Synopsis The Silmarillion

1 synopsis

1.1 ainulindalë , valaquenta
1.2 quenta silmarillion
1.3 akallabêth
1.4 of rings of power , third age

synopsis

ainulindalë , valaquenta

the first section of silmarillion, ainulindalë ( music of ainur ), takes form of primary creation narrative. eru ( 1 ), called ilúvatar ( father of ), first created ainur, group of eternal spirits or demiurges, called offspring of thought . ilúvatar brought ainur , showed them theme, bade them make great music. melkor – whom ilúvatar had given greatest power , knowledge of ainur – broke harmony of music develop own song. ainur joined him, while others continued follow ilúvatar, causing discord in music. happened thrice, eru ilúvatar overpowering rebellious subordinate new theme each time. ilúvatar stopped music , showed them vision of arda , peoples. vision disappeared after while, , ilúvatar offered ainur chance enter arda , govern on new world.

many ainur descended, taking physical form , becoming bound world. greater ainur became known valar, while lesser ainur called maiar. valar attempted prepare world coming inhabitants (elves , men), while melkor, wanted arda himself, repeatedly destroyed work; went on thousands of years until, through waves of destruction , creation, world took shape.

valaquenta ( account of valar ) describes melkor , each of 14 valar in detail, few of maiar. reveals how melkor seduced many maiar – including become sauron , balrogs – service.

quenta 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.

akallabêth

akallabêth ( downfallen ) comprises 30 pages, , recounts rise , fall of island kingdom of númenor, inhabited dúnedain. after defeat of melkor, valar gave island 3 loyal houses of men had aided elves in war against him. through favour valar, dúnedain granted wisdom , power , life more enduring other of mortal race had possessed, making them comparable high-elves of aman. indeed, isle of númenor lay closer aman middle-earth. power lay in bliss , acceptance of mortality. fall of númenor came in large measure through influence of corrupted maia sauron (the chief servant of melkor), arose during second age , tried conquer middle-earth.

the númenóreans moved against sauron, saw not defeat them force , allowed himself taken prisoner númenor. there enthralled king, ar-pharazôn, urging him seek out immortality valar had apparently denied him, nurturing seeds of envy númenóreans had begun hold against elves of west , valar. knowledge , power of númenor turned towards seeking avoidance of death; weakened them , sped gradual waning of lifespans more similar of other men. sauron urged them wage war against valar win immortality, , worship master melkor, whom said grant them wish. ar-pharazôn created mightiest army , fleet númenor had seen, , sailed against aman. valar , elves of aman, stricken grief on betrayal, called on ilúvatar help. when ar-pharazôn landed, ilúvatar destroyed fleet , drowned númenor punishment rebellion against rightful rule of valar. ilúvatar created great wave, such had never before been seen, utterly destroyed , submerged isle of númenor, killing dúnedain had sailed east, , changing shape of lands of middle-earth.

sauron s physical manifestation destroyed in ruin of númenor, maia spirit returned middle-earth, no longer able take upon himself fair form once had. númenóreans had remained loyal valar spared , washed on shores of middle-earth. among these survivors elendil leader, descendant of elros, , 2 sons isildur , anárion had saved seedling númenor s white tree, ancestor of of gondor. founded númenórean kingdoms in exile: arnor in north , gondor in south. elendil reigned high-king of both kingdoms, committed rule of gondor jointly isildur , anárion. power of kingdoms in exile diminished of númenor, yet great seemed wild men of middle-earth .

at end, mentioned sunken númenor came called atalantë , name not used when existed. led many readers conclusion númenor atlantis; direct link was, however, denied tolkien himself, asserted s natural word following constructs of quenya.

of rings of power , third age

the concluding section of book, comprising 20 pages, describes events take place in middle-earth during second , third ages. in second age, sauron emerged main power in middle-earth, , rings of power forged elves led celebrimbor. sauron secretly forged own ring control others, led war between peoples of middle-earth , sauron, culminating in war of last alliance, in elves , remaining númenóreans united defeat sauron, bringing second age end. third age began passing of 1 ring isildur, ambushed @ gladden fields shortly afterwards, , lost ring in river anduin. section gives brief overview of events leading , taking place in lord of rings, including waning of gondor, re-emergence of sauron, white council, saruman s treachery, , sauron s final destruction along 1 ring, after ages of magic end.