There are several chapters in the Bible consisting solely of genealogies, lists of who beget who, used mostly to establish bloodlines. The last being in Matthew in which the lineage of Jesus is established through the bloodline of King David. I have always found these fascinating because of what they don’t say. You look at the names on the lists and wonder just who these people were and what they did. What big or small things did they do in their lives that may have wrought monumental changes on the world for future generations. There is an unwritten history there that fascinates. The same can be said for J.R.R. Tolkien’s saga The Lord of the Rings. Whether reading the books or watching the films you come across names of individuals and of peoples that give historical depth to the work but also make you wonder who they were and what part they had to play in the development of the Middle-earth of the Third Age. Thankfully Tolkien didn’t just mention these people and pass on, he spent his lifetime developing the creation of his world. The culmination of these efforts can be found in The Silmarillion.
The Silmarillion was never published in Tolkien’s lifetime. It was a work that in essence started in the trenches of WWI and was not completed at the time of his death. Thankfully much of it was completed and his son, Christopher Tolkien, was able to take the large body of work left by J.R.R. Tolkien and edit it together into a complete narrative. The Silmarillion is essentially the history of Middle-earth, from the creation of the world and the First Age through the Third Age up until the time seen in The Hobbit and then The Lord of the Rings. Let me stop here to say that I was completely enraptured by this book. The Silmarillion is not something that one can pick up for light reading. It is a history book and reads as such. However if you are in a LOTR frame of mind I believe you would find the book amazing as well. Tolkien was a scholar of language, of the history and mythology of Europe, and of religion as well. These things heavily influenced his life’s work and can be seen in the creation of the world in which his characters lived.
It has been said that Tolkien was disappointed in the lack of a true mythology for England and that part of what he set out to do was to create one. The Silmarillion then is Tolkien’s description of the creation of the world and ages that existed in a time long before our time. The opening chapters in which Eru or Iluvatar, the One (essentially God) creates the Ainur (or Holy Ones) and teaches them to create the world through song is beautiful, especially in comparison to the creation accounts of the book of Genesis. One of the things it does quite well is establish the importance of music as a tool of communication and storytelling, something that not only was true in the ‘real’ history of our world but in Middle-earth as well.
The Silmarillion goes on to tell the story of the Silmarils, three jewels created by Feanor, the most gifted of the Elves. Within each jewel was captured the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the trees were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. These jewels were eventually stolen by Morgoth and set in his crown. The Silmarillion then becomes the “history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy”. It goes on to tell the tale of the rise of Sauron and his battles with the peoples of Middle-earth, the creation of the rings of power and the One Ring, and the battle in which Isildur cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand, eventually losing it in the river to one day become the possession of Smeagol.
Although The Silmarillion was begun long before Tolkien ever intended to write The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings it turned out to be the ultimate Tolkien fan bible. It answers so many questions about the people who came before those we loved in The Lord of the Rings. It was so fascinating to learn about the Elves and the Dwarves, about the Numenoreans who are referenced often in LOTR, about the first Dark Lord and the creation of evil in Middle-earth.
Well-written history is wonderful to read. Two of the most interesting historical books I have read are the the books I, Claudius and Claudius, the God by Robert Graves. They are the stories of the Roman Emperors told through fiction and they are amazing. Despite being the history of a fictional world, The Silmarillion is equally amazing. The depth of the many historical and literary influences in Tolkien’s life as well as scholarly command of language makes this history feel real. Reading The Silmarillion does not feel like reading a work of fantasy. It feels like reading a history of our world describing a time that has passed out of all recollection of men. The fact that it gives so much back story and dimension to the world that so many have fallen in love with via the LOTR novels and films is just a bonus. Like any ‘true’ history, the peoples who populate The Silmarillion are far from perfect. They are very real, full of virtues and faults and the actions of individuals and groups have far reaching consequences in the world they leave for future generations. Reading The Silmarillion was an amazing experience and one I am likely to repeat. The last chapter alone, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, is something everyone should read at least once before watching the movies again.
I was talking with my brother-in-law the other day mentioning the fact that Tolkien’s work is so interesting because his grasp of language allowed him to create a universe in which the many and varied names of peoples and of places and of cultures do not feel made up or silly. The Silmarillion is full of names one hasn’t heard before but never does it feel like Tolkien was just making things up. It reads like a history that has been passed down from generation to generation and for that Tolkien has to be acknowledged as a literary master.
I guess it goes without saying (then why have you wrote so much???) that I highly recommend The Silmarillion. It is the work of Tolkien’s lifetime and is a remarkable legacy. Tolkien would no doubt consider The Silmarillion to be his important work. The stories in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were just moments out of the vast timeline he created. Read it, it is the ultimate LOTR geek’s dream. It is also a book that I believe would appeal to anyone who is interested in mythology and history. Reading it one finds it hard to believe that this isn’t actually a true history of an age long before our own which I think is the ultimate compliment for what Tolkien set out to do. By far the best book I have read this year.
I love when you talk about Tolkien. Really, I do! I’m glad I’m not the only one that appreciates his efforts!
Amen!
I was reading some of the reviews of the History of Middle-earth books that Christopher Tolkien put together and towards the end of his life according to alot of notes left behind it looks like Tolkien was reworking alot of his mythology. One reviewer made the comment that it is possible that if he lived longer he could have possibly undone much of the beautiful mythology he created due to new avenues he was exploring. Makes for interesting discussion about when enough is enough. There is so much that I love about the stories that I would hate to see it changed.
This was such a phenomenal work. The history of the elves was especially interesting and I loved seeing how everything through the ages tied into the creation of Middle-earth as we see it in the part of the Third Age.
What do you mean it ISN’T a real history?!!
Also, if you are into detailed historical fiction, check out my buddy, Scott Oden. “Men of Bronze,” available now in paperback, and “Memnon,” coming this month in hardcover. You won’t be disappointed.
Exactly Wayne! Exactly! 😉
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i refuse to read your Silmarillion post as i didn’t make it through that book. i know it proves Tolkien’s genious, in more ways than one, but it also proves the blindness of both genious and marketing execs.
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Now you have me curious. How does Silmarillion prove the blindness of marketing execs? It was a best seller when it came out and still sells well today so from a marketing standpoint I would think the companies that own the rights are very, very happy with the results.
I’m also curious about your Tolkien comment…you can’t leave me hanging like this! I was going to say that Silmarillion doesn’t prove Tolkien’s genius but then I realized that it actually does. He wrote an intricate, detailed history of a world from creation to the dawning of the age of man for a world that doesn’t exist (or maybe it does…don’t want to get anyone riled up!!!) and it reads like a true history.
Help me out here Mysfit!
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k – so maybe the remark about the marketing execs was a little too off-the cuff and probably isn’t strickly true. however, as for the comment about genius (however it is spelled), you hit it on the head. as laborous and tedious the book itself is (like reading geneology – which is ok, if that’s your thing) told a story a great story, actually a sci-fi (and perhaps fantastical) history of our world before history. before the age of man and he detailed the history of that world (time) in such a way that it reads like the bible. he was genius and this book should never have been published.
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Are you saying should never have been published in the sense that in today’s world it wouldn’t get published or that Tolkien shouldn’t have bothered and should have kept all this stuff to himself?
And you’re right in that Simillarion really does have to be something you are in the mood to read, it has to be your thing, at least for the moment you are reading it, to really get into it. I am always in a LOTR frame of mind but even for me I waited until it was just the right moment and then I practically devoured the thing. I myself don’t see it as laborious or tedeous at all simply because it doesn’t read like a geneaology, it reads like history (hence my comparisons to those chapters in the Bible that only list names but make me curious vs. this which actually expounds on what many of these characters did in the time before the Third Age). I do respect however that it isn’t for everyone. I’m not sure I could get into the Histories books as I think you have to be an uber-LOTR geek AND really interested in the intricacies of Tolkien’s creative process to like those. I may give them a try in the future but I’m not sure.
ok – so you’ve made have to think really hard about a comment of mine, i’m not really sure how to explain the way i feel about this book, but i will try.
it’s hard to say that Tolkien should have kept all of this to himself as so many people have become interested in this book. and, genius aside, you have to admire anyone who can take the ontology of the fantastical world they have created for a story and coherently (even realistically) create a nearly seamless history of that world – explaining is somewhat painful detail how and why that story even took place.
i still haven’t read your post 😉 but it doesn’t surprise me that you compared this to the bible, as that is how reference it in my head. and though the Tolkeens are not a religion they are certainly a cult.
in the end, I guess this book is just not for me – unlike you the geneologies in the bible have never held anything for me. and The Silmarillion kind of represents a portion of the name game played (especially in the US) that I despise: just like anything Lucas touches becomes gold despite the fact that he has bad tastes and Stephen King shouldn’t direct movies, what I wonder about The Silmarillion is isn’t the story of the ring good enough without having to show all the magic behind the tricks and how many people buy this book because it is good and not because it is J.R.R? Do you really think anyone else could get a book like this published and it be at all successful?
I don’t honestly think any of the LOTR books would be published today the way they were then, which adds somewhat to its charm. They go into this on the extras of the extended edition of Fellowship I believe. Publishing and editing is a completely different game today and Tolkien’s book success actually had a large part in that.
I get the impression that you didn’t finish Silmarillion and if you had it may or may not have any effect on your thoughts behind it but I don’t see it as a back up story to the LOTR trilogy nor did Tolkien. This is actually what he started writing initially, then wrote The Hobbit which I believe initially only had a slight place in his overall universe and its success caused his publisher to push for a sequel which became LOTR. As such I don’t feel that Silmarillion reads like a back up, I see it as the history of the world from a mythological point of view. Only the last chapter has anything significantly to do with the One Ring. And I don’t think this is good just cuz Tolkien wrote it and people were clamoring for his stuff I honestly think it is very well written and extremely fascinating. The story of the Elves and the first men and how they all came into being, the interweaving of other mythologies including hints of Atlantis, etc. is all fascinating to me. I think its one of the most enjoyable stories I have ever read. Would I have felt that way had I not had the affinity for the characters from the movies? I’m not sure. I have heard many people say that they feel the LOTR books are unreadable and I’m going through them and feel they are on par with most fantasy that I have read other than order that the stories are put together (long chunks focusing on only a few characters). I had a bit of a hard time with The Hobbit but I personally see alot of growth in the writing process from that to LOTR, especially by the time Two Towers gets rolling along and I think Silmarillion is the crowning achievement in his growth as a writer.
As for Lucas I can only partially agree with that. I think the reason Star Wars resonates so much is that he actually had really good taste…an affection for some of the great pulp heroes of old and Joseph Campbells’ work on heroes and good vs. evil…the problem with Lucas in later years is that he became too insulated because of his success and wouldn’t let anyone edit him or advise him which is a real shame and it shows in the prequel films. Overall though I believe the originally trilogy is some of the best stuff in that genre of sci fi ever and it resonates with millions because of the heart behind the stories. However I can forgive Lucas his foibles only because his vision revolutionized film…don’t believe me? Watch that documentary Empire of Dreams and listen to all of the many improvements he made to film from sound to special effects that were all because of his singular vision. Pretty impressive. Its a shame that he didn’t have someone he could trust to rein him in and stop him from going overboard with the tweaks to the original episodes and could also help him shape his vision for the prequels…they would’ve been amazing.
Anyway, I completely respect your opinions as Silmarillion isn’t for everyone but I don’t think you have to be a Tolkien cultist to enjoy it, I just personally think it is an amazing work and its the kind of stuff that reminds me of Gaiman and Mignola and Wolfe…people who put so much folklore and mythology into their stories that gives them such amazing depth and sparks something in my soul.
Love the feedback Mysfit, keep it up! Not sure why you don’t just give in and read the post as I think it better explains how I feel about this but its okay if you don’t. And my comparison to the Bible isn’t a strong point in the post, just was something that popped into my head when I was thinking about how you hear all these names in the LOTR trilogies that you don’t know anything about but Silmarillion gives one the opportunity to find out about these people.
Further responding to your thoughts, I agree with the whole ‘name game’ thing but at the same time that can also be a matter of perspective. Gaiman has done Mirrormask and now has Stardust out being filmed and a version of Coraline also being filmed…not to mention Beowulf. If he goes from being a cult author to being super dooper famous because of these and then everything he does or has ever done turns into a marketing frenzy does that in any way diminish what he has done or change one’s idea of him…right now I think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and I don’t think that would change if this happened. In Tolkien’s defense I don’t believe he himself wrote Silmarillion because of anyone pushing him to cash in on LOTR success. As a matter of fact I think I remember hearing that he actually wanted that to be the next book published after Hobbit (or maybe even before) but was pushed by Stanley Unwin to write what eventually became LOTR instead because at the time people didn’t get it. There’s no arguing that it has a broad appeal because of people’s mania for everything Tolkien but I’m not sure that its initial success was simply because of marketing genius, I think its because his work engendered such a devotion that people wanted more of this world.
Just some thoughts….and in honor of my disagreement on this subject since I just finished a P.G. Wodehouse book (Meet Mr. Mulliner) I decided that my next book (I have a weird habit of starting a book right after finishing another despite having several others that I’m reading at the same time, thus maintaining my many-books-at-a-time equilibrium) is going to be The Scandal of Father Brown, 8 mysteries by G.K. Chesterton. Its a cool old 1940’s paperback copy that Jeff found for me at a used bookstore.
It was definitely cool to read your thoughts on the book, and like you said, it’s cool how we had a lot of similar thoughts.
The more I sit back and think on the book, the more I appreciate The Silmarillion for what it is. (Still not sure I could go back and reread the whole thing again though!)