The Music of the Ainur

The Music of the Ainur is the first part of the Silmarillion book written by Tolkien throughout his life and never really completed. The published work is that edited by his son Christopher Tolkien. To read what Tolkien himself wrote one must plough through the copious volumes of the Lost Tales and sequels. It tells of the creation of the world...

In the Beginning...

In the begining there was Eru the one who on Arda¹ is also known as Iluvatar. He took thought and the Ainur were born. These were a vast multitude of spirits of lesser and greater nature and were brought about as a sort of celestial choir to please Iluvatar with their music.

At first they perform in small groups and some spirits form allegiances and those of a like nature group together. Eventually, they are all brought together to perform a great music. However, the greatest power of the Ainur, that spirit named Melkor has rebellious ideas of his own and during the music alters the theme to his own liking. Some spirts are drawn to this and add to the discord. Other great spirits including Melkor's 'brother' Manwe, Varda and Ulmo set up their own stall to bring back the music to the intended harmony. These opposing forces wax and wane against one another leading to huge 'Themes' in the music. Eventually the whole thing leads to a great and violent chord at the end and the music is halted by Iluvatar.

He then shows them what they have done and lo, the manifestation of their music is Arda and the themes they played out are the great Ages of the Earth. All is revealed to them there and then but is then hidden again and Iluvatar makes what they saw become reality. A small few of the Ainur then descend to the fledgling Earth and become the Gods (Valar) and lesser spirits (Maiar) of the world. Manwe, Varda, Ulmo and Melkor of course later become major players...

Ainulindalë

This is the second part of the Silmarillion as published and again is a small distinct work. It is an account of the Valar and their place in the overall godlike pecking order.

The usual suspects are in the incomplete list below...

• Manwë - greatest of the Valar. Lord of the skies and the winds. He sits on his throne on Taniquétil, the highest of all mountains and is regarded as high king of all Arda
• Varda - spouse of Manwë. She is the creator of the Stars and chief foe to Melkor. Most beloved of the Elves, also known as Elbereth.
• Ulmo - lord of the Waters. Many will see a strong resemblance to the Greek god Poseidon.
• Aulë - the Smith. Builder of mountains and all things of the earth are his job description. All father of the Dwarves (who he devises of his own accord - a thing not pleasing to Iluvatar) and beloved of the Noldor.
• Yavanna - spouse of Aulë. Godess of fauna and flora. Ents, the treeherders are her famous creation and the Two Trees had much to do with her.
• Oromë - the Hunter. Rides a great horse and is always on the hunt with his great horn. He was the first to find the awakened children of Iluvatar.
• Mandos - Keeper of the Halls of the dead and general doomsday merchant. Knows more about the future than any other. Strictly speaking this is the name of his halls but that is often forgoten.
• Lorien - Lord of dreams and visions. His gardens are the most attractive in the world. Apparently he can grow some mean Gladioli. Again, this is strictly speaking the name of his realm but he is most often known by this name.
• Nienna - Queen of tears. Takes all the sorrow and burden of the worlds hurts upon herself. Her empathy and understanding know no bounds.
• Ossë - Underling of Ulmo who presides over the great outer Ocean, Ossë is the Lord of the Oceans of the parts of the sea accessible to Sailors. Once of the followers of Melkor he was brought back to the fold but it still prone to occasional violence. Sailors fear him. Revered by the Teleri.
• Uinen - Spouse of Ossë, a calming influence to her unpredictable husband.
• Tulkas - the Strong. Loves battle and is not much interested in anything else. Hates Melkor and loves fighting him.
• Melkor - He Who Arises in Might. No longer counted amongst the Valar although originally the most powerful of them all. Started with a desire for light but descended into darkness, flames and violence when he couldn't possess it for himself alone. Covet Arda as his personal Kingdom. Wars continously with the other Valar until eventually he his outcast and renamed Morgoth the Dark Enemy of the World.

The Maiar

These lesser spirits are nonetheless poweful according to the experience of Mankind. Their number is greater than the Valar but the known members are fewer...

• Eonwë - Herald of Manwë
• Melian - of the Maiar of Lorien, fell for Elwë Singollo and begat Luthien in their kingdom of Doriath.
• Olòrin - Wisest of the maiar. Became famous in Middle Earth in the Third Age.
• Sauron - chief servant of Melkor. Originally of the people of Aulë and retained much knowledge of the craft. Became a terrible sorcerer and in the years after the fall of Morgoth arose as a second Dark Lord.
• Valaraukar - Fire Demons. Known in Middle Earth as Balrogs they were the most terrible weapon of Morgoth. The spirit who guides the Sun is of a like kind but remained uncorrupted by the lies of Melkor.

Quenta Silmarillion

This is the true Silmarillion, an account of the War of the Jewels but the fate of the world is bound within these tales.

Of the Begining of Time - the Wars of the Gods

The Valar and their Kindred Maiar descend to Arda and are bound with its fate. They come to order things and ready the world for the coming of the Children of Iluvatar who are Elves and Men though they do not know when this will come to pass. Along with them comes Melkor who wishes to be dominant and although not yet necessarily evil contends with the other Valar. For long Ages he dominates most of the world. They build and he destroys they dig and he fills in etc. In this time the world loses its early symmetry but the violence of Melkor only leads to greater beauty. In the heavens the spirit Tulkas hears of war in Arda and descends to aid the Valar. They then prevail and set up their first home on the Isle of Almaren. They build two great Lamps to light the World in the North and South and then rest to view their work.

Morgoth and his allies suddenly go to work and throw down the Great Lamps, their fall is tumultuous and destroys much of the world. The Valar set up residence in the Western Continent of Aman and throw up huge Mountains to defend against Melkor. Middle Earth is mostly abandoned by them and growing things slow in the Twilight. Melkor delves ther his Fortresses of Utumno and Angband in the North and West respectively. Sauron is commander in Angband.

The Valar take thought and Yavanna creates two mighty trees, Telperion the Silver and Laurelin the Golden, they emit light and light up Aman, only glimmers of their light reach Middle Earth. Time is counted as starting from the first light of Telperion. The Valar set up their realm of Valinor. Varda takes the light of the Silver Tree Telperion, collects it and makes the Stars including the Sickle of the North to Wheel over Morgoth as a challenge.

At the making of the Stars the firstborn children of Iluvatar, the Quendi or Elves awaken in Cuivienen, The Waters of Awakening.

The Sundering of the Elves

The Elves awoke to the sight of the stars and therefore revere Varda over all the the other Valar. Yet they woke alone and were the first to devise speech. They wandered far and wide in their new world but it is said that their first encounters were with the dark things of Melkor and that at times his servants would kidnap them and take them to the depths of Utumno. There he tortured and twisted them until they became a mockery of their former selves. These were the Orcs.

Eventually, Oromë was hunting in the largely abandoned Middle Earth and came upon them. He was delighted and amazed and told the other Valar of his discovery. Fearing that Melkor left to his own devices would wreak havoc with them they made sudden and massive war against Melkor. They utterly devastated Utumno in a tumultous battle than frightened the willies out of the young Elves and eventually Tulkas threw down Melkor and they chained him and imprisoned him in the Halls of Mandos for seven ages.

As the emmissary of the Valar Oromë then invited the Elves to come to Valinor and live in light and bliss but the Elves were suspicious having encountered only so far nasties in the dark. So three of their leaders, Elwë, Finwë and Ingwë went with Oromë to Valinor to reconnoitre. Of course they returned with high praise and led there people on the Great Western March to Valinor. The people of Ingwë were most eager and at the forefront and they became known as the Vanyar or Light Elves. They never came back to Middle Earth. The second host was led by Finwë and they were greater in number and were the Noldor or Deep Elves. The final and largest host was led by Elwë and were called the Teleri. They were most reluctant and tarried long on the road. There were of course, those who would not go and they were called Avari, the dark Elves and they never saw the Light of the Two Trees.

The hosts of Ingwë and Finwë reached the westernmost lands of Middle Earth and Ossë uprooted a great island and used it as a raft to transport the two great hosts to Valinor. Meanwhile, Elwë in the woods, on his own encoutered Melian who was visiting Middle Earth and each bewitched the other. They were not seen for many long years by anyone and the Teleri people lingered, looking for their lost lord. Eventually they tired of the search and Elwë's brother Olwë took lordship and resumed the journey west, though with not all his people. The Noldor and Vanyar had already left and they were left stranded on the Western Shores. There Ossë befriended them and taught them to love the sea. They were the first Mariners and loved the sea birds. The Valar grew tired of waiting for them and instructed Ossë to transport them also across the Ocean to Valinor. He reluctantly agreed but slightly rebelled and a portion were stranded in mid-Ocean on the Lonely Isle. The rest reached Valinor but stayed by the sea where they could sail and also still look on the Stars in the East. In time, the Noldor and Vanyar built Tirion by their shores, the first and fairest Elven city.

Some of the Teleri remained in Middle Earth in the areas that later became Beleriand. Elwë emerged from the woods and once again took up kingship and all Beleriand he regarded as his kingdom. His abode was in the underground caves of Menegroth but in later years his effective realm was that of Doriath within a protective girdle of spells laid about the realm by Melian. Círdan the Shipwright was also an important leader amongst the Elves that remained in Beleriand. With the separation over time the languages of the Elves changed² Elwë Singollo (greymantle) was in the later toungue of Beleriand called Elu Thingol in legend.

The Fall of Gondolin

The story of the fall of Gondolin is amongst the earliest writings of Tolkien, the first account dates from around 1930, far earlier than the Hobbit or even the initial layout of the eventual Quenta Silmarillion.

From the begining of the war of the Jewels and the Prophecy of Mandos it was inevitable that the war of the Elves upon Morgoth for the return of the Silmarilli was doomed to failure. This is the story of the fall of the last great Elven Stronghold in Beleriand. But from disaster was born their final hope...

The founding of Gondolin

Turgon, second son of High King Fingolfin founded his first kingdom in Nevrast in the South West of Beleriand but during the Siege of Angband, Turgon (along with Finrod Felagund) was visited by Ulmo and instructed that he should found a secret stronghold and that it would last the longest of the Elven Kingdoms. But he was also warned that it would eventually fall and he should not love too much the work of his hands

Accordingly he secretly had built the fabled city of Gondolin in the encircling mountains, a city of fabulous beauty that only waxed in beauty through the countless years. When the building was complete he moved his entire people within the confines of the encircling mountains and they disappeared from the knowledge of nearly all. Morgoth never forgot his enemy Turgon however and always sought his refuge.

After many years the Siege of Angband was broken in the Battle of Sudden Flame and King Fingolfin was killed in Duel with Morgoth. The Eagles bore his body to Turgon and a cairn was built over his grave. the Eagles then guarded all the passes to Gondolin and Turgon forbade anybody in his kingdom to ever leave the confines of the Encircling mountains again. His sister Aredhel ar Feiniel (sp?) however as time wore on grew tired and wished to visit her friends and family of the people of Feanor. Turgon reluctantly allowed her to leave. Leave she did but was mistreated by the sons of Feanor and upon escaping wandered in dark woods where she was taken as wife by a dark Elf named Eol. There they had a son, Maeglin who in looks took after his mother. Eventually Aredhel grew tired also of the dark woods and left to return to Gondolin with her son. This was not to the liking of Eol who followed them.

On return to Gondolin Aredhel was joyfully greeted and Maeglin treated as one of the Royal household, in some ways second only to the King. However, he coveted Turgon's daughter Idril Celebrindal, feelings that were not returned and this began the darkening of his heart. Eol appeared at the gates of Gondolin and after spurning Turgon's offer to stay in honour (and having been forbade to leave on pain of death - to preserve the secret City's whereabouts) was put to death in view of his son.

Hurin and Huor, two great Leaders of the Edain³ were brought up in Gondolin after their land was overrun by Morgoth's armies but eventually they, as mortals decided to leave to live, as they saw it, useful lives outside the confines of the Encircling Mountains. The Woes of Hurin are told elsewhere but suffice it to say, after his capture and the Curse of his children by Morgoth had worked its course, he was released by Morgoth and he sought to return to Gondolin. He went to find the old ways in but found them blocked and cried aloud for Turgon to take him back. But there was no way back and the spies of Morgoth heard his cries. This is how they first got a clue to the whereabouts of the city.

As fate had foretold eventually Ulmo decided that the fate of Gondoling was drawing near. The ruin of Doriath and Nargothrond left only Gondolin remaining of the Elven Kingdoms and he summoned Tuor son of Huor to Nevrast where in antiquity he had instructed Turgon to leave weapons and armour so that he might recognise the emissary of Ulmo in th distant future. Tuor donned these items and through fate was able to find Gondolin though the paths there were blocked to all else.

Turgon was stunned when the foretold emissary telling of the impending fall of the city arrived. But he had resided there long and the City was beautiful and he did not heed the original warning of Ulmo and refused to leave. He did send Mariners across the sea to find the Valar and ask for help against Morgoth but none returned. Tuor was treated with honour and love grew between him and Idril. This led to the jealousy of Maeglin who by now defied the King and mined the Encircling mountains well outside the boundaries set by Turgon. On one foray he was captured by Morgoth's forces who were now watching the area after Hurin's indiscretion. He was tortured and seduced by Morgoth, betraying the location of the city due to his jealousy, he was promised overlordship of the city and the possession of Idril by Morgoth.

Morgoth then unleashed a huge force against the city with no warning. The host included many Dragons and Balrogs and despite a valourous defence the city was overwhelmed. Two Elves became renowned in the fall of the City. Ecthelion of the Fountain duelled with Gothmog, the chief Balrog and they killed each other. The other was Glorfindel⁴. He was amongst a group of survivors who had built and escape tunnel. This group also include Tuor, Idril and their son, Earendil. Theu were ambushed when almost out of the rout and a Balrog was there but Glorfindel fought a mighty battle with the Balrog and killed it before succumbing himself.

Thus Gondolin was no more but Earendil and Tuor had escaped. It was Earendil who eventually wore the Silmaril that Beren had won from the Iron Crown and with its power sailed to Valinor and earned the help of the West in the ovethrow of Morgoth.

Numenor

The Forging of the Rings of Power