯賴贁 蹖诏丕賳賴 讴賴 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 丿蹖诏乇 乇丕 讴賳鬲乇賱 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 亘丿爻鬲 禺賵丿卮 亘賵丿.
賳賯卮賴贁 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 毓賲賱蹖 賳卮丿 趩賵賳 丕賱賮鈥屬囏� 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 禺賵丿 乇丕 丿乇 丿爻鬲 賳讴乇丿賳丿 賵 鬲丕 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 丨賱賯賴贁 蹖诏丕賳賴 乇丕 丿丕卮鬲 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 禺賵丿 乇丕 倬賳賴丕賳 讴乇丿賳丿貨 讴賵鬲賵賱賴鈥屬囏� 賳蹖夭 丌賳趩賳丕賳 讴賴 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 丕賳鬲馗丕乇 丿丕卮鬲 亘賴 賮乇賲丕賳 丨賱賯賴贁 蹖诏丕賳賴 丿乇賳蹖丕賲丿賳丿 鬲賳賴丕 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏� 亘乇丿賴贁 丕賵 卮丿賳丿 賵 亘賴听賳丕夭诏賵賱听鬲亘丿蹖賱 卮丿賳丿.]
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爻禺鬲 鬲乇蹖賳貙 毓噩蹖亘 鬲乇蹖賳 賵 噩匕丕亘 鬲乇蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘蹖 讴賴 鬲丕 丕賲乇賵夭 禺賵賳丿賲.
賲噩賲賵毓賴 蹖丕丿丿丕卮鬲賴丕蹖 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳 讴賴 卮丕賲賱 鬲丕乇蹖禺 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 丕乇丿丕貙 丿乇禺鬲 賴丕蹖 夭賳丿诏蹖貙 禺賱賯鬲 丕賱賮 賴丕 賵 丕賳爻丕賳賴丕 賵 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丨賱賯賴 賴丕蹖 賯丿乇鬲 丕賳
賲賵賯毓 禺賵賳丿賳卮 鬲禺蹖賱賲 亘賴 丿賵乇鬲乇蹖賳 賳賯胤賴 賴丕蹖 鬲氐賵乇 倬乇 賲蹖讴卮蹖丿 賵 賯賱亘 賵 賲睾夭賲 丕夭 賴蹖噩丕賳 賱亘乇蹖夭 賲蹖卮丿賳.
鬲噩乇亘賴 賳丕亘蹖 亘賵丿 亘乇丕蹖 賲賳讴賴 賮丕賳鬲夭蹖 禺賵丕賳 賳蹖爻鬲賲/賳亘賵丿賲.
诏賲賵賳賲 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賲賯丿爻 賮丕賳鬲夭蹖 禺賵賳賴丕 賵 毓賱丕賯賲賳丿丕賳 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕 賵 亘賯蹖賴 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳 亘丕蹖丿 亘丕卮賴. 讴賴 亘賴 丨賯 丕賳鬲禺丕亘 卮丕蹖爻鬲賴 丕蹖賴.
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賲賲賳賵賳 丕夭 爻蹖賳丕 亘乇丕蹖 賴丿蹖賴 丿丕丿賳 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 卮诏賮鬲 丕賳诏蹖夭 亘賴 賲賳.
丿乇 丨丿 倬乇爻鬲卮 毓丕卮賯卮 卮丿賲 鈾�
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郾.听丌蹖賳賵賱蹖賳丿丕賱賴听芦丌賴賳诏 丌蹖賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 噩賴丕賳 鬲賵爻胤 丕賽乇賵 [丌賵丕夭 丌蹖賳賵乇 丕爻胤賵乇賴贁 丌賮乇蹖賳卮听丌乇丿丕听鬲賵爻胤听丕乇賵 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇听乇賵丕蹖鬲 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�. 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 亘丕 鬲賵氐蹖賮听丌蹖賳賵乇听亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�. 亘賴 丌賳賴丕 賴賳乇 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 丌賲賵禺鬲賴 卮丿賴 賵 賲賳噩乇 亘賴 夭賳丿诏蹖 噩丕賵丿丕賳賴 亘乇丕蹖 丌賳鈥屬囏� 賲蹖鈥屫促堌�. 丌蹖賳賵乇 丿乇 丿爻鬲賴鈥屬囏й� 讴賵趩讴 賵 亘夭乇诏 丿乇亘丕乇賴贁听鬲賲鈥屬囏й屰屘┵� 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 亘賴 賴乇 蹖讴 丕夭 丌賳賴丕 丿丕丿賴 丌賵丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗁嗀�. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 亘乇丕蹖 鬲讴 鬲讴 丌賳賴丕 鬲氐賲蹖賲鈥屬囏й� 亘夭乇诏蹖 丿丕乇丿. 蹖讴 爻賲賮賵賳蹖 亘丕卮讴賵賴 讴賴 亘丕 賴賲讴丕乇蹖 賴賲賴贁 丌賳賴丕 亘賴 丕賳鬲賴丕 賲蹖鈥屫必池� 賵 賴賲賴 亘丕 賴賲 丿乇 賴丕乇賲賵賳蹖 丌賵丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗁嗀�.
賲賱讴賵乇听賯賵蹖鈥屫臂屬� 丌蹖賳賵乇 丕爻鬲 賵 亘丕 亘賱賳丿蹖 亘蹖卮 丕夭 丨丿貙 賴丕乇賲賵賳蹖 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 乇丕 亘乇賴賲 賲蹖鈥屫操嗀�. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 賲蹖鈥屫й屫池� 賱亘禺賳丿 賲蹖鈥屫操嗀� 賵 丿爻鬲 趩倬卮 乇丕 亘丕賱丕 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 賵 蹖讴 鬲賲 鬲丕夭賴 乇丕 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�. 賲賱讴賵乇 丿賵亘丕乇賴 鬲賱丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 鬲賲 乇丕 亘乇賴賲 夭賳丿. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 丕蹖賳 亘丕乇 丿爻鬲 乇丕爻鬲卮 乇丕 亘丕賱丕 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 賵 亘乇丕蹖 亘丕乇 爻賵賲 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀�. 賲賱讴賵乇 丿賵亘丕乇賴 鬲賱丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 乇丕 亘乇賴賲 夭賳丿 丕賲丕 丕蹖賳 亘丕乇 丌賳賯丿乇 亘賱賳丿 丕爻鬲 讴賴 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀�. 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇貙 賲賵爻蹖賯蹖 乇丕 亘賴 丕鬲賲丕賲 賲蹖鈥屫必池з嗀� 賲賱讴賵乇 乇丕 爻乇夭賳卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 丌蹖賳賵乇 乇丕 鬲賳賴丕 賲蹖鈥屭柏ж必�.
賲賯丕賲 禺丿丕蹖蹖 讴丕乇蹖 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 鬲丕 丌蹖賳賵乇 亘亘蹖賳賳丿 讴賴 丕賵 趩诏賵賳賴 丕夭 賳蹖爻鬲蹖貙 丌乇丿丕 乇丕 丌賮乇蹖丿 . 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 鬲賲 丌禺乇 賲賳噩乇 亘賴 丌賲丿賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇貙 丕賱賮鈥屬囏� 賵 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏� 卮丿 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖 丕夭 丌蹖賳賵乇 禺賵丕爻鬲賳丿 鬲丕 亘賴 噩賴丕賳 乇賵賳丿 賵 丌賳賴丕 乇丕 亘亘蹖賳賳丿 丌賳賴丕 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳听賵丕賱丕听賵听賲丕蹖丕听亘賴 丌乇丿丕 乇賮鬲賳丿. 丕賲丕 亘乇禺蹖 丿乇 鬲丕賱丕乇 亘丿賵賳 夭賲丕賳 亘丕 丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇 賲丕賳丿賳丿. 丿乇 丕蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳 賲賱讴賵乇 亘丕乇賴丕 鬲賱丕卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賮乇賲丕賳乇賵丕蹖蹖 丌乇丿丕 乇丕 丿乇 丿爻鬲 亘诏蹖乇丿.]
鄄.听賵丕賱丕讴賵卅賳鬲丕听芦丨讴丕蹖鬲听賵丕賱丕乇 [賵丕賱丕乇 趩賴丕乇丿賴 乇賵丨 賯丿乇鬲賲賳丿 丕夭 賳跇丕丿听丌蹖賳賵乇听賲蹖鈥屫ㄘж促嗀� 讴賴 倬爻 丕夭 禺賱賯听丌乇丿丕听賵丕乇丿 丌賳 卮丿賳丿 賵 丕夭 爻賵蹖听丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇听丌賳 蹖诏丕賳賴 禺丕賱賯 賴爻鬲蹖 丿爻鬲賵乇 蹖丕賮鬲賳丿 讴賴 亘丕 乇賵丨 倬賱蹖丿听賲賱讴賵乇听亘賴 賲亘丕乇夭賴 亘倬乇丿丕夭賳丿] 賵 丨讴丕蹖鬲 听賲丕蹖丕乇 [ 賲丕蹖丕乇听(賲賮乇丿:听賲丕蹖丕) 賲賵噩賵丿丕鬲蹖 丕夭听乇卮鬲賴鈥屫з佖池з嗁団€屬囏й屘з勞┷屬喬呟屸€屫ㄘж促嗀�. 丌賳賴丕 賳蹖夭 賲丕賳賳丿听賵丕賱丕賴丕听丕夭 鬲亘丕乇听丌蹖賳賵乇貙 賵賱蹖 丕夭 賵丕賱丕賴丕 囟毓蹖賮 鬲乇 賴爻鬲賳丿. 賳丕賲 賲丕蹖丕乇 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 讴賵卅賳蹖丕蹖蹖 賵 丕夭 乇蹖卮賴 丕賱賮蹖貙 賲丕蹖丕 亘賴 賲毓賳蹖 芦亘爻蹖丕乇 毓丕賱蹖貙 賯丕亘賱 鬲丨爻蹖賳禄 丕爻鬲]听亘賳丕 亘賴 乇賵丕蹖鬲 丕賽賱丿丕乇.
鄢.听讴賵卅賳鬲丕 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賵賳听芦鬲丕乇蹖禺趩賴贁 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賱鈥屬囏� - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕氐賱蹖 爻蹖賱賲丕乇蹖賵賳 讴賴 卮丕賲賱 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й� 丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵 丿乇禺鬲听賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇听賵听丿賵乇賴 丕賵賱听賲蹖鈥屫促堌�.
[賵丕賱蹖賳賵乇听(爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賵丕賱丕乇听蹖丕听爻乇夭賲蹖賳听賵丕賱丕賴丕) 蹖讴 爻乇夭賲蹖賳 禺蹖丕賱蹖 丿乇听乇卮鬲賴鈥屫з佖池з嗁団€屬囏й� 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳听丕爻鬲 讴賴 丿乇 鬲氐乇賮 賵丕賱丕賴丕 丿乇听丕賲丕賳听丕爻鬲.]
鄞. 丌讴丕賱丕亘鬲 芦爻賯賵胤 賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇禄 - 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 爻賯賵胤听賳賵賲賴 賳賵乇听賵 賲乇丿賲丕賳卮 賵听丿賵乇賴 丿賵賲.
[賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌碧�(亘賴听丕賳诏賱蹖爻蹖:听N煤menor) 蹖讴 噩夭蹖乇賴 鬲禺蹖賾賱蹖 丿乇 丿丕爻鬲丕賳鈥屬囏й屘з勞┷屬喬ж池�. 丕蹖賳 噩夭蹖乇賴 丕夭 賯賱賲乇賵賴丕蹖听丕賳爻丕賳賴丕听丿乇听丿賵乇丕賳 丿賵賲听亘賵丿. 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌� 賴丿蹖賴鈥屫й� 丕夭 胤乇賮听賵丕賱丕乇听亘賴听丕丿丕蹖賳听(讴爻丕賳蹖 讴賴 丿乇 讴賳丕乇听丕賱賮賴丕听囟丿賾听賲賵乇诏賵鬲听噩賳诏蹖丿賳丿) 亘賵丿. 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌� 丿丕乇丕蹖 鬲賲丿賾賳 亘夭乇诏蹖 亘賵丿 丕賲丕 亘丕 诏匕卮鬲 夭賲丕賳貙 胤賲毓 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌臂屫з� 亘賴 賳丕賲蹖乇丕 卮丿賳 卮乇賵毓 卮丿. 亘賴 丕氐乇丕乇听爻丕卅賵乇賵賳貙听丌乇-賮丕乇丕夭賵賳听爻毓蹖 讴乇丿 讴賴听爻乇夭賲蹖賳鈥屬囏й� 賳丕賲蹖乇丕听乇丕 鬲爻禺蹖乇 讴賳丿 丕賲丕 賳賵賲賴鈥屬嗁堌� 賳丕亘賵丿 卮丿 賵 夭蹖乇 丿乇蹖丕 賮乇賵乇賮鬲. 丿乇 丕蹖賳 亘蹖賳听蹖丕賵乇丕賳鈥屫з勝佁�(賲丐賲賳丕賳 亘賴 賵丕賱丕乇 賵听丕蹖賱賵賵丕鬲丕乇) 夭賳丿賴 賲丕賳丿賳丿 賵 亘丕 乇賴亘乇蹖听丕賱賳丿蹖賱听亘賴听爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳賴听乇賮鬲賳丿 賵 賯賱賲乇賵賴丕蹖听诏丕賳丿賵乇听賵听丌乇锟斤拷賵乇听乇丕 倬丕蹖賴鈥屭柏ж臂� 讴乇丿賳丿.]
鄣. 丨丿蹖孬听丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 賯丿乇鬲听賵听丿賵乇賴 爻賵賲听- 讴賴 亘丕 丌賳 丕蹖賳 丨讴丕蹖鬲鈥屬囏� 亘賴 倬丕蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必池� 賵 乇丕賴賳賲丕蹖蹖 丕爻鬲 亘乇 丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏�. [丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 賯丿乇鬲听丿乇听乇卮鬲賴鈥屫з佖池з嗁団€屬囏й屘�. 丌乇. 丌乇. 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳听毓亘丕乇鬲 丕爻鬲 丕夭 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 噩丕丿賵蹖蹖 讴賴 鬲賵爻胤听爻丕卅賵乇賵賳听蹖丕听丕賱賮鈥屬囏й屘囐堎勠屬喬槽屫� 賳馗乇 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 爻丕禺鬲賴 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲. 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 賲蹖鈥屫堌ж池� 丿乇 丨丕賱蹖 讴賴 禺賵丿卮听丨賱賯賴 蹖诏丕賳賴听乇丕 亘丿爻鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 丕賱賮鈥屬囏ж屘┵堌堎勝団€屬囏執з嗀池з嗏€屬囏й屬� 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏� 乇丕 亘丿爻鬲 讴賳賳丿. 丕賵 亘丕 丕蹖賳 讴丕乇 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池� 爻乇賳賵卮鬲 爻賴 賳跇丕丿 爻丕讴賳 丿乇听爻乇夭賲蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳蹖听乇丕 亘丿爻鬲 诏蹖乇丿 趩賵賳 丨賱賯賴贁 蹖诏丕賳賴 讴賴 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 丿蹖诏乇 乇丕 讴賳鬲乇賱 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 亘丿爻鬲 禺賵丿卮 亘賵丿.
賳賯卮賴贁 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 毓賲賱蹖 賳卮丿 趩賵賳 丕賱賮鈥屬囏� 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 禺賵丿 乇丕 丿乇 丿爻鬲 賳讴乇丿賳丿 賵 鬲丕 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 丨賱賯賴贁 蹖诏丕賳賴 乇丕 丿丕卮鬲 丨賱賯賴鈥屬囏й� 禺賵丿 乇丕 倬賳賴丕賳 讴乇丿賳丿貨 讴賵鬲賵賱賴鈥屬囏� 賳蹖夭 丌賳趩賳丕賳 讴賴 爻丕卅賵乇賵賳 丕賳鬲馗丕乇 丿丕卮鬲 亘賴 賮乇賲丕賳 丨賱賯賴贁 蹖诏丕賳賴 丿乇賳蹖丕賲丿賳丿 鬲賳賴丕 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏� 亘乇丿賴贁 丕賵 卮丿賳丿 賵 亘賴听賳丕夭诏賵賱听鬲亘丿蹖賱 卮丿賳丿.]
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爻禺鬲 鬲乇蹖賳貙 毓噩蹖亘 鬲乇蹖賳 賵 噩匕丕亘 鬲乇蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘蹖 讴賴 鬲丕 丕賲乇賵夭 禺賵賳丿賲.
賲噩賲賵毓賴 蹖丕丿丿丕卮鬲賴丕蹖 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳 讴賴 卮丕賲賱 鬲丕乇蹖禺 丌賮乇蹖賳卮 丕乇丿丕貙 丿乇禺鬲 賴丕蹖 夭賳丿诏蹖貙 禺賱賯鬲 丕賱賮 賴丕 賵 丕賳爻丕賳賴丕 賵 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丨賱賯賴 賴丕蹖 賯丿乇鬲 丕賳
賲賵賯毓 禺賵賳丿賳卮 鬲禺蹖賱賲 亘賴 丿賵乇鬲乇蹖賳 賳賯胤賴 賴丕蹖 鬲氐賵乇 倬乇 賲蹖讴卮蹖丿 賵 賯賱亘 賵 賲睾夭賲 丕夭 賴蹖噩丕賳 賱亘乇蹖夭 賲蹖卮丿賳.
鬲噩乇亘賴 賳丕亘蹖 亘賵丿 亘乇丕蹖 賲賳讴賴 賮丕賳鬲夭蹖 禺賵丕賳 賳蹖爻鬲賲/賳亘賵丿賲.
诏賲賵賳賲 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賲賯丿爻 賮丕賳鬲夭蹖 禺賵賳賴丕 賵 毓賱丕賯賲賳丿丕賳 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丕乇亘丕亘 丨賱賯賴 賴丕 賵 亘賯蹖賴 讴鬲丕亘賴丕蹖 鬲丕賱讴蹖賳 亘丕蹖丿 亘丕卮賴. 讴賴 亘賴 丨賯 丕賳鬲禺丕亘 卮丕蹖爻鬲賴 丕蹖賴.
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賲賲賳賵賳 丕夭 爻蹖賳丕 亘乇丕蹖 賴丿蹖賴 丿丕丿賳 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 卮诏賮鬲 丕賳诏蹖夭 亘賴 賲賳.
丿乇 丨丿 倬乇爻鬲卮 毓丕卮賯卮 卮丿賲 鈾�
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June 24, 2024
How can a mere 300 pages be this epic? I鈥檓 in awe of and in love with this book 鈥� the characters, the supense, the world-building, the whole range of emotions, the scope of it all. I never expected to live in this world as I did; I expected to be overwhelmed, intimidated, and lost 鈥� but I never was. The brilliantly funny and immersive "Tor Silmarillion Primer" helped (thank you for the tip, Linda) and I took notes, printed maps and genealogies and I completely enjoyed nerding out over this book.
I鈥檓 not saying experiencing this wasn鈥檛 a challenge, considering it reads like a bunch of synopses (of many epic novels) and considering the sheer number of alliterative and assonantic names, but I had a lot of fun meeting that challenge. Honestly, reading this mythology, this Elvish in-world history book, made me so very happy 鈥� and occasionally very unhappy considering what befalls our heroes as not every chapter gives us one of those famous Tolkien eucatastrophes. (Some are more akin to a Greek tragedy.)
All in all, I did not expect to be as emotionally invested in the many characters as I was, considering we don鈥檛 get to spend much time with most of them. I think part of it is Tolkien鈥檚 skill and part of it is that this book has it all: love 鈥� both unrequited and fulfilled, loyalty, loss, desire, ambition, pride, deception, revenge, greed, lust for power and immortality, envy, evil, but also beauty. It encompasses what the whole human (and Elvish) experience has to offer and makes it all the more compelling 鈥� in this sense fantasy is grounded in reality.
What is hard to bear, though, is that Tolkien keeps doomsaying events (you can鈥檛 call it foreshadowing anymore) 鈥� some would even call it spoiling 鈥� and it freaking killed me. I mean wtf? Just casually announce the whole country is doomed:
"Thus Turgon lived long in bliss; but Nevrast was desolate, and remained empty of living folk until the ruin of Beleriand."
Now I only wish some company will eventually be allowed to buy the rights to the entire Silmarillion and make a bunch of mini-series out of this; seriously, amazon鈥榮 Rings of Power is just not enough when you have source material like this. (I mean how many novels could this have been?) I know there are many obstacles that keep an adaptation from happening, like the rights issue and the fact that many claim The Silmarillion is unfilmable, but one can dream.
So what鈥檚 next for me? My friend Aria suggested reading the three novels (Children of H煤rin, Beren and L煤thien, The Fall of Gondolin) which expand on the respective three chapters from The Silmarillion next. And then hopefully the Unfinished Tales. So that鈥檚 what I鈥檒l do!
And I will definitely listen to the audiobook read by the brilliant Andy Serkis now that I know what鈥檚 going on. (I don鈥檛 recommend reading the audiobook first; you will miss too much.) I already know I will re-read this many times in the years to come; I can鈥檛 wait to get more and more out of this. For now, I鈥檓 tempted to say that The Silmarillion is now my favorite Tolkien book, but as it reads so differently from both LotR and The Hobbit it鈥檚 tough to compare. But it sure is close.
PS: Here is the link to the fabulous Silmarillion primer by Tor:
PPS: This edition is gorgeous! Next to the illustrations it has sprayed edges and two colored maps of Beleriand. It looks very nice in my bookshelf!
I鈥檓 not saying experiencing this wasn鈥檛 a challenge, considering it reads like a bunch of synopses (of many epic novels) and considering the sheer number of alliterative and assonantic names, but I had a lot of fun meeting that challenge. Honestly, reading this mythology, this Elvish in-world history book, made me so very happy 鈥� and occasionally very unhappy considering what befalls our heroes as not every chapter gives us one of those famous Tolkien eucatastrophes. (Some are more akin to a Greek tragedy.)
All in all, I did not expect to be as emotionally invested in the many characters as I was, considering we don鈥檛 get to spend much time with most of them. I think part of it is Tolkien鈥檚 skill and part of it is that this book has it all: love 鈥� both unrequited and fulfilled, loyalty, loss, desire, ambition, pride, deception, revenge, greed, lust for power and immortality, envy, evil, but also beauty. It encompasses what the whole human (and Elvish) experience has to offer and makes it all the more compelling 鈥� in this sense fantasy is grounded in reality.
What is hard to bear, though, is that Tolkien keeps doomsaying events (you can鈥檛 call it foreshadowing anymore) 鈥� some would even call it spoiling 鈥� and it freaking killed me. I mean wtf? Just casually announce the whole country is doomed:
"Thus Turgon lived long in bliss; but Nevrast was desolate, and remained empty of living folk until the ruin of Beleriand."
Now I only wish some company will eventually be allowed to buy the rights to the entire Silmarillion and make a bunch of mini-series out of this; seriously, amazon鈥榮 Rings of Power is just not enough when you have source material like this. (I mean how many novels could this have been?) I know there are many obstacles that keep an adaptation from happening, like the rights issue and the fact that many claim The Silmarillion is unfilmable, but one can dream.
So what鈥檚 next for me? My friend Aria suggested reading the three novels (Children of H煤rin, Beren and L煤thien, The Fall of Gondolin) which expand on the respective three chapters from The Silmarillion next. And then hopefully the Unfinished Tales. So that鈥檚 what I鈥檒l do!
And I will definitely listen to the audiobook read by the brilliant Andy Serkis now that I know what鈥檚 going on. (I don鈥檛 recommend reading the audiobook first; you will miss too much.) I already know I will re-read this many times in the years to come; I can鈥檛 wait to get more and more out of this. For now, I鈥檓 tempted to say that The Silmarillion is now my favorite Tolkien book, but as it reads so differently from both LotR and The Hobbit it鈥檚 tough to compare. But it sure is close.
PS: Here is the link to the fabulous Silmarillion primer by Tor:
PPS: This edition is gorgeous! Next to the illustrations it has sprayed edges and two colored maps of Beleriand. It looks very nice in my bookshelf!
August 14, 2024
OKAY THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING RIGHT NOW AND I'M ACTUALLY IN TEARS BC I ALREADY FORGOT HALF THE NAMES (I'M WRITING THIS REVIEW ONE MONTH LATE) BUT I'M ALSO FULL OF JOY BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I WILL RE-READ THIS FRIGGIN' MASTERPIECE MANY TIMES THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.
This is my favorite work of Tolkien so far... I have only read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and they're both fantastic BUT The Silmarillion is 10 times better! In my opinion, Tolkien really shines when it comes to worldbuilding and creating original concepts... you just have to look at the detail that went into creating the languages and names of Middle-Earth, it is breathtaking work! However, he's not the best at characterisation and making his readers feel with his characters. When reading his primary work, I always struggled to connect with Bilbo or Frodo or any of the side characters. I loved reading about their journey, seeing the places they got to see, facing the struggles they had to face, but they as characters remained rather pale to me.
That's why I think I personally vibe so much with The Silmarillion. This book of lore and background information is not about characters at all, it's basically 100% worldbuilding and concepts and that's what Tolkien does best! Each chapter can be read on its own, it always holds a "finished" story 鈥� though, of course, the chapters go hand in hand and are in chronological order. That works really well with Tolkien's way of approaching his work because he doesn't have to give us fully fleshed out characters (almost every chapter focuses on a different set of characters basically), he can just explore themes, the world and important events.
I can't go into detail when it comes to the plot/world building of this text (I promise I will next time I reread it this thang and properly annotate it) but for now I want to leave you with my two favorite stories: first off, the story of F毛anor who was a 脩oldorin Elf, second King of the Noldor, and one of the Elven kindred that departed from Valinor in the land of Aman, where they had lived with the Valar. I loved his particular story so much because he is a rebel and didn't give to shits about Iluvatar and the Valar. He's the reason the whole story gets rolling (comparable to Adam and Eve eating the apple and being banned from the Garden of Eden :D). And lastly, the story of T煤rin Turambar, a man of the House of Hador, who became a tragic hero of the First Age. The way Tolkien narrates his particular story is so heartfelt and tragic, it really makes me want to read The Children of H煤rin.
This is my favorite work of Tolkien so far... I have only read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and they're both fantastic BUT The Silmarillion is 10 times better! In my opinion, Tolkien really shines when it comes to worldbuilding and creating original concepts... you just have to look at the detail that went into creating the languages and names of Middle-Earth, it is breathtaking work! However, he's not the best at characterisation and making his readers feel with his characters. When reading his primary work, I always struggled to connect with Bilbo or Frodo or any of the side characters. I loved reading about their journey, seeing the places they got to see, facing the struggles they had to face, but they as characters remained rather pale to me.
That's why I think I personally vibe so much with The Silmarillion. This book of lore and background information is not about characters at all, it's basically 100% worldbuilding and concepts and that's what Tolkien does best! Each chapter can be read on its own, it always holds a "finished" story 鈥� though, of course, the chapters go hand in hand and are in chronological order. That works really well with Tolkien's way of approaching his work because he doesn't have to give us fully fleshed out characters (almost every chapter focuses on a different set of characters basically), he can just explore themes, the world and important events.
I can't go into detail when it comes to the plot/world building of this text (I promise I will next time I reread it this thang and properly annotate it) but for now I want to leave you with my two favorite stories: first off, the story of F毛anor who was a 脩oldorin Elf, second King of the Noldor, and one of the Elven kindred that departed from Valinor in the land of Aman, where they had lived with the Valar. I loved his particular story so much because he is a rebel and didn't give to shits about Iluvatar and the Valar. He's the reason the whole story gets rolling (comparable to Adam and Eve eating the apple and being banned from the Garden of Eden :D). And lastly, the story of T煤rin Turambar, a man of the House of Hador, who became a tragic hero of the First Age. The way Tolkien narrates his particular story is so heartfelt and tragic, it really makes me want to read The Children of H煤rin.
February 13, 2022
The Silmarillion gives a clear and comprehensive history of the mythological world Tolkien created to set his Lord of Rings trilogy. In five parts, he describes the world of which Middle Earth is a part, the spirits who rule the world (who the Men called gods), the making of Elves, Men, and Dwarfs, and the events that took place in the world, especially on Middle Earth from the First Age to the Third Age. In short, The Silmarillion can be safely described as a forerunner to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Amidst the history, The Silmarillion also tells the dark story in the First Age, where Elves and Men in league battle with the First Dark Lord, Morgoth, to recover the "Silmarili" (three perfect jewels) which he has stolen from the High Elves. The bulk of the story (Quenta Silmarillion) is devoted to the heroism and valour of the Elves and Men in their terrible war against Morgoth, in the absence of the support of the ruling spirits (gods). Although I say there is a story (for there is), it is not a continuous and smoothly flowing story; in fact, the story is continued in detached episodes. Yet there is a sort of connectivity between the chapters to keep the readers on track with the story.
There are a huge number of characters, both Elves, and Men, without proper notes or charts that you cannot keep track of. The same can be said to places and battles. There were some helpful charts and maps in the edition I read which made the read a little easy. But I should have taken notes as I read along. That is something to remember when I return to it again (for I do plan to reread).
This was an interesting read, though I admit that it was one of the most difficult books that I read. What is amazing is the thoroughness that is displayed by Tolkien in creating this mythological world, the characters - Elves, Men, Dwarfs, Gods, Dark lord, and his creatures. The main characters being Elves and Men are described to the minutest detail including their different races and their descendants. It is really impressive. I have read that Tolkien always felt the absence of British lore and had felt the need to remedy the defect. I think his works quite compensate for that absence.
I did enjoy the read but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I given my full reading attention without other books getting in the way. So when I do return to this, I want to take proper time and space to read it.
Amidst the history, The Silmarillion also tells the dark story in the First Age, where Elves and Men in league battle with the First Dark Lord, Morgoth, to recover the "Silmarili" (three perfect jewels) which he has stolen from the High Elves. The bulk of the story (Quenta Silmarillion) is devoted to the heroism and valour of the Elves and Men in their terrible war against Morgoth, in the absence of the support of the ruling spirits (gods). Although I say there is a story (for there is), it is not a continuous and smoothly flowing story; in fact, the story is continued in detached episodes. Yet there is a sort of connectivity between the chapters to keep the readers on track with the story.
There are a huge number of characters, both Elves, and Men, without proper notes or charts that you cannot keep track of. The same can be said to places and battles. There were some helpful charts and maps in the edition I read which made the read a little easy. But I should have taken notes as I read along. That is something to remember when I return to it again (for I do plan to reread).
This was an interesting read, though I admit that it was one of the most difficult books that I read. What is amazing is the thoroughness that is displayed by Tolkien in creating this mythological world, the characters - Elves, Men, Dwarfs, Gods, Dark lord, and his creatures. The main characters being Elves and Men are described to the minutest detail including their different races and their descendants. It is really impressive. I have read that Tolkien always felt the absence of British lore and had felt the need to remedy the defect. I think his works quite compensate for that absence.
I did enjoy the read but I think I would have enjoyed it more had I given my full reading attention without other books getting in the way. So when I do return to this, I want to take proper time and space to read it.
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