Quenta Silmarillion The Silmarillion

quenta silmarillion ( history of silmarils ), makes bulk of book, series of interconnected tales set in first age make tragic saga of 3 jewels, silmarils.

the valar had attempted fashion world elves , men, melkor continually destroyed handiwork. after destroyed 2 lamps illuminated world, valar moved aman, continent west of middle-earth, established home called valinor. yavanna created 2 trees illuminated valinor , left middle-earth darkness , melkor. after, stars created varda began shine , elves awoke. elves formed 3 groups: vanyar, noldor, , teleri, though elves captured , enslaved melkor, bred orcs. knowing danger elves in, valar decided fight melkor keep elves safe. after defeating , capturing melkor, invited elves live in aman. many elves travelled aman, while others refused , still others stopped along way, including elves later became sindar, ruled elf king thingol , melian, maia. of 3 tribes set out, of vanyar , noldor, , many of teleri reached aman.

in aman, fëanor, son of finwë, king of noldor, created silmarils, jewels glowed light of 2 trees. melkor, had been held in captivity valar, released after feigning repentance. upon release, melkor deceived fëanor believing eldest half-brother fingolfin attempting coup against finwë. rift led banishment of fëanor noldor city tirion, , fëanor thereafter created fortress formenos north of tirion. finwë moved formenos live fëanor, favorite of 3 sons, , there safely kept silmarils. after many years, fëanor traveled tirion make amends fingolfin, while finwë stayed @ formenos. while making amends, melkor destroyed 2 trees of ungoliant, dark spider melkor found in avathar, on southeast side of aman. together, melkor , ungoliant escaped formenos, killed finwë, stole silmarils, , fled middle-earth. melkor kept silmarils , banished ungoliant, later attacking elvish kingdom of doriath. defeated in first of 5 battles of beleriand, however, , barricaded himself in northern fortress of angband.

fëanor , sons swore oath of vengeance against melkor – , against withheld silmarils them, valar. fëanor persuaded of noldor pursue melkor, whom fëanor renamed morgoth, middle-earth. fëanor s sons seized ships teleri, attacking , killing many of them, , left other noldor make voyage foot. upon arriving in middle-earth, noldor under fëanor attacked melkor , defeated host, though fëanor slain balrogs. after period of peace, melkor attacked noldor again defeated , besieged. 400 years later, broke siege , drove noldor back.

after destruction of trees , theft of silmarils, valar had created moon , sun. @ same time, men awoke, of whom later arrived in beleriand , allied elves. beren, man had survived latest battle, wandered doriath, fell in love elf lúthien, king s daughter. king sought prevent marriage imposing believed impossible task: retrieving 1 of silmarils melkor. together, beren , lúthien embarked on quest. sauron, powerful servant of melkor, imprisoned beren along way; lúthien s escaped, crept melkor s fortress, , stole silmaril melkor s crown. having achieved task, first union of man , elf formed, though beren mortally wounded , lúthien died of grief. convinced vala mandos revive beren , herself, though had renounce immortality.

the noldor, seeing mortal , elf-woman infiltrate angband, perceived melkor not invincible. attacked again great army of elves, dwarves , men. deceived melkor, had secretly darkened hearts of many of men. elvish host utterly defeated, due in part treachery of men. however, many men remained loyal elves , honoured thereafter.

none received more honour brothers húrin , huor. huor died in battle, melkor captured húrin, , cursed him watch downfall of kin. húrin s son, túrin turambar, sent doriath, leaving mother , unborn sister behind in father s kingdom (which had been overrun enemy). túrin achieved many great deeds of valour, greatest being defeat of dragon glaurung. despite heroism, however, túrin plagued curse of melkor, led him unwittingly murder friend beleg , marry , impregnate sister nienor, whom had never met before, , had lost memory through glaurung s enchantment. before child born, bewitchment lifted dragon lay dying. nienor, realizing grew within her, took own life. upon learning truth, túrin threw himself on sword.

huor s son, tuor, became involved in fate of hidden noldorin kingdom of gondolin. married elf idril, daughter of turgon, lord of gondolin (the second union between elves , men). when gondolin fell, betrayed within maeglin, tuor saved many of inhabitants destruction. of elvish kingdoms in beleriand fell, , refugees fled haven sea created tuor. son of tuor , idril, eärendil half-elven, betrothed elwing, herself descended beren , lúthien. elwing brought eärendil silmaril of beren , lúthien, , using light eärendil travelled across sea aman seek valar. valar obliged; attacked , defeated melkor, destroying fortress angband , sinking of beleriand; , expelled melkor arda. ended first age of middle-earth. last 2 silmarils taken fëanor s surviving sons maedhros , maglor. however, maedhros killed himself leaping fiery chasm silmaril while maglor threw sea , spent rest of days wandering along shores of world, singing grief.

eärendil , elwing had 2 children: elrond , elros. descendants of immortal elves , mortal men, given choice of lineage belong to: elrond chose belong elves, brother men. elros became first king of númenor , lived 500 years old, being given extended life in return choosing man.