Amph One Thread To Rule Them All: The Rings of Power + The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings Trilogies

a reminder for my hostages

 

Teaser for a new trailer coming July 14:

 

Love the silhouette shot of Arondir and Bronwyn holding hands on the ridge. One of the more naturalistic images this far, in terms of aesthetic. And that Elrond and Gil-Galad shot was awesome.

 

The shoots looked better this time and we got our first look at ents in the distant.

 

Excited to see a bit of street-level stuff on Numenor.

And that’s Miriel!

 

Did it ever occur to you that this whole thing is way too complicated? Did it ever occur to Tolkien?

 

It’s a book. With pages in it. You decipher the letters and mentally turn them into words, and you physically turn pages, slowly absorbing and processing information.

hold my hand, and we will make it to the end of all things in this dying world.

 

It did not have to. I read the Silmarillion for the first time 25 years ago, at the ripe old age of 16, and it was a very pleasant read.

 

If Wocky saw a copy of Gravity's Rainbow I think he might ho mad

 

I didn't have a Second Edition of the Silmarillion, by the way
Interesting to re-read that letter at this stage of my life.

And now, time for a bit of music.

 

I first read the Silmarillion when I was in 6th or 7th grade, so about 12 years old, and loved it. It really inspired me and what a writer could accomplish.

 

It's interesting how, allegorically, many myths, both from real world religions and in fiction, use word, song or music as the means the world was created. All three are modulated waveforms which convey energy - and the Big Bang theory itself involves an explosive release of energy. You could make the allegorical case that we are all little pieces and modulations of the sound that resulted from that explosion at the origin of all things.

Tolkien makes use in Ainulindalë of one such allegory that sees waveform birth the world, and inscribes himself in a tradition of telling a story that is intuitively close to what science ended up discerning as being the real origin of all things.

 

One of the most fascinating parts of the Ainulindale is that, while the Silmarillion greatly evolved over time (from the original Book of Lost Tales concept), the text of the Ainulindale has been remarkably consistent from the earliest drafts.

 

hoes mad!!!

 

Not to mention string theory (which postulates a big and nearly infinite bounce vs. a bang), which is predicated on the idea that the most fundamental elements of the universe are tiny strings that vibrate. More music.

 

A few pages into the AINULINDALË and I’m getting extreme Fantasia “origins of life” vibes… not sure if Tolkien would like me hearing Stravinsky or not.

I hope I don’t regret reading this. The last thing I want to lose is the ability to re-read LOTR with the same feeling of childish ignorance and wanderlust that the hobbits possess. Melkor being on page 1 already makes the world feel smaller.

it’s undoubtedly a beautiful origin myth, however.

the most basic observation possible, but I have to ask:

So Galadriel’s mirror is somehow linked to the Ainur?

 

Ah, yes, Melkor, who had a share in everything his brethren knew - and from that, grew to want forever more.

 

I'm not sure about that with her mirror, but Galadriel was mentored by one of the Ainur for a few centuries (and lived with many Ainur even longer).

 

There has been references to 'prophecies' that show a knowledge of the future, from the (upcoming) Prophecy of Doom by the Vala Mandos himself, to a human seer, Malbeth, who had the last king of Arthedain named Arvedui - literally 'last king' - predicting he would either be the last king because he'd reunite the Numenorean kingdoms... or because the realm would finally fall. (One could argue that both came true as his descendant did, in fact, reunite the kingdoms over a thousand years later)

It has been implied elsewhere (and confirmed in The Nature of Middle-Earth) that 'magic' derives from the teachings of the Vala, basically a version of their own abilities to manipulate the matter and substance of Arda - with the 'left-handed' magic (morgul) coming from Morgoth's teachings.

 

Don’t worry. If there’s one thing that the Silmarillion doesn’t do, it’s make the world feel smaller.

 

Just about every time I watch or talk about LotR I have to point out that since the light in the Phial of Galadriel is from the Star of Earendil it's actually the light of a silmaril which is the same light as the Two Trees. This is why I don't have many friends lol.

Spoiler

That is until everyone starts getting killed...

 

You have one more thanks to that post.

 

I guess that's why Sauron doesn't like it too much.

 

And another!