The Silmarillion

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1977

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Parts 1-2

Part 3, Chapters 1-3

Part 3, Chapters 4-6

Part 3, Chapters 7-9

Part 3, Chapters 10-12

Part 3, Chapters 13-15

Part 3, Chapters 16-18

Part 3, Chapters 19-21

Part 3, Chapters 22-24

Parts 4-5

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Character Analysis

Melkor

Though the novel features dozens of named characters, each with their own stories and arcs, there is one repeated figure who comes close to functioning as the antagonist for much of the novel. From the moment of creation to the final lines of the text, the presence of Melkor is felt throughout the novel. He is the embodiment of evil in Middle-earth and Valinor, responsible for much of the corruption and wrongdoing that takes place in the novel. Whether purposefully or inadvertently, he causes problems for almost every character. Even after his disappearance from the text—when he is banished into the Void—Melkor’s lieutenant Sauron steps into position of antagonist, his actions and ideologies influenced by his former master.

One of the most difficult parts of the novel is dealing with the huge variety of names that are assigned to each character. Many characters are given a name in a number of languages that Tolkien switches between depending on the requirements of the text. Melkor is an excellent example of this. While he is referred to almost exclusively as Melkor in this guide, he has a number of different names. At the moment of creation, when Eru begins to sing with the Ainur, the name Melkor is used. However, once the Two Trees of Valinor have been destroyed and Melkor escapes into Middle-earth, Tolkien begins to refer to Melkor by his Elvish name, Morgoth. Indeed, for the remainder of the text, Morgoth is the most commonly used name. The name Morgoth translates as “Black Foe” in Elvish, and the choice of language is deliberate. The switch to an Elvish name coincides with the departure of Elves from Valinor, led by Fëanor. This move heralds a new age and, in accordance with the change in dominant force in Middle-earth, the text begins to employ an Elvish name to represent the paradigm shift that has occurred. The change in name also illustrates a change in Melkor’s character. In Ainulindalë (the language of the Ainur), his name translates as “He Who Rises in Might.” Indeed, Melkor is less an evil presence at the very beginning of the text and more a discordant note in a larger harmony. It is only later that he switches to being a more fantasy-styled Dark Lord, and the moment of his name change can be seen as the text confirming this switch from deity to destruction force.

Melkor is portrayed as being one of the most powerful beings in the entire world. Indeed, he is so strong that he “contended with Manwë and all the Valar” (9); the combined strength of all of the Valar struggles to measure up to Melkor himself. However, this strength is undermined by Melkor’s characteristics. Unlike Eru or even Manwë, Melkor exhibits signs of weakness. He is quick to anger, he bears many grudges, and he constantly envies what he does not have. His theft of the Silmarils, jewels that he covets from the moment of their creation, drives forward much of the plot. His envy of the Elves and the love they enjoy from the Valar turns Melkor into a spiteful, violent creation. This corruption is not limited to Melkor’s character. When he travels to Middle-earth, the lands themselves become infected with his negative traits. The pathetic fallacy of the world is demonstrated when previously lush and bountiful lands are turned into poisonous swamps and scarred landscapes due to Melkor’s presence.

In becoming an almost stereotypical Dark Lord (though, to an extent, he is one of the progenitors of the character type), Melkor sets himself up for an inevitable demise. On numerous occasions, he is given the chance to repent but always turns against the forces of good. In the end, the Elves and the Men plead with the Valar for help in fighting Melkor. Manwë agrees, and the Valar turn against their former member. Though Melkor has fought and won many battles, the final conflict seems almost short in comparison. He is captured and banished to the Void. Because he cannot be killed, the narrative has to find a satisfying way to conquer the protagonist. The solution is to exile Melkor outside the realms of creation. If the first indications of Melkor’s character were felt during the song of creation, then the final punishment for his flaws are to banish him from the products of that song. Melkor is sent away into nothingness; the punishment he receives is to exist outside of the world he helped to create. While other Dark Lords—such as Sauron—are killed, Melkor receives a more metaphysical punishment. Because he is a more metaphysical being (one of the Valar), this punishment is appropriate.

Fëanor

Fëanor is one of the most important characters in the novel. He is the creator of the titular Silmarils, and the oaths he swears (and compels his sons to swear) drive much of the violence found later in the novel. At once, Fëanor is a heroic, tragic, contemptible, and sympathetic character. While characters such as Melkor might seem to adhere to a single archetype, the complexity of Fëanor makes him difficult to reduce to generalities. Something of a Byronic hero, he can be described as the novel’s central character, as so much of the plot revolves around him. He is skilled, impulsive, captivating, and defiant.

In order to illustrate the scale of Fëanor’s fall from grace, it is important to understand where he begins. Of all Finwë’s children, Fëanor is described as “the mightiest in skill of word and of hand, more learned than his brothers” (26). Even compared to his estimable half-brothers, Fëanor stands out. It is this skill that allows him to create the Silmarils, jewels that are so beautiful, every character covets them. Fëanor’s creations are so beautiful, they will destroy him and his family.

He is something of a Romantic figure; charismatic and moody, he is able to rally his fellow Elves even when his plan is inherently flawed. There has been a temptation to label Fëanor as “evil,” though this does a disservice to the complexity of his character. Rather, Fëanor is corruptible and always acts in (what he perceives to be) the best interests of his people. He creates the Silmarils as an expression of his people’s skills; he leads the Noldor from Valinor because he believes the Valar are liars; and he forces his sons to swear an oath to retrieve the Silmarils because he understands their importance to his people. Though the actions are doomed, they are not necessarily evil. The burning of the boats and the attack on the boat smiths, however, do appear to be more malicious acts, though the underlying motivation is the betterment of Fëanor’s family, rather than the pursuit of power (as is the case with Melkor).

As a creator, Fëanor is able to fashion the inanimate and the animate. As well as the Silmarils, he is responsible for the creation of his seven sons. While he dies and exits the narrative in a physical sense, he leaves a legacy of both the Silmarils and his sons, which drive forward the plot. The seven sons of Fëanor are one of the largest Elvish families, and they are much feared; they wage war on anyone who has (or who might have) a Silmaril. Even when Maedhros and Maglor are the only two remaining sons and know that they will be killed in their efforts to retrieve the Silmaril, they are compelled to try. In this moment, they are fulfilling their purpose and attempting to unite their father’s creations. The binding together of Fëanor’s sons with the Silmarils is Fëanor’s legacy, though it is never fully realized. In this role as a creator, Fëanor echoes Eru. He creates, only to see his creations corrupted. Just as Eru’s creation is corrupted from within (by Melkor singing out of tune with the other Ainur), Fëanor’s creation is corrupted from within his own character (by Melkor convincing him of the maliciousness of the Valar).

This is the inherent tragedy of Fëanor: He is doomed by his attempts to do good in the world. He wishes to reflect the beauty of Eru’s creation, so makes the Silmarils. He wants to do the best for his people, so he leads them out of Valinor. He wants his sons to possess what is rightfully theirs, so he makes them swear an oath. In each instance, these good intentions are undermined by Fëanor’s own arrogance, determination, and hubris. He is unable to forget the Silmarils, even when they are stolen by Melkor (a being far stronger than he is). He is unable to admit his mistake and ask the Valar for forgiveness. He is unable to allow his sons to live their own lives and compels them to tread the same path that brought him nothing but pain and misery. The tragedy of Fëanor is that all of his mistakes stem from his own character flaws; while his creations are laudable, his mistakes are terrible.

Túrin

While characters such as Melkor and Fëanor span the course of the novel, there are others whose stories are far more self-contained. Túrin is an excellent example of this. The chapter that tells the story of Túrin contains a comparatively short narrative, taking place over the course of one man’s life, rather than the thousands of years afforded to the Elves and the Valar. During that time, however, Túrin is able to experience love, loss, horror, incest, murder, and suicide. His rise and fall make him one of the text’s most tragic figures.

As the eldest child of Húrin and Morwen, Túrin’s childhood is marked by tragedy. When he is still a young child, his father is captured by Melkor and forced to sit in a stone chair on top of a mountain and watch the destruction that the Dark Lord is inflicting on the world. Furthermore, Túrin’s young sister dies in infancy. As the novel suggests, “those days were evil” (98). Fearing for her son’s life, Morwen sends Túrin away to be fostered by Thingol and Melian. Cut off from his family, removed from his species, and growing up in a strange environment, it should be no surprise to find that Túrin did not grow up like most in Middle-earth. By the time he is an adult, he runs away, lest he be falsely accused of murder, and has joined a band of outlaws. With the blessing of Thingol, Beleg joins Túrin on his journey as a protective figure. From that moment on, Túrin enjoys very little happiness and is often confronted with the miseries that his mistakes have inflicted on the world.

After a violent encounter with Dwarves, he meets Mîm. A member of Túrin’s outlaw group fires an arrow that slowly kills Mîm’s son. When Túrin goes to Mîm’s home and witnesses this, he offers to pay “a ransom of gold for your son, in token of sorrow” (102) and he promises only to attack Melkor’s forces. Immediately, Túrin is confronted with his failures as a leader. The young Dwarf posed no threat to him, but he was unable to stop one of his men from killing Mîm’s son. When Mîm eventually betrays Túrin, the guilt Túrin feels is turned into a narrative punishment. Túrin pays for his mistake and, as a result, he is captured by Orcs.

Another tragic moment occurs a short time later: Beleg tries to free Túrin, but the shock of being brought back from unconsciousness causes Túrin to kill his best friend. The attack-minded, fierce, and skilled fighter pays for his actions by killing his own friend, “thinking him a foe” (103). Though the novel takes great pains to point out that this was an accident and that Túrin feels great remorse, the murder has a marked effect on Túrin. He blames the Orcs and leads a war against Melkor’s forces; he is projecting his self-loathing and regret onto others, blaming them for his own actions. When he becomes chief counsel to Orodreth, he will convince the Elvish king to be far more aggressive with the Orcs, in the hope of mollifying his own guilt over the death of Beleg.

This aggression also comes back to haunt Túrin. Due to the heightened aggression (as advised by Túrin), Melkor decides to act. He sends the dragon Glaurung to combat the Elvish forces, and the dragon destroys Nargothrond and kills or enslaves everyone inside, including Finduilas, Túrin’s love interest. Once again, Túrin’s actions have resulted in immense harm being inflicted on others. While Túrin is well respected and loved, those around him suffer badly due to his actions.

The most tragic moments of Túrin’s life are still to occur, however. His sister, who came searching for Túrin with Morwen, is bewitched by Glaurung and struck by severe amnesia. When Túrin finds her, he does not know who she is and nurses her back to health. The two fall in love, and she becomes pregnant with his child. In this moment, Túrin’s actions cross a new moral boundary. While previously he had caused violence and suffering, now he is complicit in incest. He kills Glaurung and the truth is revealed, causing Nienor to kill herself upon learning the truth. In this moment, Túrin is powerless to stop his sister. He refuses to listen to the truth and kills another man before falling on his own sword.

Throughout his entire life, Túrin’s actions result in the suffering of others. While this would normally be the mark of a villain, Túrin is loved and respected. He keeps trying to help people and rid the world of evil, but every decision he makes is marked by the auspicious tragedy under which he was brought into the world. Just as his father is punished with watching the destruction of the lands he was trying to protect, Túrin is punished with confronting the consequences of his actions.