Quenta Silmarillion

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The Silmarillion
Ainulindalë
Valaquenta
Quenta Silmarillion
Akallabêth
Of the Rings of Power
and the Third Age

Quenta Silmarillion is the third part of The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien. Quenta Silmarillion is translated as the "Tale of the Silmarils". The part is the longest in the book, consisting of more than twenty chapters. This is a work of fiction.

The Quenta Silmarillion deals with the history of Arda (the Earth) following the entrance of the Ainur as the Valar (see Valaquenta). At this stage, Arda was still lifeless and did not even have distinct geographical features. The initial shape of Arda, chosen by the Valar, was of a symmetrical continent lit by the Two Lamps. However, the lamps were destroyed by the vicious Melkor; Arda was again darkened, and the lamps' fall spoiled the perfect symmetry of Arda's surface. Two main continents were created that are of concern to the story: Aman in the west, and Middle-earth in the East, separated by the Great Sea.

Following this, Melkor hid himself from the Valar in his fortress Utumno in the north of Middle-earth. He also surrounded himself with horrible beasts, many of them Maiar in the form of fell animals, known as Balrogs. Balrogs were to remain his most faithful servants and soldiers ever after.

The Valar made a new home for themselves on the continent of Aman. On the east coast, they set up a mountain range, the Pelóri, behind which they established the realm of Valinor. In the central parts of Valinor, the Valar built their capital, Valmar (also known as Valimar). Manwë and Varda took up residence on the summit of Taniquetil, the highest peak of the Pelóri, and many other Valar built residences in various locations around Valinor.

During this time, the Vala Yavanna created the Two Trees which lit Valinor. Middle-earth, by contrast, was in perpetual darkness, and was seldom visited by any of the Valar. Only some of them, most notably Oromë, would pay periodic visits, especially to prepare for the coming of the Elves and to keep an eye on Melkor's activities (so far as this was possible; he was able to conceal things quite well at this stage).

Eventually, on one of his expeditions, Oromë discovered the newly-awakened Elves at Cuiviénen. The Valar, aware of the risk Melkor posed to the Elves, beleaguered him in Utumno. After a long siege, Melkor and his forces were defeated, and Melkor was taken prisoner to Valinor to serve "three ages" in the Halls of Mandos.

Oromë was then sent to the Elves again, to invite any who so wished to come with him to Aman and live there. All the Vanyar, and most of the Noldor and the Teleri, chose to follow him. A small number, who became known as Avari, remained behind. On the journey to Aman, some of the Eldar (those who set out) became sidetracked. These notably included the Sindar, who stayed on the coasts of Middle-earth when their king, Thingol, became lost in the forest. He was to later emerge, married to the Maia Melian, and found the Kingdom of Doriath.^[1]

The Elves were carried across the sea on a large floating island, which was later fixed in position and became Tol Eressëa. In Aman, they settled especially around the Bay of Eldamar on the east coast, outside Valinor but connected via a specially-created pass through the mountains. In the middle of this pass, the Vanyar and the Noldor made the Hill of Túna, and constructed the city of Tirion on its summit. Eventually, however, the Vanyar moved out of Tirion into Valinor proper (most famously, their king, Ingwë, moved into Manwë and Varda's palace on Taniquetil). The Teleri first tarried on Tol Eressëa because they greatly loved the sea. Later they also came to Aman where they built the port city Alqualondë, famous for its fleet of ships crafted like swans.

After a long time, Finwë, the first King of the Noldor, had a son Fëanor. At his birth Fëanor drew so much life from his mother Míriel that she grew weary of life and her spirit left her bodily form, departing to the halls of Mandos. Eventually, Finwë remarried, and had two further sons, Fingolfin and Finarfin. Fëanor became the most famous elven craftsman, especially by making the Silmarils, three jewels in which he trapped the light of the Two Trees. The Silmarils were hallowed by Varda, and would burn any evil or mortal creature who touched them.

About this time, Melkor, having completed his sentence, was released, and immediately set about trying to exact revenge on the Valar for his humiliation, and on the Elves for their (however indirect) responsibility for it. By various lies he managed to play Fëanor and Fingolfin against each other, creating strife and division amongst the Noldor; furthermore, he convinced the Noldor that they had been brought to Aman primarily so the Valar could keep them under control. Finally, Fëanor rebelled against the Valar, publicly advocating leaving and then drawing his weapon against Fingolfin.

The Valar were soon aware of Melkor's ultimate responsibility in all this. Tulkas sought for him, but Melkor had hidden and could not be found. Because he threatened Fingolfin's life, Fëanor was exiled from Tirion for twelve years. He moved, with his seven sons and his father Finwë, to a newly-built stronghold, Formenos.

Eventually, after an argument with Fëanor at Formenos, Melkor escaped. Travelling to Avathar in secret, he met the giant spider-like monster Ungoliant. With her help, he travelled into Valinor secretly, killed the Two Trees, assassinated Finwë at Formenos, and stole the Silmarils, before escaping in the confusion. He made his way back to Middle-earth, and after escaping from Ungoliant with the help of some surviving Balrogs, re-established an empire from his secondary fortress of Angband, and placed the three Silmarils, which now were the only source of the unmarred light of the Two Trees, in his Iron Crown.

Fëanor was furious at the death of his father and the theft of the Silmarils. Travelling to Tirion in violation of his exile, he publicly blamed both Melkor, whom he named Morgoth, and the Valar (for failing to protect Finwë and the Silmarils). He urged the Noldor to leave Valinor, for a punitive expedition against Morgoth and a new life in Middle-earth. He and his sons then swore the notorious Oath of Fëanor, vowing to pursue with hatred anyone who withheld a Silmaril from them.

The assembled Noldor (except a small remnant) left Tirion, and travelled to Alqualondë, attempting to persuade the Teleri to join them, or at least to lend them ships to cross the Great Sea. When the Teleri refused, Fëanor ordered that the swan-ships be taken by force; the notorious Kinslaying ensued, in which many Teleri were slaughtered. Shortly afterwards, at the northern boundary of Eldamar, the Noldor met Mandos, who cursed all Noldor who left with Fëanor. At this point, Finarfin, who had always been reluctant to leave, turned back to Valinor with a small number of followers. The rest of the Noldor crossed into Middle-earth; Fëanor and his sons used the swan-ships, while Fingolfin and his followers were obliged to cross the ice-floes of the Helcaraxë.

Meanwhile, Morgoth was busy attempting to conquer Beleriand. In the first of five great Battles, he sent out two armies of Orcs for this purpose, forcing Thingol and his Maia Queen Melian to protect Doriath by an impregnable magic fence, the "Girdle of Melian", and the coastal Elves to retreat into their fortified harbour towns. Fëanor and his smaller army arrived in the middle of this, and quickly defeated the Orc armies in the second Battle, Dagor-nuin-Giliath (the "Battle under the Stars"). However, Fëanor, chasing after the retreating Orcs, was ambushed and killed by Balrogs.

Fingolfin and his army arrived shortly after this. At the same time, the Valar created the Moon and the Sun from the last flower and the last fruit of the Two Trees. These new lights illuminated Middle-earth (which had daylight for the first time since the original two Lamps were destroyed), stimulated much new plant and animal growth, and put a halt to the plans of Morgoth, who feared light, for a while. At about this time, Men, the second of the Children of Ilúvatar, appeared in eastern Middle-earth, and some began to migrate westward.

During the first few years after their arrival, the Noldor established various kingdoms and principalities in northern and central Beleriand. Fingolfin and his eldest son Fingon ruled the northern state of Hithlum; the seven sons of Fëanor controlled eastern Beleriand; Finrod, the eldest son of Finarfin, built Nargothrond, and Turgon established the hidden city of Gondolin. Many of the Sindar, the native Elves of Beleriand, were absorbed into the Noldorin kingdoms, especially in Hithlum and Gondolin. Others were in Sindarin states: Thingol's kingdom in Doriath, the coastal Falas ruled by Círdan, and the secretive Green-Elves of Ossiriand. Relations between the Noldor and the independent Sindar were at first amicable (the Noldor quickly adopted the Sindarin language as a lingua franca), but eventually deteriorated due to the isolationism of Thingol, and even more because of rumours of the Kinslaying and the Curse (the Sindar were close relatives of the Teleri of Alqualondë).

After fifty years, the Noldor defeated Morgoth in the third Battle, called Dagor Aglareb, the Glorious Battle. They went on to besiege Angband for four hundred years. Towards the end of this time, the first Men arrived in Beleriand. These, the Three Houses of the Edain, quickly became faithful allies of the Noldor in the war against Morgoth, and settled in various parts of Noldorin land.

Morgoth, however, merely used the Siege as an opportunity to build up strength, and in Y.S. 455, he renewed the war on his own terms. In the fourth Great Battle, Dagor Bragollach (Sudden Flame), famous for the emergence of the Dragon Glaurung, Morgoth's armies overthrew the Siege, conquering Ard-galen and Dorthonion, and Fingolfin died in single combat with Morgoth himself. Sixteen years later, the northern Noldor made a last attempt to destroy Morgoth. In the resulting battle, Nirnaeth Arnoediad (Unnumbered Tears), they lost almost all their armies, and Morgoth conquered the entire North; and then he destroyed the remaining Elf-kingdoms one by one.

In this part, the Quenta Silmarillion also includes two stories dealing more with individuals.

The story of Beren and Lúthien, set in the 460's, tells of the Man Beren and the elf-maiden Lúthien who fall in love. Lúthien is the daughter of King Thingol, and Thingol, who dislikes mortal Men, says they can marry if Beren brings Thingol a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown. Beren, with Lúthien's help, achieves this, but is killed by Carcharoth, a giant Wolf from Angband. Lúthien travels in spirit to the Houses of the Dead, to plead with Mandos for Beren's release; she and Beren are sent back to Middle-earth alive, but Lúthien becomes a mortal woman. Eventually they die and leave the Universe together.

Also included is the story of Túrin Turambar. His father, Húrin, was a great warrior of Men, but was captured at the end of the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, and Morgoth placed a curse on his family. Túrin, who was born just before the battle, became a great hero, but due partly to his hot temper and partly to a string of bad luck, just about everything he became involved in went wrong. To make matters worse, he and his sister, Nienor, were manipulated by Glaurung after the dragon sacked Nargothrond and took up residence there. Eventually Túrin killed Glaurung, but both he and Nienor became insane at the horror of what they did while under Glaurung's control, and committed suicide.

The last Elf-Kingdom to survive is the hidden city of Gondolin. Tuor, a mortal man, is sent by Ulmo as a messenger to Gondolin, to warn King Turgon of the city's impending destruction. Remaining in Gondolin, Tuor marries Turgon's daughter, Idril, and they have a son Eärendil. Gondolin is eventually betrayed to Morgoth (by Maeglin, Turgon's nephew), and is captured and destroyed. Tuor, Idril and Eärendil escape, together with a number of refugees.

Eärendil grows up and marries Elwing, grand-daughter of Beren and Lúthien and current keeper of the Silmaril they took from Morgoth. With the help of the Silmaril, Eärendil and Elwing sail to Valinor, and plead with the Valar, asking them to pardon the Noldor and assist Elves and Men in their need. The Valar agree to this request, and set Eärendil, with the Silmaril, to sail the skies as a star until the ending of the world.

The Valar finally attack Morgoth in Angband. In this battle, the Great Battle (also known as the War of Wrath), Morgoth is utterly defeated; his armies are destroyed, with only a few remnants scattered across the Earth. He himself is taken prisoner and his two remaining Silmarils are confiscated. Maedhros and Maglor, Fëanor's two surviving sons, steal the Silmarils from the Valar, but they find the Silmarils will not tolerate their touch, instead tormenting them with burning pain. Maedhros commits suicide by jumping with the Silmaril into a chasm in the Earth, and Maglor throws his Silmaril away into the Sea.

The story ends with the Valar pardoning the Noldor for their rebellion, and the Teleri offering forgiveness for the Kinslaying. Many of the Noldor and the Sindar leave Middle-earth and travel into the West, to live in Valinor or Eldamar, or on Tol Eressëa. Many still stay in Middle-earth, now smaller as Beleriand is underwater following the Valar's display of power. Morgoth is cast out of the World, imprisoned forever in the Void that lies behind the Walls of the Night. The Silmarils are lost "unless the World be broken and re-made", but each one finds its home in one of the elements: fire, water and air.

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