Long time no see, long time no see, yes indeed. But in the interval, I have read The Simarillion, a compilation of J.R.R. Tolkien's world building compiled and edited by his son Christopher. I never thought I would do it, but after hearing a review of it on Inkling Radio I decided to give it a shot and got myself a copy. I was going to read it at bedtime to put myself to sleep. That only worked so well, however. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit more than I thought I would.
The Simarillion contains the histories and origin stories of the peoples of Middle-Earth...well, okay, it focuses on the elves, and men and dwarfs and other races are only mentioned for their interactions. There are five parts: the Ainulindale, which is how Eru Illuvatar (the deity in charge) created Arda (the whole world, which includes Middle-earth and Aman or Valinor, the Blessed Realm); the Valaquenta, which describes the works of the Valar and the Maiar races; the Quenta Simarillion, which are the annals of the different peoples of the Elves; the Akallabeth, a record of the history and downfall of Numenor; and a fifth section about The Rings of Power and the Third Age, which is basically a summary of the Lord of the Rings. You could say that The Simarillion is to Arda what the Bible is to earth, but it could also be viewed as a long, detailed history of Arda's peoples mainly from the perspective of the Elves and the Valar. The Simarillion, however, should not be considered an allegory, but rather an artistic re-imagining or re-interpretation of religious topics in our own world: there is one Creation but several different Falls.
The Simarillion takes its name from the three Simarils, gems created by Feanor when his people lived in Valinor. The Simarils were stolen by Melkor (aka Morgoth, Sauron's master) from Valinor. Feanor and his people, the Noldor elves, went to Middle-earth and waged an eternal war on Morgoth to regain the simarils, a war fought in the name of their own pride, honor, and stupidity. But trust me, the Numenoreans were much, much worse. My favorite part was reading about the voyage of Earendil. The story of Beren and Luthien is cool, but Beren comes across as a bit of a pansy. Luthien on the other hand is totally hardcore.
I would recommend The Simarillion for any hardcore, die-hard fans of Tolkien's works. If you want to know more about the histories of Galadriel, Elrond, and other figures mentioned in LOTR, you should definitely read it. And if you like stories told in the form of old legends or histories, then this is for you. The text is mostly prose, with a few rhymes interspersed in the tale of Beren and Luthien. There is hardly any dialogue, just summary of histories and events and wars. This is not for the faint of heart. If you have read it or you do complete reading it, that is an achievement that other people aren't going to sneeze at. Be warned: Middle-earth in the First Age was much, much different from what it was at the end of the third age. Cataclysms that change the landscape are mentioned both in connection with the end of the war against Morgoth and with the destruction of Numenor. However, I am not complaining. Catastrophism as a force of nature is much more feasible in Arda, which is a world entirely built by forces one would refer to as Magic.
As for anyone who wants a movie of The Simarillion, I would suggest, as did Inkling Radio, that it would be better to adapt different stories from within it, such as Beren and Luthien, or about the different battles of the war against Morgoth. Would The Simarillion make a good television series? It could but I would rather anyone adapting it didn't go that direction.
See you in the Shire!
The Simarillion contains the histories and origin stories of the peoples of Middle-Earth...well, okay, it focuses on the elves, and men and dwarfs and other races are only mentioned for their interactions. There are five parts: the Ainulindale, which is how Eru Illuvatar (the deity in charge) created Arda (the whole world, which includes Middle-earth and Aman or Valinor, the Blessed Realm); the Valaquenta, which describes the works of the Valar and the Maiar races; the Quenta Simarillion, which are the annals of the different peoples of the Elves; the Akallabeth, a record of the history and downfall of Numenor; and a fifth section about The Rings of Power and the Third Age, which is basically a summary of the Lord of the Rings. You could say that The Simarillion is to Arda what the Bible is to earth, but it could also be viewed as a long, detailed history of Arda's peoples mainly from the perspective of the Elves and the Valar. The Simarillion, however, should not be considered an allegory, but rather an artistic re-imagining or re-interpretation of religious topics in our own world: there is one Creation but several different Falls.
The Simarillion takes its name from the three Simarils, gems created by Feanor when his people lived in Valinor. The Simarils were stolen by Melkor (aka Morgoth, Sauron's master) from Valinor. Feanor and his people, the Noldor elves, went to Middle-earth and waged an eternal war on Morgoth to regain the simarils, a war fought in the name of their own pride, honor, and stupidity. But trust me, the Numenoreans were much, much worse. My favorite part was reading about the voyage of Earendil. The story of Beren and Luthien is cool, but Beren comes across as a bit of a pansy. Luthien on the other hand is totally hardcore.
I would recommend The Simarillion for any hardcore, die-hard fans of Tolkien's works. If you want to know more about the histories of Galadriel, Elrond, and other figures mentioned in LOTR, you should definitely read it. And if you like stories told in the form of old legends or histories, then this is for you. The text is mostly prose, with a few rhymes interspersed in the tale of Beren and Luthien. There is hardly any dialogue, just summary of histories and events and wars. This is not for the faint of heart. If you have read it or you do complete reading it, that is an achievement that other people aren't going to sneeze at. Be warned: Middle-earth in the First Age was much, much different from what it was at the end of the third age. Cataclysms that change the landscape are mentioned both in connection with the end of the war against Morgoth and with the destruction of Numenor. However, I am not complaining. Catastrophism as a force of nature is much more feasible in Arda, which is a world entirely built by forces one would refer to as Magic.
As for anyone who wants a movie of The Simarillion, I would suggest, as did Inkling Radio, that it would be better to adapt different stories from within it, such as Beren and Luthien, or about the different battles of the war against Morgoth. Would The Simarillion make a good television series? It could but I would rather anyone adapting it didn't go that direction.
See you in the Shire!