The Silmarillion -- Adilbrand Noblesword's Hall of Warriors

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Date Posted: 17:49:21 12/14/01 Fri
Author: Adilbrand
Subject: The Silmarillion

For whatever reason, I decided to torture myself by re-reading Tolkien's "The Silmarillion". Wonderful stuff, except that it is such a difficult read. It is difficult primarily because Tolkien gives each character anywhere between three and seven different names and interchanges those names quite freely, and it is burdensome to recall who is who...

Not only who is who, but what is what. He also gives each and every thing in existence (such as mountain ranges and rivers) multiple names, and rarely uses the same name twice in a row. For example, the naming of the Two Trees that lit the world before the sun was created: "Telperion the one was called in Valinor, and Silpion, and Ninquel�t�, and many other names; but Laurelin the other was, and Malinalda, and Cul�rien, and many names in song beside."

From there he will use all of those names quite liberally, never sticking with one or the other, whenever one of those trees is referred to.

On the plus side, if you have read "The Silmarillion", reading "The Lord of the Rings" actually becomes a much richer experience. At least I found it to be so the last time I read those books.

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Replies:

Re: The Silmarillion -- Omega, 20:22:43 12/14/01 Fri
- Re: The Silmarillion -- mt. healthy mountaineer, 14:17:44 12/17/01 Mon