Silmarillion - Akallabêth

[Galin]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

The mythological story that is told here ends with the changing of the world - in my opinion, one of the most interesting aspects of Tolkien's Legendarium. The transformation of a flat to a round earth is a fascinating concept! I'm glad that Tolkien's later changes did not come into this chapter

I too am interested in this topic, but I think Tolkien's later conceptions did impact this matter. In my opinion Tolkien 'ratified' an earlier work, and if so, he might have taken the route of a multi-tradition legendarium here -- at least possibly, given that sometime in the 1960s Tolkien wrote upon an envelope that contained the Drowning of Anadûnê:

Contains very old version (in Adunaic) which is good -- in so far as it is just as much different (in inclusion and omission and emphasis) as would be probable in the supposed case:
(a) Mannish tradition
(b) Elvish tradition
(c) Mixed Dúnedanic tradition

JRRT

And Akallabêth would appear to be the mixed tradition. In the Scull and Hammond Reader's Guide, for instance, the description concerning the Akallabêth includes:

'(...) Also, apparently influenced by the preference his friend Katherine Farrer expressed in the autumn of 1948 for the 'Flat World' version of the Ainulindale over the 'Round World' version, Tolkien, for a time at least, seems to have decided to retain the cosmology of the world being originally flat as it was in The Fall of Númenor. In addition, some new material needed to be added to the story of Númenor to take account of various matter introduced in The Lord of the Rings.

Christopher Tolkien thinks that a note his father wrote many years later explains how he regarded the different accounts: The Fall of Númenor relates 'Elvish tradition', The Drowning of Anadûnê 'Mannish tradition', and the Akallabêth, which draws on both of the others, 'Mixed Dúnedanic tradition' (Sauron Defeated, pp. 406-7)'. Reader's Guide p. 674

And considering we jump to sometime in the 1960s, when JRRT -- if seemingly not continuing on with 'Myths Transformed' (considered as a loose set of texts) -- yet does characterize the Silmarillion as a largely Mannish affair. Why not largely Elvish?


One important reason in my opinion is to preserve, at least with respect to the tale itself that is, certain old ideas that had been raising questions in Tolkien's mind -- old ideas that were, however, now to be reimagined as mannish compared to the arguably more well informed Elves of the West, or certain of the Wise. And if we consider Akallabêth a mixed tradition, from what (general) source might the implication of a once flat world hail from (I think the matter is stated more vaguely in Akallabêth as compared to the old Fall of Numenor account)?

Why not mannish? again, with the Elves of the West and arguably some of the Wise knowing better however. What do you (anyone) think?