VE-02: I'm not sure that these additions are necessary/justified. Clearly the only reason for embellishing the paragraph found in
Q would be for the sake of including greater detail; there is no canonical issue. That doesn't mean that we can't add the material, but we must weigh the value of the added detail against the motivation to preserve Tolkien's words as well as possible.
VE-04: I don't think I see the justification for replacing the first clause of this paragraph with the
QS77 version.
VE-05: It seems a little awkward to put the Lost Tales outline material here, immediately following the paragraph on Ulmo in Valinor. It seems to take us very abruptly from Valinor to the Havens. Maybe I'm over-analyzing though; it's possible that it only seems abrupt here since it is already obvious to us that the text is an addition from elsewhere.
VE-07: This sections's a bit choppy, but I suppose that's just a result of its origins in the Lost Tales outlines.
VE-08: The reference to the slaying of Ungoliant must be removed.
There should also be a paragraph break before "Vingelot he built . . ." Actually, it looks to me like all paragraph breaks have been suppressed in these emendations. They'll obviously have to be reinserted at some point.
Also, I think it should be "Vingilot" rather than "Vingelot". I'll have to check the later HoMe volumes to be sure.
VE-11: It should be noted that toward the beginning of this section, with the words "And they looked upon the Lonely Isle" we switch from
Q30 as the base text to
QS37.
VE-14: We need to think about "Then he was bound with the chain Angainor, which he had worn aforetime". Are we going to follow the story found in MT where Morgoth falsely repented? The question of course does not really concern the Earendil chapter; it concerns "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor", and whether it is to be considered merely a proposed change or whether it is one that we can legitimately work in.
VE-17: Why is "and the light before the Sun and the Moon" deleted?
VE-18: I suppose that "{Gnomes} [Teleri]" here must be an error for "{Gnomes} [Noldor]".
VE-20: The insertions from MT do not work as written; they are in a suddenly very different, more colloquial, style. I'm not sure that they are really needed; they would only add
detail; they do not establish a new story or correct an obselete point.
VE-21: We need to think about the second prophecy of Mandos. There is an old thread concerning it which might be revived.
VE-22: I think this is an error; it is redundant with
VE-23.
VE-23: I would actually rather not follow CRT in using the end of the Valaquenta here. I would suggest simply:
Quote:
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Here endeth The Silmarillion: which is drawn out in brief from those songs and histories which are yet sung and told by the fading Elves[.] {and (more clearly and fully) by the vanished Elves that dwell now upon the Lonely Isle, {Tol Eressëa,} whither few mariners of Men have ever come, save once or twice in a long age when some man of {Eärendel} [Eärendil]'s race hath passed beyond the lands of mortal sight and seen the glimmer of the lamps upon the quays of {Avallon} [Tol Eressëa], and smelt afar the undying flowers in the meads of Dorwinion. Of whom was {Ereol} [Eriol] one, that men named Ælfwine, and he alone returned and brought tidings of Cortirion to the Hither Lands.}
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VE-24: I'm not sure what the purpose would be of moving the Second Prophecy of Mandos here.
Pengelod, thanks for the summary. However, I would really like to avoid changing the numbering of the emendations on this project (it caused a lot of confusion for me on FoG). I have stuck with the original numbering - I think the numbers are spaced a bit too far apart, but I would prefer to be consistent.
I don't really see the point of either of the "appendices", quite frankly. I don't see a need to include Bilbo's song, and I don't see why the second prophecy of Mandos should be split off from the body of the text.