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Lily's Reviews > The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
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Lily's review
bookshelves: books-i-own, classic, fantasy, favorites, read-more-than-once, romance, must-read, fictional-crushes, stop-making-me-cry, adult, action-and-adventure, love-the-cover, dragons, elves-and-fae-folk, family, life-changing, love-triangle, medieval, myth-or-legend, royalty, 2022-favs, book-club-or-buddy-read, favorite-author, dark-melancholic-heavy, i-cried, powerful-themes, currently-reading, villianous-characters-mwahaha
Jul 28, 2018
bookshelves: books-i-own, classic, fantasy, favorites, read-more-than-once, romance, must-read, fictional-crushes, stop-making-me-cry, adult, action-and-adventure, love-the-cover, dragons, elves-and-fae-folk, family, life-changing, love-triangle, medieval, myth-or-legend, royalty, 2022-favs, book-club-or-buddy-read, favorite-author, dark-melancholic-heavy, i-cried, powerful-themes, currently-reading, villianous-characters-mwahaha
Reading for the 4th time. Most recently started April 25, 2022.
Edit: Captioned some of the pictures! :) Will caption more asap.
Convincing you to read The Silmarillion based on its aesthetic:
((with tips for reading The Silm in progress!))
The Creation of the Ainur at the beginning of time! :) Plus Melkor's downfall. He is to be the main antagonist, and a very powerful one too, of The Silmarillion.
Valinor aesthetic with Oromë and/or Celegorm. Valinor is considered to be the Blessed Realm by the Elves, a place where no mortal can survive for long because of its energy.
Fëanor marrying Nerdanel in the bliss of Valinor. Together, they will have seven sons, and later, Fëanor takes all of them away from her to their doom.
The Captivity of Morgoth after he wrecks havoc all over Middle-earth. He is imprisoned for three ages before he is given a second chance by Manwë, the leader of the Valar. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a mistake as Morgoth is and will forevermore be super evil lol.
A ship of the gray-elves on the shores of Valinor. This is where Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Galadriel, etc. sailed toward at the end of LotR. Later, Fëanor will spill blood in the Blessed Realm to gain access to these ships.
Fëanor succeeds in creating the Silmarils, capturing the light of Valinor in them. This was a long and difficult process, and he considers them his crowning glory.
Aesthetic of Varda (one of the Ainur) and the blessed light of Valinor. Soon the light will be destroyed and only exist in Fëanor's Silmarils.
Fëanor and his half brothers, Fingolfin and Finarfin. Fëanor is the one with the jewels (his Silmarils). FYI, if you've read LotR, Fingolfin (the one with the staff) is Elrond Halfelven's great-great grandfather. And Finarfin (the blonde one) is Galadriel's father. :)
Gondolin. Sorry this isn't in the right timeline. :')
Fëanor draws his sword (that he created in secret) on Fingolfin, his half-brother, in front of everyone. This is a result of Morgoth's lies as he manipulated the two houses against each other.
In another world (Middle-Earth instead of Valinor), King Thingol meets Melian. Together, they stand for an age in the forest as the stars wheel by above them (this was actually before the sun and moon were made!) because Thingol was obsessed with how beautiful Melian is. Elrond from LotR is also descended from these two.
Maedhros, first son of Fëanor, aims to kill one of the gray-elves in order to fulfill his father's plan to steal their ships. This is the first kinslaying in which the Elves killed each other. :'(
The Elves are leaving Valinor to look for "freedom" in Middle-Earth. Here, Finarfin is parting with his children as he refuses to part with the Valar. He gives a ring with two snakes on it to his eldest son, Finrod Felagund. The other siblings (left to right: Orodreth, Galadriel, Aegnor, Angrod) watch. All but Galadriel will perish in Middle-Earth. The ring will pass on through the centuries to Aragorn in LotR.
After securing the ships, Fëanor betrays Fingolfin and Finarfin's people, stealing away the ships in the middle of the night and sailing to Middle-Earth without them. Then he burns them so that no one may return. Shame on you, Fëanor.
Three of the ladies of The Silmarillion! :) From top to bottom: Aredhel, Galadriel, and Lúthien. Aredhel is Fingolfin's daughter, Lúthien is the daughter of Thingol and Melian, and I think everyone knows Galadriel.
Fingolfin, left behind in Middle-Earth refuses to give up even after Fëanor's betrayal. He takes his people on a years-long journey through the Grinding Ice in an attempt to get to Middle-Earth. Many Elves die on this journey, and it was considered to be a huge feat of endurance.
𝒮𝑜 𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝒾𝓁𝓂𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝑜𝓃. 𝐼𝒻 𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝑔𝒽 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝓊𝒾𝓃, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒜𝓇𝒹𝒶 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑒𝒹...
Convincing you to read The Silmarillion based on its aesthetic:
((with tips for reading The Silm in progress!))
The Creation of the Ainur at the beginning of time! :) Plus Melkor's downfall. He is to be the main antagonist, and a very powerful one too, of The Silmarillion.
Valinor aesthetic with Oromë and/or Celegorm. Valinor is considered to be the Blessed Realm by the Elves, a place where no mortal can survive for long because of its energy.
Fëanor marrying Nerdanel in the bliss of Valinor. Together, they will have seven sons, and later, Fëanor takes all of them away from her to their doom.
The Captivity of Morgoth after he wrecks havoc all over Middle-earth. He is imprisoned for three ages before he is given a second chance by Manwë, the leader of the Valar. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a mistake as Morgoth is and will forevermore be super evil lol.
A ship of the gray-elves on the shores of Valinor. This is where Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Galadriel, etc. sailed toward at the end of LotR. Later, Fëanor will spill blood in the Blessed Realm to gain access to these ships.
Fëanor succeeds in creating the Silmarils, capturing the light of Valinor in them. This was a long and difficult process, and he considers them his crowning glory.
Aesthetic of Varda (one of the Ainur) and the blessed light of Valinor. Soon the light will be destroyed and only exist in Fëanor's Silmarils.
Fëanor and his half brothers, Fingolfin and Finarfin. Fëanor is the one with the jewels (his Silmarils). FYI, if you've read LotR, Fingolfin (the one with the staff) is Elrond Halfelven's great-great grandfather. And Finarfin (the blonde one) is Galadriel's father. :)
Gondolin. Sorry this isn't in the right timeline. :')
Fëanor draws his sword (that he created in secret) on Fingolfin, his half-brother, in front of everyone. This is a result of Morgoth's lies as he manipulated the two houses against each other.
In another world (Middle-Earth instead of Valinor), King Thingol meets Melian. Together, they stand for an age in the forest as the stars wheel by above them (this was actually before the sun and moon were made!) because Thingol was obsessed with how beautiful Melian is. Elrond from LotR is also descended from these two.
Maedhros, first son of Fëanor, aims to kill one of the gray-elves in order to fulfill his father's plan to steal their ships. This is the first kinslaying in which the Elves killed each other. :'(
The Elves are leaving Valinor to look for "freedom" in Middle-Earth. Here, Finarfin is parting with his children as he refuses to part with the Valar. He gives a ring with two snakes on it to his eldest son, Finrod Felagund. The other siblings (left to right: Orodreth, Galadriel, Aegnor, Angrod) watch. All but Galadriel will perish in Middle-Earth. The ring will pass on through the centuries to Aragorn in LotR.
After securing the ships, Fëanor betrays Fingolfin and Finarfin's people, stealing away the ships in the middle of the night and sailing to Middle-Earth without them. Then he burns them so that no one may return. Shame on you, Fëanor.
Three of the ladies of The Silmarillion! :) From top to bottom: Aredhel, Galadriel, and Lúthien. Aredhel is Fingolfin's daughter, Lúthien is the daughter of Thingol and Melian, and I think everyone knows Galadriel.
Fingolfin, left behind in Middle-Earth refuses to give up even after Fëanor's betrayal. He takes his people on a years-long journey through the Grinding Ice in an attempt to get to Middle-Earth. Many Elves die on this journey, and it was considered to be a huge feat of endurance.
𝒮𝑜 𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝒾𝓁𝓂𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝑜𝓃. 𝐼𝒻 𝒾𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝑒𝒹 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝑔𝒽 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝓊𝒾𝓃, 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝑜𝓁𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝓉𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒜𝓇𝒹𝒶 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓇𝑒𝒹...
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Quotes Lily Liked
“But Ilúvatar knew that Men, being set amid the turmoils of the powers of the world, would stray often, and would not use their gifts in harmony; and he said: 'These too in their time shall find that all that they do redounds at the end only to the glory of my work.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“It is said by the Eldar that in water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Ilúvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“Many are the strange chances of the world,' said Mithrandir, 'and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that came down to us from the darkness of those days there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death light that endures. And of these histories most fair still in the ears of the Elves is the tale of Beren and Lúthien”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“For if joyful is the fountain that rises in the sun, its springs are in the wells of sorrow unfathomable at the foundations of the Earth.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“Farewell sweet earth and northern sky,
for ever blest, since here did lie
and here with lissom limbs did run
beneath the Moon, beneath the Sun,
Lúthien Tinúviel
more fair than Mortal tongue can tell.
Though all to ruin fell the world
and were dissolved and backward hurled;
unmade into the old abyss,
yet were its making good, for this―
the dusk, the dawn, the earth, the sea―
that Lúthien for a time should be.”
― The Silmarillion
for ever blest, since here did lie
and here with lissom limbs did run
beneath the Moon, beneath the Sun,
Lúthien Tinúviel
more fair than Mortal tongue can tell.
Though all to ruin fell the world
and were dissolved and backward hurled;
unmade into the old abyss,
yet were its making good, for this―
the dusk, the dawn, the earth, the sea―
that Lúthien for a time should be.”
― The Silmarillion
“Love not too well the work of thy hands and the devices of thy heart; and remember that the true hope of the Noldor lieth in the West, and cometh from the Sea.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“Maedhros laughed saying: 'A king is he that can hold his own or else his title is vain. Thingol does but grant us lands where his power does not run. Indeed Doriath alone would be his realm this day but for the coming of the Noldor. Therefore in Doriath let him reign and be glad that he has the sons of Finwe for his neighbours not the Orcs of Morgoth that we found.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“Here ends the SILMARILLION. If it has passed from the high and the beautiful to darkness and ruin, that was of old the fate of Arda Marred; and if any change shall come and the Marring be amended, Manwë and Varda may know; but they have not revealed it, and it is not declared in the dooms of Mandos.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“A sister they had, Galadriel, most beautiful of all the house of Finwë; her hair was lit with gold as though it had caught in a mesh the radiance of Laurelin.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“Then sudden Felagund there swaying
Sang in answer a song of staying,
Resisting, battling against power,
Of secrets kept, strength like a tower,
And trust unbroken, freedom, escape;
Of changing and of shifting shape,
Of snares eluded, broken traps,
The prison opening, the chain that snaps.”
― The Silmarillion
Sang in answer a song of staying,
Resisting, battling against power,
Of secrets kept, strength like a tower,
And trust unbroken, freedom, escape;
Of changing and of shifting shape,
Of snares eluded, broken traps,
The prison opening, the chain that snaps.”
― The Silmarillion
“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.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
“For so sworn good or evil an oath may not be broken and it shall pursue oathkeeper and oathbreaker to the world's end.”
― The Silmarillion
― The Silmarillion
Reading Progress
Finished Reading
December 19, 2017
– Shelved
December 19, 2017
– Shelved as:
to-read
June 21, 2018
–
Started Reading
Finished Reading
Started Reading
July 28, 2018
–
Finished Reading
June 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
books-i-own
June 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
classic
June 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
fantasy
June 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
favorites
June 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
read-more-than-once
June 22, 2021
– Shelved as:
romance
August 7, 2021
– Shelved as:
must-read
August 7, 2021
– Shelved as:
fictional-crushes
August 7, 2021
– Shelved as:
stop-making-me-cry
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
adult
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
action-and-adventure
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
love-the-cover
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
dragons
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
elves-and-fae-folk
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
family
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
life-changing
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
love-triangle
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
medieval
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
myth-or-legend
September 15, 2021
– Shelved as:
royalty
April 25, 2022
–
Started Reading
May 2, 2022
– Shelved as:
2022-favs
May 2, 2022
– Shelved as:
book-club-or-buddy-read
May 2, 2022
– Shelved as:
favorite-author
"
"
"
"
"
May 11, 2022
–
18.13%
"“See, half-brother!” he said. “This is sharper than thy tongue. Try but once more to usurp my place and the love of my father, and maybe it will rid the Noldor of one who seeks to be master of thralls.”
"
page
70
"
May 13, 2022
–
19.43%
"It's been half a decade and I still don't know whether to pity or to hate Fëanor.
"
page
75
"
May 13, 2022
– Shelved as:
dark-melancholic-heavy
May 13, 2022
– Shelved as:
i-cried
May 13, 2022
– Shelved as:
powerful-themes
"
"
"
June 3, 2022
–
23.32%
""Then Fëanor laughed as one fey, and he cried, 'None and none! What I have left behind I count now no loss; needless baggage on the road it has proved. Let those that cursed my name, curse me still, and whine their way back to the cages of the Valar!'"
"
page
90
"
June 5, 2022
–
24.61%
""But of bliss and glad life, there is little to be said, before it ends; as works fair and wonderful, while still they endure for eyes to see, are their own record, and only when they are in peril or broken for ever do they pass into song."
Doriath! 👇
"
page
95
Doriath! 👇
"
March 3, 2023
– Shelved as:
villianous-characters-mwahaha
Comments Showing 1-26 of 26 (26 new)
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message 1:
by
Jesse
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Oct 04, 2021 03:29PM
Man, I just need to suck it up and finish this book. I want too so bad!
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Jesse wrote: "Man, I just need to suck it up and finish this book. I want too so bad!"Ah! You. Can. Do. It!!! I believe in you man! What part of it are you at??
Chapter 13. The Return of Noldor.
Jesse wrote: "Chapter 13. The Return of Noldor."Oh lol that's where I quit the first time I tried but you're better than me! I think the stuff I liked the most was actually after that (minus Of Beleriand and its Realms, if that's after The Return of the Noldor...), if that helps!
Also, some girl on Pinterest was like about The Silm, "Does it matter if I read it backwards?" And apparently me in the past replied, "Haha if you read it backwards, it'd be a much happier story." 😂
Hm..interesting. I have heard that the story gets pretty great after we’re I’m at, so I’ll push through..eventually 😂😂
Jesse wrote: "Hm..interesting. I have heard that the story gets pretty great after we’re I’m at, so I’ll push through..eventually 😂😂"
Lollll and in the meantime, there's plenty of dank... Mîms... out there 😂😉
I've been meaning to pick this back up.I kinda got bogged down with all the rhyming names last time. I have downloaded the guide from Tea with Tolkien. I'll probably start over and use the guide this time. Thanks for pointing it out!
Katherine wrote: "I've been meaning to pick this back up.I kinda got bogged down with all the rhyming names last time. I have downloaded the guide from Tea with Tolkien. I'll probably start over and use the guide t..."
Yeah, you're very welcome! :) <3 Was it with the Elf names? (*whispers* it took me months to figure out the difference between Fingon and FIngolfin.....)
Lily wrote: Was it with the Elf names?" Elf names especially.
I'm currently reading Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead Hood most of the names are old Welsh and unpronounceable for me. So I'm having a hard time remembering them. Its an uncomplicated book though. so easy enough to keep characters strait.
Katherine wrote: "Lily wrote: Was it with the Elf names?" Elf names especially.
I'm currently reading Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead Hood most of the names are old Welsh and unpronounceable for me. So I'..."
Oh yeah, I get that! Fingon, Finrod, Fingolfin....... Celegorm, Celeborn, Celebrian....... The Silm is definitely not for everyone but I do think everyone should give it a good try. Personally I'm really glad I got into the fandom before I really ever read any other fantasy novels because back then I gave Middle-earth time and love without ever being distracted and Tolkien is my absolute favorite now. I literally view all the books out there from a Tolkien perspective (idk how to explain it lol but The Silm is just ingrained in me! XD)
Anyway, Hood looks so cool! I'm gonna have to read it sometime. I always like listening to the audiobook first for books like those two where there's lots of hard names. It's just sooo much easier that way!
Thank you for sharing !!! ❤️
Jacinta wrote: "Thank you for sharing !!! ❤️"❤️❤️❤️
Love this book. Glad you enjoyed!
Wow, this is good, Lily! You've just made my evening.
The Silmarillion might be contrary to every modern writing style, has barely any dialogue, and covers thousands of years in 300 or so pages. But the stories in it stick with me like none other. I can't remember character and place names from the book I read last week, but I can quote Elwing's lineage like it's my own family; the scene of Fingolfin battling Morgoth is engraved in my mind. I loathe the evil characters in The Silmarillion more than I do any other, and I adore the many heroes. This beautiful collection of tales is so much more than a simple novel. I'm due for a re-read!
Parmida R. A. wrote: "Love this book. Glad you enjoyed!"😊🧡🧡
I appreciate all the artwork and effort you put into this review! Wonderful job Lily!! <3
I just finished my annual reread, and this review is everything. I may have teared up a little...
Seeing these pieces of art, I feel like I'm on a rollercoaster past all the stories and emotions, the tragedy and hope. Sigh. It's so beautiful.
Gabrielle wrote: "I just finished my annual reread, and this review is everything. I may have teared up a little..."Oh my goodness, you do an annual reread?! 😍 I literally don't have the skill to give this book justice in a written review, lol, so I hoped the pictures could make up for some of it. I'm so glad they resonated with you!
@Lily I try to reread Tolkien's Big Three every year, with varying success. 😅 There are a lot of great written reviews out there, it's nice to have one where you can just enjoy the vibes from the book!
Gabrielle wrote: "@Lily I try to reread Tolkien's Big Three every year, with varying success. 😅 There are a lot of great written reviews out there, it's nice to have one where you can just enjoy the vibes from the b..."That is a great goal! I've been trying to do something similar (just excluding LotR because it's so long, haha!), but yk. Life gets in the way sometimes. :')
Well, now you've convinced me, Lily!
Cari wrote: "Well, now you've convinced me, Lily!"Ahhh, I'm so happy! This is only, like, the best book in the world! (It's a favorite pastime of mine to talk people's ears off when it comes to The Silm. XD)
Emily wrote: "That end quote is SO SAD! 😭"It really is! (I love your profile picture, btw! ;))
