The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - the HoM-E/UT Society ~ following the Legendarium from c.1915

07-19-2003, 02:31 AM

I too have been reading from the later HoME books (Athrabeth, Dangweth Pengolodh - especially beautiful pieces of work) and had somehow feared BoLT (read the first few chapters of BoLT1 a couple months ago - but ended up dropping it) because it was just enough like the Published Sil that it might mingle too much with that in my mind, and I would be unable to look at and discuss the lastest writings without mixing in abandoned ideas. I was also reluctant because I just plain had more interest in the LQ and later essays as I viewed them as the truth whereas with BoLT I did not not.

But I haven't been reading Tolkien for long and my views and approach to HoME are fast changing. So just a few days ago I tried BoLT again and wow... how things have changed.

lindil, I agree with you about the essence of elvishness in that first chapter, and the humour of Rumil. Their garden encounter had me laughing hardily aloud. Not only that bit you quoted, but Rumil quoting Littleheart on his annoyance of the pronunciation of his father's name, and Littleheart was soon 'chirping Eldar like a lady of the Inwir'.

Ah... but there is nothing like elf dialog (for me) and Lost Tales is thick with it.

There is something raw but most charming about BoLT. For me it just hits close.
Anyhow I rushed through BoLT1 in a couple days and am now reading BoLT2 (read FoG several months ago though - was the first bit of HoME I ever read).

But even in my rushing, and after just one reading I find myself asking more of 'how could this be?' than I did with the Published Sil.

Iluvatar's words to the Valar in the Ainulindale of BoLT coupled with the later action of the Valar just don't make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps I am jumping ahead, but the Valar of BoLT leave me frustrated and unhappy with Manwe especially. Knowing that Iluvatar spoke those words to Melko infront of the Ainur just makes this worse. Here the Ainur should see what kind of a problem Melko is.

But even though BoLT seems less well-formed, or as lindil says 'pure' than the eventual Silmarillion, it has some amazing descriptive writing, and it brings more vivid imagingings of what it is being read at the moment than does the a lot of the later writings... for me, at least.

The other thing that strikes me about BoLT Ainulindale is the making clear that the Ainur have some kind of physical form. At least this is the impression I get, and the Later Ainulindales (Published Sil + HoME X) never gave me that impression at all, or if they did... it was the Published Sil upon first reading and was quickly done away with and I do not recall it.

Published Sil: 'Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes...'

BoLT: 'Then the Harpists, and the lutanists, the flautists and the pipers, the organs and the countless choirs of the Ainur...'

I am sure this is the main thing, and perhaps realy the only thing in The Music of the Ainur which gives me that impression.

One more thing:
CRT speaks of mediation in the Foreword, as well as depth of time. I guess some people miss mediation with the published Sil and though it never bothered me,(in fact I love it more than LotR)I find that I enjoy this new element very much in BoLT... probably especially because of the contact with elves.
I Do think that hearing these tales in this way is one of the major reasons that i say BoLT strikes close somehow... but I can't define it. I guess I just mean that I feel more close with the story, and nay not the tales but the tale-tellers. This combination of close mediation during the links between tales, contrast with the more distant and less personal nature of the tales themselfs, but together they work well to compliment the other - giving a strong sense of ages past.

One thing I love about the elves that I never hear anyone else mention is that because they are immortal, we as readers are somewhat along side them in being able to look back at the ages of this history. In this way the looking back brings almost a nostalga as happens when we look back at our own life, but not with real world history. So it is for me anyhow. BoLT makes much use of this.

[ July 19, 2003: Message edited by: Elda ]

07-19-2003, 02:31 AM	#23
Elda Guest Posts: n/a	I too have been reading from the later HoME books (Athrabeth, Dangweth Pengolodh - especially beautiful pieces of work) and had somehow feared BoLT (read the first few chapters of BoLT1 a couple months ago - but ended up dropping it) because it was just enough like the Published Sil that it might mingle too much with that in my mind, and I would be unable to look at and discuss the lastest writings without mixing in abandoned ideas. I was also reluctant because I just plain had more interest in the LQ and later essays as I viewed them as the truth whereas with BoLT I did not not. But I haven't been reading Tolkien for long and my views and approach to HoME are fast changing. So just a few days ago I tried BoLT again and wow... how things have changed. lindil, I agree with you about the essence of elvishness in that first chapter, and the humour of Rumil. Their garden encounter had me laughing hardily aloud. Not only that bit you quoted, but Rumil quoting Littleheart on his annoyance of the pronunciation of his father's name, and Littleheart was soon 'chirping Eldar like a lady of the Inwir'. Ah... but there is nothing like elf dialog (for me) and Lost Tales is thick with it. There is something raw but most charming about BoLT. For me it just hits close. Anyhow I rushed through BoLT1 in a couple days and am now reading BoLT2 (read FoG several months ago though - was the first bit of HoME I ever read). But even in my rushing, and after just one reading I find myself asking more of 'how could this be?' than I did with the Published Sil. Iluvatar's words to the Valar in the Ainulindale of BoLT coupled with the later action of the Valar just don't make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps I am jumping ahead, but the Valar of BoLT leave me frustrated and unhappy with Manwe especially. Knowing that Iluvatar spoke those words to Melko infront of the Ainur just makes this worse. Here the Ainur should see what kind of a problem Melko is. But even though BoLT seems less well-formed, or as lindil says 'pure' than the eventual Silmarillion, it has some amazing descriptive writing, and it brings more vivid imagingings of what it is being read at the moment than does the a lot of the later writings... for me, at least. The other thing that strikes me about BoLT Ainulindale is the making clear that the Ainur have some kind of physical form. At least this is the impression I get, and the Later Ainulindales (Published Sil + HoME X) never gave me that impression at all, or if they did... it was the Published Sil upon first reading and was quickly done away with and I do not recall it. Published Sil: 'Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes...' BoLT: 'Then the Harpists, and the lutanists, the flautists and the pipers, the organs and the countless choirs of the Ainur...' I am sure this is the main thing, and perhaps realy the only thing in The Music of the Ainur which gives me that impression. One more thing: CRT speaks of mediation in the Foreword, as well as depth of time. I guess some people miss mediation with the published Sil and though it never bothered me,(in fact I love it more than LotR)I find that I enjoy this new element very much in BoLT... probably especially because of the contact with elves. I Do think that hearing these tales in this way is one of the major reasons that i say BoLT strikes close somehow... but I can't define it. I guess I just mean that I feel more close with the story, and nay not the tales but the tale-tellers. This combination of close mediation during the links between tales, contrast with the more distant and less personal nature of the tales themselfs, but together they work well to compliment the other - giving a strong sense of ages past. One thing I love about the elves that I never hear anyone else mention is that because they are immortal, we as readers are somewhat along side them in being able to look back at the ages of this history. In this way the looking back brings almost a nostalga as happens when we look back at our own life, but not with real world history. So it is for me anyhow. BoLT makes much use of this. [ July 19, 2003: Message edited by: Elda ]