Fantasy Annotation -- The Silmarillion

“But it may be the part of a friend to rebuke a friend’s folly” (Tolkien, p. 86).

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien

Title: The Silmarillion

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: First published September 15, 1977

Number of Pages: 304 pages

Geographical Setting: Eä (Tolkien’s fictional universe including Middle-earth, Valinor, Beleriand, and Númenor).

Time Period: First Age before events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings; ancient world.

Series: N/A, but is a compendium of lore that includes the world seen in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Plot Summary: 

The Silmarillion is a compilation of legends pertaining to the creation of the universe that contains Middle-earth, the setting of LOTR and The Hobbit. The text contains the history and legends of the “First Age'' of Tolkien’s world – essentially the creation myth for the gods and beings that live in Middle-earth. The final part of the book contains that tale of Silmarils, which were three creatures that were fought over during the Third Age thanks to their beauty and value – they contained the light of the trees that were destroyed by Morgoth, the main villain of this age. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, one of the most gifted and revered Elves. The Silmarillion also contains a retelling of the history and rebellion of Feanor against the gods, and their war, a battle between “good” and “evil” against the enemy (Morgoth).

Tolkien wrote this Bible-esque text in order to further the lore of his fictional universe, and fans of LOTR will appreciate the background information that is provided in this compilation of myths and stories.

Elements of Fantasy:

Quest for magical items: Melkor (a.k.a. Morgoth, the villain) has stolen the Simarils (precious jewels made with the sacred Trees’ light), and the Elves want them back: “After Morgoth to the ends of the Earth! War shall he have and hatred undying. But when we have conquered and have regained the Silmarils, then we and we alone shall be lords of the unsullied Light” (Tolkien, p. 83). Fëanor sets off on a quest to retrieve the Silmarils from Morgoth.

Middle-earth location/imaginary place setting: The lore all relates to the early days of Middle-earth, a fantasy world. The imagery about the setting is breathtaking: “There they dwelt, and if they wished they could see the light of the Trees, and could tread the golden streets of Valmar and the crystal stairs of Tirion upon Túna, the green hill; but most of all they sailed in their swift ships on the waters of the Bay of Elvenhome, or walked in the waves upon the shore with their hair gleaming in the light beyond the hill” (Tolkien, p. 61).

Intricate plot: The plot covers centuries' worth of history; there is even an index in the back of the book with the dozens of names and places that are mentioned. 

Magical creatures: Elves, dwarves, orcs, gods, you name it, The Silmarillion’s got it.

Good vs. evil: Melkor (the “bad guy,” himself a fallen Angel-type character) goes to war numerous times against the Valar (the gods), the “good” guys of the story: “Melkor met the onset of the Valar in the North-west of Middle-earth, and all that region was much broken” (Tolkien, p. 51). Melkor attempts multiple times to corrupt the Elves – he desires to overtake the Valar in their power.

Similar Authors and Works:

The three nonfiction works I chose all relate to the life of Tolkien, the author. The first two selected works are respectively a biography about him, and the latter is a collection of all of Tolkien’s letters, which often contained lore and information about his books. The final selection, A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18 by Joseph Loconte, provides context about how the First World War shaped his writings.

The three fiction books I chose due to their high fantasy genre. A Secret Atlas by Michael A. Stackpole is similar to The Silmarillion thanks to its shared theme of quest for magical items and its focus on an intricate and complex plot. The other two works are also Tolkien books, so anyone who enjoyed the lore of the selected work would also enjoy his others – The Silmarillion provides background information and worldbuilding for the LOTR trilogy, and Morgoth’s Ring continues the lore that Tolkien writes in The Silmarillion.

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Humphrey Carpenter

A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-18 by Joseph Loconte

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

A Secret Atlas by Michael A. Stackpole

LOTR Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien

Morgoth’s Ring: The Later Silmarillion Part One by J. R. R. Tolkien

References

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). The silmarillion. Houghton Mifflin.