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re: The Silmarillion

Posted on 12/31/12 at 4:10 pm to
Posted by heatom2
At the plant, baw.
Member since Nov 2010
12821 posts
Posted on 12/31/12 at 4:10 pm to
I don't understand what's so hard to read about it. I enjoyed it very much, the only reason I didn't read it sooner was because of threads like these.

The hardest part is keeping up with the names of the characters, some of them run together.
Posted by manwich
You've wanted my
Member since Oct 2008
52606 posts
Posted on 1/2/13 at 3:14 pm to
Tips for the new reader:

Silmarillion is the story of the Simarils, jewels that trapped the light of heaven, how they were stolen by the Evil One and the wars to get them back.

Don't get bogged down in the creation story. Just realize that the "Gods" are angels, each having a certain focus area like Greek Gods.

Melkor/Morgoth is just like Lucifer. Fallen angel, powerful, evil. Twists God's creatures into evil beasts. Most evil creatures have a good counterpart. Orcs and elves. Trolls and Ents. Dragons and Eagles.

Keep up with who is in what family. Use family trees. This also helps to keep straight who is an elf and who is a man later on.

West = good, East = evil or unknown

Takes place in the NW of Middle Earth in an area called Beleriand that is now mostly under water.

Maps

There are almost always multiple names of places and battles. Several characters have multiple names as well.

Common tongues:
Elvish - Quenyan (high elves) and Sindar (Low elves)
Men and Hobbits - Common Speech (Westron)
Dwarvish - bunch of K's, H's and Z's
None of the others matter


The closer elves are to the Gods, the more powerful/skilled they become as a people. High elves were plain until they followed a god back to the Undying Lands (heaven on earth). The same goes for men except that they learn from being near elves.


Eru Illuvatar (God)
Ainur - all angels
Valar - Angels that went to Earth
--- Lords
- Manwë - King of Valar, husband to Varda
- Ulmo - Oceans, unmarried
- Aulë - Crafting, screwed up and created Dwarves, husband of Yavanna
- Oromë - Forests and Hunting, husband to Nessa, brought some of the elves to meet the Gods
- Mandos (Namo)- Judge of the dead, Master of foretelling
- Lórien (Irmo) - Dreams, husband to Este
- Tulkas - Strongest, husband of Nessa

--- Queens
- Varda - Queen of the Stars, spouse of Manwë
- Yavanna - Queen of the Earth and Giver of Fruits, spouse of Aulë
- Nienna - Mercy, trained Gandalf, always crying
- Estë - Rest and Healing, wife of Lorien
- Vairë - Weaves the story of the world, wife of Mandos
- Vána - Flowers, wife of Orome
- Nessa - Dancer, wife of Tulkas

and

- Melkor (Morgoth) - basically Satan

Maiar - Lesser angels that went to Earth (Sauron, Balrogs, 5 Wizards)

Arda - Earth/the universe
Valinor/The Undying Lands - heaven on earth, an island in the west, you can no longer sail there
Istari - the 5 wizards (lesser angels)

Ungoliant - Giant Spider, helped Melkor destroy the Two Trees that lit the world and steal the Silmarils

Numenor (Westernesse) - island given to Men (Atani), became the greatest realm of men ever, Melkor made them prideful, gods sunk the island a la Atlantis, Aragorn descended from these people, very confusing line of kings/stewards

Elves (Quendi) -
the Eldar (high) and the Avari (dark)

Eldar -
--Vanyar (Fair)- stayed in Undying Lands, boring
--Noldor (Deep)- most numerous and most powerful, craftsmen, left Undying Lands to fight Melkor for the Simarils
--Teleri (Sea)- stayed in Undying Lands, ship/sea elves, betrayed by Noldor, Mainly Gray and Green elves

Avari -
"The Unwilling" or Dark elves - Refused to go to the Undying Lands with Orome
Became wild folk
Taught early Men basic skills civilization
Believed that many of these were twisted into the orcs by Melkor






Battles:

Music of the Ainur - Melkor warps God's plan

Kinslaying - 3 battles in which the Noldor fight other elves in an attempt to get the Simarils back from Melkor

War of the Jewels -

1. First Battle of Beleriand - King Thingol leads Sindar (gray elves) and Laiquendi (green elves) holding back Melkor's orcs from spreading over elvish lands, fought before the Noldor arrived back in Middle Earth

2. Dagor-nuin-Giliath (Battle-under-Stars) - Noldor following Fëanor and his Seven Sons, in which the Noldor were victorious but Fëanor was slain by Balrogs. During this, the Battle of Lhammoth was fought by Fingolfin

3. Dagor Aglareb (Glorious Battle) - Siege of Angband

4. Dagor Bragollach (Battle of Sudden Flame) - Siege was broken, Fingolfin was slain by Melkor

5. Nírnaeth Arnoediad (Unnumbered Tears) - Noldor were utterly defeated

Battle of Tumhalad - elven forces under Orodreth and Túrin were defeated by Angband forces under Glaurung, sack of Nargothrond

Last Battle of Beleriand (the Great Battle and the War of Wrath) - Ended the First Age, Valar sunk Beleriand

The Last Alliance of Elves and Men - Numenoreans Elendil and sons Isildur and Anarion (Men) with Gil-Galad and Elrond (Elves) and even some dwarves fight Sauron and his orcs in Mordor. hundreds of thousands of elves and men at the height of their power fought for weeks, Gil-galad dies, Elendil dies, Isildur cuts the ring from Sauron's hand ending his physical form and power, Sauron's spirit lives on in the One Ring, Isildur won't destroy the ring in Mount Doom (volcano), ring gets Isildur killed on the way home, ring gets lost in a river until it's found by Gollum
2500 yrs later


NOTABLE ELVES

Feanor - Noldor, badass, made the Simarils, would ruin the earth to get them back
Galadriel - Lady of Light, has a ring of power Nenya (Water/Concealment/Preservation), settled in Lothlorien
Cirdan - Shipwright, gave Gandalf his ring of power Narya (Fire/Inspiration) in secret
Glorfindel - badass, fought for kingdom of Gondolin, battled balrogs and dragons
Fingolfin - badass, went head to head with Melkor, lost
Elrond - half elf, chose to be an elf over being a man, settled in Rivendell, has a ring of power Vilya(Air/Healing)
Gil-Galad - high king of the Noldor and Sindar elves after his father Fingon, has a cool spear, settled in Lindon, fought with Elrond at the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, death marked the end of the Noldor
Luthien - princess, daughter of King Thingol, hooked up with a mortal man, Beren.

NOTABLE MEN

Beren - to marry an elf princess, he stole a Silmaril from Melkor's crown, lost a hand to a giant wolf, died, was reborn with his elf maiden to live another quiet life with her
Elendil - loyal to the Valar, escaped with sons Isildur and Anarion to form Arnor in Middle Earth, sons formed Gondor, killed by Sauron during the Last Alliance, ancestor of Aragorn
Isildur - son of Elendil, founded Gondor with his brother, one of the guys on the Argonath (giant statues guarding the river Anduin), cut the One Ring off Sauron's hand with his father's sword, refused to destroy the ring, died because of it
Earendil - The Mariner, married Elwing - an elf maid, Elrond's father, attached a Silmaril to the front of his ship, led his people to Numenor, killed a badass dragon, became a star
Túrin Turambar - Unlucky, Melkor cursed his whole family, he accidentally killed a friend of the king, became an outlaw, he killed one friend, let another one die,
got hypnotized by a dragon, another friend's wife burnt herself alive because of him, was too late to save the king's daughter,
unknowingly banged and married his sister, killed a badass dragon but as he was weakened from the fight she realized he was her brother and killed herself,
he killed another friend that tried to tell him about her, he finally committed suicide


This post was edited on 1/2/13 at 4:36 pm
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