Silmarillion - Ainulindale

[piosenniel]

Originally Posted by Aiwendil

I feel I must confess up front that the Ainulindale is one of my favorite pieces of writing, by Tolkien or by anyone else.

The Ainulindalë, for me, is one of the loveliest oral/aural pieces I've come across. It has a rhythm and flow to it that is very pleasant to my ear . . . the repetition of sounds in the sentences and how the words are put together or spaced apart reminds me at times of a river's water sliding over stones of differing sizes, over sandy bars, and bumping with varying degrees of force against those things which have fallen into it before flowing on again.

I have to say, when I first got a copy of the Silmarillion, sometime in the late '70's, I found it rather a dry read. Histories have never captured my interest; and it was difficult to switch from reading Tolkien as an exciting novelist to Tolkien the historian. Suffice it to say, it took me a long time to read through it.

I've found it much easier to listen to the writings in the Silmarillion than to read them. Tolkien, that way, comes through as still the great story-teller for me when I listen to the Sil.

And for those who might also find it a bit ponderous to plow through, I'd like to recommend the boxed set (13 CD's) read by Martin Shaw.

~*~ Pio


In the still of the night, in the world's ancient light . . . I'll be with you when the deal goes down . . . ~ Bob Dylan