Amph The History of Middle Earth Chronologically:Disc.The Hobbit

The Wanderings of Hurin
FA 501

*Okay, the Wanderings of Hurin is a section in a book called The War of the Jewels, which is volume eleven of Christopher Tolkien?s epic 12 volume History of Middle Earth.

*Okay, I have a question. Some of you folks in this thread seem to be devout Tolkienites. So, has anyone in this thread actually read all twelve volumes of this series? Because, if so, I would love for you to talk about the different volumes as we come to them.

*I flipped around in The War of the Jewels to try to kind of get a feel for what this series actually is and it seems extremely difficult to me and very, very insular.

*Basically, this series is an effort by Christopher Tolkien to sort of give us the complete Tolkien so that what we can really see is the way in which the stories developed. This book, for instance, covers the rough drafts of several chapters of the Quenta Silmarillion. In other words, we have here everything that Christopher Tolkien could find that his father had written that Christopher then took and turned into the Quenta Silmarillion.

*Of course, Christopher took a lot of lumps for what some people felt was a much too overt editorial presence in The Silmarillion; frankly, looking at this book I don?t see how he could have published a readable book without being incredibly editorially present.

*This series seems to be an answer to those criticisms, whereby Christopher presents the rough writings in their rough forms and then makes editorial comments outside the writings of J.R.R. in order to sort of make connections to the final drafts clear.

*The timeline I?m using puts in a few stories from this series that can?t be found anywhere else if they are, in the words of the timeline author, of too much interest to miss, but the author of the timeline very firmly says that the series as a whole is only for the most obsessed of the fans. So, does anyone here fall into that category?

*If so, talk about The War of the Jewels; The Wanderings of Hurin is the only section I?ll be reading out of this book for this timeline, so if you have something to add about this particular volume, now is your chance.

*So, the section on the Wanderings of Hurin opens with a one paragraph excerpt from a rough draft of the Grey Annals wherein Tolkien has Morwen finding Turin?s headstone and then, writing in the margin later, that Hurin should probably find her there.

*So, see, this is what I mean about what this book is. It even includes marginalia. I can?t fathom the amount of work this was.

*Then we get a four page (with copious interruptions by Christopher Tolkien) rough draft of the first part of the story. In it, Morgoth frees Hurin and sends him back to Dor-Lomin. The people there distrust him, fearing that he has been broken and turned into a spy for Morgoth during his captivity. Hurin leaves Dor-Lomin to begin his wanderings, taking with him Asgon, who Turin also met when he briefly returned to Dor-Lomin after the sack of Nargothrond, and a few other rebels.

*Just to give you an idea how sketchy some of this is, let me give you a brief quote:

* ?Hurin goes to seek Gondolin. Fails. Passes by Brethil, and his anguish is increased. They will not admit him ? saying that the Halethrim do not wish any more to become enmeshed in the shadow of his kin. But ^ [?new] Lord gives the dragon-helm to Hurin. His heart is hot against Thingol. He passes it [Doriath] by and goes on to Nargothrond. Why? To seek news, plunder, - he had been an admirer of Felagund??

*Any writer will recognize this kind of writing. It?s the way you start every story; disconnected character notes and a quick sketch of what you know will happen without really knowing yet why or of what significance the events are.

*Any writer will also be absolutely terrified to realize that this kind of material might actually be published after your death. This is the writer absolutely unfiltered; I?d hate for my early notes or rough drafts to be published. They embarrass hell

Of Turin Turambar, pp. 215 ? 226
FA 496 ? FA 501

*Okay, so it?s back to the Quenta to finish chapter XXI, its version of the tale of Turin.

*This more or less follows exactly the story as in Children of Hurin, only told in that standard sort of ?big picture? summary style of the Silmarillion.

*Okay, I really have nothing to say about this; I?ve said it all about the other versions of this story I?ve read. Much as the Silmarillion itself is some sort of epic work, in a timeline project like this, I?d recommend skipping Turin?s story in the Quenta. It?s been utterly co-opted and surpassed by The Children of Hurin.

*Next time, it?s on to Chapter XXII of the Silmarillion as we take one last brief look at Hurin and see one of the two great strongholds of Middle Earth topple at last.

Of the Ruin of Doriath
FA 502 ? FA 505

*So, Chapter XXII of the Quenta Silmarillion is entitled Of the Ruin of Doriath. With the fall of Finrod?s Nargothrond, it has essentially been Doriath and Gondolin alone still standing on the side of the angels. In this chapter, well, all the people in Doriath read Michael Stackpole?s Ruin and quite enjoy it. Aw. Happy ending.

*Yeah, not quite.

*So, this starts with Hurin?s release and we get the whole scene of him trying to find Gondolin almost exactly as it was in The Wanderings of Hurin. Except this time, the eagle who sees Hurin and takes the message to Turgon is in fact Thorondor, the main eagle, who you may recall from several previous appearances.

*Then we get the scene of Hurin and Morwen meeting at Turin?s tombstone. In this version, Hurin buries Morwen himself and then sets off for Nargothrond. Thus, the entire story of Hurin?s swath of destruction through Brethil that we talked about in the Wanderings of Hurin is entirely skipped for the reasons we talked about before.

*So, Hurin goes to Nargothrond, maybe because he knows that Turin was there for a time or maybe because of his love for Finrod. Either way, guess who he finds there!

*Mim the Dwarf! After his betrayal of Turin, Mim?s been kicking around at loose ends. Then he hears that Glaurung is dead and Nargothrond is empty; so he sets up shop and kind of gets all Scrooge McDuck, just letting the treasure trickle through his fingers and tossing it up and letting it hit him on the head and stuff.

*So, Hurin kills Mim the Dwarf; Mim getting a belated comeuppance for his betrayal of Turin.

*Hurin then gets the Nauglamir, some necklace made by the Dwarves for Finrod, years back when he first set up shop in Nargothrond.

*Hurin then goes to Doriath to see Thingol and Melian. He gives them the necklace and sarcastically thanks them for taking care of his family while he was imprisoned by Morgoth.

*Melian realizes that Hurin is still under the spell of Morgoth. She helps lift the spell, so that he can understand what really happened while he was imprisoned. Hurin apologizes for being so rough on Thingol and Melian.

*And we bid at last farewell to this man who has suffered more than any other perhaps: ?Then he turned away, and passed out from the Thousand Caves, and all that saw him fell back before his face; and none sought to withstand his going, nor did any know whither he went. But it is said that Hurin would not live thereafter, being bereft of all purpose and desire, and cast himself at last into the western sea; and so ended the mightiest of the warriors of mortal men.?

*And at this point I want to unveil:

*MOVIE #10: The Silmarillion: The Wandering of Hurin ? from Hurin?s freeing by Morgoth to his suicide at the Western Sea.

*So then Thingol?s hubris takes off and he decides that now that he has a Silmaril and the Nauglamir that he should have the Silmaril set in the Nauglamir and wear it all the time. Yeah, that?s a GREAT idea, dude.

*So, he calls some Dwarves to Doriath and has them set up shop with some smithies and they set about doing it.

*They finish the task eventually and Thingol is thrilled. They say that they?ve decided to just keep the Nauglamir and the Silmaril themselves and Thingol is less than thrilled.

*Astonishing Prose Alert: ?And standing tall and proud among them he bade them with shameful words be gone unrequited out of Doriath. Then the lust of the Dwarves was kindled to rage by the words of the King; and they rose up about him, and laid hands on him, and slew him as he stood. So died in the deep places of Menegroth Elwe Singollo, King of Doriath, who alone of all the Children of Iluvatar was joined with one of the Ainur; and he who, alone of the Forsaken Elves, had seen the light of the Trees of Valinor, with his last sight gazed upon the Silmaril.?

*Man, I felt that. At this point, Thingol has been with us longer than about anyone I think, except Morgoth himself. He?s of the very fir

I hear ya! It's epic tragedy, this stuff. Part of the reason I think it would be a hard sell to make a movie series. It's not like the middle chapter has a sad ending; they all have horribly awful endings.

But let me tell you, yankee, if you haven't read the Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth, you are in for a treat. It's like the most heartbreaking story I've come across all the way through the Second Age. And it's just two people talking for twenty pages.

Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth
FA 490

*Okay, so this one is quite a bit out of its proper placement on the timeline. This problem is compounded by the fact that the date on the timeline, of FA 490, is also incorrect. This work focuses on Finrod, who dies during the quest of Beren which takes place in the FA 460s.

*Also, it is referenced several times during this story that it takes place during the Long Siege of Angband, meaning that it must take place prior to the Dagor Bragollach, the Battle of Sudden Flame. The Quenta very specifically states that the Dagor Bragollach takes place 455 years after the return of Feanor?s Elves to Middle Earth. So, I would actually place this story around FA 450, as it gains a little extra poetry if it takes place toward the very end of the Long Siege.

*Some of you experts, correct me there if I?ve made any obvious errors.

*So, this story, like The Wanderings of Hurin, takes us into the 12 volume History of Middle Earth. I talked a bit about this series back in my Wanderings of Hurin post. Specifically, this story and all its supplementary material can be found in Volume 10 of the series, Morgoth?s Ring.

*We?ll be returning to Morgoth?s Ring quite a bit later, toward the end of the Fourth Age, to read a bit more. But as with most of the History of Middle Earth Series, we?ll be leaving Morgoth?s Ring mostly unread. So, if you?ve read it, talk about it and explain why we should read it or not read it. Tell us what you thought.

*So, the title of this story loosely translates as ?Conversation (or debate) of Finrod and Andreth.? And that is essentially what the story is.

*There is a four and a half page introduction to the story proper where Christopher Tolkien talks about the various manuscript versions of the story and he also includes a one page introduction that was included with one of the manuscripts. This introduction helps to settle the story in time and to remind of us what we already know about Finrod and to underline his interest in Men.

*Oh, uh, God, I mean his anthropological interest in the race of Men. [face_doh]

*Now in a footnote here, J.R.R. Tolkien places the story in approximately FA 409, which explains the error on the timeline, I think. The timeline author probably flipped it to 490 as a typo. I maintain my dating of late FA 440s or early FA 450s as I think the story makes more emotional sense if it comes just in the very breath before Sudden Flame. I?ll talk about why later.

*EDITOR?S NOTE: After writing this post, I sent an e-mail to the timeline author with my reasoning here. The Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth has now been moved to its proper placement on the timeline, FA 409.

*The story itself runs to nineteen pages of pure Tolkien text. It can be summarized as follows: Finrod, Elf with a great interest in the origins and fate of Man, discusses both with Andreth, a wise Woman.

*The story is essentially an effort to sort of come to grips with man?s tendency toward death. It is, therefore, part of the oldest conversation in recorded history and it is, fittingly, told in a sort of Socratic dialogue where Finrod discusses what Elves believe about man?s death and Andreth posits what her people believe.

*It is interesting to put this up against one of my favorite passages from the very beginning of the Quenta Silmarillion where the author talks, quite explicitly, about the fact that man?s death is given to man by Eru as a gift and that it is part of the other great gifts he gives them which are a soul that is ever searching for something more to life and a will that is free to make its own decisions outside of Eru?s control.

*I talked quite seriously back then, in my very first post on the Quenta (headed The Years of the Trees), if you care to go back, about how death is in fact something of a need for mankind and something of a perfect ending to our lives here on earth, a rooting of ourselves in the natural cycle of this planet.

*So, having accepted and internali

Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin ? J.R.R. Tolkien
FA 473 ? 496

*This story is actually the first in the Unfinished Tales; it is, along with the Narn I Hin Hurin, one of two stories in that book from the First Age.

*So, as this story begins, we leap back to the time of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the Unnumbered Tears. This battle is also something like the beginning of Turin?s story as his father Hurin leaves at the beginning of Turin?s story to fight in the battle, is captured and things progress as we see in The Children of Hurin and The Wanderings of Hurin, one of the best narratives we?ve yet come across on our journey.

*But this story focuses on the son of Hurin?s brother, Huor. Like Hurin, he has vanished into the Unnumbered Tears, but left his wife, Rian, pregnant with his son Tuor.

*So, Rian, after giving birth to Tuor dies of despair upon finally hearing that her husband has indeed died in the Unnumbered Tears.

*So, Tuor is raised by some Elves, led by one Annael, until he is sixteen years old. At that point, Annael decides that there?s no future for his people in Beleriand, so he decides to head south and take Tuor with him. As they try to escape, however, they are attacked by Easterlings under Morgoth and the Elves are scattered and Tuor taken prisoner. He is enslaved for three years under Lorgan. Who . . . was Lorgan in Turin?s story too?

*Yes, I thought so; it was Lorgan that was in control of Hithlum after Unnumbered Tears and gave some trouble to Turin?s mother and sister, Morwen and Nienor. He also appeared briefly in The Wanderings of Hurin.

*Tuor escapes eventually and becomes a hunted outlaw. Then, as the text tells us explicitly, twenty-three years after Unnumbered Tears, Tuor remembers the stories he used to hear among the Elves of Turgon and the hidden stronghold of Gondolin. Tuor decides to try to find Gondolin and get Turgon to let him in based on Turgon?s friendship with Tuor?s dead father.

*He journeys into the wastelands and meets there Gelmir and Arminas, two Elves sent from Gondolin on a special mission. Since we?ve already read The Children of Hurin, we know what their mission is: to deliver to Nargothrond, where Turin is currently holed up, a message urging them to stay in Nargothrond and not venture forth to battle. This will, of course, not be heeded.

*So, after a brief convo with them, Tuor continues on his search, encouraged by the Elves? remarks that hint that he is on the right road. He is then led by three large white gulls until he reaches the sea.

*Astonishing Prose Alert: ?And at last at unawares (for the cliff-tops at the margin of the land were higher than the slopes behind) he came suddenly to the black brink of Middle-earth, and saw the Great Sea, Belegaer the Shoreless. And at that hour the sun went down beyond the rim of the world as a mighty fire; and Tuor stood alone upon the cliff with outspread arms, and a great yearning filled his heart. It is said that he was the first of Men to reach the Great Sea, and that none, save the Eldar, have ever felt so deeply the longing that it brings.?

*So, Tuor arrives at Vinyamar, which is where Turgon and his people lived before they escaped to Gondolin. Tuor, of course, finds there the suit of armor and sword, left behind by Turgon some four hundred years previously. Tuor then is the prophesied one; his coming to Gondolin will bring ruin but also provide a last great hope for the peoples of Middle-Earth.

*Then Ulmo, the Vala of the Waters, and about the last Vala with any real interest in the people of Middle Earth appears to Tuor and charges him with the journey to Gondolin. Ulmo, of course, is the one who sent the messages to Finrod and Turgon all those years ago, urging them to set up their respective strongholds. And it was Ulmo as well who prepared the message for Gelmir and Arminas to take to Turin in Nargothrond.

*I rather liked the image of Ulmo here, standing knee deep in the ocean.

*There?s a nice bit where Tuor asks what he?s supposed to do

Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin ? J.R.R. Tolkien
FA 496 ? 511

*So, it?s back to the Quenta Silmarillion, which contains only two more chapters. The first of the two remaining chapters is this one, Chapter XXIII.

*So, this summarizes in two pages the events of the previous story, Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin. That story was thirty-five pages; this one is less than two. And there is literally nothing you?ll miss from just reading this version of the story.

*Except for the image of Ulmo standing in water up to his knees. Seriously, that?s the only cool thing in the other story that isn?t also in this one.

*So, Tuor, having arrived in Gondolin with quite a bit more dispatch than previously, meets Turgon, Idril and Maeglin, who hopefull you all remember as our leading trio of ?trouble every day? in Gondolin.

*So Tuor?s message to Turgon from Ulmo is a simple one; it?s time to look back to the West.

*In a fascinating mirroring, the message of Tuor to Turgon in Gondolin is the direct flip to the message of Gelmir to Orodreth in Nargothrond.

*Okay, I honestly cannot believe that I just wrote that sentence.

*But seriously, both of these strongholds were established by Ulmo to be the last standing strongholds of good in Middle Earth and now he sends to them two very different messages.

*To Orodreth in Nargothrond, the word was burrow; pull up your drawbridge, venture out nowhere, wait. To Turgon in Gondolin, the word is move; leave Gondolin at long last, go down to Sirion, send the boats one more time to Valinor.

*Hilariously, the council is overturned in both instances and in both instances due to a false or deceived counciller to the king. Orodreth listened to Turin?s tainted advice and left Nargothrond on an aggressive stance and Nargothrond toppled; here in this case, Turgon listens to Maeglin?s tainted advice and decides that he cannot in good conscience expose his people by taking them all out of Gondolin.

*So, that?s a really wonderful mirror Tolkien sets up there.

*Hilariously, Turgon does exactly what Orodreth was told to do: he literally blocks up the only exit from Gondolin and sits tight.

*Time passes; word finally comes of the fall of Nargothrond and then of the death of Glaurung. Then, word comes to Gondolin of the murder of Thingol, the departure of Melian and the fall of Doriath. Still Turgon refuses to stir.

*After seven years, Tuor marries Idril. This sets Maeglin against him even more than he was already. It seems that the seed of Maeglin?s hatred of men and of his festering love for Idril is about to bloom forth.

*I spoke back during the chapter on Maeglin about this idea of the unrequited love and the strange crooked place it eventually goes and of the absolute sickness of it. It is worth mentioning now that Maeglin has been living in this place for almost one hundred and seventy five years!

*I briefly mentioned in my piece on Maeglin about the two years I spent in that hell. Two years and it nearly killed me, nearly destroyed my soul entirely. And Maeglin has been in this prison of desperate and forbidden and unrequited love for Idril for almost two centuries. The darkness in his heart, I cannot even comprehend.

*And may I just say, this is one reason why I fall on the side of ?death is Eru?s gift? in that whole debate over man?s mortality. Sure, it would be great to live to be two hundred if you got to be happy the whole time; but consider two hundred years of suffering and you quail. I?ll happily take my three score and ten (or less, if God wills) and there?s plenty on this side of death that I?ll be happy to lay down when my day comes to pass away, unrequited love way up on the list.

*Tuor and Idril have a child, Earendil.

*So, long story short, ever since Hurin revealed to Morgoth?s spies the basic location of Gondolin, he has had his spies watching the area. Maeglin is given to sneaking out of Gondolin via a secret passage built by, of all people, Idril. On one of these sneak outs he

Yeah, it's the same Glorfindel, having chosen not to be reborn in the halls of Mandos, but in a new body in Middle Earth.

What's really interesting with Tuor is the fact that he, like Beren, marries an Elf-princess, and this is only the second time in history that the union of Men and Elves (which, for some reason, always involves a male Man and a female Elf) has happened, and yet there's far less fanfare about it. Is Turgon that much more liberal-minded?

And for underdescribed stories, the aside about Ecthelion and Gothmog is just stunning. These two supporting characters, each of great power but not the focus of any stories that we have, meet in an epic clash that's really left to our imagination. Talk about building a bigger world around the stories -- this is the perfect example of Tolkien's ability to infuse his stories with the idea that there are hundreds of other stories occurring in the same world, equally astonishing and captivating, of which we get only the faintest glimpses. That it's a real, living, breathing world full of all the stories you'd expect of hundreds of years of war and adventure. Tolkien's ability to evoke the power and joy of the imagination is absolutely amazing.

Glorfindel, right. Rivendell. Okay. And this all ties back to the notes to the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, which explains all the rules about elf reincarnation. Awesome.

Every time I read the Silmarillion, I get this incredible sinking feeling as I push onward. Tolkien's tragedy is masterful, but I think it would really help the Silmarillion if the ending had had a little more development. The stories of the early age, with its heroic warfare and epic battles, is deeply developed and full of inspiring stories, but then you get the very fleshed-out and very dark run of Turin and Tuor and ruin and downfall, and then the reasonably-happy ending comes in fairly swiftly, as one of the less-fleshed-out summations. Tolkien obviously just didn't spend quite as much time on the wrap-up as he did on the other tales, and the narrative does suffer somewhat for that imbalance. The depth of the tragedy is just so crushing, but the payoff isn't quite proportionate.

Man, I'd give anything for Tolkien to have been able to flesh out the entire legendarium.

Interesting that you say that. Having really no idea about the end of the First Age or the body of the Second, I was expecting a really horrible, tragic ending to the First Age, in keeping with the brutality of the bulk of the First Age. The ending is not really of a piece with the rest of the age. But more on that shortly.

Even the hobbits don't entirely get a happy end. Frodo doesn't fit into the world anymore, the Elves fade away, and Tolkien just can't resist telling you about how everyone gets old and dies. Tolkien is too honest, even with his own personal desire for a happy ending, to ever give a happily-ever-after ending. There are always consequences and it's always bittersweet. Beautiful, but bittersweet.

Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath ? J.R.R. Tolkien
FA 543 ? 601

*Okay, so, at last, though really it?s gone incredibly quickly for me, the First Age rolls to its end.

*Earendil takes over as the king of the people of Sirion after his father and mother sail off into the sunset. He?s married by this time to Elwing, possesser of Beren?s Silmaril and one of the few survivors of the fall of Doriath, as you remember. Hopefully.

*They have two sons, Elros and . . . Elrond. Whoa! Elrond? The Elrond?

*This places Elrond squarely in the line of Beren & Luthien and also, by that token, a descendent of Thingol and Melian, meaning that Elrond is, by blood, man and elf and Maia.

*So, all seems to be at relative quiet here, with Morgoth, having now firmly destroyed every true stronghold in Middle Earth, deciding to kind of take it easy for a while. So, as you might guess, it?s time for the Feanorians to suddenly decide the oath to recover the Silmarils is desperately important again.

*Anyway, Earendil has a great ship built and he sails out onto the sea in search of his parents. While he?s away, Maedhros and his remaining three brothers decide to try to force Elwing to give them the Silmarillion she possesses. She refuses and ?the sons of Feanor that yet lived came down suddenly upon the exiles of Godonolin and the remnant of Doriath, and destroyed them.?

*I mean . . . just shoot me in the ******* head.

*Why don?t the sons of Feanor make an ALLEGIANCE with these refugees and take them in as part of their tribe? Then the Silmaril would be in their nominal possession and, oh, yes, they could also skip that whole ?killing everyone in the whole world? thing.

*These sons of Feanor, they have a way of snatching defeat from the yawning jaws of victory, I must say.

*You could say that they have an interesting method of fighting for war every time peace breaks out.

*Non-traditionalists, those guys. Also incredibly annoying.

*So, most of the survivors are killed and Elrond and Elros, still young children, are taken captive by Maglor, Maedhros? brother. Elwing, Silmaril about her neck, flings herself into the sea.

*Ulmo turns her into a bird and she catches up to Earendil?s boat and is then turned back into a human.

*Well, gee, yeah, why didn?t I think of that?

*So, Earendil, unable to locate his father and mother and now receiving the news that his people have been slaughtered, decides to just sail on. He binds the Silmaril about his forehead and, with only his wife and three other mariners as company, he sails into the West.

*Astonishing Prose Alert: ?And the wise have said that it was by reason of the power of that holy jewel that they came in time to waters that no vessels save those of the Teleri had known; and they came to the Enchanted Isles and escaped their enchantment; and they came into the Shadowy Seas and passed their shadows, and they looked up Tol Eressea the Lonely Isle, but tarried not; and at the last they cast anchor in the Bay of Eldamar, and the Teleri saw the coming of that ship out of the East and they were amazed, gazing from afar upon the light of the Silmaril, and it was very great. Then Earendil, first of living Men, landed on the immortal shores.?

*Astonishing Prose Alert, as the Valar debate what is to be done with Earendil: ?It is told among the Elves that after Earendil had departed, seeking his wife, Mandos spoke concerning his fate; and he said: ?Shall mortal Man step living upon the undying lands, and yet live?? But Ulmo said: ?For this he was born into the world.??

*So Manwe issues the edict; because of Earendil?s great feat, he and his wife and his sons will be able to choose whether they are Men or Elves. Also, seriously, enough already with Morgoth. The Valar, will, at long last, go to war again and at last reclaim the two remaining Silmarils from Morgoth and thrust him down from his usurped position.

*Meanwhile, Earendil and his ship are sent into the skies, his Silmaril still bound

THE SECOND AGE

The Unfinished Tales, Part Two: The Second Age I ? II ? J.R.R. Tolkien
SA 700 ? 1098

*So, if you begin here, you really just leap into the Second Age with hardly any information to help you out. I?ll try to reproduce my confusion as I read these first two sections; the information that, in a perfect world, would come prior to these two pieces is in fact sort of dribbled out over the period.

*The first piece is titled A Description of the Island of Numenor and it is precisely that. It is about seven pages in length and has about half a page of notes by Christopher Tolkien. It is not a piece of narrative fiction, but rather a piece of descriptive fiction; no characters appear and there is no story ? it is simply a description of a place that does not actually exist and, as such, does, I suppose fall under the rubric of fiction.

*And as with most things that ?I suppose fall under the rubric of fiction,? it is not exactly gripping reading or anything.

*So, this opens with a brief ?historical introduction? indicating that the description was gathered from a variety of Numenorean sources that survived the ?Downfall? and preserved by the Kings of Gondor.

*There is sort of a fascinating pre-emptory explanation for the incredible shortfall of Second Age texts when Tolkien, in his person as a Middle Earth historian, discusses the fact that most historians chose not to study Numenor after the Downfall because it would breed only regret. Only the story of Ar-Pharazon and his ?impious armada? remains generally known.

*This is, I believe, the story contained in The Silmarillion under the title Akallabeth, which seems to mean ?The Down-Fallen.?

*It is mentioned here that Numenor was a ?Land of Gift.? This won?t become clear until quite a bit later, but Numenor was apparently created by the Valar as a special island haven where the Men of Middle Earth that participated with the Valar in the overthrow of Morgoth could live peaceful, harmonious and much lengthier lives than they had previously known.

*So, let?s briefly deal with this piece by beginning at the beginning: ?The land of Numenor resembled in outline a five-pointed star, or pentangle, with a central portion some two hundred and fifty miles across, north and south, east and west, from which extended five large peninsular promontories. These promontories were regarded as separate regions and they were named Forostar (Northlands), Andustar (Westlands), Hyarnustar (Southwestlands), Hyarrostar (Southeastlands), and Orrostar (Eastlands). The central portion was called Mittalmar (Inlands), and it had not coast except the land about Romenna and the head of its firth. A small part of the Mittalmar was, however, separated from the rest and called Arandor, the Kingsland. In Arandor were the haven of Romenna, the Meneltarma and Armenelos, the City of the Kings; and it was at all times the most populous region of Numenor.

*The Mittalmar was raised above the promontories (not reckoning the height of their mountains and hills); it was a region of grasslands and low downs, and few trees grew there. Near to the centre of the Mittalmar stood the tall mountain called Meneltarma, Pillar of the Heavens, sacred to the worship of Eru Iluvatar. Though the lower slopes of the mountain were gentle and grass-covered it grew ever steeper, and toward the summit it could not be scaled; but a winding spiral road was . . .

*Well, actually, I think I?ll just skip ahead.

*Or did you want to hear the following six and a half pages?

*There is one rather interesting note which is that some of the trees from Numenor, called the malinorni were given as seedlings to Galadriel and it is those trees that form part of the majestic vista of Lothlorien.

*So, in the movie, those were actually Numenorian trees there that you saw . . .

*Yes, that is the most interesting thing in this whole piece.

*So, let?s move on to the second section in this passage, Aldarion and Erendis or The Mariner?s Wife.

*The story itse

The Line of Elros: Kings of Numenor From the Founding of the City of Aremenelos to the Downfall ? J.R.R. Tolkien

*This entry is undated on the timeline, but it is placed directly behind the tale of Aldarion and Erendis. It is essentially a brief overview of the entire Second Age.

*This can be found, of course, in Unfinished Tales, where it is Part III of The Second Age section.

*In a brief introduction, Tolkien informs us that the Realm of Numenor began in the year SA 32 when Elros, son of Earendil, ascended to the throne and took the royal name Tar-Minyatur.

*He also finally explicates what was at the heart of the Aldarion and Erendis story: ?Elros Tar-Minyatur ruled the Numenoreans for four hundred years and ten. For to the Numenoreans long life had been granted, and they remained unwearied for thrice the span of mortal Men in Middle-earth; but to Earendil?s son the longest life of any Man was given, and to his descendants a lesser span, and yet one greater than to others even of the Numenoreans; and so it was until the coming of the Shadow, when the years of the Numenoreans began to wane.?

*So, Elros, who live 500 years, is the longest lived Man in the history of Middle-Earth. His direct descendents apparently lived somewhere around three hundred years, given the figure of thrice the span of mortal man in Middle Earth, while Numenoreans not in Elros? line lived lives somewhat shorter.

*So, this is about six and a half pages and we move very quickly through the twenty-five rulers of Numenor, with most of them given a single paragraph to sum up their rules, though some are given more detail.

*At their shortest, the paragraph might simply include the year of birth, the length of rule, the year of descension and the year of death.

*At the longest, they might go for a third to a half a page and discuss things like allegiances and policy changes and things like that.

*So, for instance, the paragraph about Meneldur mentions that he was the only son of Tar-Elendil, when he was born, what his original name was, why he took the name Meneldur, who he married, the years he ruled, a notation that he ?was wise, but gentle and patient,? and then a sentence that mentions that his resignation to allow Aldarion to ascend the throne was a policy move made after news began to spread that an evil was arising again in Middle Earth.

*So, we get little details like that about some of the kings and queens, but nothing at all in depth.

*Tar-Telperien, the second Queen of Numenor, after Ancalime, and the tenth ruler in all is mentioned as having not wed, which is odd, since in the notes for Aldarion & Erendis, it?s noted that the only reason that Ancalime married was because the ruler had to be married.

*It?s also said that the women of Numenor were longer lived than the men which seemed a nice little detail to put in.

*Trouble begins to brew with the eleventh ruler, Tar-Minastir, who the text tells us ruled for 138 years and stepped down in 1869. ?He it was,? Tolkien notes, ?who sent a great fleet to Gil-Galad in the first war against Sauron.? That gives us some small picture of what?s coming in the Second Age.

*The following King, Tar-Ciryatan, it is noted, constrained Tar-Minastir to step down before he really wanted too and ?in this way, might the first coming of the Shadow upon the bliss of Numenor be seen.? So things are beginning to go off the rails by the 1800s, some 800 years after the story of Aldarion and Erendis.

*Tar-Atanamir, the thirteenth king and successor to Ciryatan, refuses to yield the scepter to his Heir and actually dies in office, the first King to break with the tradition begun by Elros that the king should step down while still in command of his full faculties. For this reason, he is called Tar-Atanamir the Unwilling.

*Also, it is told, ?in his time, the Shadow fell upon Numenor.? This seems to take the form of a sort of religious tension whereby many people in Numenor, including Atanamir himself, began to speak against the Valar and qu

Like I said in the other thread, I just started reading The Silmarillion and really enjoy it so far. I also picked up The Children of the Hurin, and already have Unfinished Tales, so I'll be reading along in the same order as Rogue1-and-a-half for a while. Once I get caught up with the first story chunk of The Silmarillion, I'll post my thoughts. This thread has already been helpful in getting the geography and some other details correct.

Keep up the good work, Rogue!

Tal-Elmar ? J.R.R. Tolkien
SA 1800 ? 2251?

*This story, or rather this incredibly brief beginning to what appears to be an epic story, is found in the fourth section of The Peoples of Middle Earth, the twelfth and final volume in Christopher Tolkien?s epic History of Middle Earth series. We will be returning to this volume toward the end of the Fourth Age to read the other unfinished tale contained in it, The New Shadow.

*But for now, if you?ve read The Peoples of Middle Earth, do comment on the bulk of the book and what you thought about it.

*This story begins with a one page introduction, runs for thirteen pages and then closes with a page or so of notes. It is, quite obviously, only the very beginning of a story that would probably have gotten quite long before it was over.

*The story exists in Tolkien?s notes in two manuscripts, both dating from the middle to late 1950s; Tolkien appended a brief note to the manuscripts in 1968 explaining his purpose in telling the story. After that date, it appears, he never again interacted with the tale.

*You may recall that I floated a lot of theories about what this story would be about last time, based on my reading of The Line of Elros. It turns out I was right . . . about none of them.

*This story is best summarized by quoting from Tolkien?s own prefatory note: ?Beginnings of a tale that sees the Numenoreans from the point of view of the Wild Men.?

*It is, then, a story about the men that remained in Middle Earth, the descendents of the Easterlings who fought with Morgoth in the War of Wrath and thus were not transported to Numenor with the Men who fought on the side of the Valar. I find this a very interesting idea for a story. Let?s get right to it.

*It opens by telling us of one Hazan Longbeard and Tolkien gets off some surprisingly witty prose: ?Two prides he had: in the number of his sons (seventeen in all), and in the length of his beard (five feet without stretching); but his joy in his beard was the greater. For it remained with him, and was soft, and ruly to his hand, whereas his sons for the most part were gone from him, and those that remained, or ever came nigh, were neither gentle nor ruly.?

*Hazad?s youngest son, however, is a little different and it is from his name, Tal-Elmar, that the story takes its title.

*Tal-Elmar is, as this story opens, eighteen years of age and he still lives with his father, who he loves and respects very much. He is, in sharp contrast to most of the people around him, tall, slender and pale. Most of the Easterlings are, of course, short, swarthy and stocky.

*The reasons for this become clear when it is revealed that Tal-Elmar?s grandmother, Hazad?s mother, was in fact a captive taken in a battle with the ?Fell Folk? of the West. This then would have been a woman of the Men of the West, considered in this story as the villains, a wicked and corrupt race of Men that has made deals with the evil Elves, and the battle in which she was taken is doubtless one of the countless skirmishes recounted in the late days of the Quenta Silmarillion.

*I find this really, really interesting. It?s Tolkien sort of trying to debunk his own myth by writing it from the other side. It?s as though you were writing a history of the Cold War from the perspective of the US and then suddenly switched to writing from the perspective of the Soviet Union. The language has changed, the code words have changed, etc. The ?Edain,? the good men of the West, are now the ?Fell Folk,? the evil men of the West. The Elves have become ?demons in the fiery hills,? that aid the Fell Folk.

*In a note, Tolkien appended in the sixties, he noted that he wanted to change and make it be Hazad?s wife and thus Tal-Elmar?s own mother that was a captive of the Fell Folk. This, I think, would work better, as it would allow the woman to have more of a real impact on Tal-Elmar?s life.

*But, for whatever reason, some genetic qualities have passed to Tal-Elmar from his grandmother (as the story stands), bot