Silmarillion - Chapter 05 - Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalie - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aiwendil · 12-15-2006, 09:05 PM

With this chapter we more or less complete the first part of the Silmarillion – the sundering of the Elves is complete and the stage is set for the drama of the Silmarils. One of the most interesting things to me about this chapter is the ambivalence of the Teleri. First they accept the summons of the Valar and set off for Aman; then (after many of them give up on the journey entirely) they tarry and do not reach the shore in time; they live there for a while and then it is decided that they will be brought to Valinor after all, and many agree; then, at their request, Ulmo and Osse leave them off the coast of Aman instead of bringing them all the way there; but finally, they change their minds again and move to Alqualonde. They seem to be struggling to choose which world to live in – the wild world of shadows and water and starlight or the blessed world of the ‘gods’, of light and knowledge and splendour.

Much of the chapter is taken up by an account of the genealogy of the House of Finwe. I don’t doubt that this is one of the passages that led to the charge that the Silmarillion is like a ‘telephone directory in Elvish’. I certainly see how the multitude of names might be confusing in one’s first reading. However, I’ve always been reminded very much of Genesis by these genealogical accounts – ‘And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech’ etc.

The textual history of this chapter is fairly simple, the final version being the last in a number of revisions of the 1920s ‘Sketch of the Mythology’ text. One interesting point to note is that in the Book of Lost Tales and subsequent texts up to the 1937 ‘Quenta Silmarillion’, it was Osse who decided to fix Tol Eressea off the coast of Aman and not to bring the third kindred of Elves to land; and he did this very much against the wishes of Ulmo and the other Valar.

Additional readings:
HoMe I – earliest version
HoMe IV, V – later pre-LotR versions
HoMe X – final development of the chapter
HoMe XII – some further information on Cirdan the Teleri who stayed in Beleriand in the ‘Late Writings’ section.

12-15-2006, 09:05 PM	#1
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	Silmarillion - Chapter 05 - Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalie With this chapter we more or less complete the first part of the Silmarillion – the sundering of the Elves is complete and the stage is set for the drama of the Silmarils. One of the most interesting things to me about this chapter is the ambivalence of the Teleri. First they accept the summons of the Valar and set off for Aman; then (after many of them give up on the journey entirely) they tarry and do not reach the shore in time; they live there for a while and then it is decided that they will be brought to Valinor after all, and many agree; then, at their request, Ulmo and Osse leave them off the coast of Aman instead of bringing them all the way there; but finally, they change their minds again and move to Alqualonde. They seem to be struggling to choose which world to live in – the wild world of shadows and water and starlight or the blessed world of the ‘gods’, of light and knowledge and splendour. Much of the chapter is taken up by an account of the genealogy of the House of Finwe. I don’t doubt that this is one of the passages that led to the charge that the Silmarillion is like a ‘telephone directory in Elvish’. I certainly see how the multitude of names might be confusing in one’s first reading. However, I’ve always been reminded very much of Genesis by these genealogical accounts – ‘And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech’ etc. The textual history of this chapter is fairly simple, the final version being the last in a number of revisions of the 1920s ‘Sketch of the Mythology’ text. One interesting point to note is that in the Book of Lost Tales and subsequent texts up to the 1937 ‘Quenta Silmarillion’, it was Osse who decided to fix Tol Eressea off the coast of Aman and not to bring the third kindred of Elves to land; and he did this very much against the wishes of Ulmo and the other Valar. Additional readings: HoMe I – earliest version HoMe IV, V – later pre-LotR versions HoMe X – final development of the chapter HoMe XII – some further information on Cirdan the Teleri who stayed in Beleriand in the ‘Late Writings’ section. Last edited by Aiwendil; 07-08-2007 at 07:48 PM.