50 Fun Facts About The Silmarillion

Who edited and published The Silmarillion after his father's death?

Christopher Tolkien later edited the twelve-volume History of Middle-earth from the same mass of drafts.

In which year was The Silmarillion first published?

It came out four years after Tolkien's death and topped the New York Times fiction list that October.

Which future fantasy novelist helped Tolkien's son edit the book in secret?

Kay, chosen through family connections, spent a year in Oxford on the manuscripts before writing the Fionavar Tapestry.

What is the name of the fictional universe the book describes?

Eä is the whole of creation; Arda is the world within it, and Aman the continent of the Valar.

Publisher Stanley Unwin rejected the early draft as obscure and "too" what?

The rejection pushed Tolkien to start a Hobbit sequel instead, which grew into The Lord of the Rings.

How many parts does The Silmarillion have?

Ainulindalë, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion, Akallabêth and Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age.

Which part tells of the creation of Eä through a great music?

The title is Quenya for "The Music of the Ainur"; Tolkien wrote its first version in 1917.

Which section relates the Downfall of Númenor?

Akallabêth means "The Downfallen" and runs to only about 30 pages.

The Quenta Silmarillion chronicles wars over how many jewels?

The three Silmarils held the captured light of the Two Trees of Valinor.

Which Finnish epic is cited as a major influence on the book?

Tolkien was especially drawn to the story of Kullervo, which fed into the tale of Túrin.

Which tale from the Finnish epic particularly shaped the book?

Kullervo's tragedy of incest and suicide is echoed in the story of Túrin Turambar.

Which chapter did the editor have to construct practically from scratch?

The chapter had been untouched since the early 1930s, so he invented connecting material within his father's tenor.

Tolkien imagined the tales redacted by a fictional editor: which hobbit?

The Silmarillion was supposedly translated from Bilbo's three-volume Translations from the Elvish, written at Rivendell.

How many times did Melkor disrupt the Music before Ilúvatar stopped it?

Each time Ilúvatar overpowered the discord with a new theme before showing the Ainur a vision of Arda.

The greater Ainur who entered Arda became known as what?

The lesser Ainur became the Maiar, among whom were the future Sauron and the Balrogs.

How many Valar does the Valaquenta describe, besides Melkor?

Melkor was originally counted among them but is no longer numbered with the Valar.

Which two lamps lit the world before Melkor destroyed them?

After the lamps fell the Valar withdrew to Aman and lit Valinor with the Two Trees instead.

Which Vala made the Two Trees, Telperion and Laurelin?

Yavanna is the giver of fruits; her spouse Aulë is the smith who made the Dwarves.

Which Vala, the smith, created the Dwarves?

Ilúvatar then gave the Dwarves life and free will of their own.

Whose newly made stars caused the awakening of the Elves?

Varda, called Elbereth by the Elves, is the Vala they revere most.

Thingol and Melian ruled which Elves?

The Sindar were Teleri who stayed in Beleriand, and Melian shielded their realm with her Girdle.

After his banishment from Tirion, Fëanor built which fortress to the north?

Finwë moved there to live with his favourite son, and died there when Melkor came for the jewels.

Which dark spider spirit helped Melkor kill the Two Trees?

Shelob, met by Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings, is described as Ungoliant's last child.

What name did Fëanor give Melkor after the theft of the Silmarils?

Gorthaur and Annatar are names of his lieutenant Sauron; Gothmog was lord of the Balrogs.

After the first battle of Beleriand, Melkor barricaded himself in which fortress?

The Noldor besieged Angband for nearly 400 years before it was finally destroyed in the War of Wrath.

How many sons did Fëanor make swear his oath of vengeance?

Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amrod and Amras; only Maglor outlived the First Age.

Betrayed by Fëanor, some Noldor crossed which region of ice on foot?

The name means "Grinding Ice"; Fingolfin led the crossing after the ships were burned.

Turgon built which secret city in a vale surrounded by mountains?

It was one of the last Elven strongholds to fall, betrayed from within.

Which nephew of King Turgon betrayed his hidden city to Melkor?

Maeglin, son of the dark elf Eöl, nursed a hopeless love for his cousin Idril.

What bride-price did Thingol demand from Beren for Lúthien's hand?

Thingol thought the price impossible; Beren and Lúthien cut a Silmaril from Melkor's own crown.

Which Vala did Lúthien persuade to restore Beren to life?

Lúthien gave up her immortality in exchange, so the two would share one fate after death.

Túrin's greatest deed was the defeat of which dragon?

Glaurung's enchantment had wiped his sister's memory, leading to the tragedy that followed.

Under Melkor's curse, Túrin unknowingly married which sister?

She was called Níniel after losing her memory; Morwen was their mother.

Húrin took which necklace from the dragon's hoard at Nargothrond?

Fighting between Elves and Dwarves over the Nauglamír and the Silmaril set in it helped ruin Doriath.

Which couple formed the second union between Elves and Men?

Their son Eärendil the Half-elven carried a Silmaril across the sea to beg help from the Valar.

What was the name of Eärendil's ship?

Eärendil and Vingilot were set in the sky, becoming the Morning Star.

Which brothers seized the last two Silmarils after the war?

The jewels burned their hands; Maedhros leapt into a fiery chasm and Maglor cast his into the sea.

Which brother of Elrond chose to be counted among Men?

Elros became the first king of Númenor and lived to be 500 years old.

Which king of Númenor sailed a great fleet against Aman?

Ilúvatar destroyed his forces and a great wave submerged Númenor; Aman was removed beyond the world.

In what year did Tolkien begin the stories that became the book?

Much of the early work was written in hospital and on sick leave after his return from France.

Which story did Tolkien complete first, in late 1916?

The Ainulindalë followed in 1917; both were part of what he called The Book of Lost Tales.

The mariner Eriol of the early frame story was later renamed as which Anglo-Saxon?

He reaches the island of Tol Eressëa, where the Elves tell him their history.

How many pages long was the 1926 "Sketch of the Mythology"?

It was written to explain the background of Túrin's story to Tolkien's friend R. W. Reynolds.

What was the last version of the work that Tolkien actually completed?

Both the Sketch and the Quenta Noldorinwa were later printed in Volume IV of The History of Middle-earth.

Which Blind Guardian album is a concept record about the book's events?

All 25 tracks of the 1998 album allude to events in the book; track 7 is "The Curse of Fëanor".

Amon Amarth, the name of a Swedish metal band, is Sindarin for what?

It is the Elvish name for Mount Doom, where the One Ring was forged and destroyed.

What was the title of Adam Roberts's 2004 parody of the book?

Roberts had already parodied The Hobbit as The Soddit the year before.

Which Maia did Tolkien describe as an "Odinic wanderer"?

Olórin is the name Gandalf bore in the West before he was sent to Middle-earth.

Melkor was defeated in the first of how many battles of Beleriand?

The fifth, the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, ended in utter defeat for the Elves and their allies.

Which composer wrote the symphonic poems "Quendi" and "Fëanor"?

The Norwegian composer's three Silmarillion poems premiered in southern France between 2009 and 2017.