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lignota and oloriel.
Welcome this fortnight's chapter discussion!
Important: This is not a spoiler-free zone. It is hard to discuss any chapter in depth without referring to things that happen in later chapters. Proceed at your own risk!
Chapter 5 – Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië
Banner bylignota.
Summary
In this chapter, the Vanyar and Noldor reach the westernmost shores of Middle-earth. To ferry them to Aman, Ulmo uproots an island, and thus the first Elves come into the Blessed Realm, where they begin to settle. The Teleri, being at that time too far from the sea to hear Ulmo's summons, remain behind, only journeying to the shore after the Vanyar and Noldor have left. Their leader is now Olwë, the brother of Elwë. The Teleri live by the shores of the Great Sea for a long time; they become friends of Ossë and Uinen. When Ulmo at the request of Finwë returns to Middle-earth to bring the Teleri to Aman, Ossë is displeased. Many Teleri are now willing to leave Middle-earth, but some are persuaded by Ossë to remain. They become the Falathrim, led by Círdan the Shipwright. Those Teleri who are still searching for Elwë also stay behind. Elwë and Melian later find them and become their king and queen.
Ossë is still unhappy that most of the Teler have left, so he follows the island-ferry and calls out to them. They hear him and beg Ulmo to stop their journey, which Ulmo does. The island remains in the Bay of Eldamar and is called Tol Eressëa, the Lonely Isle.
In the meantime, the Noldor and Vanyar have built their own city in Valinor: Tirion upon the hill of Túna, located in a gap between the mountains that encircle Valinor. From this place, the Eldar can see both the ocean and the Two Trees. The Vanyar have formed a deep friendship with Manwë and Varda, while the Noldor are especially fond of Aulë.
At last, the Teleri decide to leave Tol Eressëa and come to Aman proper. Ulmo asks Ossë to teach them how to make ships, and when these ships are built, they are drawn by swans across the Bay of Eldamar. When the Teleri build their own city (with the help of the Noldor), they call it Alqualondë, "Haven of the Swans".
The Vanyar eventually wish to be closer to the Two Trees and to Manwë, and leave Tirion to live at the foot of Taniquetil. Ingwë, lord of the Vanyar, is considered the High King of all the Elves. Finwë is king of the Noldor, and in time fathers three sons on two wives: Fëanor, son of Míriel, and Fingolfin and Finarfin, sons of Indis. Fëanor has seven sons: Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amros and Amrad. Fingolfin's children are Fingon, Turgon and Aredhel. Finarfin's children are Finrod Felagund, Orodreth, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel. (Most of these people are going to be instrumental in the later history of Middle-earth, so it's useful to get acquainted to their names early on.)
Our Favourite Quotes
"In the north these shores, in the ancient days after the Battle of the Powers, bent ever westward, until in the northernmost parts of Arda only a narrow sea divided Aman, upon which Valinor was built, from the Hither Lands; but this narrow sea was filled with grinding ice, because of the violence of the frosts of Melkor."
"Thus it came to be that the Teleri, who were from the beginning lovers of water, and the fairest singers of all the Elves, were after enamoured of the seas, and their songs were filled with the sound of waves upon the shore."
"Greatly though [Elwë] had desired to see again the light of the Trees, in the face of Melian he beheld the light of Aman as in an unclouded mirror, and in that light he was content. His people gathered about him in joy, and they were amazed; for fair and noble as he had been, now he appeared as it were a lord of the Maiar, his hair as grey silver, tallest of all the Children of Ilúvatar; and a high doom was before him."
"Even among the radiant flowers of the Tree-lit gardens of Valinor [the Noldor and Vanyar] longed still at times to see the stars; and therefore a gap was made in the great walls of the Pelóri, and there in a deep valley that ran down to the sea the Eldar raised a high green hill: Túna it was called."
"Then through the Calacirya, the Pass of Light, the radiance of the Blessed Realm streamed forth, kindling the dark waves to silver and gold, and it touched the Lonely Isle, and its western shore grew green and fair. There bloomed the first flowers that ever were east of the Mountains of Aman."
"And it came to pass that the masons of the house of Finwë, quarrying in the hills after stone (for they delighted in the building of high towers), first discovered the earth-gems, and brought them forth in countless myriads; and they devised tools for the cutting and shaping of gems, and carved them in many forms. They hoarded them not, but gave them freely, and by their labour enriched all Valinor."
"There [the Teleri] dwelt, and if they wished they could see the light of the Trees, and could tread upon the golden streets of Valmar and the crystal stairs of Tirion upon Túna, the green hill; but most of all they sailed in their swift ships on the waters of the Bay of Elvenhome, or walked in the waves upon the shore with their hair gleaming in the light beyond the hill."
"And many pearls [the Teleri] won for themselves from the sea, and their halls were of pearl, and of pearl were the mansions of Olwë at Alqualondë, the Haven of the Swans, lit with many lamps. For that was their city, and the haven of their ships; and those were made in the likeness of swans, with beaks of gold and eyes of gold and jet."
"For all living things that are or have been in the Kingdom of Arda, save only the fell and evil creatures of Melkor, lived then in the land of Aman; and there also were many other creatures that have not been seen upon Middle-earth, and perhaps never now shall be, since the fashion of the world was changed."
Earlier Versions
~ In the first version of this story, Ossë's relationship with the Teleri is quite different. To begin with, he doesn't care about them, but is very much offended because Ulmo is using the same island ferry that once Ossë used to bring the Valar to Aman without asking him first (2). For this reason, he assaults the island (with Uinen's help!) when Ulmo is trying to bring the Teleri to Valinor, stops its progress, and eventually roots it to the sea floor. The Teleri are therefore stranded against their own will, and take refuge in the caves of what is now the Lonely Isle. (2)
~ It is Ulmo, not Ossë, who teaches the Teleri sea-lore and music in The Book of Lost Tales. The Teleri's piping and love of the sea eventually endear them to Ossë, however. (2)
~ Ulmo actually considers making war on Ossë to deliver the Teleri into Valinor, but the other Valar do not allow it. His chance comes when Ossë settles many seabirds on and around Tol Eressëa. The Teleri harness these birds to their rafts on the lakes of Tol Eressëa, and some even venture out to sea where Ulmo sees their new invention. Asking help of Oromë and Aulë, Ulmo secretly has a fleet of ships built to ferry the Teleri to Valinor. Ossë does not discover this until too late because Aulë cunningly makes the ships look like swans. The fleet is well underway when Ossë realises what is happening; but as he has now grown fond of the Teleri, he will not sink their ships and lets them go. (2)
~ Ossë's wrath and rebellion continue to be the reason for the rooting of Tol Eressëa in "The Earliest 'Silmarillion'" and "The Quenta". However, Ossë no longer needs to be tricked: He releases the Teleri when Ulmo asks it of him. He even gives them swans to pull their boats, which the Teleri now build under Ulmo's tutelage without help from either Aulë or Oromë (3; 4; 8).
~ In other versions, the ferry island is what has remained of the Valar's very first dwelling in Arda (3; 4; 8). In these versions of the narrative, Ossë no longer acts as he does out of anger about Ulmo's choice of vessel, but because he has become enamoured of the Teleri. In the "Quenta Silmarillion", the Teleri first beg Ulmo to stay their journey and root Tol Eressëa in the Bay of Eldamar. However, Ulmo does not yet understand and condone the Teleri's desire to stay their journey; instead, he is angry (8). In "The Annals of Aman", Ossë becomes the one who teaches the Teleri ship-building (10, §75).
~ Tirion upon Túna undergoes a variety of name changes. In The Book of Lost Tales, it is named Kôr like the hill upon which it is built (2). In later versions, Kôr (also spelled Côr) is purely the name of the hill, and the city now is named Tûn (3 – 6; 8). The "Annals of Aman" first introduce the name of Tirion, with Túna becoming the name of the hill. (10)
~ In The Book of Lost Tales, the Vanyar and Noldor receive shoots of both Laurelin and Telperion (2). This detail then completely disappears, until "The Annals of Aman" report that Yavanna gives the White Tree Galathilion to the Noldor (10, §69). It is not yet clear whether this is supposed to be the White Tree that later grows in Gondor, or merely its ancestor as is later stated in The Silmarillion.
~ Initially, there is no link between Fëanor and the king of the Noldor, then named Nólemë (2)."The Earliest 'Silmarillion'" names Fëanor as the second son of Finn (Finwë) the Noldorin king, and Fingolfin as the firstborn (3). "The Quenta" names Fëanor first. It is also where the seven sons of Fëanor make their first appearance, along with three children of Fingolfin (named Finweg, Turgon and Isfin the White). Finarfin, then called Finrod, is father of Felagund, Orodreth, Angrod and Egnor (4); Galadriel does not appear until "The later Quenta Silmarillion" (9).
~ The Noldor initially created (all) jewels rather than finding them in the earth. Aulë has taught them to make a crystalline substance, but the Noldor come up with the art of dyeing these gems by using "the juices of roses and red flowers", "the water of the creek of Kôr" and various other means (2).
~ There is scant detail in "The Later Annals of Valinor" in The Lost Road and it is more of a summary of events than anything else. (6)
~ The version in "Quenta Silmarillion" in The Lost Road has not become a seperate chapter, as it is part of the chapter that extends from "Of the Coming of Elves" through "Of Eldamar," but Tolkien did break it into the subheadings that became the seperate chapters. (7)
~ This is also the first time that Amrod and Amras are explicitely named as twins and the passage about all non-evil creatures living in Aman appeared. (8)
~ It is in "The later Quenta Silmarillion" that the Lonely Isle loses its connection with the Valar's first habitation. It is also here that Ulmo first understands the Teleri's desire to stay in the starlight. Some changes were made to the names (notably Aredhel's description expanded, Galadriel added and Orodreth struck out as a son). (9)
~ "The Annals of Aman" in Morgoth's Ring have many new elements, among them Ulmo's music turning fear of the sea into desire, the Noldor mining gems rather than creating them, the appearance of the relation of Finarfin's children to Thingol, and Círdan's and Galadriel's appearances from The Lord of the Rings. (10)
~ For this subject matter, there is very little difference between the "Annals of Aman" in Morgoth's Ring and "The Gray Annals" in The War of the Jewels, to the point where Christopher Tolkien speculates that the latter was copied from the former. (11)
~ There is a short essay in "Last Writings" in The Peoples of Middle-earth about Círdan, of which almost everything is new. In it is stated that he's kin to Elwë and Olwë; that he and his people remained a distinct group from the rest of the Sindar (they even spoke an older version of the language); and that the Valar warned him not to attempt the building of an ocean-worthy ship when he missed traveling to Valinor on the Lonely Isle, but instead to wait. It also states that shipbuilding was not not taught to the Elves by Ossë, but was instead already a known craft (which would explain why the Falathrim build the same ships as the Teleri do!). (12)
Food for Thought
~ Why do you think Tolkien abandoned the idea of the Elves receiving scions of both Trees?
~ Ossë's role in this chapter has been changed quite a bit throughout its different incarnations. From a jealous deity who waylays the Teleri and almost provokesUlmo into warfare, he turns into a somewhat selfish but ultimately benevolent influence on the Teleri's life. Why do you think Tolkien changed his mind about Ossë's role?
~ Aside from the Teleri's fishing, the hunting of Celegorm, Amrod and Amras, and a later mention of the "fields and pastures of Yavanna" and the "first gathering of fruits" (13), Tolkien does not exactly venture much information on how the Elves fed themselves – or generally dealt with everyday concerns. Have you ever thought about Elven everyday life and economy in more detail?
~ After the Vanyar left, The Silmarillion states that the Noldor and Teleri grew closer. How much converse do you think the Vanyar had with the other two groups? Was it solely diplomatic, trade-related, or more common than stated?
~ Fëanor and his sons explore Valinor, and it says in Morgoth's Ring that Nerdanel's own wandering is how she met Fëanor. (14) How common do you think it was for people of the Eldar to explore Valinor?
Works Cited
(1)The Silmarillion. "Chapter 5. Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië".
(2)The History of Middle-earth: The Book of Lost Tales 1. "V. The Coming of the Elves and the Making of Kôr".
(3)The History of Middle-earth: The Shaping of Middle-earth. "II. The earliest 'Silmarillion'".
(4)The History of Middle-earth: The Shaping of Middle-earth. "III. The Quenta".
(5)The History of Middle-earth: The Shaping of Middle-earth. "VI. The Earliest Annals of Valinor".
(6) The Lost Road, "The Later Annals of Valinor," V.Y. 2000 – V.Y. 2500
(7) The Lost Road, "Quenta Silmarillion," 3 (a) "Of the Coming of Elves" introductory note
(8) The Lost Road, "Quenta Silmarillion," 3 (c) Of Kôr and Alqualondë, §35, 37, 41, 45
(9) Morgoth's Ring. The Later Quenta Silmarillion. "Of Eldanor and the Princes of the Eldalië" §35, 37, 42
(10) Morgoth's Ring. The Later Quenta Silmarillion. "The Annals of Aman," §75, 66, 69, 79, 85, 70, 85
(11) The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals," §11—14 and their notes in the commentary
(12) The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Last Writings," Círdan
(13)The Silmarillion. "Chapter 8. Of the Darkening of Valinor".
(14) Morgoth's Ring "The Later Quenta Silmarillion," Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor"
Please note: We don't know everything and it's perfectly possible that we missed something. These summaries and questions are by no means supposed to be complete and exhaustive. If you have looked further into this particular topic or would like to discuss something that we've overlooked, please share it!
Also, please don't be afraid to talk amongst yourselves. We don't want this to be an echo chamber or for us to be lecturing to you. We want this to be a discussion among the community as a whole – everybody's got something to contribute!
“Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor” is due March 9.
lignota and oloriel.Welcome this fortnight's chapter discussion!
Important: This is not a spoiler-free zone. It is hard to discuss any chapter in depth without referring to things that happen in later chapters. Proceed at your own risk!
Chapter 5 – Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië
Banner by
lignota.Summary
In this chapter, the Vanyar and Noldor reach the westernmost shores of Middle-earth. To ferry them to Aman, Ulmo uproots an island, and thus the first Elves come into the Blessed Realm, where they begin to settle. The Teleri, being at that time too far from the sea to hear Ulmo's summons, remain behind, only journeying to the shore after the Vanyar and Noldor have left. Their leader is now Olwë, the brother of Elwë. The Teleri live by the shores of the Great Sea for a long time; they become friends of Ossë and Uinen. When Ulmo at the request of Finwë returns to Middle-earth to bring the Teleri to Aman, Ossë is displeased. Many Teleri are now willing to leave Middle-earth, but some are persuaded by Ossë to remain. They become the Falathrim, led by Círdan the Shipwright. Those Teleri who are still searching for Elwë also stay behind. Elwë and Melian later find them and become their king and queen.
Ossë is still unhappy that most of the Teler have left, so he follows the island-ferry and calls out to them. They hear him and beg Ulmo to stop their journey, which Ulmo does. The island remains in the Bay of Eldamar and is called Tol Eressëa, the Lonely Isle.
In the meantime, the Noldor and Vanyar have built their own city in Valinor: Tirion upon the hill of Túna, located in a gap between the mountains that encircle Valinor. From this place, the Eldar can see both the ocean and the Two Trees. The Vanyar have formed a deep friendship with Manwë and Varda, while the Noldor are especially fond of Aulë.
At last, the Teleri decide to leave Tol Eressëa and come to Aman proper. Ulmo asks Ossë to teach them how to make ships, and when these ships are built, they are drawn by swans across the Bay of Eldamar. When the Teleri build their own city (with the help of the Noldor), they call it Alqualondë, "Haven of the Swans".
The Vanyar eventually wish to be closer to the Two Trees and to Manwë, and leave Tirion to live at the foot of Taniquetil. Ingwë, lord of the Vanyar, is considered the High King of all the Elves. Finwë is king of the Noldor, and in time fathers three sons on two wives: Fëanor, son of Míriel, and Fingolfin and Finarfin, sons of Indis. Fëanor has seven sons: Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amros and Amrad. Fingolfin's children are Fingon, Turgon and Aredhel. Finarfin's children are Finrod Felagund, Orodreth, Angrod, Aegnor and Galadriel. (Most of these people are going to be instrumental in the later history of Middle-earth, so it's useful to get acquainted to their names early on.)
Our Favourite Quotes
"In the north these shores, in the ancient days after the Battle of the Powers, bent ever westward, until in the northernmost parts of Arda only a narrow sea divided Aman, upon which Valinor was built, from the Hither Lands; but this narrow sea was filled with grinding ice, because of the violence of the frosts of Melkor."
"Thus it came to be that the Teleri, who were from the beginning lovers of water, and the fairest singers of all the Elves, were after enamoured of the seas, and their songs were filled with the sound of waves upon the shore."
"Greatly though [Elwë] had desired to see again the light of the Trees, in the face of Melian he beheld the light of Aman as in an unclouded mirror, and in that light he was content. His people gathered about him in joy, and they were amazed; for fair and noble as he had been, now he appeared as it were a lord of the Maiar, his hair as grey silver, tallest of all the Children of Ilúvatar; and a high doom was before him."
"Even among the radiant flowers of the Tree-lit gardens of Valinor [the Noldor and Vanyar] longed still at times to see the stars; and therefore a gap was made in the great walls of the Pelóri, and there in a deep valley that ran down to the sea the Eldar raised a high green hill: Túna it was called."
"Then through the Calacirya, the Pass of Light, the radiance of the Blessed Realm streamed forth, kindling the dark waves to silver and gold, and it touched the Lonely Isle, and its western shore grew green and fair. There bloomed the first flowers that ever were east of the Mountains of Aman."
"And it came to pass that the masons of the house of Finwë, quarrying in the hills after stone (for they delighted in the building of high towers), first discovered the earth-gems, and brought them forth in countless myriads; and they devised tools for the cutting and shaping of gems, and carved them in many forms. They hoarded them not, but gave them freely, and by their labour enriched all Valinor."
"There [the Teleri] dwelt, and if they wished they could see the light of the Trees, and could tread upon the golden streets of Valmar and the crystal stairs of Tirion upon Túna, the green hill; but most of all they sailed in their swift ships on the waters of the Bay of Elvenhome, or walked in the waves upon the shore with their hair gleaming in the light beyond the hill."
"And many pearls [the Teleri] won for themselves from the sea, and their halls were of pearl, and of pearl were the mansions of Olwë at Alqualondë, the Haven of the Swans, lit with many lamps. For that was their city, and the haven of their ships; and those were made in the likeness of swans, with beaks of gold and eyes of gold and jet."
"For all living things that are or have been in the Kingdom of Arda, save only the fell and evil creatures of Melkor, lived then in the land of Aman; and there also were many other creatures that have not been seen upon Middle-earth, and perhaps never now shall be, since the fashion of the world was changed."
Earlier Versions
~ In the first version of this story, Ossë's relationship with the Teleri is quite different. To begin with, he doesn't care about them, but is very much offended because Ulmo is using the same island ferry that once Ossë used to bring the Valar to Aman without asking him first (2). For this reason, he assaults the island (with Uinen's help!) when Ulmo is trying to bring the Teleri to Valinor, stops its progress, and eventually roots it to the sea floor. The Teleri are therefore stranded against their own will, and take refuge in the caves of what is now the Lonely Isle. (2)
~ It is Ulmo, not Ossë, who teaches the Teleri sea-lore and music in The Book of Lost Tales. The Teleri's piping and love of the sea eventually endear them to Ossë, however. (2)
~ Ulmo actually considers making war on Ossë to deliver the Teleri into Valinor, but the other Valar do not allow it. His chance comes when Ossë settles many seabirds on and around Tol Eressëa. The Teleri harness these birds to their rafts on the lakes of Tol Eressëa, and some even venture out to sea where Ulmo sees their new invention. Asking help of Oromë and Aulë, Ulmo secretly has a fleet of ships built to ferry the Teleri to Valinor. Ossë does not discover this until too late because Aulë cunningly makes the ships look like swans. The fleet is well underway when Ossë realises what is happening; but as he has now grown fond of the Teleri, he will not sink their ships and lets them go. (2)
~ Ossë's wrath and rebellion continue to be the reason for the rooting of Tol Eressëa in "The Earliest 'Silmarillion'" and "The Quenta". However, Ossë no longer needs to be tricked: He releases the Teleri when Ulmo asks it of him. He even gives them swans to pull their boats, which the Teleri now build under Ulmo's tutelage without help from either Aulë or Oromë (3; 4; 8).
~ In other versions, the ferry island is what has remained of the Valar's very first dwelling in Arda (3; 4; 8). In these versions of the narrative, Ossë no longer acts as he does out of anger about Ulmo's choice of vessel, but because he has become enamoured of the Teleri. In the "Quenta Silmarillion", the Teleri first beg Ulmo to stay their journey and root Tol Eressëa in the Bay of Eldamar. However, Ulmo does not yet understand and condone the Teleri's desire to stay their journey; instead, he is angry (8). In "The Annals of Aman", Ossë becomes the one who teaches the Teleri ship-building (10, §75).
~ Tirion upon Túna undergoes a variety of name changes. In The Book of Lost Tales, it is named Kôr like the hill upon which it is built (2). In later versions, Kôr (also spelled Côr) is purely the name of the hill, and the city now is named Tûn (3 – 6; 8). The "Annals of Aman" first introduce the name of Tirion, with Túna becoming the name of the hill. (10)
~ In The Book of Lost Tales, the Vanyar and Noldor receive shoots of both Laurelin and Telperion (2). This detail then completely disappears, until "The Annals of Aman" report that Yavanna gives the White Tree Galathilion to the Noldor (10, §69). It is not yet clear whether this is supposed to be the White Tree that later grows in Gondor, or merely its ancestor as is later stated in The Silmarillion.
~ Initially, there is no link between Fëanor and the king of the Noldor, then named Nólemë (2)."The Earliest 'Silmarillion'" names Fëanor as the second son of Finn (Finwë) the Noldorin king, and Fingolfin as the firstborn (3). "The Quenta" names Fëanor first. It is also where the seven sons of Fëanor make their first appearance, along with three children of Fingolfin (named Finweg, Turgon and Isfin the White). Finarfin, then called Finrod, is father of Felagund, Orodreth, Angrod and Egnor (4); Galadriel does not appear until "The later Quenta Silmarillion" (9).
~ The Noldor initially created (all) jewels rather than finding them in the earth. Aulë has taught them to make a crystalline substance, but the Noldor come up with the art of dyeing these gems by using "the juices of roses and red flowers", "the water of the creek of Kôr" and various other means (2).
~ There is scant detail in "The Later Annals of Valinor" in The Lost Road and it is more of a summary of events than anything else. (6)
~ The version in "Quenta Silmarillion" in The Lost Road has not become a seperate chapter, as it is part of the chapter that extends from "Of the Coming of Elves" through "Of Eldamar," but Tolkien did break it into the subheadings that became the seperate chapters. (7)
~ This is also the first time that Amrod and Amras are explicitely named as twins and the passage about all non-evil creatures living in Aman appeared. (8)
~ It is in "The later Quenta Silmarillion" that the Lonely Isle loses its connection with the Valar's first habitation. It is also here that Ulmo first understands the Teleri's desire to stay in the starlight. Some changes were made to the names (notably Aredhel's description expanded, Galadriel added and Orodreth struck out as a son). (9)
~ "The Annals of Aman" in Morgoth's Ring have many new elements, among them Ulmo's music turning fear of the sea into desire, the Noldor mining gems rather than creating them, the appearance of the relation of Finarfin's children to Thingol, and Círdan's and Galadriel's appearances from The Lord of the Rings. (10)
~ For this subject matter, there is very little difference between the "Annals of Aman" in Morgoth's Ring and "The Gray Annals" in The War of the Jewels, to the point where Christopher Tolkien speculates that the latter was copied from the former. (11)
~ There is a short essay in "Last Writings" in The Peoples of Middle-earth about Círdan, of which almost everything is new. In it is stated that he's kin to Elwë and Olwë; that he and his people remained a distinct group from the rest of the Sindar (they even spoke an older version of the language); and that the Valar warned him not to attempt the building of an ocean-worthy ship when he missed traveling to Valinor on the Lonely Isle, but instead to wait. It also states that shipbuilding was not not taught to the Elves by Ossë, but was instead already a known craft (which would explain why the Falathrim build the same ships as the Teleri do!). (12)
Food for Thought
~ Why do you think Tolkien abandoned the idea of the Elves receiving scions of both Trees?
~ Ossë's role in this chapter has been changed quite a bit throughout its different incarnations. From a jealous deity who waylays the Teleri and almost provokesUlmo into warfare, he turns into a somewhat selfish but ultimately benevolent influence on the Teleri's life. Why do you think Tolkien changed his mind about Ossë's role?
~ Aside from the Teleri's fishing, the hunting of Celegorm, Amrod and Amras, and a later mention of the "fields and pastures of Yavanna" and the "first gathering of fruits" (13), Tolkien does not exactly venture much information on how the Elves fed themselves – or generally dealt with everyday concerns. Have you ever thought about Elven everyday life and economy in more detail?
~ After the Vanyar left, The Silmarillion states that the Noldor and Teleri grew closer. How much converse do you think the Vanyar had with the other two groups? Was it solely diplomatic, trade-related, or more common than stated?
~ Fëanor and his sons explore Valinor, and it says in Morgoth's Ring that Nerdanel's own wandering is how she met Fëanor. (14) How common do you think it was for people of the Eldar to explore Valinor?
Works Cited
(1)The Silmarillion. "Chapter 5. Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië".
(2)The History of Middle-earth: The Book of Lost Tales 1. "V. The Coming of the Elves and the Making of Kôr".
(3)The History of Middle-earth: The Shaping of Middle-earth. "II. The earliest 'Silmarillion'".
(4)The History of Middle-earth: The Shaping of Middle-earth. "III. The Quenta".
(5)The History of Middle-earth: The Shaping of Middle-earth. "VI. The Earliest Annals of Valinor".
(6) The Lost Road, "The Later Annals of Valinor," V.Y. 2000 – V.Y. 2500
(7) The Lost Road, "Quenta Silmarillion," 3 (a) "Of the Coming of Elves" introductory note
(8) The Lost Road, "Quenta Silmarillion," 3 (c) Of Kôr and Alqualondë, §35, 37, 41, 45
(9) Morgoth's Ring. The Later Quenta Silmarillion. "Of Eldanor and the Princes of the Eldalië" §35, 37, 42
(10) Morgoth's Ring. The Later Quenta Silmarillion. "The Annals of Aman," §75, 66, 69, 79, 85, 70, 85
(11) The War of the Jewels, "The Grey Annals," §11—14 and their notes in the commentary
(12) The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Last Writings," Círdan
(13)The Silmarillion. "Chapter 8. Of the Darkening of Valinor".
(14) Morgoth's Ring "The Later Quenta Silmarillion," Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor"
Please note: We don't know everything and it's perfectly possible that we missed something. These summaries and questions are by no means supposed to be complete and exhaustive. If you have looked further into this particular topic or would like to discuss something that we've overlooked, please share it!
Also, please don't be afraid to talk amongst yourselves. We don't want this to be an echo chamber or for us to be lecturing to you. We want this to be a discussion among the community as a whole – everybody's got something to contribute!
“Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor” is due March 9.
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