The Silmarillion

[Telperion]

I know there must be quite a few LOTR fans on this forum, I'd be willing to bet a cheese sandwich this is so lol. Anyway, it has been my experience that many people who enjoy the LOTR trilogy and the Hobbit have never delved into what I believe is Tolkien's absolute best work and the most esoteric of all. The Silmarilion begins with the formation of Arda (Middle Earth) by the beings known as the Valar. The classic struggle of beneficial and destructive forces is delivered by a metaphorical miracle in this text, it's just breath taking. The book is primarily concerned with the Elves and their achievements, trials and tribulations however other Middle Earth beings are woven in expertly and play key roles as well. The Silmarillion was a life long project and a labor of love for Tolkien who poured forth much of his creative skill and keen insights into this work of art. The following is a brief synopsis of the main chapters from the Encyclopedia of Arda

Ainulindalë, the tale of the Music of the Ainur and the creation of Arda.

Valaquenta, the tale of the Valar, in which the nature of each of the Powers is described

Quenta Silmarillion, the longest tale, which gives an account of the history of Arda from its beginnings until the end of the First Age

Akallabêth, the tale of the Second Age, which concentrates on the history of Númenor until its Downfall.

Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age, which spans the late Second Age and the Third, telling of the forging of the Rings of Power and their history up to the War of the Ring.

On the downside - As some have pointed out, Tolkien does have a fair amount of racialist undertones in all of his works however that is to only be expected because his aesthetic tastes were clearly dictated by his upbringing and the times he lived in. So if that has ever bothered you, put that aside and take it for what it is. Also, the writing is rather 'King James Version' during the first chapter especially and makes it a little difficult to get into but it's well worth the effort.

The Silmarilion is a work of art - I just pray they don't try and make a movie out of it one day, god that would be a nightmare.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Yes, I've been re-reading bits of the Silmarillion lately.

Also, I would urge people who haven't read the Lord of the Rings and have only seen the movie to read the books. The level of esoteric understanding Tolkien has is pretty impressive. The makers of the movies, while they did a really good job, made some changes that damaged the esoteric messages without knowing what they were doing.

Also, The Children of Hurin, which just came out edited by Christopher Tolkien is really good, too. Much darker and very appropriate for these times as it is a tragic story of a cursed family of rulers and their folly.

 

[Telperion]

Yes, I've been re-reading bits of the Silmarillion lately.

Also, I would urge people who haven't read the Lord of the Rings and have only seen the movie to read the books. The level of esoteric understanding Tolkien has is pretty impressive. The makers of the movies, while they did a really good job, made some changes that damaged the esoteric messages without knowing what they were doing.

Also, The Children of Hurin, which just came out edited by Christopher Tolkien is really good, too. Much darker and very appropriate for these times as it is a tragic story of a cursed family of rulers and their folly.

Ah, yes I'm pleased to be in agreement with you - The Children Of Hurin which expands on a chapter from The Silmarillion is an excellent read.

 

[Third_Density_Resident]

I actually mentioned The Silmarillion several months ago in relation to William Bramely's book Gods of Eden, which, if you haven't read it, you must! Anyway, I found a very strong similarity in many of the mythic (possibly literal) tales of very large "god-like" beings discussed by Bramley, which for me sounded so similar to the Valar as described in the Silmarillion. Besides that, there were other similarities also which struck me at the time, but escape me at this moment.

 

[hiker]

This is an older thread, but I thought I would voice my support for the Silmarillion as well. It is written in a different style to the LOTR or the Hobbit, and might take some getting used to in the beginning. After a while I found the writing style to be very enjoyable actually, rich and profound. Not to mention the content. As Telperion mentioned it is pretty breathtaking, and I would agree, a work of art. (The same goes for Children of Hurin, I think.)

Great "lighter" reading to do amidst the factual material on the recommended reading list :D

On a side note: while reading the Butler translation of Odyssey, the olden but very flowable text reminded me of the style in Silmarillion/ Children of Hurin. I have speculated how much Christopher Tolkien's touch there might be in the books, as he edited them after his father's death

 

[paralleloscope]

Tolkien's work on Silmarillion is supposedly based upon The Kalevala (among other works). Kalevala being a (1835) compilation of epic poetry collected in the Karelian (Finnish/ Russian) region from singers of ancient folklore. A story which has been used to build the finnish national understanding or spirit (while erupting from Swedish and Russian rule) aswell as a story of roots. It contains many names similar to Silmarillion, elves also figure in the story. I don't know much about it, but perhaps some of our finnish members know more to share of.

As the Neolithic period begun, the ancestors of modern Finns started farming land and their worldview changed along with their lifestyle. Even though people did not stop hunting, farming, fishing and trapping became more important. In addition, shamans were slowly replaced by wise men. They controlled the weather and the crops, healed the sick and avenged crimes committed against the community. These wise men battled each other by song. This is portrayed well in Kalevala, in the scene where Väinämöinen, an older wise man, and Joukahainen, a young upstart, measure each other’s skills by singing. From this culture period some early epics have survived. These include journeys to the under world, the Big Oak and the Sampo, a Finnish equivalent to the Horn of Plenty made by the blacksmith Ilmarinen. These stories are told in the Kalevala.

_http://www.lehto-ry.org/english_finpagan.html

 

[Turgon]

Tolkien's work on Silmarillion is supposedly based upon The Kalevala (among other works). Kalevala being a (1835) compilation of epic poetry collected in the Karelian (Finnish/ Russian) region from singers of ancient folklore. A story which has been used to build the finnish national understanding or spirit (while erupting from Swedish and Russian rule) aswell as a story of roots. It contains many names similar to Silmarillion, elves also figure in the story. I don't know much about it, but perhaps some of our finnish members know more to share of.

I will definitely check out the Kalevala at some point, then. Hopefully there are english translations available.

As anyone can tell from my avatar and signature underneath it, I absolutely loved the Silmarillion. To mirror what other's have said it is very rich in esoteric symbolisms and lessons. The creative and entropic sides of Middle Earth; Morgoth and his inability to create anything, only distort and twist that which was already created by the Valar, and seeing how pride, envy and the wanting to covet were the eventual downfalls of many of the elven kingdoms. But also how in the wisdom of friendship and higher ideals, great feats can be accomplished.

 

[Stellaria_graminea]

Hopefully there are english translations available.

There's an english translation here: _http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kveng/_

 

[Talas]

Hopefully there are english translations available.

There's an english translation here: _http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kveng/_

Thank you for that Stellaria, the Silmarillion is Tolkiens most intresting work and his knowledge of mythology certainly flys full sail,check out the Inklings..J. R. R. "Tollers" Tolkien, C. S. "Jack" Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, Christopher Tolkien (J. R. R. Tolkien's son), Warren "Warnie" Lewis (C. S. Lewis's elder brother), Roger Lancelyn Green, Adam Fox, Hugo Dyson, R. A. "Humphrey" Havard, J. A. W. Bennett, Lord David Cecil, and Nevill Coghill. Other less frequent attenders at their meetings included Percy Bates, Charles Leslie Wrenn, Colin Hardie, James Dundas-Grant, John David Arnett, Jon Fromke[2], John Wain, R. B. McCallum, Gervase Mathew, and C. E. Stevens. Guests included author E. R. Eddison and South African poet Roy Campbell...a great group of writers,poets,friends who produced some great work..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inklings

 

[skycsil]

I would add Stephen Lawhead to the list. His "Song of Albion" trilogy is truly beautiful and well documented fiction based on the celtic world. It's also interesting how the bards performed "magic" with their music.

 

[bngenoh]

I know there must be quite a few LOTR fans on this forum, I'd be willing to bet a cheese sandwich this is so lol. Anyway, it has been my experience that many people who enjoy the LOTR trilogy and the Hobbit have never delved into what I believe is Tolkien's absolute best work and the most esoteric of all. The Silmarilion begins with the formation of Arda (Middle Earth) by the beings known as the Valar. The classic struggle of beneficial and destructive forces is delivered by a metaphorical miracle in this text, it's just breath taking. The book is primarily concerned with the Elves and their achievements, trials and tribulations however other Middle Earth beings are woven in expertly and play key roles as well. The Silmarillion was a life long project and a labor of love for Tolkien who poured forth much of his creative skill and keen insights into this work of art. The following is a brief synopsis of the main chapters from the Encyclopedia of Arda

You are definitely right on all that i have bolded Telperion, ""I," loved the LOTR trilogy," although i have never read the books, this thread has inspired me to do so, and to read all of the works the others have cited, so definitely "tis a good christmas this year," i have plenty of material to keep myself well fed for the most part of 2012.

On the downside - As some have pointed out, Tolkien does have a fair amount of racialist undertones in all of his works however that is to only be expected because his aesthetic tastes were clearly dictated by his upbringing and the times he lived in. So if that has ever bothered you, put that aside and take it for what it is. Also, the writing is rather 'King James Version' during the first chapter especially and makes it a little difficult to get into but it's well worth the effort.

Yeah, isn't this what discernment is all about.

The Silmarilion is a work of art - I just pray they don't try and make a movie out of it one day, god that would be a nightmare.

 

[Al Today]

All I can say is that I am grateful for reading the works of Tolkien for opening the doors to my mind.

 

[dannybananny]

The level of esoteric understanding Tolkien has is pretty impressive.

I wonder from where did he get it. Interesting that nobody asked that question. There are some similarities in his symbols with some masonic and rosicrucian symbols. Then there is this rumor, but it's only a rumor that he was initiated in Golden Dawn with C.S. Lewis (that is author of Narnia). Then one thing that got in my eye is that his family dealt with banking businesses in England that didn't turn well. It's gets more interesting when you found that his aunt Grace told him history of his surname, which was originally "von Hohenzollern". (German dynasty in control of Prussia, later German empire.) In the time when the Vienna was under Turkish siege in 1526. George von Hohenzollern led successful attack against Turks, so he got nickname Tollkühn, which means "crazily brave". The family had probably also had connections to french nobility, french version of his surname was du Téméraire, his aunt told him that his family made their family name English so they could escape guillotine in the time of French revolution. His story about Numenor was inspired by Atlantis and there is similarity with Sumerian myth so he didn't use only myths of Northern people. Maybe he got it from unconscious memory(or got it beamed up in his head is higher probability) or maybe he was insider. Makes you wonder?

 

[Thomas Alan]

All I can say is that I am grateful for reading the works of Tolkien for opening the doors to my mind.

I first read LOTR in my college days, late 1960's. During this first read I had the strangest impression that Middle Earth was not new to me, like it was a place I was familiar with somehow and the book was merely reminding me of it. Perhaps, Middle Earth exists in some parallel universe or Ray of Creation.

I love how his world is so complete, rings so true. The names of things, rivers: Brandywine, Grey Flood, Silverlode. What richness and beauty.

My guess is I've read it about 6 times. I find that after I read a book several times that the world depicted takes on a life within. Weather Top, the Ent Wash, the land of Holin, Moria etc. They are places I have been to on some level.

I tried Silmarillon, maybe 2 decades ago. I found it hard to follow and not as satisfying as LOTR. Response of my state of mind or State of Being at the time, I'm sure. Time to take another look. Add it to my reading stack, which only seems go grow. Much joyful reading ahead.

Mac

 

[Drazen]

I tried Silmarillon, maybe 2 decades ago. I found it hard to follow and not as satisfying as LOTR. Response of my state of mind or State of Being at the time, I'm sure. Time to take another look.

Well I'm pretty sure that you will like it at this point. I've read it twice and it really offers beautiful and rich stories indeed.