The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Silmarillion

Aiwendil · 09-15-2006, 12:07 PM

The Quenta Silmarillion itself is preceded by two short works, the first of which is the Ainulindale, Tolkien’s “cosmogonical” myth. Rather than beginning in medias res, Tolkien starts his tale literally at the very beginning, with the creation of the world. I feel I must confess up front that the Ainulindale is one of my favorite pieces of writing, by Tolkien or by anyone else.

It is interesting to compare the Ainulindale with other creation myths. Perhaps the most obvious comparison one can make is with the Judeo-Christian creation story told in Genesis. We know, of course, that Tolkien was Catholic; but I think that there are as many interesting differences between the Ainulindale and Genesis as there are similarities. One thing that strikes me is the crucial role that the Ainur play in the creation, which doesn’t seem to be mirrored by anything in the Judeo-Christian story.

A survey of other creation myths – Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc. – might also shed interesting light on the Ainulindale. From the little I know about these various stories, it seems to me that Tolkien’s creation myth is at once quite novel and firmly in the tradition of “real” origin stories.

Tolkien chose to have his world created through song. What does this say about it? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that his world was designed through song, for it is only when Iluvatar speaks the word of command – Ea! – that Arda is brought into actual existence. The power ascribed to a word is perhaps not so surprising, considering Tolkien’s profession. It also calls to mind the New Testament – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Though I wonder whether to see some connection here is to mistakenly read elements of Tolkien’s real life and religion into his sub-creation.

Another point on which the same question arises is the “Secret Fire” or the “Flame Imperishable”. We are never told what exactly this is, though it appears to be some kind of creative force, and it is said to be “with Iluvatar”. Might this be related to the “Holy Spirit” of Christian theology? Or would that, again, be a misreading?

Many further questions can be raised about the Music of the Ainur (perhaps it is this slightly enigmatic quality of the work that makes it so appealing). For instance, is all of creation embodied in the Music? If so, what implications does that raise for free will in Arda? What is the significance of the three themes of Iluvatar? We are told that the Children – Men and Elves – entered only in the third theme; what then is the significance of the Second? Tolkien deals with some of these issues in several texts found in HoMe X, but more often than not, these explications only raise further questions.

The textual history of the Ainulindale is unusually simple. The first version is “The Music of the Ainur”, found in the Book of Lost Tales. It was to a revision of this text written in the 1930s that Tolkien first gave the title “Ainulindale”; a further revision followed the completion of LotR. Christopher Tolkien notes that this is the only section of the Silmarillion for which there is a direct lineage, as it were, of manuscripts, each one a revision of the last. In fact, many turns of phrase in the original Tale are strikingly similar to the final text, written nearly thirty years later. One wonders why it is that, while so many of the stories in the Silmarillion were in constant flux, the creation story proved so enduring.

One curiosity in the history of the Ainulindale is a divergent version, which Christopher calls Ainulindale C*. In this, which appears to be the first post-LotR revision of the story, the cosmology is altered so that the Earth is round and the Sun and Moon in existence from the beginning. The subsequent revisions reverse this change, but years later Tolkien would again consider making such radical alterations to the cosmology of his Legendarium.

Additional readings:
HoMe I, “The Music of the Ainur” (for the earliest version of the story)
HoMe V, “Ainulindale” (for the 1930s revision)
HoMe X, “Ainulindale” (for the post-LotR revisions)
HoMe X, author’s commentary on “Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth” (for Tolkien’s musings on some issues related to the Ainulindale)
HoMe X, “Myths Transformed” (for the late cosmological changes)

09-15-2006, 12:07 PM	#1
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	The Quenta Silmarillion itself is preceded by two short works, the first of which is the Ainulindale, Tolkien’s “cosmogonical” myth. Rather than beginning in medias res, Tolkien starts his tale literally at the very beginning, with the creation of the world. I feel I must confess up front that the Ainulindale is one of my favorite pieces of writing, by Tolkien or by anyone else. It is interesting to compare the Ainulindale with other creation myths. Perhaps the most obvious comparison one can make is with the Judeo-Christian creation story told in Genesis. We know, of course, that Tolkien was Catholic; but I think that there are as many interesting differences between the Ainulindale and Genesis as there are similarities. One thing that strikes me is the crucial role that the Ainur play in the creation, which doesn’t seem to be mirrored by anything in the Judeo-Christian story. A survey of other creation myths – Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc. – might also shed interesting light on the Ainulindale. From the little I know about these various stories, it seems to me that Tolkien’s creation myth is at once quite novel and firmly in the tradition of “real” origin stories. Tolkien chose to have his world created through song. What does this say about it? Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that his world was designed through song, for it is only when Iluvatar speaks the word of command – Ea! – that Arda is brought into actual existence. The power ascribed to a word is perhaps not so surprising, considering Tolkien’s profession. It also calls to mind the New Testament – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Though I wonder whether to see some connection here is to mistakenly read elements of Tolkien’s real life and religion into his sub-creation. Another point on which the same question arises is the “Secret Fire” or the “Flame Imperishable”. We are never told what exactly this is, though it appears to be some kind of creative force, and it is said to be “with Iluvatar”. Might this be related to the “Holy Spirit” of Christian theology? Or would that, again, be a misreading? Many further questions can be raised about the Music of the Ainur (perhaps it is this slightly enigmatic quality of the work that makes it so appealing). For instance, is all of creation embodied in the Music? If so, what implications does that raise for free will in Arda? What is the significance of the three themes of Iluvatar? We are told that the Children – Men and Elves – entered only in the third theme; what then is the significance of the Second? Tolkien deals with some of these issues in several texts found in HoMe X, but more often than not, these explications only raise further questions. The textual history of the Ainulindale is unusually simple. The first version is “The Music of the Ainur”, found in the Book of Lost Tales. It was to a revision of this text written in the 1930s that Tolkien first gave the title “Ainulindale”; a further revision followed the completion of LotR. Christopher Tolkien notes that this is the only section of the Silmarillion for which there is a direct lineage, as it were, of manuscripts, each one a revision of the last. In fact, many turns of phrase in the original Tale are strikingly similar to the final text, written nearly thirty years later. One wonders why it is that, while so many of the stories in the Silmarillion were in constant flux, the creation story proved so enduring. One curiosity in the history of the Ainulindale is a divergent version, which Christopher calls Ainulindale C*. In this, which appears to be the first post-LotR revision of the story, the cosmology is altered so that the Earth is round and the Sun and Moon in existence from the beginning. The subsequent revisions reverse this change, but years later Tolkien would again consider making such radical alterations to the cosmology of his Legendarium. Additional readings: HoMe I, “The Music of the Ainur” (for the earliest version of the story) HoMe V, “Ainulindale” (for the 1930s revision) HoMe X, “Ainulindale” (for the post-LotR revisions) HoMe X, author’s commentary on “Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth” (for Tolkien’s musings on some issues related to the Ainulindale) HoMe X, “Myths Transformed” (for the late cosmological changes)