Maedhros did deeds of surpassing valour, and the Orcs fled before his face; for since his torment upon Thangorodrim his spirit burned like a white fire within, and he was as one that returns from the dead.

This sentence has been living in my head rent-free ever since I read it for the first time. 🫡🫡🫡

Silmarillion Daily (2024) is set up and ready for subscriptions! if people are interested in seeing The Silmarillion in chronological order over the course of a year.

Every day from January 20th to December 31st will cover three years of in-book time, running from the Awakening of the Elves at Cuiviénen (Years of the Trees and Years of the Sun will be treated the same). January 1st to 19th will be a prologue covering material prior to the Awakening of the Elves.

This Silmarillion Daily is not associated with the previous newsletter of that name, which ran 2022-2023 and was run by @tolkien-feels (with some help from me in compiling events) and it contains different content.

If you're wondering how long the entries will be, here is a schedule. Entries in yellow are less than 1 page; entries in orange are 2-5 pages; and entries in red are more than five pages.

Finally catching up with the Silmarillion Daily and reading the Ainulindalë. I must say that the discord of Melkor takes a whole new level of meaning when there’s bad waiting music coming from my phone as I wait for the doctor to answer my call. This ‘music’ is so utterly nerve grating and discordant I am well immersed in the text I read.

Of the Creation of the Ents

It seems that Tolkien himself is speaking through Yavanna, trying to remind us about the importance of trees. At the turn of the century, admirers of the English countryside were shocked and stressed by the scope of forests being cut. The sound of the axes’ blows constantly accompanied every working day. So, it must have been truly distressing to observe the diminishing number of trees. However, unlike Yavanna, these people could not count on the help of the Shepherds of the Trees.

The last two Silmarillion Daily posts have gotten me thinking about the War of Wrath again, specifically these points:

Why didn't the Elves remaining in Beleriand fight in the War? Were they tired, incapable, unwilling, or prevented from fighting by the Host of the Valar? Also notable is that Gil-galad is High King of the Noldor at this point, regardless of his genealogy, and working to maintain refuges for the Eldar. And given that this war shook the ground and spanned the entirety of Beleriand, there's no way they didn't know about it.

For that matter, why did the Edain fight when the Elves didn't?

This war took forty years. With its large scale and the ensuing destruction of the land, conditions must have been dire by the end - lack of supplies, low morale... The Siege of Angband lasted 400 years, but they didn't have to supply enough resources for an army that can cover an entire continent, and the land was more hospitable then.

How was the Host of the Valar ready to fight so soon? As far as we know, the Vanyar have never been involved in any combat. The Noldor wouldn't have had much experience in fighting or strategy either. This means that either: 1) at some point in First Age Valinor something occured to make the inhabitants arm themselves and learn to fight; 2) in the span of 1-2 years they gave themselves a crash course and procured all their resources, possibly assisted by the Valar (which is possible, depending on whether or not time passes differently in Valinor); or 3) the grand Host of the Valar was severely underprepared upon arriving to Middle-earth.

What were Elrond and Elros doing all those years? Did Earendil ever see them again?

I was reading the excerpt for today’s Silmarillion Daily and was reminded that. Turgon. This man. Got a full third of the host of Fingolfin PLUS an even larger host of Sindar to just gradually and completely disappear without a word. Hundreds of thousands of people. I cannot even begin to fathom the logistics behind that.

A little comic of the moment when Finwë falls in love with Indis, thanks to the silmarillion daily because I had never paid attention to how adorable this scene was before

It’s only a sketch and not in my usual artstyle but i hope you like it

Edit : For anyone wondering, the scene is from Morgoth’s Ring

Everyone knows I am always here for parallels between Turgon and Finrod, but one of the most fascinating to me (which I think I have talked about before) is this:

Thus Finrod came to the Caverns of Narog, and began to establish there deep halls and armouries after the fashion of the mansions of Menegroth; and that stronghold was called Nargothrond.

vs both this passage

But Turgon remembered the city set upon a hill, Tirion the fair with its tower and tree...

and this

...he resolved to build there a fair city, a memorial of Tirion upon Túna...

I find it very Interesting that Nargothrond and Gondolin are so contrasting. Deep halls and armories built after the style of Beleriand, and Gondolin of tower and tree recalling Aman.

Characters (and cities) aren't allegories, but there's a tendency, even beyond this specific parallel, towards Finrod always looking forward, and Turgon always looking back, which I find very cool because they are both very close to Ulmo who is associated with both prophecy and memory

Idk, I have no conclusion and I know there are many exceptions to this theme, I just think my blorbos are neat

"...and there in the forest of Neldoreth Lúthien was born, and the white flowers of niphredil came forth to greet her as stars from the earth."

I really love the named plants and flowers of Ëa, and I like to imagine what they looked like. In my mind, niphredil are alike to one of my favorite flowers I've seen growing near my home, the ipheion

thinking about how Finwë fell in love with Indis and decided to marry her. so he went to Valar to ask for their approval. but he didn't say "please let me marry this lady, I'm in love with her", which should have been more than enough by elven standards. instead he said " please let me marry Indis because my wife Miriel is dead and I much desire to have more children". I believe Finwë is not a fool, so he knew he needed to say exactly this in order to make Valar allow him to wed Indis(and they let him! Mamwë said "ok marry her"!). I know Manwë is not a very pleasant person, but this scene is like. literally the depiction of "who cares about laws and customs, I need more elves to live in my little perfect utopia".

where's that "the elves have become catholic" post when I need it

And he descended upon Arda in power and majesty greater than any other of the Valar, as a mountain that wades in the sea and has its head above the clouds and is clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire; and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that withers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold.

This Silm-accurate image of Melkor absolutely slaps.

One thing I like about the description of the Valar is that the two who are not in a couple are the ones most defined by compassion and concern for others. Nienna is the Vala of mourning, but also of pity; her sorrow is for others, not herself, and she helps the spirits who wait in the Halls of Mandos. Ulmo is the Vala who shows the most consistent care for Elves and Men, and does the most to communicate with them. They’re single not because they are inward-focused, but because they are outward-focused.

does anyone know what's up with the silmarillion daily? their last post on feb 9 said there would be a break until early april, but then there were no posts/emails at all in april. there's not much going on in the tag either. just curious if it's still going or if they had to stop

Of the Awakening of the Elves and Of the Quendi

Nice to know that the sound of falling water was not the sole auditory sensation experienced by the awakened Elves (it was the first but not the only one). Melian, with her nightingales singing under the stars, was also present, filling the silence. It was, indeed, a breathtaking debut act for a newborn race – bathed in starlight, serenaded by cascading waters and celestial birdsong.

Soon, their own voices would join the chorus. In their nascent language, echoing perhaps the melodies of the birds, they named themselves the Quendi – "those who speak". This small detail speaks volumes about the inherent musicality of their souls, forever intertwined with the symphony of their awakening.

Catching up on Silm daily reminds me of scenes like this one

Then hate overcame Fëanor's fear, and he cursed Melkor and bade him be gone, saying: “Get thee gone from my gate, thou jail-crow of Mandos!” And he shut the doors of his house in the face of the mightiest of all the dwellers in Eä. (The Silmarillion, Chapter 7, “Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor”)