A blog for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, from complete beginners to avid enthusiasts, exploring the author's imaginary world, influential writing and cinematic adaptations.
Believe it or not, we’ve come to the end of the ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ account that brings with it the end of the First Age.
Cataclysmic events are about to unfold and one of the greatest characters in Middle-earth will make his introduction. Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Twenty-Four”
We’ve come to the climax of the ‘Quenta Silmarillion’ story. ‘Of the Ruin of Doriath’ started the ball rolling which led to the events in this coming chapter.
However, the seed had long been planted way back in ‘Of Maeglin’, the elf who was one of the causes of this disaster.
Through its vast geography, politics and characters, Tolkien manages to fuse one seemingly unrelated event a 100 pages earlier and expand on the consequences of that occurrence later on.
‘Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin’ marks the continuing tremendous decline of the Free Peoples in Beleriand. Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Twenty-Three”
Way back in time, when this blog was but a few days old, I wrote a two-part post (Part I & Part II) on why I considered Tolkien might be categorised under the sub-literary branch of “dark fantasy”.
‘Of Túrin Turambar’ is the second of the Great Tales in The Silmarllion. Undoubtedly, it is also the greatest (both in terms of length and detailed narrative composition).
It’s a dark tale full of ups and downs (with certainly more downs than ups); where a glimmer of hope in the story turns out to be nothing more than an illusion.
It can also be a tough read at first. Thankfully, it’s a standalone story within The Silmarillion narrative and only a few past events and characters bear upon this chapter in any real way.
If you’ve read the previous chapter (‘Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad’) then you’re on the right track; the consequences of that battle are a direct influence on the successive events.
I’m sure you’re aware of the recent publication The Children of Húrin: a significantly expanded version of the chapter found in The Silmarillion. If you’re new to this story, I suggest you go through the chapter first and then proceed to reading the full tale once you’ve grasped the concept of the story.
In the meantime, here’s my own pitiful summary (spoilers ahead). Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Twenty-One”
With a chapter whose Elvish title can be translated as “Unnumbered Tears”, a reader can only expect one outcome from the battle that unfolds.
The pages recounting the Nirnaeth Arnoediad have always been special to me. Finally, after the conflicts and bickering among Elves, Dwarves and Men, the three races join forces to repel Morgoth once and for all.
It’s undoubtedly a major moment in the history of the First Age, and a highlight in The Silmarillion. It also marks Tolkien’s acute sense of geography, scale and mayhem. Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Twenty”
It’s a love story that transcends the physical world; a powerful narrative on the hopes and destinies of the two principal races in The Silmarillion.
The first of the three Great Tales from the First Age, ‘Of Beren and Lúthien’ highlights Tolkien’s mastery in balancing the vast and the epic, with the intricate and romantic.
Forget Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, or Dante’s Paolo e Francesca. The story of Beren and Lúthien may have been inspired by these older tales, but they are merely sketches that made way for the final masterpiece.
It’s impossible to summarise a chapter that runs over 20 pages and still do it justice. Therefore, I urge you to read through the book first (if you haven’t done so already) and then come back to these few meager lines that follow in this post … Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Nineteen”
I don’t mean it disrespectfully, but what we commonly today refer to as a “troll”, Tolkien seems to have had his cheeky way at spoiling the fun in his narratives.
Case in point is this chapter’s title. Its outcome is pretty much given away.
Then again, one could easily argue the cleverness behind such revelatory titles: the need to keep on reading and find out what this “ruin” is and how the “fall” occurs.
As it happens, all the answers are given in the following … Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Eighteen”
Remember last week we tackled 3 chapters? This week it’s just the one. Things are about to get intricate and personal…
Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Thirteen”
Since this chapter is quite long I decided to tackle it on its own for this week. As always, stick-figures make a persistent return.
Melkor has wreaked havoc in Valinor. The Two Trees lie dead in the darkness of the world. As the Valar convene in Máhanaxar (“the Ring of Doom”), they mourn the staggering loss they have suffered and decide on what to do next. Continue reading “TTRT: The Silmarillion – Chapter Nine”
In this week’s TTRT post we’ll be looking at ‘Of The Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor’ (spoilers!) and ‘Thingol and Melian’.
This is the appropriate time when you should start, frequently, browsing through the index of names and the family trees.
Things are about the get a little bit personal, and therefore, infinitely complex!
I’ve decided to tackle 7 theories constructed by readers of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, that are rather extraordinary in concept and make perfect sense (though some can be disproved or contested).
There are many arguments in discussion around the characters and stories of Middle-earth; but I’ve decided to focus on a few which have struck me the most.
Starting from the impossible and busted arguments to the more plausible ones, here we go … Continue reading “7 Fantastic Middle-earth Theories”
A Tolkienist's Perspective 