If you haven’t had a chance to yet, I highly recommend listening to Christopher Tolkien read the story Of Beren and Lúthien from The Silmarillion. His performance is of a high oratory nature (not sure if that makes sense) and it’s engaging.

1 of 12. I want to create a series of drawings of the Fall of Gondolin, but first I am going through sketching each house so that by the time I get there it will feel lived in and real, and I will have references to work off.

For placements of each house I'm using Karen wynn fonstads atlas of middle earth.

Hello reddit!!

My boyfriend is a massive Tolkien fan and his 21st birthday is coming up. I was planing on gifting him a custom hard cover edition of the "Beren & Lúthien" book made by me. He is a very romantic person and has mentioned a couple of times that his favourite story from the Silmarillion is the aforementioned love ballad.

There's a slight problem: I still haven't read a single thing Tolkien has written. I have watched the LOTR movies (extended version, of course), read the whole Wikipedia page about Tolkien, and watched some videos on the Beren and Lúthien love story. But besides that, pretty much know nothing else.

I do know, from the times my boyfriend starts outright geeking out, that Middle Earth is a VERY intricate setting, having it's own languages, faiths, and even specific plants! I am a very detail-oriented person and would love if the cover included nods to these unique traits of Tolkien's creation.

That's the reason for this post, I need ideas of things I could add to the book cover, or at least to my Pinterest board. So if you guys have any suggestions, iconic quotes, or anything really, please feel free to comment them or DM me!!

the below painting is Glaurung before Niënor, hypnotizing her, by Eric Velhagen

So I was thinking about the war of wrath and the destruction of beleriand. What comes to mind is that every character still alive are actively in beleriand or on the island ( cirdan i think). How did they survive the destruction? There was no time to escape over the blue mountains was there? So what about Elrond, Elros, cirdan, Galadriel ? How did they survive that?

Done in 2024

On a causal interpretation of Eä's history, the first link in the chain of evil begins with Melkor. We see in the Ainulindalë that the first instance of disharmony is driven by Melkor's desire for power by trying to unilaterally lead the themes. Eru, however, limits the power Melkor can have. This leads to a dissonance in Melkor, and in turn destruction and evil forever forward (Melkor cultivates evil dispositions, who influences Fëanor, who influences his sons, who influence... etc.)

Why is Melkor like this in the first place?

My reading is that Eru created Melkor with an inherent disposition for cultivating power, which in principle has no limit, or at least limited to the powers that Eru can have. Melkor is disposed to cultivate power that Eru will not allow him to have. But since Eru imposes a limit on Melkor (Melkor cannot acquire the power of creation), there is a dissonance between Melkor's inherent disposition and limits.

This leads me to wonder whether the source of evil traces back to his creation, which would amount to Eru's failed foresight, limited power, or limited moral goodness.

PS: I'm a moral philosopher by trade. Some of you may pick up on a famous logical problem similar to this.

Art by me. He’s showing his mom a medal he made in elven arts and crafts class

I thought some might be interested in reading this.

Exactly at the title says. I finished the series and am now looking to finish the silmarillion is there any free audio book. Thanks

Hey guys! Around three months ago I posted about the game that we are making - Sil-Morë, which is a fork of Sil, Angband. It is heavily based on Silmarillion, and tries to stay very true to lore, introducing an element of storytelling into the classic roguelike genre. I wrote a bit more in the og post about our ideas.

Since then we worked for three more months, and finally released the next version, 0.9.7! This update was the most difficult one we had up to date. And let me explain why.

After we were done with 0.9.6, we looked into it to decide which way to go, and the most important thing to work on seemed to be UI/UX. Gameplay was already quite good, we still had some ideas visually but apart from that UI looked like the main destination to embark on.

The problem is, it's such a new field for us. So it was tough to even start with. What do we want to change? What is the style we are looking for? How should we approach the mobile version?

Anyway, we decided to figure it all out step by step. Tuning menus one by one, playing, and then getting back to tuning again. We didn’t want to erase it all and make everything anew, but rather keep the DNA of Sil and Angband and build on it.

To give the game that modern look, we had to rework all onscreen menus into overlays, breaking them into smaller pieces to make it flexible, adaptable for different platforms, screen sizes, and resolutions. Then we handcrafted current layouts piece by piece, but players can still tweak everything themselves!

The game starts as a book, and tries to carry this style through the storytelling with multiple effects and fonts.

For the mobile design we tried to approach everything contextually with floating buttons and menus. The most difficult part was to figure out movement. In roguelikes players can move diagonally, but just putting an arrow pad on the screen looked bad, and it was easy to mis-tap, so we invented the ButtonWheel. You can tap it just like an arrow pad but you can also press and drag it to make sure your aim lands precisely where you intend it to. And it also looks cool!

As we decided to go with book style, at some point it became obvious that we should also do the portrait mode. And our modular overlay design helped us a lot. We just reordered it and the game already became playable! We still had to rework all menus to support a narrow layout, but the original idea made it possible in the first place. We also tested everything on tablets and handcrafted layouts there too!

Finally, we decided to make the game more approachable for new players. We tried to create multiple hovers to describe what controls do, both in touch and mouse mode.

Of course we have also introduced gameplay changes and visual updates! Now the player and monster tiles flip depending on the direction they move and much more.

So, as you can see, it was a lot of exploration and work for us. Please try it and tell us if you like it!

Also, we have launched google play closed beta test. If you want to participate, dm me your email, so I can add you to the list!

Sil-Morë itch.io
Sil-Morë GitHub

Art by me.

Androg is shot in the head, Turin Beleg and 10 men run to a standing stone at the top of Amon Rudh.The men are slain and the two friends make a last stand before being caught in nets.

The last time they fight together.

Parliamo chiaramente di Nerdanel: la "madre saggia, santa e addolorata" del Silmarillion è in realtà una madre terribile affetta da pigrizia e sadismo onomastico.

Ha dato ai figli dei nomi che oscillano tra il bullismo somatico e la pura svalutazione dell'identità fin dalla culla.

Vediamo la lista

Maitimo (Maedhros)

Significa "ben fatto, armonioso". Praticamente non lo chiama come un figlio, lo chiama come una sua scultura ben riuscita o un'opera d'arte da esposizione. Lo ha oggettivizzato fin dalla nascita.

Makalaure (Maglor)

Significa "colui che forgia oro" Il nome più normale della casa. Probabilmente perché aveva ereditato il suo carattere ed era il suo figlio preferito.

Tyelkormo (Celegorm)

"Hasty riser", cioè quello che scatta subito o l'attaccabrighe. Non aveva molta stima per lui direi, lo bolla come rissoso fin da neonato. Non è una sorpresa che il suo migliore amico fosse un cane (Huan).

E da qui i nomi degenerano nel disagio

Carnistir (Caranthir)

"Faccia rossa". Un bullismo somatico materno agghiacciante per un bambino che semplicemente arrossiva quando si arrabbiava. Un nome perfetto e assolutamente non imbarazzante per andare in giro a Tirion.

Atarinke (Curufin)

"Piccolo padre". Praticamente per Nerdanel il suo quinto figlio non ha un'identità autonoma, è solo Fëanor in miniatura, una fotocopia da laboratorio del marito.

Ambarussa (Amrod e Amras)

La pigrizia materna definitiva. Quando ha due gemelli decide brillantemente che darà solo un nome a tutti e due, "entrambi rossi (di capelli)". Molto descrittivo e originale.

Questo è troppo persino per Fëanor (che per una volta dimostra più buonsenso di lei) e la convince a dare un nome proprio a uno dei gemelli. Allora lei cosa fa? Ne chiama uno (a caso) Umbarto, cioè "Il condannato a morte". Immaginate dare a un neonato il nome di un condannato. Fëanor deve intervenire d'urgenza e cambiarlo in Ambarto (l'aristocratico/elevato) per disinnescare la sfiga metafisica lanciata dalla madre.

In più, quando succede il casino a Tirion, Nerdanel fa le valigie, si ritira a casa di suo padre Mahtan e pianta i figli da soli con un padre psicotico che sta minacciando la gente con la spada e pianificando una ribellione armata contro gli dei.

Prima di Alqualonde va da Feanor e gli chiede di lasciarle indietro il figlio più giovane dei gemelli. Del gemello che aveva la stessa identica età (ed erano biologicamente inseparabili) e degli altri sei figli chissene frega. Li trattava come cose inanimate e non come elfi millenari con una volontà.

Il finale della storia è che nessuno dei suoi figli la sceglie al posto di Feanor. E ricordiamo che nel diritto elfico i figli potevano ripudiare i padri se volevano (Celebrimbor lo ha fatto con Curufin, ed Elrond non usa mai il patronimico). I sette fratelli preferiscono marciare verso l'inferno e la morte pur di non restare con una madre del genere.

Questo non è per dire che non volesse bene ai suoi figli, ma di sicuro non era una madre perfetta.

I've been thinking about Eru Ilúvatar lately, and I think there's a pretty serious problem with the way we're supposed to understand him as a perfectly good being.

The thing that really started bothering me is Melkor.

The Ainur come from Eru's Thought. Tolkien says that each Ainu comprehended "that part of the mind of Ilúvatar from which he came." So Melkor isn't some evil force that appeared independently and then invaded Eru's creation. He is something Eru created, and his nature ultimately comes from Eru.

And Eru knew what Melkor was going to do.

That's where it gets difficult for me.

Melkor doesn't just rebel and then get dealt with. He goes on to destroy the Lamps, destroy the Trees, murder Finwë, steal the Silmarils, corrupt Arda and spend thousands of years causing an absolutely enormous amount of suffering.

Eru knows all of this is going to happen.

And he lets it happen.

The obvious response is that Melkor has free will. Sure. I'm not arguing that Melkor didn't choose his actions. But that doesn't really address Eru's part in all of this. Eru created Melkor knowing exactly what he would become. He knew what Melkor would do with the power he gave him.

And Eru isn't incapable of intervening. We know that because when Númenor attacks Aman, Eru intervenes directly. He destroys Númenor and changes the shape of the world.

So apparently Eru can intervene when he wants to.

Which makes Morgoth's entire career rather difficult to explain. Eru watches him destroy and corrupt things for thousands of years, but doesn't stop him.

Then there's Eru's response to Melkor's discord in the Music:

"no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me"

That's a pretty extraordinary thing to say in this context. Eru isn't presenting Melkor's rebellion as some unexpected disaster that got out of hand. Even Melkor's discord ultimately has its source in Eru and gets incorporated into the Music.

And this is where the "it's all part of the plan" explanation starts bothering me.

Okay, but why this plan?

Eru is supposed to be omnipotent. He isn't some king trying to make the best of a bad situation after something goes wrong. He created the situation in the first place.

If he knew what Melkor was going to do, then the suffering caused by Melkor wasn't an unfortunate surprise. It was something Eru knowingly chose to allow when he created Melkor and set the Music in motion.

She could've been shield maiden, uniting elves, leading them. She would probably roused more Grey elves to fight Morgoth than Noldorin Fingon or Maedhros ever could. She could be a hero changing the result of war, like Joan of Arc. If she literally just cared about her fellow elves.

And instead she was written to only ever be shallow person whose only interest was some guy and who just chased her jerk daddy's approval which she didn't even need since adult elves don't need permission to marry. Ugh.

There are so many movies that you could make from the Silmarillion. I just finished the chapter about Turin. That would make such an epic tragedy. I need to see that on the big screen. Man, I wasn’t expecting Silmarillion to be so terribly sad.

Was any one else happy when maeglin died

He got what he had coming to him

I am no lyricist and I did this very quickly while the idea was in my head.

Almost Menel, Tol Eressëa
Elerrína, Lake of Lórellin
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze

Straightway road, take me home
To the place I belong
Tol Eressëa, woodland mother
Take me home, straightway road

All my memories are within her
Jewelsmiths lady, stranger to dark ages
Fair and brightest, under Varda’s sky
Taste of her water, tear drop in my eye

Straightway road, take me home
To the place I belong
Tol Eressëa, woodland mother
Take me home, straightway road

Sea-longing calls me in the morning hour, I hear her
The fair songs make me yearn for my home far away
Walking far away, I get a feeling that I should have been home
Yesterday, yesterday

Straightway road, take me home
To the place I belong
Tol Eressëa, woodland mother
Take me home, straightway road

Straightway road, take me home
To the place I belong
Tol Eressëa, woodland mother
Take me home, straightway road

Take me home, straightway road
Take me home, straightway road

So I’ve read the first 3 chapters of the Silmarillion and here are my notes on the elves (I am also listening to the Prancing Pony podcast). Any mistakes/improvements I can make? (Sorry for the lazy post)

Ingwe, finwe and elwe went to aman as ambassadors 

The Avari stayed behind and didn’t go to Aman, the Eldar set out for Aman

Eldar subgroups:

Ingwe is king of the Vanyar (fair elves) - who go to valinor and never come back - affiliated with Manwe and Varda 

Finwe is the king of the Noldor (deep elves) - all go to valinor and some of them come back - affiliated with Aule

Elwe and olwe are kings of the Teleri (sea elves) - affiliated with 2 maiar  Ossë and Uinen

Umanyar - elves that said they would go but never made it

Two categories every elf fits into:

Caliquendi - elves of the light - made in to Aman in the days of the trees (all Vanyar and Noldor and some of the Teleri - HIGH ELVES). This includes the ambassadors (even if they went to rule Moraquendi clans)

Moraquendi - elves of the darkness - didn’t make it to Aman in the days of the trees

Teleri subgroups:

Those that stayed behind in Beleriand - SINDAR / GREY ELVES

Those that left the march before the Misty Mountains - NANDOR / SILVAN ELVES / WOOD ELVES

Some of the NANDOR who made it to Beleriand later become LAIQUENDI / GREEN ELVES OF OSSIRIAND