Buddy-read with Markus!

Is this book really that hard to read?
No, if you take it the right way. This books was not written to make readers like an specific plot twist or character. No! This book is solely the recompilation of various tales that happened in the world where The Lord of the Rings was settled in, from the beautifully written Ainülindale and the creation of Eä, to the end of the Third Age and the Fading Years.
That being said, you'll understand that it's not odd at all to find chapters entirely dedicated to geography or genealogy.
Am I making it sound like a boring book? Let me fix that. This is a small list of cool things that you can expect:

The awesome Valar
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Morgoth, the Lord of the Dark
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Beautiful stories about Arda's astrology
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Elves behaving badly (Men did too, and dwarves. But mostly elves)
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Elves being awesome
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Epic battles
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Breath taking love stories
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Tales about friendship
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Unbelievable places
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Bad-ass heroins
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Incest
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Yes, I was surprised about that last one too.

I truly hope that all this artwork is persuasive enough for itself.

Writing a review of the Silmarillion is like trying to review the Bible. Where do you even start? There’s just so much story in here. Any attempt to convey it in a review would be to do the book a massive disservice. There would only ever be enough space to talk about one or a few elements of the work.

So instead I thought I’d give my reasoning as to why every Tolkien enthusiast needs to read this in order to fully understand Tolkien: the sheer depth of the work.

“It is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.”



The history of middle-earth is very rich, and it stretches a very long way. Much further than the time of Sauron and the Ring. And this sense of history is only very briefly glimpsed within The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit if at all. The Silmarillion is the entire picture; it is the entire vison of Tolkien’s fantasy world. It’s a huge piece of world building, and there really is nothing else quite like it. In here he relays a huge amount of history, a truly staggering amount for a fictional world to possess.

I often talk about the need for world building in fantasy, and here it is in full force. It’s astonishing. It’s beyond imaginative. It goes further than anything before it and since. And this is why Tolkien is the master of the genre. He wasn’t the first, and he certainly won't be the last to write such fiction, but he was the best writer to ever attempt it. He more than set the benchmark when he wrote this. So if you’re thinking about reading this, but find the task at hand a little bit too daunting, then stop thinking. Pick this book and lose yourself in the history of the greatest fantasy universe ever created. You won't regret it.

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واو بالآخره تموم شد! واقعاً توصیه می‌کنم هیچ‌وخ تو امتحاناتون کتابای قطور و سنگین نخونین! هم عذاب وجدان ِ امتحان هس، هم این‌کتاب ِ طفل ِ معصوم.

خب از قبل هم می‌دونستم با چیز پیچیده‌ای طرفم. و به‌خصوص که یه‌بار سوم راهنمایی شروعش کردم و بعد پونزده تا بیس‌صفحه به‌فوبیای تالکین و الخصوص سیلماریلیون دچار شدم، گذاشتمش کنار تــــــــــــــا حالا که به‌خاطر توصیه و علاقه یکی از دوستام رفتم سراغش. الحق خیلی عظیمه؛ ینی بخش آخرش که در مورد حلقه‌های قدرت و ایناس، شما نیگا کنین چطوری شده حاصل ِ ارباب ِ حلقه‌ها؛ در حالی‌که اونم خودش خدا صفحه‌س. :دی و تو این‌جا چقد کم بهش پرداخته شده. گمونم بهتر بود اول هابیت، بعد سه‌گانه ارباب حلقه‌ها و در نهایت، اینو می‌خوندم. که خب، گفتم یه‌بار جهت انس‌گرفتن با این‌کتاب، یه‌جور الله‌بختکی‌واری بخونمش و بعد برم اونا رو بخونم و بعد باز برگردم سراغش که دیگه حسابی تو ذهنم جفت و جور شده باشه.

بگذریم از استادی و هنر تالکین، سایه بسیاری از افسانه‌های کشورهای مختلف رو این‌کتاب سنگینی می‌کرد. حالا من به‌افسانه‌های دیگر ملل اشراف چندانی ندارم. ولی به‌خوبی رد پاشونو می‌فهمیدم. حداقل می‌تونم بگم تأثیرات افسانه‌های کشور خودمونم دیدم. و تأثیرات کمی هم نیس! به‌هر حال، اطلاعات تالکین مشخصاً خیلی زیاد بوده و افسانه‌های تاریخی رو با تخیل خودش درآمیخته تا بتونه افسانه‌ی خودشو بیافرینه. یه‌چیز ناگزیره به‌نظرم.

بعد، جاهایی که در مورد ایلوواتار و کلاً ابتدای داستان بود، دوس داشتم. همچنین جریان برن و لوتین رو، و فئانور هم خیلی شاخ بود! :-" منتها ممکنه این‌فرم ِ حماسی ِ داستان به‌مزاق خیلیا خوش نیاد. برا منم یه‌جاهایی خیلی اغراق‌گونه بود. ولی خب، افسانه‌ن دیگه.

به‌لحاظ فنی که در حدی نیستم بخوام ستاره بدم، بیشتر بر اساس علاقه‌م و طبعاً درکم از داستان، امتیاز می‌دم.

Conobbi per la prima volta Il Signore degli Anelli, perchè sì, all'epoca per me esisteva solo quello, all'inizio del nuovo millennio con l'uscita dei film. Mi affascinò, ma non riuscii mai a vederli, c'era qualcosa che mi scostava. Poi anni dopo, preso da una qualche scintilla interiore o per il destino di aver trovato una copia su una bancarella, iniziai La Compagnia dell'Anello, bello ma c'era ancora qualcosa che me lo faceva risultare lontano. Così passarono altri anni, l'età avanzava e la lettura, che sedimentava da tempo, mi ricordava, con un fievole eco, che c'era un progetto da continuare. Allora ripresi in mano i tre libri e li lessi tutti con tale coinvolgimento, difficilmente paragonabile ad altra lettura fatta prima. Poi fu il momento de Lo Hobbit e di qualche altro libro dell'autore e tutti, in un modo o nell'altro, sono stati delle lettura magnifiche, al limite dell'adorazione e pensavo, ma che grande mente deve aver avuto Tolkien?
Però c'era in sospeso un'opera avvolta dal mistero, appunto Il Silmarillion. Leggevo molti commenti entusiasti ed altri delusi su questo libro e seppur di rado io mi faccia troppo coinvolgere da commenti, sia pro che contro, un alone di inquietudine aleggiare su di esso, manco ci fosse Melkor in agguato su al Nord :-D
Appena letta la prima frase, di questo sublime romanzo, ecco che dentro di me inizia a svilupparsi un terremoto, come se le forze delle interiore della Terra stessero per essere sparate fuori dalla bocca di un vulcano ed il magma e i lapilli fuoriuscirne per far esplodere la vita futura. Non avrei mai creduto di trovare un libro così, nei miei sogni immaginavo una storia di siffatte proporzioni, ho sempre amato la mitologia, il folklore, le leggende medievali, perlopiù nordiche e leggere Il Silmarillion è stato come aver trovato un tesoro nascosto nelle profondità del mio desiderio più recondito.
Opera letteraria d'incommensurabile bellezza!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Xkr...

3.5 stars

Reading this volume had the same feel for me as reading the Old Testament—it is the background material for a whole system of thought. I guess that reveals my religious leanings—Middle Earth is where I hope my spirit goes when I die. But seriously, reading this historical background document to Middle Earth reminded me very much of a summer when I was a teenager when I decided to read through the whole Bible, with the thought that if I could understand the whole thing I might find something in it that I could use. During both reading experiences, I learned a lot.

There were some significant aspects of The Silmarillion that were strongly reminiscent of the Old Testament, the creation story at the beginning the strongest of those. Finally, I was able to see why so many people see Tolkien as a religious writer. Both The Hobbit and LOTR have both seemed very non-religious to me, almost pagan, so I have always been confused by that view point. Now I can see that the underpinnings of Middle Earth are very much based in Christian theology.

It also answered many questions I had about Middle Earth: why is Elrond known as Half-Elven? What is the history between the Elves and the Dwarves? Why is Aragorn a Ranger when we first meet him? Who exactly is Gil-galad and why do the Elves sing of him? Who the heck is Elbereth?

This book is not for the casual reader—it is for the Middle Earth aficionado, the Elf obsessed, the Hobbitophile. I was all of the above when I tried to read it in my 20s and I still failed. Now, in my 50s, I have the patience and concentration to appreciate this interesting history and I very much enjoyed it.

Ne znam iz kog razloga do sada nisam čitala Tolkina...
Kako god, moja prva knjiga ovog pisca, svakako ne i poslednja.

Na početku beše konfuzija...
Mali milion imena božanstava (duhova) i vilenjaka na jednom mestu.
Bilo je ono: " Ko beše ovaj? ", "Da li je to Valar, Majar ili vilenjak?",
"Dobro bre, jesi li ti debil pa ne možes da zapamtiš likove, kako uopšte misliš da nastaviš sa
knjigom?"

Uhhhh.... :D

Međutim, kako knjiga odmiče, sve se vraća na svoje mesto zbog toga što se imena likova
i opisi istih više puta pojavljuju (ponavljaju) u knjizi pa je gotovo nemoguće da ostanu neupamćeni.
:)
Nastavak čitanja teče glatko, okrećem stranicu za stranicom, ne želim da se odvojim od knjige.
Završavam Silmarilion i jako mi je žao što nema više stranica.

Ova kompleksna knjiga je ODLIČNA!!!
Sve objašnjeno kako treba, ništa preterano, opisi onakvi kakvi trebaju da budu.
Svet koji je Tolkin zamislio je fantastičan, što govori o njegovoj genijalnosti.
Opisi stvaranja Srednje zemlje i dolaska naroda (vilenjaka, ljudi, patuljaka..) su zaista
neverovatni.
Sve priče (poglavlja) u Silmarilionu su zanimljive. Na mene je poseban utisak ostavilo poglavlje o Turinu Turambaru.

Ako ste ljubitelj Tolkina i želite da znate istoriju i dešavanja pre događaja iz Hobita i Gospodara prstenova onda biste trebali da imate ovu knjigu u svojoj kolekciji.

هم این مجموعه هم مجموعه نارنیا اولین جلدشون ساخته نشده فیلمش منظورم چیه؟
یعنی اولین کتاب هردو مجموعه توضیح میده این جهان آردا و نارنیا چیشد اصن ب وجود اومد کشف شد
تالکین خوانی تبحر خاصی میخواد ک من نه خودم رو آنچنان حرفه ای نمیدونم اما این کتاب خیلی زیبا بود خدایان را کامل وصف کرد و بوجود امدن تمامی موجودات اورد شده اگر خواستین بهتر بدونین سایت آردا رو چک کنید
arda.ir

49th book of 2024.

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In the beginning Eru, the One, who in the Elvish tongue is named Ilúvatar, made the Ainur of his thought; and they made a great Music before him. In this Music the World was begun; for Ilúvatar made visible the song of the Ainur, and they beheld it as light in the darkness.

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So starts Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, which is comprised of several parts (“Quenta Silmarillion” (The History of the Silmarils), “Ainulindalë” (The Music of the Ainur), “Valaquenta” (Account of the Valar), “Akallabêth” (The Downfall of Númenor) and “Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age”). The majority of the book is given to the story of the Silmarils, jewels that are stolen from the Elves by Morgoth, the Dark Lord who ruled before Sauron eventually took his place. I’ve seen some people attack The Silmarillion for its lack of story. I’ve seen it likened to reading the Bible [1], or a history textbook; but as I’ve said in the first footnote, within the many names Tolkien introduces, many of them are immediately important for the story. Fëanor is the creator of the Silmarils and is vital for the story, as are Fingolfin and Finarfin. The former of whom I particularly liked.

Entwined into the overarching narrative of the Silmarils and the wars fought over them, is Tolkien’s famous (and sometimes infamous) worldbuilding and history. What begins with the creation of the world tracks to the Third Age at the end of the book. We see the coming of Men, the dawn of the Dúnedain (another particular favourite), and even the coming of the Istari. Take this passage from the chapter “Of Men”, which compares Men to Elves:
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But Men were more frail, more easily slain by weapon or mischance, and less easily healed; subject to sickness and many ills; and they grew old and died. What may befall their spirits after death the Elves know not. Some say that they too go to the halls of Mandos; but their place of waiting there is not that of the Elves, and Mandos under Ilúvatar alone save Manwë knows whither they go after the time of recollection in those silent halls beside the Outer Sea.

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Tolkien’s power has always rested in his supreme imagination and what is often called now, ‘world-building’; but as I’ve said in my reviews of The Lord of the Rings, his skills as a prose-writer are often overlooked because of this. The Silmarillion, for all its infamous depth, is, at countless points, wonderful to read. Tolkien conjures mystical islands wreathed in mist, rolling mountains, lakes, forests, and hills. As I’ve said, one of my favourite stories is about the Dúnedain [2] and the fall of Númenórë/Elenna/Westernesse. From the “Akallabêth”,
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Then the Edain set sail upon the deep waters, following the Star; and the Valar laid a peace upon the sea for many days, and sent sunlight and a sailing wind, so that the waters glittered before the eyes of the Edain like rippling glass, and the foam flew like snow before the stems of their ships.

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I studied a literature module at university which was all about fairy-tales/stories and their place in literature. As a Tolkien fan-boy, of course, I frequently called upon Tolkien’s essay on fairy-stories for my own essays. You can see the deep knowledge of myth, legend and fairy stories here in The Silmarillion, perhaps more so than anywhere else. He references a mystical place called ‘Avallóne’, for example. The story of Beren and Lúthien (one of the more famous stories from The Silmarillion, because it is also one of the three Tales from Middle-Earth, along with The Children of Húrin and The Fall of Gondolin), reads like a tragic myth, something like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice; because despite all the winding descriptions of the world and its creations, The Silmarillion is filled with murder, obsession, war and tragedy. For any doubt about the action-sequences in the book, take this passage from “Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin”, where Fingolfin calls upon Morgoth for single combat.
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Therefore Morgoth came, climbing slowly from his subterranean throne, and the rumour of his feet was like thunder underground. And he issued forth clad in black armour; and he stood before the King like a tower, iron-crowned, and his vast shield, sable unblazoned, cast a shadow over him like a stormcloud. But Fingolfin gleamed beneath it as a star; for his mail was overlaid with silver, and his blue shield was set with crystals; and he drew his sword Ringil, that glittered like ice.

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And I’ll save the description of their combat for those who read it.

The final chapter, regarding the Rings of Power [3] and the Third Age, is like a sweet reward from Tolkien. We read about the coming of the Istari, otherwise known as the wizards. We are introduced to Mithrandir, or as we later know him as, Gandalf, and Curunír, later known as Saruman.
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In the likeness of Men they appeared, old but vigorous, and they changed little with the years, and aged but slowly, though great cares lay on them; great wisdom they had, and many powers of mind and hand […] Radagast was the friend of all beasts and birds; but Curunír went most among Men, and he was subtle in speech and skilled in all the devices of smithcraft. Mithrandir was closest in council with Elrond and the Elves. He wandered far in the North and West and made never in any land any lasting abode; but Curunír journeyed into the East, and when he returned he dwelt at Orthanc in the Ring of Isengard, which the Númenóreans made in the days of their Power.

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I won’t spoil for those who embark on the journey through The Silmarillion where Tolkien ends it and what he says of the Istari and their coming to Middle-Earth. It has taken me just over a week to read this book. I spent many mornings in the Palace Gardens near my workplace reading this. There are big trees, little paths through flowers and plenty of birds and squirrels darting about; it felt like the perfect place to descend into the richness of Tolkien’s mind. If you love the world of Middle-Earth, the ideas of religion, spirituality, and goodness that Tolkien has, then I would recommend The Silmarillion. It is, in a way, the apex of his passion. The story guides you, but it is everything else around it that makes it. Frankly, one cannot read it without awe.
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[1] Though, anyone who has read parts of the Bible will know the sentences that run and run about who begat whom. The Silmarillion sometimes has similarities on that front:
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Finwë was King of the Noldor. The sons of Finwë were Fëanor, and Fingolfin, and Finarfin; but the mother of Fëanor was Miriel Serindë, whereas the mother of Fingolfin and Finarfin was Indis of the Vanyar.

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This continues on for the rest of the page, outlining the sons of the sons, and so on. However, these names listed by Tolkien are the leading characters in the History of the Silmarils. It is shown in the appendices as below. Looking at the family tree, one can also see how it tumbles down to other familiar names, such as Elrond, Galadriel, and Celebrimbor.



[2] I have many favourite characters, as many do, but I’ve always loved Aragorn since I was a boy, and as I’ve grown older, only liked him more. When I turned to rock music as a teenager and realised Led Zeppelin had countless songs about Tolkien’s world, I was amazed; it seemed like the most unlikely place to hear about Middle-Earth. So I began to listen to “Ramble On”, “The Battle of Evermore”, and “Misty Mountain Hop”. Then, fell deeper in love, when I learnt that Robert Plant’s dog was called Strider after Aragorn.



[3] One of my colleagues at work is currently doing a PhD in linguistics, and is, as one can imagine, a Tolkien super-fan. She has already The Silmarillion many times, all the unfinished tales, etc. Her brother works in TV, and was part of The Rings of Power TV show they released on Prime. She often wears a hoodie with some eagles on it, taken from the set. All that being said, I didn’t like the show myself, and found by the halfway mark, I had lost all interest. The portion of The Silmarillion that shares the same name has almost nothing in common with it. As a sidenote, though, I was surprised to read some of the passages in the Third Age section and find, scene for scene, bits that open Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, regarding Isildur and his refusal to throw the Ring into the fire, and his later death by arrows in a river — that’s all straight from this text.