The Silmarillion

J. R. R. Tolkien

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1977

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Parts 1-2

Part 3, Chapters 1-3

Part 3, Chapters 4-6

Part 3, Chapters 7-9

Part 3, Chapters 10-12

Part 3, Chapters 13-15

Part 3, Chapters 16-18

Part 3, Chapters 19-21

Part 3, Chapters 22-24

Parts 4-5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Parts 1-2Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “Ainulindalë: The Music of the Ainur” - Part 2: “Valaquenta: Account of the Valar and Maiar according to the lore of the Eldar”

Part 1: “Ainulindalë: The Music of the Ainur”

The novel begins with a description of creation of the world by Eru (known as Ilúvatar in the Elvish language), who makes the Holy Ones known as Ainur. Eru speaks to the Ainur and teaches them to sing together and shows them “the glory” (3) of the beginning and the end of everything he has created. The Ainur bow before Eru. Eru encourages them to sing “a Great Music” (3) together; the music pours into “the Void” (3) and fills it. Eru listens to the Ainur sing and notices that one of them, Melkor, is singing a discordant tune “of his own imagining” (3) that aims to increase Melkor’s own standing and power. Some of the Ainur begin to sing in harmony with Melkor, spreading the discord. Eru introduces new harmonies, and the sounds begin to drown one another out. Soon, there are two competing themes: “[O]ne was deep and wide and beautiful, but slow and blended with an immeasurable sorrow [...] the other [...] was loud, and vain, and endlessly repeated [...] a clamorous unison” (3). Eru rises with anger and stops the music. As mighty as the Ainur are, he says, they cannot alter his music. This scares the Ainur; Melkor feels ashamed and then angry.

Then, Eru shows the Ainur the world they have created. It is inhabited by the Children of Ilúvatar, who are Elves and Men, “the Firstborn and the Followers” (4). These people fascinate the Ainur, even the most powerful of them all, Melkor, who secretly hopes to bend both Elves and Men to his will. Each of the Ainur has a specialty. Eru warns one of their number, Ulmo, of Melkor’s insidious nature. Eru gathers the Ainur and tells them that he is sending the Flame Imperishable into the world. This creates Eä, “the World that Is” (5). Some of the Ainur choose to remain with Eru, while others choose to live in the world and have their powers limited as a result. Those that descend into the world will be known as the Valar.

When the Valar enter the world, it is unshaped by history. They are at “the beginning of Time” (5). So, they work to make the world ready for the Elves and the Men. Manwë, Aulë, and Ulmo work to achieve this, though Melkor meddles, telling his followers that he will turn the world into his “own kingdom” (5). They are thrown into conflict, after which Melkor retreats into his own regions. As the Valar walk the world and turn it into “a garden for their delight” (5), Melkor becomes envious. He descends into the world and battles against the Valar for control of Arda, the Elvish name for the world. Whatever the Valar build, Melkor destroys. As such, none of the Valar’s creations are exactly as they had imagined; all are flawed in some way. Nevertheless, the world becomes filled, and it begins to be populated by the Children of Ilúvatar.

Part 2: “Valaquenta: Account of the Valar and Maiar according to the lore of the Eldar”

Eru and the Ainur create the world, and a number of the Ainur choose to walk upon it. The Elves named them the Valar, while the men called them gods. There are seven Lords of the Valar and seven Queens of the Valar. The Lords are: Manwë, Ulmo, Aulë, Oromë, Mandos, Lórien, and Tulkas. The Queens are: Vardar, Yavanna, Nienna, Estë, Vairë, Vána, and Nessa. Melkor is no longer counted as part of the Valar, and “his name is not spoken upon Earth” (7).

Eru considered Manwë and Melkor to be brothers. Melkor is mightier, but Manwë is dearer to Eru. Vardar dwells with Manwë; she rejected Melkor before the creation. Manwë and Vardar live together in Valinor, which is built on Earth’s highest mountain. Ulmo is the Lord of Waters and lives alone; he still “loves both Elves and Men” (7). Aulë is lord of “all the substances of which Arda is made” (8); he fashioned the lands and “delights in works of skill” (8), earning Melkor’s envy. Yavanna is Aulë’s spouse and the “lover of all things that grow in the earth” (8).

The masters of spirits are called the Fëanturi, and they are named Námo and Irmo. The former is the elder of the two, the “keeper of the Houses of the Dead” (8) and the spouse of Vairë. The latter is younger, the “master of visions and dreams” (8) and the spouse of Estë. Nienna is the sister of the Fëanturi; living alone, she suffers for “every wound that Arda has suffered in the marring of Melkor” (8).

The strongest is Tulkas, the last to arrive in Arda. He loves wrestling and contests of strength. His spouse is Nessa, who loves dancing. Oromë is less strong than Tulkas but “more dreadful in anger” (8) and loves hunting. He has a horse named Nahar that is “white in the sun, and shining silver at night” (8). His spouse is Vána, the Ever-young. Flowers grow wherever Vána steps.

Manwë is considered the King of the Valar and holds their allegiance to Eru. When the Valar entered the World, other spirits came with them. These spirits are less powerful and are known as the Maiar; they are “the people of the Valar, and their servants and helpers” (9). They rarely appear in any form to Elves or Men.

Melkor is considered separate from the other entities that came to Earth. Having suffered greatly at his hand, the Elves refer to him as Morgoth, “the Dark Enemy of the World” (9). Melkor fell from splendor because of his arrogance, his envy, and his “contempt for all things save himself” (9). He is very powerful and has fought against the Valar for control of Arda, even holding dominion over parts of the World. He drew a number of the Maiar to his side, including “the Valaraukar, the scourges of fire that in Middle-earth were called the Balrogs, demons of terror” (9). The greatest of his servants was Sauron, who was almost as evil as Melkor and who would eventually walk “behind him on the same ruinous path down into the Void” (10).

Parts 1-2 Analysis

While they are a part of the novel named The Silmarillion, “Ainulindalë” and “Valaquenta” are not technically a part of “Quenta Silmarillion” itself (the story of the Silmaril created by Fëanor). Instead, they function as creation myths, portraying the way that Eru leads the Valar in song and fashions everything in existence from the void. This not only lays the foundations for what follows but is a quite literal world building exercise.

The manner of creation is important. Eru uses “a mighty theme” (3) to build everything, leading the Valar in a harmonious chorus. The figurative use of song to create the world suggests the type of world that is being created: Middle-earth and Valinor are building a melodious singing tradition. Songs, music, and storytelling are valued highly in the world, partly because they were so instrumental in the moment of creation. For the reader, understanding that this is a world built on song lends the events portrayed in the novel an added lyrical quality, building on the mythology and the sense that it is depicting legendary events.

Tied into this is the fall of Melkor. While the world is being created, Melkor’s negative thoughts begin to affect the song that is being sung. While the Ainur are for the most part positive, Melkor’s negativity seeps into the world as “discord arose about him” (3). This would suggest that, had Melkor not interfered, the world would have been perfect. The negative thoughts that Melkor projects into the song add negative emotions into the world. Thus, Eru’s creation is imperfect from the moment it emerges from the void. In a sense, Middle-earth will never truly be able to know peace because emotions such as jealousy, envy, and arrogance are built into every aspect of its existence. This is one way that Tolkien’s story differs from the creation myth portrayed in Genesis, to which the opening of the novel has often been compared.