The Silmarillion

All references to The Silmarillion are to the hardcover first American edition of 1977 (Boston, Houghton Mifflin).

The Silmarillion, published 15 September 1977 -- On the fortieth anniversary of its publication.


Why Does the Roaring of the Sea Disquiet the Valar?  -- A discussion of the sea and the Ainulindalë (Silmarillion, 19).

Melkor's Song of Ice and Fire -- A Brief Note on the Ainulindalë -- Melkor's unwitting cooperation in the creation of beauty.

Nienna's Room with a View -- Silmarillion, 28 -- What does it mean to say that the windows of Nienna's halls 'look outward from the walls of the world.'?

Guest Post -- Luke Baugher on Tulkas and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- An intriguing investigation into a possible origin for the name of the Vala Tulkas.

Tulkas and Sir Gawain, revisited ever so briefly -- The possible derivation of Tulkas' name may contain a joke.

The Dream of Manwë in 'Of Aulë and Yavanna' -- A discussion of the dream of Manwë, touching upon The Aeneid, On Fairy-Stories, and Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians.

Hellehinca, or Morgoth the Lame -- A possible Old English source for the lameness of Morgoth (Silmarillion 153-54).

The Dark Heart of the Smith Still Dwells in It (Silmarillion 201-02) --  The intention of the smith matters to the moral quality of the object.

Sand of Pearls in Elvenland, or, Boethius on the Shore -- One of the poems in The Consolation of Philosophy contains a possible source for Tolkien's image.

From Terrible Beauty to Beacon of Hope -- The Silmarils from Fëanor to Eärendil -- The transformation of the Silmarils from the First to the Third Age.

'Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?' -- A Shakespearean Túrin  -- On how Túrin spoke.