NOTE: Many references in this post and the last are likely confusing if you are unfamiliar with this story. At the very least, I encourage you to read the short form of Turin’s tale contained in The Silmarillion. The fuller version of The Children of Hurin is more detailed but follows essentially the same plot.... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, the family completed a gruelling eight-hour road trip through the southwestern desert from California to Arizona. The heat in excess of 115 degrees largely negated the best efforts of the AC system of the car. But we enjoyed an audiobook all the same, The Children of Hurin read by Christopher Lee. This is one... Continue Reading →
After an unintended and unforeseen hiatus, I am back. This is part 6 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Begin reading at Part 1 — or visit the previous post in this series. * * * At this point in his letter,... Continue Reading →
From the very beginning of the legends of Middle-earth, there is evil. I suppose, rather, that it is better to say that soon after the beginning there is evil. The evil does not reside with Eru Ilúvatar at the beginning of all things but surfaces very quickly after the making of the Ainur. Melkor’s rebellion... Continue Reading →
This is part 5 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Begin reading at Part 1 — or visit the previous post in this series. * * * After discussing the earliest days of Middle-earth and the Fall of the Elves through Fëanor,... Continue Reading →
This is part 3 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Begin reading at Part 1 — or visit the previous post in this series. * * * In Part 2 of this series, we looked at Tolkien’s claim that all his writing... Continue Reading →
This is part 3 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Read Part 1 and Part 2 here. * * * Tolkien’s stated goal behind the Ainur, the gods (or “angelic powers”) was to provide being of the same order of beauty, power,... Continue Reading →
This is part 2 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Read Part 1 here. * * * One of the more common claims about Tolkien when it comes to interpreting his writing is that he disliked Allegory. This claim has become such... Continue Reading →
In preparation for rereading The Silmarillion this summer, I reread Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the front matter of my copy of the book. It has been many, many years since I read this letter—often called the most important of his letters, certainly the longest, to understand Tolkien’s thinking. When I... Continue Reading →
On my About page, I describe my wife as the most Melian-esque woman I know. When she read that, my wife asked what exactly that meant. She looked up Melian, but wasn't entirely sure what I was getting at, which or her characteristics I was suggesting flourished in her. I told her that the first... Continue Reading →
Something Tookish 