All Questions
Tagged with tolkiens-legendarium the-silmarillion
391
questions
25
votes
7
answers
8k
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Why was Melkor aka Morgoth created without a female counterpart?
Reading about the Valar something stands out. Originally there were seven Queens i.e. "female" Valar and 8 Lords i.e. "male" Valar with Melkor later rebelling and becoming Morgoth....
- 1,248
18
votes
3
answers
10k
views
How many Balrogs did it take to defeat Fëanor?
How many Balrogs did it take to defeat Fëanor? In The Silmarillion it says:
"Long he fought on, and undismayed, though he was wrapped in fire and wounded with many wounds; but at the last he was ...
- 20.1k
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Melkor's power - why didn't he increase it?
If Iluvatar created the world with the Fire that Melkor had sought, why didn't Melkor use that part of the Fire to become even more powerful?
- 91
1
vote
2
answers
538
views
Mythical parallels for Tolkien's stories [closed]
Edit: Since this question was too broad, I'll center it specifically in Norse mythology (Eddas and Sagas) and only in episodes or motifs in the Silmarillion. Not in the general conception but just in ...
- 107
12
votes
3
answers
4k
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Are any of the original elves that awoke at Cuiviénen named?
This came up because a friend told me he thought Glorfindel was an "original elf". As far as I know, the earliest mention of Glorfindel is at the Fall Of Gondolin, which is a far cry from Cuiviénen. ...
- 621
7
votes
4
answers
1k
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The Valar and their power to create
In The Silmarillion it is said that only Eru possesses the Flame Imperishable, and thus only he can create life. For example, when Aulë tries to create the dwarves, these result in a kind of ...
- 107
10
votes
3
answers
3k
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Did Ilúvatar anticipate Melkor?
Did Ilúvatar know that Melkor would 'turn bad'? Was it part of his vast design? Tolkien often hints that also Morgoth's evil is part of the grand plan, and that he does the will of Ilúvatar in the ...
- 5,519
48
votes
5
answers
27k
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How were hobbits created?
How were hobbits created? I can't find any reference in The Silmarillion about this. Are they just men who have shrunken over generations or what?
- 3,149
11
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Did the Valar fight in the War of Wrath?
I just finished reading The Silmarillion (prior to this, I'd read The Hobbit once and The Lord of the Rings a couple of times), but something bothered me about the ending: did the Valar themselves ...
- 2,855
11
votes
1
answer
743
views
Dagor Dagorath (sources?)
Does anyone know where can I find the references to the Dagor Dagorath, the last battle at the end of the world in Tolkien's legendarium?
I remember something in the Book of Lost Tales, at the end of ...
- 335
22
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Do male elves have long or short hair?
I've noticed that almost every fan drawing of elves (as well as their portrayals in the movies) show them with long hair, both the men and the women. But did Tolkien ever write anything that proved ...
- 335
6
votes
2
answers
947
views
What does "Turambar" mean?
Why was Túrin called "Turambar" (Master of Fate/Doom)? Is it something to do with the Second Prophecy of Mandos?
- 5,519
29
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Did Tolkien acknowledge that Silmarillion is harder to read than LOTR?
Personally, I found Silmarillion to be very difficult to read (I admit to having never been able to finish it) compared to LOTR books. I know plenty of people who share that opinion (even native ...
- 343k
8
votes
3
answers
2k
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Second prophecy of Mandos
Does anybody know anything about the mysterious "Second Prophecy of Mandos"? It seems to be about the end of the world.
- 5,519
10
votes
1
answer
1k
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Who was the original owner of Orcrist?
We know that Glamdring and Orcrist are both from Gondolin, and that Glamdring belonged to Turgon. All I found about Orcrist is a line from the Hobbit saying that it belonged to some great hero of the ...
- 5,519
14
votes
4
answers
8k
views
In the Silmarillion, what was Morgoth's "dark design" against Luthien?
In the chapter "Of Beren and Luthien", we're told that, when Morgoth discovered Luthien in Angband, he
"conceived in his thought an evil lust, and a design more dark than
any that had yet come ...
- 271
23
votes
2
answers
7k
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What happens to an elf in Lord of the Rings who dies twice?
An Elf who dies (whether they are in Valinor or Middle-Earth) goes to the halls of Mandos. After a certain time (to be determined by Mandos, its different for each case) they are returned to life in ...
- 4,044
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Did the exiled Noldor return to Valinor or are they restricted to Eressea after their rebellion?
I often read that the Noldor can go only to Tol Eressea but not to Valinor, is there any proof for it?
- 960
9
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Was the Doom of Mandos a curse or a prediction?
In the Silmillarion, Mandos says:
Tears unnumbered ye shall shed; and the Valar will fence Valinor against you, and shut you out, so that not even the echo of your lamentation shall pass over the ...
user8252
4
votes
2
answers
480
views
What does it mean when: The gods raised Valinor & globed the world?
What does it mean when: The gods raised Valinor & globed the world? Does this mean that Valinor was raised high up in the sky above clouds & the air we breathe?
21
votes
2
answers
5k
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Other than Morgoth, were any of the Valar ever susceptible to physical injury?
Among Tolkien's mythology, Fingolfin's duel with Morgoth is well known. Morgoth suffered serious injury during the fight, and was left with permanent scars. He had also previously suffered burns from ...
- 7,575
91
votes
6
answers
257k
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Is there a hidden significance behind the fact Galadriel gave 3 hairs to Gimli instead of one?
I just saw an interesting interpretation of Galadriel's gift to Gimli on Reddit today, I retraced the source of the image to this tumblr post:
If you’ve read the Silmarillion, you know who Fëanor was....
- 96.1k
32
votes
7
answers
18k
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What powers, if any, did the Silmarils have?
In the Silmarillion, the Silmarils were described as being very powerful, holy jewels.
What form did this power take exactly?
- 20.1k
24
votes
3
answers
3k
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The One Ring and Númenor
Did Sauron have his great Ring while in Númenor? How did he save it then, while in spirit form?
He ... fell into the abyss. But Sauron was not of mortal flesh, and though he was robbed now of that ...
- 4,779
8
votes
1
answer
824
views
Is the appearance of Istari related to Amandil?
There are two major characters trying to reach for the Valar and ask for help. One is Eärendil, who succeded and caused the fall of Morgoth. The other is Amandil, who tried; but nothing is known about ...
- 4,779
89
votes
8
answers
183k
views
What is the true origin of the Orcs?
There are a bunch of theories about the true origin of the Orcs. Tolkien tried out a few different origins for his Orcs throughout his life but died before he could fully revise The Silmarillion with ...
- 1,219
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How did Túrin's sword speak?
At the end of the tragic tale of Túrin Turambar, as told in The Silmarillion, Túrin goes alone to the high point of Cabed-en-Aras above the river Teiglin, and there calls to his sword Gurthang.
There ...
- 3,135
14
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Was there ever a queen for Melkor?
I am reading for the first time the Valaquenta. It mentions right at the beginning the seven Lords and Queens of the Valar (the Valiers). Melkor is excluded from the count of the Lords and from the ...
- 4,779
11
votes
6
answers
2k
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Was there an "original sin" idea in the published version of "The Silmarillion?"
in this answer, it is alluded to that Tolkien had an "original sin" in The Silmarillion. It was based on Morgoth's Ring (part of Tolkien's unpublished drafts).
I gave you life. Now it shall ...
- 343k
26
votes
1
answer
2k
views
In the Silmarillion what is meant by Vampires and Werewolves?
We have a fairly specific idea of what vampires and werewolves are in our society. Vampires are cursed with the need to drink blood and immortality, werewolves are cursed with changing into a huge man-...
- 2,912
15
votes
6
answers
4k
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What ever happened to the last of the sons of Fëanor?
In The Silmarillion we learn that all of Fëanor's sons, like himself and his father Finwë, were killed because of the Silmarils.
All, except one: Maglor, who threw "his" Silmaril into the ...
- 556
24
votes
6
answers
2k
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Foresight in Tolkien
There's no doubt that in Tolkien's world, foresight really exists. There are many examples: Aragorn correctly predicting that "the years of [Elrond's] abiding run short at last"; Malbeth the ...
- 65.4k
23
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How big were the Silmarils?
I was reading through the Silmarillion and came up with this question:
Exactly how big were the Silmarils?
I don't see even a single reference to their exact size. The references that I do see say ...
- 7,624
17
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Why are elves and humans so much alike?
Why are elves and humans so much alike (physically speaking)? Except for the pointy ears, there are no other major (physical) differences, am I right?
Do they have a common ancestor? Or does one of ...
- 271
53
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Were there two elves named Glorfindel?
In the Silmarillion, an elf named Glorfindel is killed in a duel with a Balrog at the battle for Gondolin. (He kills the Balrog as well.) Then in The Fellowship of the Ring, an elf named Glorfindel ...
- 5,629
15
votes
5
answers
11k
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What does Morgoth look like?
Is Morgoth, the original enemy in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth ever visually described? I envisage him as a bigger, meaner version of the physical Sauron, but I cannot find any reference in The ...
- 1,660
50
votes
6
answers
18k
views
Can the Valar or Maiar die?
In The Lord of the Rings and the The Silmarillion some Maiar (Sauron, several Balrogs, Saruman) are defeated. But did these Maiar actually die and if they did, do they go to Halls of Mandos or what ...
- 2,662
10
votes
4
answers
5k
views
The Silmarillion -- Different versions?
I just read about the book The Silmarillion and thought I'd like to buy it, but I'm a little confused about the different versions that I found.
On amazon I found foremost these two versions (I hope ...
- 30.8k
33
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Are there real world creation myths that inspired The Silmarillion?
In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, the creation myth is based on music - the creation of elves, etc. are new themes in the music, the "devil" introduces discords that are then used to develop the ...
- 573
20
votes
4
answers
8k
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What exactly happened to the Noldor?
The Noldor were numerous and powerful, yet by the time of the events of The Lord of the Rings they are few and far between. Why did this once great group of Elves all but vanish by then?
- 26.5k
28
votes
3
answers
2k
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How does one pronounce the word "Akallabêth" from the Silmarillion?
In the Silmarillion, "Akallabêth" is the story of how Numenor fell. Its an Adunaic word, not an elvish word, and I haven't found any Adunaic pronunciation guides.
So, how is Akallabêth pronounced? I ...
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