The Silmarillion - Genesis of Lord of the Rings

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	• The Silmarillion J.R.R. Tolkien Houghton Mifflin, 2004 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 65 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great and well written work of fantasy

--Commentary with some minor spoilers---
Tolken's silmarillion is rather interesting in many respects. One could say that he probably knew about the doctrine of 'the music of the spheres' which is represented in his writing as the 'music of the ainur'. Several esoteric doctrines claim that the world was created through sound/vibration emanated from the mind of 'God'. What is usually referred to as 'God' according to some esoteric doctrines is the mind of creative entities/beings who apparently exist on higher planes of existence and who project aspects of themselves into lower planes to experience what these beings create on the plane of mind.

Another interesting facet of the stories in this book is the creation of 'beings of the elements' (4 element theory of Aristotle and some eastern doctrines). In this respect Manwe is a Lord of the element of air, Ulmo is a lord of the element of water, Aule is a lord of the element of earth and Melkor is a lord of the element of fire. In a similar vein, Varda is a lady of light/fire, Yavanna is a lady of earth, Nienna is a lady of water and Este is a lady of air. There are also the other Valar and the Maiar that have their specific purposes.

Tolken also delves into the dualities of light and dark and even of balance. The raising of the left hand, the right hand and finally both hands of illuvatar (during the music of the ainur) signify light, dark and the blending of both light and dark (both hands raised) into a balanced expression. Some of the Valar represent the expression of light and Melkor definitely represents the dark expression of experience. Yet the interplay of these two fundamental modes leads to the variety experienced in the music of the ainur (remember the creation of slowflakes and rain as an interplay between the forces of Melkor and Ulmo).

Another most interesting point is the appearance of the Valar before the 'Children of illuvatar'. The Valar are akin to beings of nature known in some esoteric doctrines as Devas (high order ones while the Maiar are lower order ones) and their various purposes dictate their function in the music of the ainur (the creation and evolution of manifested reality). Also several esoteric doctrines state that the Devas and their elementals existed before 'man', since they embody reality by taking form/ideas and giving them shape/matter. The purpose and function of the Valar are very different from those of the Children of illuvatar (Elves and Men) and yet both are required to evolve the music and to create new music at a later period.

Tolken limits his work to Earth/Ea but develops his stories well. After all, the accounts in this book are fictional but it is hard not to draw parallels with certain esoteric doctrines. For instance the Elves or the eldar are akin to the angelic-like humans said to have existed on Earth and who lived in harmony with the planet long before the legendary Atlantis. These are said to appear human in form, yet different from the human beings we are today. Some commentators have also drawn parallels with the Numenoreans of the Silmarillion and the Atlanteans.

All in all the stories in this book are really entertaining and well written from a literary point of view and they provide great context for the later stories found in the LOTR series. The stories can also be seen as interesting from another point of view that usually termed esoteric/occult. It is however important to bear in mind that this book is fiction and not fact and that without any knowledge or interest in esoteric doctrines or in myths such as found in the Eddas, it is entirely possible to thoroughly enjoy the stories in the book.

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Definitive Tolkien Work!

The Silmarillion is not for the neophyte or faint of heart. It is the core of the mythological world created by Tolkien. In fact, Tolkien began this work well before he began to weave it into the more familiar Middle Earth of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. He dispaired of its ever being published, and yet desired its publication more than any of his other works. It was not until LOTR achieved greatness that this could be released to an audience already demanding more of Hobbits and the Middle Earth.

Few but the most die hard fans are aware of the background of how Tolkien created this world. A philologist, (study of language development) Tolkien took the Elven language he had created as a young boy and teenager and determined that no language could truly develop without a corresponding mythology. The two were inseperable in his understanding.

The Silmarilian is that Mythology. It is a labor of love and one, while no doubt influenced by the Norse mythology and life long pursuit of Sir Gawain and the Green Dragon, as well as Beowulf, it is more than that. A work of genius by one of the greatest and most influential writers of the 20th century, it demonstrates the love and attention to detail that have set apart the works of Tolkien from all others in the Genre.

Buy it, read it and marvel at the creativity and machinations that most readers are introduced to in the narrative greats of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. You'll come to understand why those stories, monumental as they are, are only the tip of the iceberg waiting to be discovered.

After you've read the LOTR and Hobbit and other of Tolkien's smaller works, come to this work and when you've read it, you'll read the other again with greater understanding, appreciation and even a sense of awe that were not there the first time. You'll have the pleasure of reading these great books like you read them the first time!

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The Bible of Middle Earth

How to begin... This book is essentially a history for Middle Earth. Books 1-6 and 10-12 of what are now considered the Histories of Middle Earth, were simply early revisions of this work. In the Silmarillion, Christopher Tolkien essentially took all of his father's latest work on the history and put it together into this series of tales.

The Silmarillion will remind the fan of mythology of tales from the Romans or the Greeks especially. Truly, Tolkien's fantasy should really be termed mythology or history instead, for there is very little of what most would term to be magic. Any power that any being has is derived of its nature. For instance, Manwe may have some power over the winds and the skies, however, he is termed a god, or in reality an Ainur and so it is logical that he have this power.

The book is written in a very archaic form of language, which to some may be annoying, but I personally find it quite pleasing to the ear. It indeed makes sense that it is written in such a way when you consider that it is to be ancient history. It is not necessarily an easy book to read. Aside from the somewhat difficult language, there are a multitude of characters, many of which have several names, and it is somewhat difficult to keep up. I have found the chart in the back of the book to be of great assistance. Also, the map in the front is easy to read and will help one who cares to do so, keep track of the action.

Lastly, I will argue for the purchasing of this illustrated edition over the simple paperback. First, it makes reading so much easier as it will simply lay open, which is nice if you like to read in bed. Second and most importantly, Ted Nasmith is a fantastically talented artist. His illustrations are just breathtakingly beautiful. They make you feel as if you were there. (I might mention that I own the edition before this one, or at least it has a different cover, Maglor tossing a Silmaril into the Sea. Not that that makes a difference.)

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"Fate Was Heavy That Night..."

I'm going to come right out and say what will make most people think I'm slightly crazy: I enjoyed reading "The Silmarillion" more than I enjoyed reading "The Lord of the Rings". Why? I haven't the faintest idea. Maybe I was too young to properly appreciate "The Lord of the Rings". Maybe my love of mythology made "The Silmarillion" a shoe-in. Maybe the lack of three-dimensional characters was more understandable in a book this vast. Maybe I'm just weird.

In any case, "The Silmarillion" is challenging, beautiful, epic reading and well worth the time and effort it'll take to fully appreciate the work Tolkien has put into his secondary world. Published after Tolkien's death and edited by his son Christopher Tolkien (who had the unenviable task of wading through his father's mountain of notes), "The Silmarillion" provides the historical background for what follows in "The Lord of the Rings". Yes, as mind-boggling as it may be to conceive, "The Lord of the Rings" is only the tail-end of a massive history, as "The Silmarillion" is far more than a mere 'prequel' to Tolkien's famous trilogy; in fact anyone who does describe it as a mere prequel is doing it a grave disservice.

For "The Silmarillion" is a history; albeit a totally invented one. The inspiration for Middle-Earth came through two major facets; Tolkien's desire to provide a mythology for England (believing quite correctly that the Arthurian legends were strongly influenced by the French) and his own passion for created languages. After designing two invented languages (Quenta and Sindar), Tolkien needed a context in which they were used - what followed was "The Silmarillion". It's impossible not to feel a sense of awe at the completeness of Tolkien's visions, for found here is his life's work set out into several books and chapters:

`The Ainulindale' is the rich and poetic account of the coming of consciousness to the world as Iluvatar, (Middle-Earth's God), makes a contingent of Valar (reminiscent of angels) and teaches them a harmonious song that shapes a vision of the world that is to come. Yet even now there is strife, due to the presence of Melkor, the mightiest of the Valar who sings his own melody against the tune of the other. The parallels to the Biblical account of God and Lucifer is very clear, and the similarities continue into...

`The Valaquenta', which is a detailed account of the fourteen central Valar; seven male, seven female. The Valar are best described as gods, each with separate attributes assigned to them. Though this segment is devoted mainly to describing each one and their positions within the world, it is written with extraordinary imagination and poetry as Tolkien describes the hierarchy of the Valar, the secondary spirits called the Maia, and the enemies that emerge at the dawning of the world.

This is followed by `Quenta Silmarillion', which makes up the bulk of the book and contains the namesake of the book. The silmarils are three beautiful jewels formed by the elf-craftsman Feanor that contain the light of two miraculous trees. But when Melkor (soon to be called Morgoth, the first Dark Lord), hears of their existence, he forms a plan that allows him to successfully capture the jewels and escape. Furious at the theft, the hot-headed Feanor swears a binding oath to retrieve them, setting into motion a tragic chain of events as his people set sail from the Western Isles back into Middle Earth to wage war upon Morgoth.

What follows is a massive chronicle, highlighting events and individuals within this great war, with a scope too large to even begin to summarise. Needless to say, it's nearly impossible to keep track of all the characters (especially when they have similar sounding names) and one story blends into another continuously so that it feels like one massive volume rather than a range of smaller stories. The story is marked by the founding of great cities, the forging of dynasties, the division of peoples and waging of battles. There is tragedy, beauty, torture, escapes, murders, betrayals, hubris and even incest, all of which is too vast and detailed to go into any further detail on.

However, one story does deserve special mention, that of Beren and Luthien, a mortal man and an elf maiden who fall in love (and are the precursors to Aragorn and Arwen). After Luthien's father tells Beren he can only win his daughter's hand by fetching one of the silmarils that rest inside Morgoth's iron crown, the couple take it upon themselves to steal the gem from within the Dark Lord's own fortress. A major theme prevalent in "The Lord of the Rings" is also present here, that of simple folk (in this case an outcast and a maid) doing what the great and mighty find impossible. Tolkien himself drew a comparison between the hobbits and this tragic couple, but the tale of Beren and Luthien held an even deeper meaning for him. He affiliated his beloved wife Ethel with Luthien, and when she died he had the name "Luthien" inscribed beneath her name on her gravestone. When Tolkien passed away several years later, the name "Beren" was added to his name.

Finally, "The Akallabeth" moves away from the Elves to explore Mankind, their island home of Numenor and its destruction (much like our legend of Atlantis) and "The Rings of Power" which puts the events of "The Lord of the Rings" in a nutshell, ending on the most poignant note imaginable.

When coupled with "The Silmarillion"; "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" suddenly take on an even greater depth and beauty than when read singularly. My appreciation for both volumes went up tenfold after experiencing the massive history and scope of their history that Tolkien meticulously mapped out for them. "The Lord of the Rings" may be Tolkien's most famous work, but "The Silmarillion" is his masterpiece.

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The Silmarillion - Genesis of Lord of the Rings

"The Silmarillion", a book written by J.R.R Tolkien (the author well-renowned for his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy), is a captivating tale of the creation of the land of Middle-earth. The amount of detail that can be found in this unique fictional world, which can only be described as gargantuan, makes for an unbelievably authentic setting. The story consists chiefly of the beginning of the world of Earth, and later the war that the elves wage for the Silmarils - three beautiful jewels crafted by Fëanor, the most gifted and skilled of the elves - which Morgoth, the main antagonist, takes for himself. This book may seem unappealing and even a little intimidating to a few readers, because of the author's old-fashioned writing style. In fact, compared to the sixth book in the "Harry Potter" series (which is much thicker and probably longer), "The Silmarillion" is an unexpectedly difficult book to read. Also, since this book is actually a compilation of notes by J.R.R. Tolkien, the smoothness that was displayed in "The Hobbit" is not present. However, for those who prefer challenging books at least an inch thick, this book is perfect. The best thing about this book, as I expressed above, is that there is so much detail crammed into it that the reader feels as if they could just reach out and touch the world portrayed inside. I chose to read this book because I had read some of J.R.R. Tolkien's works, and also because I felt better after reading a very difficult book. Something I realized while reading this book was that while "The Hobbit", also by J.R.R. Tolkien, was a simple tale of one main character in a fictional world, "The Silmarillion" actually takes several detailed photos of that fictional world in the author's point of view and presents it to the eyes of readers everywhere, in effect giving each reader a small slice of his world. This is an excellent book for those that have already read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and wish to learn more about the world it is set in.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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