Silmarillion – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Sat, 09 Jan 2021 18:07:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png Silmarillion – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. Silmarillion – Nerds on Earth false episodic Silmarillion – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. Silmarillion – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/blog/ The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained – Hurin: The Greatest Man of the First Age https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/11/silmarillion-nerdsplained-hurin/ Mon, 14 Nov 2016 14:45:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=10545 silmarillion hurin nienor

Joseph continues to unpack the lore in The Silmarillion. This time: Hurin, the greatest man of the First Age.

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silmarillion hurin nienor

In a previous Silmarillion post, we talked about the great houses of Elves and some of their notables. Given J.R.R. Tolkien’s (basically) biased bent towards humanity as Illuvatar’s favorites, it follows naturally that there is also a tremendous lineage of mankind and its heroes in The Silmarillion. There is, and we’ll cover the houses of Men very quickly, but then we’re going to move onto mankind’s greatest figure in The Silmarillion, the man Hurin.

The Great Houses of Men

Mankind was the second race created by Illuvatar himself, and they are called the Secondborn (Atani in Quenya, and Edain in Sindarin) by the Elves. Men first awoke far to the east in Hildorien. When the sun rose for the first time, many of them began wandering westward (towards the sun, actually… Apparently things work differently in Middle Earth) and eventually came to the land of Beleriand, where the Elves dwelled. There is textual evidence in The Silmarillion that the dark lord Morgoth came to the young race and incited them to worship him instead of Illuvatar, and that many complied.

Those that didn’t, and who came into the west, were divided into three main houses. The first to enter into the Elves dominion was the House of Beor. The second was the House of Haladin. The third house was led by Marach, and later his descendant Hador, and is known by both of those names. This third house became the greatest, and out of it came Hurin, the greatest Man of the First Age.

Hurin, The Greatest Man of the First Age

In many ways, Hurin is described as the human version of Feanor – fair-faced, golden-haired, strong-bodied, with a fiery mood. He was a mighty warrior, once chasing and slaughtering Orcs back to their holes after the death of his father, with “a fire in him that made the sword hot in his hand.” On another occasion he fought in a battle with a union of men and elves, and the union lost. Hurin and his brother, Huor, made a last stand to allow Turgon, and Elven king of the Noldor, to escape. Huor and all of the men with them were killed, but Hurin fought on until his battle axe broke, and he was buried under a small mountain of slain orcs and trolls.

His life, ultimately, was a sad one. During the battle where Hurin ended up buried in slain enemies, he was captured by the chief Balrog, Gothmog. He was then chained (or trapped in an enchanted chair of some sort…) to the peaks of Thangorodrim, the mountains guarding Morgoth’s fortress Angband. He was chained there for 28 years and then released. And it’s during those 28 years that things really got terrible for Hurin, because he could see and hear what was happening with his family, but only what Morgoth wanted him to see. And it was awful…

The Children of Hurin

Hurin’s children were named Turin and Nienor, and their lives were like the worst Greek tragedy you can imagine. (Fun fact: it is actually based on a Finnish tragedy. Tolkien was very culturally competent…) It’s a long story. So long that, to date, The Children of Hurin is the only complete tale from Tolkien’s legendarium to be published as a standalone book.

If you’re a casual reader, I know this will sound incredible, but here’s the short version, in bullet point format:

  • Turin gets sent to the Elvish kingdom of Doriath for
    silmarillion hurin turin nienor
    Image Source

    protection after his father Hurin is captured.  Morwen (Turin’s mom) stays behind to give birth to Turin’s sister Nienor.

  • At 20, Turin flees Doriath after accidentally killing one of King Thingol’s advisors; he joins up with some outlaws, eventually running their outfit.
  • After being captured by some orcs, Turin accidentally kills his best friend Beleg when Beleg tries to rescue him.
  • Turin’s outlaws head to Nargothrond, another great elvish kingdom; he eventually rises to a place of great influence.  He convinces the elves of Nargothrond to build a massive bridge across the river into their kingdom, announcing their presence to the world.  Orcs, led by the dragon Glaurung, assault Nargothrond, and it is destroyed; Glaurung takes up residence there; Finduilas, the elf maiden that Turin loves, is captured and later killed.
  • Glaurung ensnares Turin in his gaze, and deceives him into thinking his mother and sister are in danger.  He races home, only to find Morwen and Nienor gone; the went to Doriath, only to find Turin not there.
  • Meanwhile, Morwen and Nienor hear of Nargothrond’s destruction, and set out in search of Turin.
  • Nienor is also ensnared by Glaurung, who makes her forget her entire personal history.
  • Turin finds Nienor at the grave of Finduilas; not knowing who she is (and her not being able to remember herself, either) they promptly fall in love.  They eventually marry and conceive a baby.
  • Glaurung the dragon attacks again, and Turin sets an ambush for him.  Turin mortally wounds Glaurung, but is also mortally wounded himself.
  • Nienor comes to look for Turin, and with his dying breath Glaurung undoes the magic that made Nienor forget who she was; she promptly kills herself in her anguish.
  • Turin wakes up, sees what happened, and throws himself on his own sword in madness.

Wait, isn’t this post about Hurin…?

silmarillion hurin Thangorodrim

Yep. Don’t forget – during all of this drama with Turin and Nienor, Hurin was alive and forced to watch all of the horrible things his children went through. He left Thangorodrim a grizzled, grim, hopeless man, though still formidable in a fight.

He returned to his homeland, only to find that the entire house of Hador had been killed, driven off, or enslaved.

He returned to Gondolin and cried out to Turgon, whose life he had saved 28 years before, for shelter. But he found the gates of Gondolin closed to him, and all he succeeded in doing was alerting Morgoth to Gondolin’s location.

He traveled to Nargothrond, site of so much grief for his children, and killed the dwarf who had taken up residence there. He took the dragon’s treasure to Doriath and sarcastically gave it to Thingol as a fee for taking “good care” of his family, thus passing on the dragon’s curse to that kingdom.

And eventually, after some kind words from Thingol’s wife Melian, Hurin’s grief- and anger-clouded mind was cleared, and he saw that all the deeds of his life had only served to aid Morgoth. In despair, he cast himself into the sea and drowned. Thus ended the long, sad life of Hurin.

A Consequential Life

It’s easy to overlook Hurin and focus on his children, but let’s do a quick rundown of the major events that he was a part of, even if only indirectly:

  • Aided Gondolin in a time of great need
  • Directly led to Gondolin’s destruction by revealing its location
  • Had a great relationship with King Thingol of Doriath
  • Passed on the curse of Glaurung’s treasure to King Thingol, indirectly leading to Doriath’s destruction
  • His son Turin was a mighty warrior who did much good
  • Turin also married and conceived a child with his sister, was demonstrably responsible in the deaths of basically everyone who loved him, and directly contributed to the destruction of Nargothrond

So, yeah, Hurin’s life was consequential. Horrific, tragic, destructive, and consequential.

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How Magic Works: A Nerdy Survey https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/10/how-magic-works/ Mon, 31 Oct 2016 11:54:39 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=10216

How does magic work? Nerds on Earth looks across several popular nerdy properties and explains!

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It’s Monday of Doctor Strange week here at Nerds on Earth, and also… Wait, what was it…? Oh yeah, HALLOWEEN, baby! It’s the day when we love to be scared, love to think about ghosts and goblins, but especially witches and wizards. So on this spookiest and most mystical of days, we thought it’d be fun to examine how magic works in different intellectual properties we love.

How Magic Works in Harry Potter

First up is the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter, et al. In this world, magic is mystical, with no real reason given for how or why it works. It is generally hereditary, with non-magical children (Squibs) of witches and wizards the least common inhabitants of the magical world. There are, however, a fairlyharry potter magic wand significant number of Muggle-borns who find themselves with an invitation to Hogwarts or similar schools. No reason is ever given for this, or for why one sibling might have powers (Lily Potter) while the other is completely ordinary (Petunia Dursley).

In general, performing magic in the Harry Potter world requires a magic wand and the proper words of a spell, though older students are taught how to perform spells non-verbally in order to hide their intentions from their enemies.

There are also other creatures in the Harry Potter world who possess magic, most notably Goblins and Elves. (It goes without saying that J.K. Rowling’s elves are nothing at all like J.R.R. Tolkien’s elves, but I’ll say it anyways…) These creatures possess a form of magic that seems more primal and raw, but also in many cases more powerful, than the wizarding world’s learned spells, wand-waving, potions, or charms. As a result, both Goblins and Elves seem to be viewed with a fair amount of caution and possibly even suspicion by human wizards.

How Magic Works in Middle Earth

J.R.R. Tolkien took a much more holistic view of magic in his Middle Earth works. It’s pervasive – nearly everyone can do magic of one sort or another. The most obvious practitioners are the Istari, the Wizards. They enter into the story in the Third Age and seem to already possess some skills and magical abilities, although they do (at least the ones who we hear about in the story) study to learn even more.

The things they study give a view into the different arenas where Tolkien envisioned magic, too.radagast wizard tolkien Saruman becomes fascinated with rings and other artifacts of power, things that can dominate and bend others to the user’s will. Gandalf focuses on fire, light, healing, and other things that can benefit not just the practitioner, but also the target. Radagast studied animals and the natural world, gaining the ability to communicate with animals.

The idea that there is magic in nearly everything in Middle Earth traces its origins back to the very creation of the world in Tolkien’s mythology, and ultimately his Christian faith. In The Silmarillion the world is created when Illuvatar (Tolkien’s analog for God) gives the Valar (Tolkien’s analog for arch-angels) music to sing. They are each given specific parts to sing according to their nature. These parts end up being the realm or particular specialty that they occupy in Middle Earth. Manwe is lord of the air; Ulmo, the seas; Aule, the ground itself; Orome, the forests; Mandos, the dead; etc. Within each of these realms magic exists, and those who are in tune with it can use and manipulate it.

Thus, in Lord of the Rings Ents can shepherd trees, Frodo can see the Ringwraiths in the unseen world when he wears the Ring, Gandalf can use spells to summon fire and/or light, Galadriel can capture the light from Earendil’s Star (a Silmaril!) in a phial and give it to Frodo, Saruman’s voice can enchant those who hear it, and on and on.

What is truly interesting to me about magic in Tolkien’s universe is how its pervasiveness leads to it not being recognized as magic by those who practice it. Most famously, Galadriel asks Sam in Lothlorien, “And you? …For this is what you folk would call magic, I believe; though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem to use the same word for the deceits of the Enemy.”

How Magic Works in Narnia

C.S. Lewis’ land of Narnia is, like Tolkien’s Middle Earth, absolutely filled with a huge variety of magic. Lewis, also like Tolkien, was a Christian, which makes his use of magic in Narnia even more curious. In Narnia, there are essentially three main streams of magic:

  1. Bad magic, most closely associated with the White Witch and her concern for power;
  2. Good magic, which is much more akin to spiritual forces and is embodied by the Jesus figure of Aslan;
  3. and (and this is the interesting part to me) a middle-ground of magical creatures and nature magic that is basically morally neutral.aslan singing creation magic

Like Middle Earth, the magic is pervasive to the point of simply being a curiosity in many cases. No one thinks twice about walking into a forest clearing filled with dancing satyrs, wood nymphs, and persistent globes of fire lighting the whole affair. It’s not a matter of debate, or even of particular awe, that a lion created the entire world of Narnia in the presence of a group of humans by singing it into existence.

What sets Narnia apart from Middle Earth is the sense that there is magic, and then there’s MAGIC. In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Lewis taps into this most deeply with the events surrounding Aslan’s death. The White Witch rightly remembers the “deep magic from the dawn of time” that says that the blood of a traitor must be shed, and belongs to her. (She was one of the group who witnessed the creation of Narnia…) She was, however, unaware of the “deeper magic from before the dawn of time” that dictated that if Aslan gave himself up in the traitor’s place, that he would be resurrected after his death. It’s a very Christian theme. Which makes all of the fawns, satyrs, nymphs, and spirits that much more confusing, since they are all very pagan in origin.

The “deep magic v. deeper magic” conversation also leads to a strong sense in Narnia that the physical world is basically just a storefront for the spiritual world, which is the real world. One of my all-time favorite lines from any book ever deals with this idea, from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The character Eustace encounters a being who says that he is a star.

“In our world” said Eustace, “a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.”

“Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is, but only what it is made of.”

How Magic Works in Doctor Strange

Surgeon-turned-Sorcerer Supreme Stephen Vincent Strange protects the earth against magical and mystical threats. His abilities come from his training at the hands of the Ancient One. This training allows him to tap into the energies of various cosmic and mystical beings, who lend him theirdoctor strange energies for spells. These spells have very complicated and strange-sounding (see what I did there?) names in the comics, and allow him to do things like summon shields and weapons, create portals to other places, and in some cases warp the very fabric of reality around him.

Magic in the Marvel Universe (the comics, at least… it seems like the movie might delve into some quantum physics) seems to be of the very mysterious, only-a-select-few-can-even-comprehend variety. The Ancient One trains Stephen Strange in how to tap into his own innate mystic powers, as well as those of the world around him, and the entities from other realms. No real explanation is given to any of this, to my knowledge. It serves to keep it mystical and mysterious, which is the whole point, I think. (Here’s more on magic in the Marvel Universe.)

How Magic Works in Eragon

Possibly the most complete and well-thought-out version of magic comes in the Inheritance cycle from author Christopher Paolini. In Paolini’s works, magic is the art of manipulating natural energy through focused thought. As in other magical IPs, its use is reserved for a select few humans who have an innate ability, and for other races/species that are more thoroughly magical. Except for the Dragons, this focused thought happens through use of the Ancient language. Eragon’s mentor, Brom, explains to him that terrible, horrible things can happen if a magic user has a stray thought in the midst of performing a spell. So using magic in the Eragon universe, like other magical universes, involves learning quite a bit of vocabulary.

What sets magic in the Eragon universe apart is the very detailed way that the books describe how it eragorn and bromworks. In the world of Alagaësia, magic is used to do quickly what would otherwise take a lot of time to do. But the key difference is that it takes the same amount of energy. So, for instance, you can use magic to turn an arrow into a flaming arrow, but it drains energy as if you had worked to light the fire yourself and then lit the arrowhead yourself. You can also use magic to lift a 10-ton boulder and fling it across a battlefield at an enemy, but it will consume more energy than you possess and you’ll die.

To get around this limitation, magic users can use spells to store up energy from themselves and the world around them into gemstones, usually embedded into a sword hilt, breastplate, etc. If they are diligent and plan ahead, magic users can enter into battle with massive stores of energy that can be used to unleash all kinds of offensive and defensive magic on their foes, or to create beautiful and useful things when not in battle.

It’s this magical conservation-of-energy principle that really sets Paolini’s world apart. While there are instances in other IPs of magic use leading to exhaustion, the Inheritance cycle is the only one that directly ties magic use to a person’s life energy. I love it, because it raises the stakes and adds a dimension of thoughtfulness that other worlds don’t have. For instance, Brom teaches Eragon that he can kill someone by levitating a pebble and causing it to fly through their brain (which would probably kill him, because how hard would you have to throw a stone to have it go through someone’s head?!), or he could use magic to sever a blood vessel in their brain (which takes a comparatively tiny amount of energy). Successful and impactful magic use in Alagaësia is a thinking-person’s game.


Even though there are some pretty major differences in how magic works and is treated in these different IPs, there are some very broad similarities, too.

  • Magic is always something that ordinary people don’t have access to, but only the select few.
  • It’s always fairly mystical, and not usually fully understood even by those who practice it.
  • And, with few exceptions, it requires some sort of instrument or apparatus (wand, staff, sword, etc.), which may itself be magical, or might simply be a conduit or antenna of sorts.

What are some of your favorite magical worlds and/or treatments of magic in books, movies, or television?

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The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained – Feanor https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/10/silmarillion-nerdsplained-feanor/ Mon, 03 Oct 2016 12:56:58 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=9688 the silmarillion

Joseph continues in his herculean task of making sense of The Silmarillion.

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the silmarillion

Throughout J.R.R. Tolkien’s sprawling masterwork The Silmarillion there are an ungodly amount of names, dates, battles, and locations to learn and remember. It’s like a history textbook in that way. And, like actual human history, there are a few names that rise above the rest in terms of their influence and importance. In this installment of The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained, we’ll take a look at the one figure who, perhaps, stands above all the others, except maybe Melkor. That’s right, it’s time to talk about Feanor.

Who is Feanor?

In our post on the Elves, we mentioned that they were divided up into some very broad categories, and that the main one of these were Elves who had seen the light of the Trees of Valinor, and those who had not. Of the ones who did see the light (the Calaquendi), there were three great families – the Vanyar, led by Ingwe; the Noldor, led by Finwe; and the Teleri, led by Elwe and Olwe.silmarillion feanor silmarils

The word ‘Noldor’ in Tolkien’s invented Elvish languages translates as “Deep Elves.” It’s interesting to me that Tolkien never really defines what he means by term. I sort of interpret it as “deep” in the sense that whatever they put their minds to, they took it to the greatest degree possible. And no single elf embodies that more than Feanor, son of Finwe.

Feanor was Finwe’s only child by his first wife Miriel Serinde. The book says that when Feanor was born, he drew so much of her life energy that she grew weary and departed the world. Feanor was most beloved of all of Finwe’s children, because he reminded Finwe of Miriel. The Silmarillion also says of Feanor,

For Feanor was made the mightiest in all parts of body and mind: in valour, in endurance, in beauty, in understanding, in skill, in strength and subtlety alike: of all the Children of Ilúvatar, and a bright flame was in him.

So basically Feanor was the greatest, most talented, most accomplished, bravest, most gifted, and most handsome elf that ever lived. And that is saying A LOT…

Why is Feanor so important?

Well, let’s start with a partial list of his creations, shall we?

  • The Silmarils
  • The Palantiri (you know, the seeing stones from LOTR)
  • Feanorian lamps (perpetual blue-flamed lamps that couldn’t be extinguished by water or wind)
  • Tengwar script (the method used to write Quenya, the high Elvish language)

That’s not a bad resume! Unfortunately, it seems like for every amazing thing he did, he also had a royal screw up of some sort or another. For instance…

  • He antagonized Melkor, making him even more covetous of the Silmarils.
  • After Melkor stole the Silmarils, Feanor swore an incredibly rash and poorly-considered oath not to rest until he had recovered them, nor to suffer anyone else to possess them except he and his family.
  • He goaded his seven sons into also swearing this oath.

    silmarillion feanor
    The Oath of Feanor by Jenny Dolfen.
  • He and his people killed other Elves for the first time in history in order to steal their ships and pursue Melkor across the ocean to Middle Earth.
  • After obtaining the ships, Feanor took some of his people and abandoned others that had followed him, and crossed the ocean.
  • After arriving in Middle Earth, Feanor ordered the fleet of ships they had sailed on to be burned, taking away everyone’s chance to return until the Silmarils were recovered.

There are others, but the biggie is the oath that he and his sons swore. It is not much of an exaggeration to say that every bit of the conflict and war that took place in between that oath and the War of Wrath was related to that terrible oath.

Conclusion

Feanor is like a case study in how being the best at basically everything all the time can be much more of a negative than a positive. He is the ultimate lesson in Tolkien’s creation about how great skill and ability must also be tempered with wisdom, compassion, and humility. And, in that sense, I think Feanor is a fantastic lesson for these contentious times we live in.

Don’t be like Feanor – valuing power and renown above all else. Don’t be like Feanor – arrogant and smug. Don’t be like Feanor – so preoccupied with your own greatness that you lose sight of the greater good.

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The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained – The Trees of Valinor https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/09/silmarillion-nerdsplained-trees-of-valinor/ Mon, 19 Sep 2016 17:22:04 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=9420 trees of valinor silmarillion

Joseph continues unpacking The Silmarillion with an explanation of the Trees of Valinor.

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trees of valinor silmarillion

So far in this series on The Silmarillion, we’ve mentioned the Two Trees, or the Trees of Valinor, several times. In many ways, the Trees are at the very heart of everything that happens in the First Age of Middle Earth. So for this edition, let’s take a closer look at these Trees themselves, and why they were such a big deal to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Telperion and Laurelintrees of valinor silmarillion

The Trees of Valinor were Telperion the Silver, which shone with a silver light from its leaves, and Laurelin the Gold, whose green leaves were trimmed with gold. The dew from each tree was a source of both water and light to the Valar and the Elves in Valinor.

Each tree waxed and waned in brightness in a 7-hour cycle with one hour of overlap at each end of the cycle, thus giving Valinor a 12-hour day. Other than the stars, which Varda created from dew from the Trees, this was the only light that existed in Middle Earth.

Telperion and Laurelin were sung into existence by Yavanna, the Vala in charge of realizing Illuvatar’s vision for plants and animals. The saplings were watered by the tears of Nienna, the Vala who weeps for others out of grief and pity. Foreshadowing alert!

The Trees are Powerful

Outside of the light they provide to Valinor, and their apparent beauty, the Trees don’t seem to have any inherent powers. Apparently, though, this is more than enough to make them the center of the First Age. For instance, when the Valar learn that the Elves have awakened and try to get them to come to Valinor, they only meet with success after they bring a delegation of Elves to see the Trees. Those three elves convinced a huge portion of the others to start the journey to Valinor based almost exclusively on their description of the Trees. Furthermore, the Elves are ultimately broken down into two classifications – those who have seen the light of the Trees, and those who haven’t.

Aragorn would come to bear the sigil of the White Tree of Gondor on his tunic.
Aragorn would come to bear the sigil of the White Tree of Gondor on his tunic.

Also, the Trees of Valinor and their descendants seem to be inextricably linked to the fate of Middle Earth even after their destruction at the hands of Ungoliant and Melkor. Ar Pharazon, the wicked king of Numenor in the Second Age, did many abhorrent things. But his worst action, and the one that seems to have most angered the Valar, was destroying Nimloth, a descendant of Telperion.

As another example, after the line of kings failed in Gondor and the Stewards took over, the White Tree of Gondor was no longer tended and eventually died. This more or less directly coincided with the decline and weakening of Gondor. After Sauron was defeated and the One Ring destroyed, the newly crowned King Aragorn found a sapling of the tree, signaling the rebirth of Gondor and its new golden age.

The Trees Represent Divine Presence

It’s no secret that Tolkien was a devout Catholic. The Christian faith is replete with imagery and symbolism surrounding both trees and light. In almost every case, these are symbols of God’s presence and activity in the physical world. Here are some examples:

  • The first tree specifically mentioned in the Bible is a tree in the Garden of Eden which gives anyone who eats its fruit divine knowledge of good and evil.
  • The last tree specifically mentioned in the Bible is the Tree of Life in heaven, whose fruit provides ultimate healing for anyone who eats it.
  • Jesus frequently used tree and plant imagery in his teachings to represent being connected with God.
  • In Christianity, the ultimate expression of God’s love for humanity is Jesus’ sacrificial death on a cross.

After the destruction of the Trees of Valinor, their light (i.e. the Divine Presence) was only preserved in the Silmarils. So all of the conflict surrounding control of the Silmarils is not just about their beauty – the conflict is symbolic of possessing and controlling the power of God on earth. (Picture how the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant are portrayed in movies.) ((Indiana Jones movies, specifically…))

Conclusion

For all these reasons, it’s not hard to see why Tolkien placed such an immense emphasis on these trees. For him, they were a constant reminder of Divine presence and providence in Middle Earth. The light from the Trees puts the entire history of the Elves into motion, and sets the stage for basically every bit of conflict in the First Age.

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The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained: The Elves https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/09/silmarillion-nerdsplained-elves/ Mon, 05 Sep 2016 12:00:48 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=8956 lord of the rings elves

So you think you know Elves? The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained.

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lord of the rings elves

Anyone who is casually conversant with the world of Lord of the Rings could probably tell you the basics about Elves – unending life, though they can be killed in battle; very wise; very beautiful; very skilled in lore, craftsmanship, and war.

However, readers of The Silmarillion know that there’s a lot more to Elves than just what can be gleaned from their interactions with Men, Dwarves, and Hobbits. In this edition (the other articles are here) of The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained let’s take a look at the race of Elves, starting from the very beginning, and taking a look at some of the incomplete truths that a casual Tolkien fan might have about them…

Elves in The Silmarillion: Separating Half Truths from Whole Truths

Incomplete Truth: Elves live in Middle Earth

Fuller Truth: Elves live all over the place.

Much of the early history of the Elvish peoples is devoted to their movements. The originally awoke in a place far to the east of any LOTR action, along the shores of a bay called Cuivienen. They lived there for some amount of time (long enough to develop language and a modest civilization) before the Valar were made aware of their existence and went to meet them.

Unfortunately, in the intervening years, Morgoth had learned of their presence and sent some of his own emissaries to poison their minds against the Valar. So it was that when the Valar arrived and invited the Elves to come join them in the undying lands of Aman, not all were willing to go. Those that stayed behind were called the Avari, ‘the Unwilling.’ They basically fade out of the story and are never heard from again.

hobbit barrel escape
The dwarves escaping the elvish king Thranduil.

Of those that decided to go with the Valar to Aman, some got lost along the way, some decided to stay

east of the Misty Mountains (Mirkwood, Rohan, Lothlorien, etc.), and some fell in love with Beleriand (Isengard, the Shire, Lindon, etc.) and dwelled there. Those that stayed east of the mountains were called the Nandor and the Laiquendi (Wood-elves and Green-elves, respectively), and those that stayed in Beleriand were called the Sindar.

Of the Elves who made it all the way across the Great Sea to Aman, some stayed there and some eventually returned across the Sea to Middle Earth. All Elves who set foot in Aman and saw the light of the Two Trees are considered Calaquendi, “Elves of the Light.” Those who never came to Aman are called Moriquendi, “Elves of the Darkness.”

Collectively, all of the Elves who began the journey to Aman are called the Eldar. The Eldar were divided into three great houses, each led by a king. The Vanyar, or Fair Elves, were led by Ingwe. The Noldor, or Deep Elves, were led by Finwe. And the Teleri, the Singers, were led by two brothers, Elwe and Olwe. All of the Elves who began the journey but stopped along the way were of the Teleri. Elwe stayed in Beleriand and led the Sindar.

These distinctions are ultimately not all that important, except when it comes to…

 

Incomplete Truth: Elves speak Elvish

Fuller Truth: Elves speak two main languages, Quenya and Sindarin, with a variety of dialects.

And, truthfully, the Avari probably developed their own language, too, but since they disappear from the story they’re not really counted. The Elves who came to Aman developed the quintessential Elvish language, Quenya. It is considered the most beautiful, elegant, mystical, and meaningful language that Elves ever created. This is due, in large part, to the fact that these are the Elves who lived in the undying lands of Aman, and literally ate, drank, went hunting, and played music with the Valar themselves. Most of the longish passages of song or poetry that can be found in Lord of the Rings is the Quenya language. Quenya dominates any interaction between different groups of Elves, having been brought back over to Middle Earth by Feanor and the Noldor when they returned from Aman.

Sindarin, on the other hand, was developed over time by the Sindar, those Elves who stayed in

one ring elvish script
Arguably the most famous elven text.

Beleriand, and was adopted by those who stayed east of the Misty Mountains as well. It sounds a bit rougher and less elegant than Quenya, and thus is mostly used only when Sindarin Elves are in like company, or with Dwarves – with whom they had many dealings before any Quenya-speaking Elves returned to Middle Earth.

*Fun Fact* The truly amazing fact about the Elvish languages in Tolkien’s works is that they actually exist, meaning Tolkien actually created them. He was a scholar of medieval literature and a philologist by trade. As a boy he became fascinated with Welsh and other Celtic/Germanic languages.

Over time he developed Quenya and Sindarin, complete with vocabulary, verb conjugations, sentence structure, masculine and feminine forms, multiple tenses (past, present, future perfect, etc.), and rules to govern all these things – just like any real-world language. In fact, based on some of his recorded letters and essays, you could make a pretty compelling case that Tolkien created The Silmarillion as a vehicle to get his created languages out into the world. */End_FunFact*

 

Incomplete Truth: Elves are like hippies that just go around living off the forest and occasionally fighting when the need arises

Fuller Truth: Elves do love peace and contemplation, but are also frequently driven to pursue knowledge and achievement, too.

Men in Tolkien’s writings seem competitive with one another, like football players – they feel a need to legolas elfenforce their will on others, to dominate, to win. Elves feel more like distance runners – there’s a competitiveness with one another, sure, but it’s more about beating their own personal best.

For an elf like Feanor to pursue gem smithing, it’s not enough to produce a gem that’s more beautiful than what a dwarf or another elf might produce. He can’t stop until he has produced the most beautiful, majestic gem in all of creation. Similarly, it’s not enough for an elf like Cirdan to build better ships than anyone else; he has to build them to the uttermost best of his ability.

To use an analogy from another nerdy IP, Elves are a little bit like Vulcans. Because of their long lives and acquired wisdom over time, they tend to be more reserved when interacting with other races, even other Elves. But underneath that outer layer they are a passionate people, capable of staggering feats of bravery, beauty, artistic expression, and physical prowess. And, like Vulcans, they are also capable of incredible displays of anger, bitterness, and despair. In fact, according to The Silmarillion, the only ways that Elves die is either violently, or by dying of grief and weariness. The Silmarillion is also filled with stories of Elves who acted foolishly, often to great catastrophe.

 

Elves in The Silmarillion: Conclusion

So, in the Elves of Tolkien’s literary world we have a massive family tree complete with at least two languages, a vast territory encompassing basically all of known Middle Earth and the undying lands to the west, and a people who are capable of incredible learning and achievements when they are not quietly enjoying creation around them or growing so weary of the world that they die.

Moreover, the Elves play integral roles in pretty much every battle of import through the first three ages of the world, they give counsel to those who are wise enough to seek it, and they create some of the most beautiful works of art and architecture in all creation. They also create some of the biggest problems, act in the most foolish ways, and from time to time are the most cruel towards one another.

In short, they are complicated beings.


And if you haven’t read The Silmarillion, what are you waiting for? Get a copy here!

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The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained: Numenor https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/08/silmarillion-nerdsplained-numenor/ Thu, 18 Aug 2016 14:45:48 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=8821 aragorn lord of the rings

Of Numenor, men, and the rightful king. The Silmarillion, nerdsplained.

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aragorn lord of the rings

One of the greatest and most famous characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings is Aragorn, a.k.a. Strider the Ranger, a.k.a. The Heir of Isildur and rightful King of Gondor. At the very center of the lore and culture of Middle Earth is the idea that there should be a good king on the throne in Gondor, a descendant of ancient Numenor who is tall and strong and wise and gentle. But to the uninitiated, i.e. those who haven’t read Tolkien’s masterwork The Silmarillion, the question of who or what, exactly, Numenor is can be a puzzling one. Let’s talk about that…

The First Age

The First Age of Middle Earth spans everything from creation until the fall of Morgoth, the OG dark lord. He wanted to have sole control over Middle Earth and the Undying Lands. The other Valar, of course, wanted things to happen according to the will of Eru (the God-character in Tolkien’s mythology). There were many ebbs and flows in the battle between the two sides, ending with the War of Wrath, the casting out of Melkor, and the reshaping of Middle Earth.war of wrath silmarillion

And by reshaping, I mean, almost completely reshaping. Coastlines completely gone. Mountains thrown down. Islands created…

The largest of those islands was called Numenor, and as a payment for the sacrifice that the greatest races of Men had endured during the First Age, they were allowed to move there. They were also given extremely long lives, great knowledge and skill, and the whole island was moved to just outside sight of Aman, the Undying Lands where the Valar lived.

This heralded the start of…

The Second Age

The Second Age of Middle Earth, somewhat surprisingly, doesn’t take place in Middle Earth very often. The story shifts to Numenor and the greatest of the descendents of the Edain. They became accomplished mariners, sailing back east to explore the newly reshaped Middle Earth and establishing settlements there. They sailed west as far as they were allowed – the only limitation imposed on them by the Valar was that Mankind was not allowed to sail so far westward that they couldn’t see Numenor, for fear that they would come to Aman and receive unending life. The men of Numenor became wise and knowledgeable and powerful beyond any kingdom of Men before or after.eye of sauron barad-dur silmarillion

It was during this rise of Numenor that Sauron made his first play for dominance of Middle Earth. At the
end of the first millennium of the Second Age, he founded Barad-dur, the very same tower that his evil eye resides in in Lord of the Rings. As Sauron was growing in power and evil, the men of Numenor were establishing their first outposts and havens in Middle Earth. It is during this period that Sauron forged the Rings of Power, including the One Ring. Eventually the Elves of Middle Earth fought against Sauron, who narrowly escaped back to Mordor, vowing vengeance on Numenor for the part they played in his downfall.

Unfortunately for the people of Numenor, as the power and majesty of their kings grew, so did their arrogance and petulance. During the years between the war with Sauron and the reign of the king Ar-Pharazon, the leaders of Numenor began to covet greater and greater glory at the expense of their wisdom and prudence. They grew envious of the Elves and their immortality, began to rule their kingdoms in Middle Earth as cruel tyrants instead of benevolent kings, and revived ancient religious practices that were despicable to the Valar.

Eventually the wicked king Ar-Pharazon sailed to Middle Earth with a force to fight Sauron again. When they landed at Umbar, though, Sauron surrendered without resistance and, in one of the most inexplicable decisions ever made, Ar-Pharazon brought Sauron back to Numenor as a prisoner. Even more confounding, it wasn’t long at all before Sauron had become a trusted advisor to the king. Predictably, Sauron turned the king and those who followed him to worship Melkor, trading human sacrifice for immortality. Not necessarily worse, but on par in the Middle Earth scheme of things, Sauron convinced Ar-Pharazon to cut down the white tree Nimloth (a descendent tree from Telperion, one of the Great Trees in Valinor that Melkor and Ungoliant destroyed) and burned it as a sacrifice to Melkor.

Eventually Ar-Pharazon began to fear death, and assembled a tremendous armada to sail west to Aman and demand immortality from the Valar. Predictably, this did not end well. Not only did the Valar rise up in power to destroy Ar-Pharazon’s fleet of ships, they completely destroyed the island of Numenor itself in a great cataclysm. The Valar also bent the shape of the world so that no one could ever sail to Aman again, except for the Elves making their last journey. Thus ended Numenor. Except…

Numenorians, Dunedain, Rangers

At great personal risk to themselves, Isildur and his family, and a smallish number of like-minded people, sailed east towards their kingdoms in Middle Earth, bringing a fruit from Nimloth in order to preserve its lineage. This heroic act saved the line of the trees which would become the White Tree of Gondor – a tree that was forever tied to the line of kings. Arriving in Middle Earth, they established the great kingdoms of Men in Middle Earth, Arnor in the north and Gondor in the south.

About 100 years later, Sauron, having narrowly escaped the destruction of Numenor (dang, that guy is hard to kill!) had gathered evil forces to himself again and made war on Men and Elves in Middle Earth. This became known as the War of the Last Alliance, which ended with Isildur cutting the One Ring from Sauron’s hand. From there, the story is fairly well-known to anyone who has read or seen Lord of the Rings. Isildur was weak and didn’t destroy the Ring, the Ring betrayed him to his death, and the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor continued, though greatly diminished over time.

The remnants of the people of Numenor in Middle Earth became scattered into smallish bands throughout the north, the former kingdom of Arnor. These wandering bands of Men became known as the Dunedain, which means “Men of the west,” or colloquially as “Rangers.” Throughout the first three millennia of the Third Age, they maintained their lore and culture, as well as the bloodline of Isildur and Anarion, the sons of Elendil who founded Arnor and Gondor.

A New Perspective on Aragornking aragorn

And, of course, that brings us back to Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King of Gondor, the last great kingdom of Men in Middle Earth. Numenor and its history are tremendously important in the sense that they provide the context for Aragorn’s motivation and character. He is the last remnant of the Numenorians who remained faithful to the Valar and in friendship with the Elves. The great evils of Middle Earth – Morgoth in the First Age and Sauron in the Second and Third Ages – had only ever been defeated when Men and Elves (and Dwarves, too) united to fight them. Only someone with Aragorn’s perspective on the history of his people, their glories and their failures, as well as his connection to the Elves, could become the king Gondor needed.


*Side note: No offense to Elves, but it seems pretty clear from The Silmarillion that Mankind are kind of Illuvatar’s favorites. Hey, Tolkien was only human, right? So having a great kingdom of Men on earth, led by a king who is kind, wise, just, and merciful, comes across as just “the way things are supposed to be” somehow. Almost as if having that sort of king and that sort of kingdom are what allows everything else to function as intended.

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The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained: Ungoliant https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/08/silmarillion-nerdsplained-ungoliant/ Sat, 06 Aug 2016 20:15:19 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=8589

What is the Ungoliant in Tolkien's work? We take a look at the Silmarillion.

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So far we’ve examined the Silmarils, Beren and Luthien, and the Valar in our deep-dive in J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterwork, The Silmarillion.

For this installment, we’ll take a closer look at another lesser-known character from The Silmarillion that plays a pretty important indirect role in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit – the uber-spider overlord, Ungoliant.

The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained: Ungoliant

“Melkor -morgoth- vs Ungoliant” by Jossand on DeviantArt.com

In The Silmarillion, much of the early conflict revolves directly around Melkor and his attempts to wrest control of Middle Earth from the other Valar. He is constantly foiled by their efforts, and forced into more involved and desperate plans. One of the last and greatest mischiefs that he was able to work before being finally cast out of the Undying Lands was his assault on the two great trees in Valinor, Telperion and Laurelin. (More on them in our next installment…)

Melkor knew that the Trees were beautiful and important, because they provided light to the whole world. He also knew that they were precious to the other Valar. The best way that Melkor could hurt the Valar and their creation was to destroy the Trees.

To execute his plan, Melkor enlisted the help of Ungoliant. According to later records of the Eldar (the highest and greatest Elves), no one truly knows where Ungoliant came from. It is believed that she was one of the Maiar that Melkor initially corrupted to his will. Regardless of where she initially came from, the fact remains that she is a seriously bad player.

Ungoliant is such a bad player that she even turned against Melkor after the initial battle against the Valar. She retreated to the South where it was dark and she could pursue her own interests, which, according to The Silmarillion, meant “taking all things to herself to feed her emptiness.” And, apparently, that includes the light of the Trees.

According to their plan, Ungoliant took the form of a monstrous and horrifying spider, spun a web of darkness around herself and Melkor, and the two of them came upon the trees during a time of festival. Melkor attacked the Trees with a spear, wounding them and pouring their sap on the ground. Ungoliant came along behind him and drank it up. All of it. Then she drank the wells of Varda dry. Through all this, she swelled up to such a huge size that even Melkor was afraid. Their attack successful, Ungoliant and Melkor fled Valinor to safety.

So why does Ungoliant matter? Well, her role in the attack on the Trees in Valinor had some pretty major repercussions.

  1. For one, the Trees provided light to most of the world, so there was crazy darkness afterwards.
  2. Second, the Trees had been sung into existence by Yavanna, Queen of the Valar and most beloved by the Elves. Anything she created was a big deal.
  3. Thirdly, the light from the Trees now only existed in the Silmarils, and there was no end of strife and suffering over them once the Trees were dead.
  4. 33892-frodopoisonedBut most importantly, perhaps, is what Ungoliant did after destroying the Trees. After trying unsuccessfully to steal and consume the Silmarils from Melkor, Ungoliant retreated and bred with the Great Spiders. The practical result of this union was the race of giant spiders that shows up in later Tolkien novels. This is the race of spiders that ensnares Bilbo and the Dwarves in The Hobbit, and it is the race of spiders of which Shelob in Lord of the Rings is the last of.

Ultimately, Ungoliant is an ancillary player in the great drama that is the First Age of Middle Earth. But it’s entirely possible that without Ungoliant there wouldn’t have been a Shelob, meaning that there wouldn’t have been an alternate way into Mordor for Gollum to lead Sam and Frodo through. As tends to happen with lesser characters in great stories, her contribution rippled well beyond her own lifetime and actions.

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The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained: Beren and Luthien https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/07/silmarillion-nerdsplained-beren-luthien/ Mon, 18 Jul 2016 12:38:32 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=8221

What's the significance of the Silmarillion's great love story between Beren and Luthien? We explain in part 3 of our Silmarillion series.

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So far we’ve taken closer looks at the Valar (Part 1) and the Silmarils (Part 2) themselves.

For this edition of The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained we thought we’d dive into a topic that’s a little more meta. It’s no secret that J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian, and that his faith made its way into his writings in many ways–some more obvious than others. But a lesser known fact about Tolkien is that he saw himself and his wife Edith as some very important characters in the story.

A Brief History of Elves and Men
Okay, so from the beginning, Illuvatar (God) created all things, including the Valar. He showed the Valar a vision of creation and charged them to make it happen. He did not, however, tell the Valar anything of His children – Elves and Men – because he wanted it to be a grand surprise for them.

The Elves were created with basically unending life; they didn’t die of old age or disease, though they could be killed in battle or through accidents. Elves came first, and because of their incredibly long lives they were prone to develop great wisdom and patience.

Mankind came second, and was given what The Silmarillion refers to as the gift of death. Death is viewed as a gift because it caused mankind to burn with a fire of urgency. This fire led men to accomplish great deeds in their relatively short lifetimes. This fire also caused men to be rash and impulsive, often ill-considering their actions.

So, essentially:

  • Elves = long life, wisdom, great learning
  • Men = short life, bravery, impulsiveness.

One Heckuva Love Story
During the period when Men and Elves were periodically fighting the evil Valar, Melkor, a man named Beren came across an elf maiden in the forest named Luthien, and immediately fell in love with her. Not “wow, you’re pretty, can we get together?” love, but “I will literally go to the ends of the earth and work the rest of my life to get together with you” love.

Luthien was apparently the most beautiful elf that has ever lived, bar none.

He asked Luthien’s father Thingol for her hand in marriage. Thingol was… not inclined to acquiesce to Beren’s request. Basically in an effort to get rid of Beren, Thingol told him that if he could bring back a Silmaril from the crown on Melkor’s head, then he could marry Luthien. So he did. I’ll say it again, for emphasis…

Beren took a Silmaril from the Melkor’s crown. While. Melkor. Was. Wearing. It.

luthien_and_beren_by_korstemplarHe had a lot of help, to be fair. Luthien herself had accompanied him against her father Thingol’s wishes. She sang a magical song that put Melkor to sleep while Beren did his work. Things got hairy, though, when Beren’s knife broke and cut Melkor’s cheek. He woke up, and was… let’s just say he was miffed.

In their escape, Beren was confronted by a giant werewolf named Carcharoth, who bit off and swallowed Beren’s hand that held the Silmaril. Beren and Luthien returned to her home without the Silmaril, but Thingol’s heart was softened by their story and how much they went through together, and he allowed them to marry.

Their happiness was short-lived, however. The werewolf, Carcharoth, came to Thingol’s kingdom and caused destruction, so Beren and his trusty dog Huan (think Falkor from Neverending Story…) went out to find and kill him. They were both wounded to death, but before he died, Beren was able to take the Silmaril from Carcharoth’s belly and give it to Thingol, thus fulfilling his oath.

After Beren died Luthien also died in her despair, and went to the Halls of Mandos, where Elves’ souls go to await the end of time. She despaired there also, because Mankind’s souls don’t go to the Halls of Mandos, and she knew that she would never see Beren again.

Mandos was moved to pity (for the first and only time, apparently!) and gave Luthien a choice – she could dwell in bliss in the elvish afterlife, or be restored to life along with Beren, but both be mortal and die the death of men in the course of time. Out of her love for Beren, Luthien chose for them to live again. They lived the rest of their lives together and were happy.

So Why Does it Matter?
Well, two reasons… Number one:

Tolkien Tombstone

Yeah, that’s right. The characters of Beren and Luthien were inspired by Tolkien and his wife Edith. According to family history, Edith’s family was initially cold towards Tolkien (like Luthien’s family was to Beren), and the overall story and characters reflect the love that they shared for one another. The story was important enough to them to be buried under those names, and it was important enough for Tolkien to spend a good portion of his life working on a massive epic poem of the story, which he never finished. So I’d say it’s pretty important.

And number two: The tale of Beren and Luthien closely mirrors a more famous story from Tolkien’s works – that of Aragorn, the brave and noble man and future king, and Arwen, the daughter of an Elf king and most beautiful elf maiden since Luthien.

The relationship between Aragorn and Arwen is not exactly central to Lord of the Rings, but it is a very important part of who Aragorn is as a man. Their relationship frames a lot of Aragorn’s motivation, which is also a pretty important thing to a story.

Further, both Aragorn and Arwen are keenly aware that their love and eventual marriage are exceedingly rare, having only occurred twice before in the entire history of their races (the other was Tuor and Idril, also in the First Age).

It definitely adds some weight to the scene where the Fellowship arrives on the outskirts of Lothlorien and Aragorn sings part of the Lay of Leithian…

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The Silmarillion, Nerdsplained: What are the Silmarils? https://nerdsonearth.com/2016/06/explaining-the-silmarillion/ Mon, 27 Jun 2016 14:21:23 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=7904

The Silmarillion is J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, but it is confusing for even the nerdiest of nerds. This is part two of explaining The Silmarillion.

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Last time we explained The Silmarillion, we took a look at the Valar, the ruling spirits of Middle Earth. Now it’s time to dive into a bit more from The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterwork, by nerdsplaining the jewels that give the book its name – the Silmarils.

Explaining The Silmarillion: So, the SIlmarils… What Are They?

The Silmarils were three jewels crafted by Feanor, one of the greatest of the Noldor, an elder family of elves. Feanor had the greatest skill in craftsmanship of all the elves. So as a challenge for himself, he sought to capture the light of the Trees of Valinor, which provided light to the whole world.

More than that, the light of the Trees was beautiful. Ergo, the Silmarils were the most beautiful thing ever created by elves or men.

Explaining The Silmarillion: So What?

The evil Valar, Melkor, hated the light from the Trees of Valinor. So he recruited Ungoliant, the greatest and most evil giant spider in the history of creation. (Shelob in Lord of the Rings is the last and least of Ungoliant’s lineage.)

Together, Melkor and Ungoliant caught the Valar unawares and destroyed the Trees, plunging the world into darkness. Except for the Silmarils, which contained the light from the Trees.

Explaining The Silmarillion: Oh, so the Silmarils are Middle Earth’s sun and moon?

Nope. During the attack on Valinor, Melkor also stole the Silmarils from Feanor’s home and ran away to his stronghold Thangorodrim, which in typical First Age fashion was bigger and stronger and more evil than its Third Age counterpart Barad Dur. Then, Melkor added the Silmarils to his evil overlord crown, adding insult to injury. Melkor spent most of his time underground and inside Thangorodrim, so the light of the Silmarils were wasted.

Explaining The Silmarillion: Bummer…

Explaining the Silmarillion
“Lord of the Gems” by Mami02 on DeviantArt.com

Oh, it gets worse. Feanor wasn’t just the most gifted craftsman among the elves. He was also the biggest hothead. He, along with his seven sons, swore an incredibly rash and unbreakable oath. They swore in the name of Illuvatar (God) himself that they would never rest until the Silmarils were back in their possession, and that they would make unceasing war on anyone who withheld them. At the time, Melkor held all three Silmarils, so the oath didn’t seem so rash.

But even worse than that, Feanor and his people (the Noldor) decided to leave Valinor in the worst way possible. They needed ships to cross the ocean back to Middle Earth, but didn’t have any of their own. So they asked another group of elves, the Teleri, for their ships. The Teleri refused, saying that leaving Valinor wasn’t in the will of the Valar. Tempers flared, weapons were drawn, and elf killed elf for the first time in history.

Explaining The Silmarillion: Oh, I see how that could end badly…

Yep. Throughout the course of the First Age, EVERYBODY wanted to get the Silmarils. And some were successful. A man named Beren wanted to marry Luthien, daughter of King Thingol and the most beautiful elf maiden in the world. He asked Thingol’s permission to marry Luthien, and Thingol told him that if he could bring back a Silmaril from Melkor’s crown that he would allow Beren to marry his daughter. He, of course, expected Beren to be killed in the attempt. Except that Beren succeeded, and suddenly Thingol had a Silmaril in his possession. Feanor’s sons attempted to fulfill their oath by attacking Doriath, Thingol’s kingdom. And so, for the second time in history, Feanor and his sons, and their rash oath, were responsible for elf killing elf.

Explaining The Silmarillion: Yeesh… All this for three jewels?

Don’t forget, the Silmarils were the last remaining vestige of the light from the Trees of Valinor in creation. They were beautiful beyond compare, and exceedingly rare. Perhaps Tolkien was making a statement about humanity and our propensity towards avarice and destruction…

Explaining The Silmarillion: Yeah… Okay… So how did things turn out?

Explaining the SilmarillionWell, there was a prophecy that the fate of the whole world would be wrapped up in the Silmarils, and that one jewel would remain in each of the main three domains of Arda – earth, air, and water. The Silmaril that Beren stole from Melkor’s crown eventually ended up in the hands of Earendil, a man, who sailed west with it to seek out the Valar’s help in the fight against Melkor.

He reached the Undying Lands where they live. They heard his plea for help, but couldn’t allow him to sail back to Middle Earth now that he was immortal (simply stepping foot in Valinor has that effect, apparently), so they took him, his ship, and the Silmaril he carried, and placed them in the heavens to sail for all eternity. That Silmaril became the elves’ most beloved star.

The other two Silmarils were recovered after the Valar rose up in power and finally defeated Melkor once and for all. But, because of their terrible oath, Feanor’s sons Maedhros and Maglor couldn’t rest and stole them from the Valar. But, because of their crimes over the years in effort to recover the Silmarils, the jewels refused their right of possession, burning their hands and driving them mad. Maedhros threw himself and his Silmaril into a fiery pit. Maglor threw his into the deep sea. Thus, the prophecy was fulfilled.

Explaining The Silmarillion: So these things were a big deal, huh?

Well, yeah. Ultimately, like 90% of the war and conflict that happens during the First Age can be traced back to the Silmarils in some way. They were the defining element of the First Age of Middle Earth, the cause of tons of conflict and war (including all three times that elf has killed elf in the history of Middle Earth), and the ruin of what should have been one of the greatest houses of elves. So, yeah, they’re a big deal.


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