Silmarillion - Chapter 13 - Of the Return of the Noldor - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aiwendil · 05-14-2007, 03:58 PM

A lot happens in this chapter. After having been told the history of the Sindar, of the making of the Sun and the Moon, and of the awakening of Men, we return to the story of the Noldor, left off in chapter 9. In LotR, Tolkien demonstrates consumate skill in the way he moves from one thread of the story to another (cutting, for instance, in Book V from Gandalf and Pippin to Aragorn and company, then to Merry, then back to Pippin, and so on). It seems to me that the same technique is at work here: he develops the tale of the Noldor to the point where the reader is interested to see how it proceeds, then he takes a three chapter break, during which time the situation of Feanor, Fingolfin, and their people are always in the back of the reader’s mind. And now that thread is taken up again.

So much happens in this chapter that it’s hard to know where to begin discussing it. It’s a bit difficult to take in all at once, as it covers so much history in such a brief, ‘historical’ style. I don’t doubt that this sort of thing is what many readers find unpalatable about the Silmarillion. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed this style – but then, I like reading history too. It does strike me that there’s a lot of material in here that could have been the bases of more fully told narratives – Fingon’s rescue of Maedhros comes to mind particularly.

Perhaps the most important event in this chapter is the death of Feanor, quite possibly the most important sub-Angelic character in the Silmarillion. It’s interesting that Tolkien chose to kill off the prime mover of the Flight of the Noldor so quickly. It’s hard not to wonder how things might have gone if Feanor had lived, but it’s equally hard to answer that question. It’s very interesting that Feanor’s body is consumed by the fire of his spirit.

The ‘Lost Tales’ analogue for this chapter (and for everything after this up to Beren and Luthien) is the unwritten ‘Gilfanon’s Tale’, for which we have only outlines. At that stage, much less time was supposed to pass between the return of the Noldor and the later events of the ‘great tales’ (Beren and Luthien, Turin, Tuor, etc.); only gradually, over the course of the Silmarillion and Annals revisions, did the many historical details of this period emerge.

Additional readings
HoMe I – Outlines for ‘Gilfanon’s Tale’
HoMe IV – Contains an early post-LT prose fragment as well as the S and Q versions.
HoMe V – QS37 version
HoMe XI – Post-LotR revisions

05-14-2007, 03:58 PM	#1
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	Silmarillion - Chapter 13 - Of the Return of the Noldor A lot happens in this chapter. After having been told the history of the Sindar, of the making of the Sun and the Moon, and of the awakening of Men, we return to the story of the Noldor, left off in chapter 9. In LotR, Tolkien demonstrates consumate skill in the way he moves from one thread of the story to another (cutting, for instance, in Book V from Gandalf and Pippin to Aragorn and company, then to Merry, then back to Pippin, and so on). It seems to me that the same technique is at work here: he develops the tale of the Noldor to the point where the reader is interested to see how it proceeds, then he takes a three chapter break, during which time the situation of Feanor, Fingolfin, and their people are always in the back of the reader’s mind. And now that thread is taken up again. So much happens in this chapter that it’s hard to know where to begin discussing it. It’s a bit difficult to take in all at once, as it covers so much history in such a brief, ‘historical’ style. I don’t doubt that this sort of thing is what many readers find unpalatable about the Silmarillion. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed this style – but then, I like reading history too. It does strike me that there’s a lot of material in here that could have been the bases of more fully told narratives – Fingon’s rescue of Maedhros comes to mind particularly. Perhaps the most important event in this chapter is the death of Feanor, quite possibly the most important sub-Angelic character in the Silmarillion. It’s interesting that Tolkien chose to kill off the prime mover of the Flight of the Noldor so quickly. It’s hard not to wonder how things might have gone if Feanor had lived, but it’s equally hard to answer that question. It’s very interesting that Feanor’s body is consumed by the fire of his spirit. The ‘Lost Tales’ analogue for this chapter (and for everything after this up to Beren and Luthien) is the unwritten ‘Gilfanon’s Tale’, for which we have only outlines. At that stage, much less time was supposed to pass between the return of the Noldor and the later events of the ‘great tales’ (Beren and Luthien, Turin, Tuor, etc.); only gradually, over the course of the Silmarillion and Annals revisions, did the many historical details of this period emerge. Additional readings HoMe I – Outlines for ‘Gilfanon’s Tale’ HoMe IV – Contains an early post-LT prose fragment as well as the S and Q versions. HoMe V – QS37 version HoMe XI – Post-LotR revisions