All Questions
Tagged with tolkiens-legendarium the-silmarillion
124
questions
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
84
votes
7
answers
23k
views
Are Tolkien's orcs immortal?
Orcs were the most commonplace villains serving the Dark Powers in all of Tolkien's Legendarium, a race of sentient beings bred by the evil Vala Melkor (Morgoth) during the time of the Great Darkness.
...
- 9,582
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
48
votes
5
answers
27k
views
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
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
59
votes
13
answers
36k
views
Who or what is the oldest sentient being in Tolkien's lore?
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Histories of Middle Earth, all lore related to this universe is acceptable fodder. Regardless of their power, susceptibility to The One Ring, ...
- 8,271
50
votes
7
answers
11k
views
Why aren't the Valar considered gods?
As an avid Tolkien fan and an increasingly active member of this site, I cannot count the number of times I've seen people refer to the Valar or Maiar as gods, only to be corrected by other members (...
- 38.6k
47
votes
2
answers
14k
views
What happened to Radagast The Brown?
The Maia Radagast The Brown disappeared from Arda after the first book The Fellowship of the Ring. What happened to him?
- 837
61
votes
3
answers
14k
views
Why do people say that Peter Jackson can not make LOTR/Hobbit sequels?
I was reading a couple of posts on forums where people said that "The Silmarillion" would make a great basis for an action movie, a sequel (or would that be prequel?) to LOTR and Hobbit.
But someone ...
- 621
8
votes
3
answers
2k
views
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
34
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Why did Christopher Tolkien remove all references to England and Ælfwine from the published Silmarillion?
Reading through the History of Middle-Earth series, it's quite clear the Tolkien had England and Eriol/Ælfwine of England in his mind though most of the history of developing the legendarium. The idea ...
- 4,446
34
votes
5
answers
14k
views
How many Balrogs were there?
There are guesstimates of their numbers ranging from as little as three all the way up to hundreds. Still other accounts say there were actually a thousand strong.
We know five were "killed" ...
- 26.6k
24
votes
4
answers
6k
views
What happened to Huan the Wolfhound after he died?
I just finished reading the chapter of The Silmarillion devoted to Beren and Lúthien, which contains the greatest character in all of Tolkien's work, in my opinion: Huan, the Wolfhound of the Valar. ...
- 70.1k
21
votes
2
answers
5k
views
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
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How many of the Ainur were unable to change their physical form?
The Ainur are spirits who do not need bodies, but they can assume them. From the Ainulindalë in the Silmarillion:
Their shape comes of their knowledge of the visible World, rather than of the World ...
- 4,793
10
votes
3
answers
3k
views
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
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What is the nature of an Ainu's fair form?
When Númenor was sunk, Sauron was forced to flee the island by abandoning his physical body so that his spirit could return to Middle-earth. It was said that, henceforth, he could no longer assume a ...
- 34.2k
52
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Did Tolkien ever specify that Orodruin was a volcano?
It is incredibly clear that Orodruin (Mount Doom) was a volcano. It is a mountain with fire inside of it, and it periodically belches forth ash, smoke, and rock. This is what volcanoes do best (...
- 70.1k
30
votes
3
answers
19k
views
How large a form did Melkor take for his duel with Fingolfin?
After the Elves took many casualties in the Dagor Bragollach, Fingolfin, High King of the Noldor, rode up to the gates of Angband and challenged Melkor to single battle in such a way that he couldn't ...
- 30.9k
30
votes
2
answers
4k
views
What is the parentage of Gil-galad?
In The Silmarillion, we're told that Gil-galad is the son of Fingon, son of Fingolfin:
Great was the lamentation in Hithlum when the fall of Fingolfin became known, and Fingon in sorrow took the ...
- 164k
24
votes
3
answers
3k
views
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
15
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Why did the Valar abandon the Moriquendi and Men?
There is plenty of discussion on this site about why the Valar didn't intervene in more obvious ways in the Second and Third Ages, but I'm asking about the First Age.
Between the return of Melkor to ...
- 261
14
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What do the family relations between the Valar mean?
TL;DR:
Some of the Valar are described in the Silmarillion as husband and wife, and others are described as siblings. But it seems that the Ainur don't procreate, and it's unclear what marriage means ...
- 271
12
votes
3
answers
4k
views
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
10
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Are there any other planets besides Arda in Ea?
Did Tolkien mention anything about other planets in his mythology or did he invent just the one planet for his stories?
- 10.8k
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Who does Tolkien include in the category "The Wise"?
I know the wizards (Istari) are considered to be among "the Wise", and I believe the Elves (Eldar) are as well, but are all Elves among "the Wise", or only some of them? And does anyone else qualify ...
- 70.1k
7
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What about the Vanyar?
In the Silmarillion, we learn much about the origins of the elves and of their leaders. There is a lot of info about the people of the Teleri and the main plots are woven around the fate of the Noldor,...
- 3,042
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Was Melkor/Morgoth a Vala or not?
I had always been under the impression that Melkor was a Vala. It seemed to be almost common knowledge among Tolkien fans, including the ones here on SE. Then I came across this line in The ...
- 70.1k
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What's the difference between the "spiritual" beings in Tolkien's universe?
I'm looking for a brief synopsis of the Maiar, Valar, Ainur, and whatever Eru Ilúvatar is, and what the distinguishing characteristics of each group are.
The specific information I am looking for is ...
- 70.1k
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is there anything in Lord of the Rings that could have survived into our age? [duplicate]
If The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion took place in different ages than us, but on Earth, is there any suggestion in those works that some elements would or could have been immortal or ...
- 8,271
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Sauron's sight details?
I am aware that the "Eye of Sauron" in Peter Jackson's movies was not Sauron's actual physical form.
What the answers at 'Was the "Eye of Sauron" Sauron's actual physical form?' don't ...
- 2,583
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What do we know about the Ainur who stayed in the Timeless Halls?
This is my understanding:
Before Ilúvatar created Eä, he created the Ainur, who were with him in his Timeless Halls.
At Eä’s creation, some of the Ainur chose to enter the world and be bound to it.
...
- 4,793
116
votes
7
answers
21k
views
Tolkien calls Sauron Morgoth's Greatest Servant - But does he ever really earn that with his actions?
Alright, so there is a great, incredibly well informed community here so let me ask a question that's been bothering me since I finished the Silmarillion. I'll lay out my reasoning for why it's a ...
- 1,273
91
votes
6
answers
257k
views
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
60
votes
3
answers
5k
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Did Mandos make any decisions that didn't prove to be disastrous?
Mandos is the great judge of the Valar, and his decisions are widely respected by all the other Valar. But most of his judgements have disastrous consequences for the Valar, the Elves, and all of ...
- 70.1k
57
votes
10
answers
86k
views
How on (middle) earth did Eärendil kill a dragon as huge as Ancalagon?
We know that Ancalagon was killed by Earendil, but how exactly was he killed? Ancalagon was so incredibly massive and Earendil was just a dude in a ship with some Eagles.
This image ↓ isn't canon but ...
- 10.9k
32
votes
1
answer
5k
views
What would've happened had Melkor won?
I'm interested to know if there were any notes on what would've happened has Melkor successfully overthrown the other Valar and assumed complete control of Arda.
Obvious answers like "He'd kill ...
- 5,229
30
votes
3
answers
56k
views
If the Arkenstone isn't a Silmaril, then what is it?
It is discussed at great length, whether or not the Arkenstone is one of the Silmarils1, and the most accepted answer is that it is not2.
The Arkenstone however, has undeniable 'powers' or properties ...
- 45.6k
29
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why was Ondolindë always referred to as Gondolin?
Did Tolkien ever say why Gondolin was so-called by its Sindarin name, instead of the Quenya: Ondolindë? Thingol forbade his people from using Quenya or responding to people who used it, as a response ...
- 2,807
25
votes
4
answers
18k
views
Who was the oldest Elf left in Middle Earth at the start of the War of the Ring at the end of the third age?
Some of the remaining notable and named Elves' birthdates are either known, or through association can be reasonably guessed at. They are:
Galadriel - birthdate YT 1362,
Elrond - birthdate FA 532,
...
- 26.6k
23
votes
2
answers
4k
views
When did Gandalf become a Maia?
Obviously in the final legendarium, Gandalf was always a Maia as he is Olórin, one of the Ainur who was present at the singing of the Music.
What I want to know is: did Tolkien always consider ...
- 331
23
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Why, in The Silmarillion, does Melkor disappear forever and leave Sauron to reign as some kind of "Melkor copy"?
Melkor is many times driven back and trapped and whatnot after being defeated. At some point, the Valar/gods banish him to some kind of existence from which he cannot come back. Or can he? Why not? I ...
- 281
18
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Who were the seven forefathers of the Dwarves, besides Durin?
It is told in the Silmarillion that Aule created the seven fathers of the dwarves. The most prominent of course being Durin, the ancestor of most (all?) dwarves that feature in LotR and The Hobbit. ...
- 6,055
17
votes
4
answers
69k
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How has Galadriel acquired evil mode?
One thing that intrigues me, is the berserk / evil / turbo-charged mode of Galadriel in face of danger (in Dol Guldur, during The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies) or during a possible temptation (in ...
- 3,355
16
votes
1
answer
3k
views
How old did Gandalf appear to be when he came to Middle Earth?
Gandalf (as with all the Istari) did not have a corporeal form before coming to Middle-earth and was essentially ageless. We also know that Gandalf did age, albeit very slowly, while on Middle Earth. ...
- 11.8k
15
votes
6
answers
4k
views
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
15
votes
5
answers
11k
views
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
15
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Why did Fëanor refuse to give even one of the Silmarils to Yavanna to revive the trees?
Right near the beginning Of the Flight of the Noldor:
Yavanna spoke before the Valar, saying: "The Light of the Trees has passed away, and lives now only in the Silmarils of Fëanor. Foresighted was ...
- 1,595
13
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Have the inhabitants of Middle-earth ever used siege engines?
When Fingolfin faced the Thangorodrim, apparently he didn't really know what to do, other than noticing that it would not fall from the voices of trumpets.
Did anyone (other than Morgoth, Sauron, ...
- 2,878
12
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How could Orcs survive in subterranean settings?
In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring the Fellowship encounters many Orcs (or goblins) living in the Mines of Moria. In The Hobbit our heroes encounter a tribe of goblins inhabiting caves ...
- 8,690