#readingthesilmarillion

[winterpinetrees]

Ugh. I had so much typed up and then I lost it. Briefer opinions on 7-9 of the Silmarillion.

Of the Silmarils and the Flight of the Noldor

It begins.

If the god of evil tried to talk to me, I simply would not listen. Too bad for the Noldor but I’m different.

I think that banishing Feanor, when he already felt separate and superior to the rest of the world, was a bad idea.

“And he shut the doors of his house in the face of the mightiest of all the dwellers in Ea” HELL YEAH.

Of the Darkening of Valinor

why is there an eldritch horror spider. Eru did not make that thing.

Of course Feanor and Fingolfin reconcile just before everything is destroyed. Melkor probably planned that. Dramatic monster.

Yikes!

Of the Flight of the Noldor

I have officially lost track of where everybody is.

Congratulations to Finwë for being the first elf to be murdered! He won’t be the last!

The silmarils are gone.

Melkor got a new name and a costume change. Probably would have been better if the spider ate him.

I know that the oath is described as terrible because it will lead to great evil, but it’s also a god awful idea.

Congratulations to the Teleri at Alqualondë for being the first mass murderer victims! What is wrong with Feanor!

Imagine messing up so badly that the gods themselves tell you off with a prophecy.

Oh, and as if Feanor wasn’t bad enough, he’s abandoned half of his people.

I’d like to give Maedhros the “not as bad as he could have been” award. Aiding one mass murder and opposing another does not cancel out. It’s nice that he cares about Fingon though. It’s good that there’s at least one healthy relationship among all the Noldor.

[readingthesilmarillion]

Making it look prettier

HI everyone, I will be going through and overhauling my blog, making it look prettier.

I will also be going back and editing the various summaries I did. They need updating. Badly seriously how did anyone read them?

[winterpinetrees]

I’m going to be borrowing a copy of The Silmarillion from my local library soon. Wish me luck. I have been told to draw a family tree as I go.

[winterpinetrees]

Two more chapters of the Silmarillion…

The Beginning of Days

I was expecting some sort of build up or reason for Melkor to be evil, but nope. He’s just a rebellious child/god who wants to destroy everything. Nice.

It’s interesting how there’s a Christian style god and a pantheon in the same setting.

The two lamps exist for two pages. I knew that this was written like a history textbook but that was really fast.

Yavanna is carrying this creation myth on her back right now.

“Iluvatar has not revealed what he purposes for elves after the world’s end, and Melkor has not discovered it” hmm.

Of Aulë and Yavanna

or in other words

Aule: Hey Dad I made dwarves. I'm really sorry and I'll murder them if that makes it better because I am a god with a lowercase g who overreacts to things.

Eru Ilúvatar: No murder! I am a merciful and understanding God who doesn’t like that. I’m putting them in time out for a few eons.

Aule: 👍

Tolkien’s philosophies are so visible in these stories and honestly I like that. They’re clearly his work.

I think Yavanna just invented the Ents. Honestly, good for her.

[winterpinetrees]

I have always liked seeing people’s reactions to books, so I’m posting my own. I’m reading the Silmarillion, I’m taking better notes than I’ve ever taken for a real history book, and I’m actually having a great time.

If you don’t want vague spoilers for a 50 year old book, leave now.

AINULINDALE

The creation myth

Unsurprisingly, Tolkien’s creation story is a musical.

Melkor is just like that for no reason.

Flame (specifically imperishable, secret flame) seems to be used as a symbol of divine power.

Melkor is also associated with fire. I suspect I’ll be seeing more of this.

Water holds secrets I guess. Music and secrets.

VALAQUENTA

Meet the pantheon

Almost everyone has multiple names. I am happy that I am taking notes

The king of the Valar is a sky god, and his wife is the star goddess. They remind me of Odin, with all of the seeing and hearing further than anyone else business.

Yep. The water holds secrets.

Corn? In my explicitly European story?

The afterlife is a physical place and it’s on the same continent as where actual people live. Okay.

Nienna is the goddess of hope, grief, and endurance, which seems both extremely specific and very expected considering the author. I like her.

…and then we have Tulkas and Nessa, who seem to be the gods of fighting and running respectively.

These Maia seem pretty cool too. I hope they show up again. Ossë’s description reads like he’s going to cause a lot of problems.

aaaand Sauron’s here. The text seems to pity him a bit. He’s nothing but a shadow and a ghost of real evil.

Next, it’s time for the actual Silmarillion. Rumor has it that everyone dies, and Sauron is briefly really hot.

[winterpinetrees]

Here’s chapters 3-6 of the Silmarillion. I am having so much fun with this fantasy history textbook! Unfortunately I have basically no one to talk to about it.

Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor

Sauron mention!

I see how Tolkien wrote himself into a corner with the Orcs. He can only justify their constant deaths if they’re pure evil, but they are the descendants of kidnapped elves, and hate Melkor deep down.

I get that “lay upon his face” probably means a low bow, but it’s still a really funny line. The god of evil is just on the floor.

I get that this is pre-history and none of the Valar can comprehend evil, but Melkor is responsible for all evil ever. Maybe he should have been killed.

Why do all the names of the elf kings end in wë. Is Manwë biased towards them for having similar names to him? Thankfully I’m taking notes!

Dark elves and light elves! Like Norse mythology!

Of Thingol and Melian

Nice job getting seduced, Elwë. Maybe being one of the Sindar will save you from whatever tragedy happens with the eponymous silmarils.

Of Eldamar and the Princess of the Eldalie

I am really enjoying this theme of the ocean representing secrets and lost things.

It seems like Valinor is going to be the setting of most of the drama, while most of Middle-Earth is abandoned to Melkor.

Círdan!

White Tree of Numenor? Like the one in Gondor?

The Noldor are all linguists. Nice one Tolkien.

oh god. this paragraph is just a list of a dozen elf men with one character trait each.

SEVEN SONS? why Tolkien. why.

Maedhros has a cool name. Its recognizable! UNLIKE FINARFIN AND FINGOLFIN.

Galadriel?

Honestly seeing Cirdan and Galadriel here is terrifying, because now I know that characters from this era can show up in lotr. They haven’t all peacefully disappeared west or anything. The only thing keeping all dozen of those elf men from the end of the third age is an extremely high casualty rate.

Of Feanor and the Unchaining of Melkor

The first elf to die, dies in childbirth. You’ve got to be kidding me.

The fact that Feanor is described as having a fiery spirit every single time he’s mentioned? When fire so far has only been associated with Eru and Melkor? Terrifying. I know he makes the silmarils and causes every problem but I’m still worried.

Feanor is someone’s first elf oc. He’s literally tall, dark, and handsome with piercingly bright eyes.

Melkor’s out! That’s bad!

Poor Nerdanel. Wise, patient, strong of will Nerdanel. A fellow smith doomed to try and tame a husband who’s associated with the divine fire, just because she’s a woman and this is an old story. I hope she makes it out of this mess alive. I have no hope for her husband or sons, but maybe she and Galadriel can be Final Girls together. Probably not.

[readingthesilmarillion]

Chapter 3: Of the coming of Elves and the captivity of Melkor

For a while the Valar were living happily in Valimar, forgetting about middle-earth and Melkor. Only Yavanna and Oromë went to visit middle earth, Yavanna to grieve for the plants, and Oromë to hunt monsters.

Melkor, however, was busy training up his balrogs and making monsters to haunt the lands of middle-earth, being real busy in Utumno, Needing an armory and another fortress on the north-west shores, he made on and called it angbang Angband. 

Yavanna and Oromë found this out and went and told the Valar, who held a council about it. Yavanna was all like "Guys, we know the Children will awaken soon, and we cannot let them awaken in a land with Melkor in it. H will fuck shit up again." Then Mandos spoke and was all like "Yeah we know, but we cannot interfere, except Varda. And she will make stars for them. Anything else would be bad"

So Varda went and began to make the stars. She took silver dew from the vats of Teleperion and put them in the sky. There were many names the elves named them. And even as she was putting them up, the Elves awoke and beheld the stars. And ever since that they have loved Varda Elentári (and starlight) more than anything.

They began to wander and speak, and they named themselves the Quendi. 

Now while Oromë was out riding, and he discovered them, and he was all "aww how adorable, I will call you guys the Eldar, people of the stars". But the elves were afraid of him, because Melkor had often sent spies to watch the elves, and to capture any of those that strayed too far. After they realized he was not Melkor or a spy, they came out toward him.

Those that were taken were tortured and perverted into Orcs, the most evil thing that Melkor has done, and the no. 1 reason why Ilúvatar hates him.

Oromë then rode back to Valimar to tell them. And the council was all "alright guys, let’s go capture Melkor and free the elves." And so they went to war, and fought Melkor (most of the northwestern region of middle-earth was destroyed) and eventually destroyed most of Utumno. But not all of it because there were many secret chambers were evil things were. Tulkas was the one to wrestle Melkor and put him in chains, and then the Valar brought him back to Valinor and put him in Mandos's prison, where none an escape. They then debated whether or not they should leave the elves in middle=earth or bring them to Valinor. They decided to bring them to Valinor and Mandos declared it doomed, as there would be a lot of conflict that came from this decision. (Guess who starts that?) 

The elves were not too keen on the Valar, as they have only seen them when they are fighting, and that is some scary shit right there.  Oromë was sent to talk to them, and he chose ambassadors to go with them, to see that it was not dangerous and that it was a good idea. These were Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë.  They went and came back to tell the others to go. Some would not go, and that was the first sundering of the elves. Those who stayed were called the Avari.

Ingwë was the first to lead his people there, his people were called the Vanyar, and are favorites of Manwë and Varda. Next came the people of Finwë, the Noldor, great smiths who hang out with Aulë. And last were the Teleri, for they took a while and some were still not keen on leaving. But those that came to the western shores were enamored with the sea, and became the sea-elves or Falmari. They had two lords, Elwë and Olowë

It then mentions the Úmanyar, those who stayed on the shores of middle earth and how they and the Avari were called the Moriquiendi, or dark-elves since they never got to see the trees. Much is told of the long journey to Valinor, and ho some more elves were lead off (by Lenwë, to populate the Blue Mountains, these elves were called the Nandor.) 

I know my posting schedule is irregular, but I will continue to try and update. (its just that these posts take a while and I am distracted easily)

[readingthesilmarillion]

Hi

For some reason my posts always show up weird on the mobile version. Like when I italicize something it always shows up bolded, and some things that were never bolded show up that way. does anyone know how to fix this?

[readingthesilmarillion]

Quenta Silmarillion: Chapter One, Of the Beginning of Days

The first little bit tells of how Tulkas came to the aid of the Valar in the first war against Melkor, and how ever since that Melkor has feared and hated Tulkas.

After the war, Yavanna finally gets a chance to plant seeds, but plants need light to grow, so she asked Aulë to make two giant lamps. One raised in the north of middle-earth, and one raised in the south.

The one in the north was named Illuin, and in the south was Ormal. Then all these wonderful plants begam to grow, tall trees, ferns, grasses and shrubs. Beasts began to live in the forests and what not as well.

The Valar were so happy with this that they decided to throw a party in celebration of it.There Tulkas married Nessa, and everything was good and happy. 

Except Melkor. Melkor had come out the void where he retreated and made a giant fortress known as Utumno. Tulkas was so tired from fighting Melkor, that he decided to rest. It was at this point in which Melkor decided to attack Almaren, the place in which the Valar dwelt. With his great army of servant Melkor came and destroyed the lamps. This woke up Tulkas and Melkor managed to run from him tin the confusion and chaos.

It was at this point  when the Valar decided to leave middle-earth to go the Land of Aman, the westernmost land of all. There they built Valinor, their kingdom, in which Manwë and Varda were the rulers. They had built their thrones on the highest peaks, so they could see everything that went on. They also built Valimar, the capital city.

One day Yavanna sat near the western gate on a green mound, and with the help of Nienna, they grew the Two Trees of Valimar. The first one to fully grow was Telperion,whose leaves were dark green on top, and silver at the bottom, and silver dew rained down from his leaves. Te second was Laurelin, with bright green leaves with golden edges, that were shaped like horns. From the horns a golden light shone out. The light of both waxed and waned, and that was the beginning of the Count of Time. 

Most of the Valar stayed in Valinor, and hardly left or thought about Middle-earth, save a few. Manwë was always keeping an eye on Melkor, and Ulmo never lived in Valinor in the first place.  Yavanna mourned for her creations that were corrupted in Middle-Earth, and she sometimes went to go and heal patches of that land. Oromë would also go to hunt and slay the monsters that Melkor created. 

Ulmo never forsake Middle-Earth, and never will. It is because of him that life survived, as he brought water to the land, in places where Melkor could not reach. And all who wandered from the light of the Valar, Ulmo was always there to listen and help, in a way.

Now while all this is going one, Ilúvatar was thinking of the Elves and men, he made the elves like the Valar, though less in might and power, but they would live until the end of all days. But men were special, he gave them the gift of freedom, and the need to explore beyond the bounds of the Music of the Ainur. They however would die, and their spirits would somewhere that none of the Valar are sure of. It is because of this that some refer to them as guests and strangers, as they can die of old age, and their spirits leave to go elsewhere. 

It is said that after everything is over, the men will have a part in the 2nd music of the Ainur, as no one knows what Ilúvatar has planned for the elves.

[readingthesilmarillion]

Non-Tolkien related update

( Eveyrone should also check out the most recent post, its all about the Valar, and I edited it......so many spelling errors...)

So school is starting up again tomorrow, unfortunately, and you all know what that means.

Posts with the Silmarillion will be less frequent, and just posts in general.

I will try and post this once a week every Friday. If i don't post Friday, it will usually be Saturday morning, or very very late Friday night.

[readingthesilmarillion]

Technical Issues

So my laptop is having some.......difficulties. It will hopefully be fixed by tomorrow So an update shpuld be posted by thursday or friday.

Update: I will be posting summaries of the chapters maybe once or twice a week Also: Hello followers! Hello old followers, new followers! Happy new year! And dont be afraid to ask questions~