The Silmarillion

[skycsil]

If you like history and myths you will love the Silmarillion. Otherwise it will bore you to death :P

 

[Stellaria_graminea]

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?

Tolkien writes something that might be relevant in his book Tree and Leaf, _http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Leaf-J-R-Tolkien/dp/0007105045/ref=sr_1_59?ie=UTF8&qid=1326453728&sr=8-59.

I have a translated version, and think it would be much better to read the original. He discusses choices of words, and it's probable that some meaning are lost in translations back and forth - especially as I do not know Tolkien's original meaning.

In the first part of the book, "On Fairy-stories", at page 70 in my version, he writes about how elves can show "fairytale-dramas" for humans, and that there are many old and probable notions that this have happened to different people.

He writes that it resembles a dream, is more realistic than human fantasy, and that it's like to be within the dream that another conscience is weaving. He names it at kind of art, made by elves, and use the word enchantment. He writes that it can be like being physically within a secondary world, inside the drama.

He further separates this from magic, which he regards as mere technical modes to gain power, to control things and other people.

 

[K.ArtPark]

If you like history and myths you will love the Silmarillion. Otherwise it will bore you to death :P

I hear what you are saying, Scycil. It was probably the most difficult read for me ever. The reason for that though was Tolkien's detailed descriptions of both the landscape (all of the places in Middle Earth and what their secondary names were in other languages) and the lineage of all of the different families in all of the different races and who were all of their children. It just got too much to remember so I had to just keep going without needing to remember it all. There would often be a story happening where he would be mentioning a main character, and I would think "OK, who is this again?"


That said, this book really touched on the profound for me. The creation myth, the coming of being into the world, the living in an edenic state, the fall (actually fall after fall), the development of evil and these incredible mtyhs and stories happening over thousands of years which seemed to be tied together through common threads. For me, it was magical, inspiring and touched on something very real and very High (if that makes sense). Definitely in my top 20 books list.


I am going to a costume party this year where the theme is to dress up as a magical-mystical being/what you see your developed future self to be and I am considering going as something from Tolkien's mytholgy; perhaps an elf King ... but perhaps I am more like a Hobbit or a Rohirim.

 

[dredger]

Hello,

I also read ... I think 3x the Lord of the Rings, in french - last time I read it it was ... dunno ... 8y before ? Maybe I should re-read it. I also read the Silmarillion, 2x I think, and it's true it was a difficult reading, so much names.
Then, better say recently, these last years, I opened myself a little bit more and I already told myself that I would re-read the Silmarillion because "I remember that it's a lot similar to all I started to learn these last years", and this thread is kind of reminder to me.
And if I come to post here it's because I just felt on this article which brings new info on the subject, I hope some will appreciate :

_http://thespiritscience.net/2014/12/18/genesis-the-lucifer-experiment-and-why-humans-are-special-as-written-by-jrr-tolkien/

Also, don't want to open a new thread for this, but for those who knows R.A. Salvatore, best known with his book on the black elve Drizzt (I have them all), he also wrote a 3 books story named Demon Wars - I re-read them a second time in 2014 - what the elves teach to the young hero in the book (one of the heroes) is ... what is told by the C's - I mean, if you want really a good fantasy book with I think, an inspired author, do not hesitate to read this trilogy.


Cheers !

 

[The Mechanic]

How nice that sometimes very old threads get some new attention. I've tried to read The Silmarillion in my twensties but I found it far less readable then TLOTR and The Hobbit. I'm currently reading TLOTR to my daughter before bedtime, which is great because she loves it and it's been years since I read it and now, since watching the movies, I appreciate the richness and detail of the book even more. It makes for a very slow read, you really have to take your time with all those long sentences, but maybe that's just the Dutch translation. I find that often I really have to take a deep breathe, exhale and start reading at a more slower pace that does the story much more justice.

I'll add The Silmarillion to my reading list to give it another try sometime.

 

[edwardthefirst]

That is so nice to hear The Mechanic. I have great memories of my mother reading the Hobbit and then TLOTR to me and my sisters when we were younger.

I would also echo that I found the Silmarillion a hard read when I attempted it and did not get much out of it, though I found the Children of Hurin very enjoyable.

I'm thinking that perhaps I should give the Silmarillion another attempt though, it's easier to put in the effort if someone else has already jumped in the deep end and confirmed that there is indeed a lot of depth and substances to the book.

 

[Lilou]

Welcome to the forum, EdwardtheFirst. We ask all new members to post an introduction in the Newbies Section - how you found us and if you've read any of the books we discuss here. Thanks. :)

added: I see you've already done that!

 

[Thor]

I recall having The Hobbit and LOTR red to me as a child and I've read them 7 or 8 times since and I truly love Tolkien's Middle Earth.

However, I did find Silmarillion almost painful to read in its beauty. The feeling was a sense of sadness and loss - of lamenting what once was but will be no more.

Somewhat the same as when in the end of LOTR, when the elves and wizards travel to the Grey Havens to leave Middle Earth and usher in the age of Man. So much beauty leaving the world like droplets of dew on a spring morning.

Just thinking about it makes me a little bit sad..