The Silmarillion is a
book for those who have read 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' at least once. It is the
history of the First Age of Middle Earth.
The first part of the book, the
Ainulindale (Music of the Ainur), tells of the creation of the Universe by Eru. This is also where Melkor, Sauron's superior, is first mentioned.
The second part is the
Valaquenta (History of the Valar). It describes the Valar, who Eru sends to rule this world and the Maiar, the servants of the Valar.
The third section,
Quenta Silmarillion, is the story of the Silmarils. It begins when the
elves come to life and explains their history up to the time when the Silmarils have all been lost. This includes their journey to the land of the Valar, the creation of the Silmarils, Melkor’s theft of the Silmarils and the defeat of Melkor.It answers a lot of the questions that are raised in
The Lord of the Rings, like the history of the Numenoreans and the elves who have seen the light, like Glorfindel of Rivendell. It also mentions Durin (the father of the dwarves, after whom Durin’s Day is named) and the first men, but not in detail. This is the history as told by the elves. Those
looking or more about hobbits will also be disappointed – Tolkien has already told us everything known about them in the Prologue to
The Lord of the Rings.Many people advise reading
The Silmarillion from the perspective of the characters from
The Lord of the Rings looking back on past events, but I thought it made most sense as a history book.
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