Month: August 2015

bystander3:

Here’s the thing that’s great about the Silmarillion:

If you don’t like something, you can always claim “unreliable narrator” or question “textual authenticity”.

According to Tolkien’s fictional historiography, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion are all translations based on content found in “The Red Book of Westmarch.” Specifically, the Silmarillion is said to be based on “Translations for the Elvish” made by Bilbo Baggins while living at the house of Elrond in Rivendell. 

The published version of the Silmarillion was edited by Christopher Tolkien …based on his father’s unpublished writings …which the elder Tolkien claims are based on a copy of the Thain’s Book curated at Great Smials by Pippin’s descendants …which is based on the original Thain’s Book annotated and updated by the scribes of King Elassar (Aragorn) in Gondor …which was copied from the original Red Book kept by Sam’s descendants at Westmarch …which contained Bilbo’s Translations from the Elvish …based on “books of lore” provided to him by Elrond and the elves of Rivendell.

You got that? The Silm is…

• …Christopher Tolkien’s edit
• …of J.R.R Tolkien’s translation
• …of Pippin’s copy
• …of Aragorn’s copy
• …of Sam’s copy
• …of Bilbo’s translation
• …of Elrond’s personal library
• …of songs and legends and histories about the First Age.

Even Professor Tolkien uses the conceit of unreliable narrators to explain discrepancies in the text. In the first edition of The Hobbit, Bilbo says that Gollum promised to give him The Ring if he wins their riddle contest, …which Tolkien later says is a total lie that Bilbo just put in there to make himself look better.

Look, I think it’s time we can all admit something:

The Silmarillion is totally biased in favor of Elrond’s family. If you read through Elrond’s family tree, the Silm makes all of his ancestors look like total bad-asses. 

• Luthien and Beren steal a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown.
• Tuor and Idril rescue the last survivors from the Fall of Gondolin
• Earendil and Elwing sail into the West and convince the gods to come to the rescue of the Elves and end the War.

So, like, maybe there were some people in Beleriand who thought the Half-Elven were freaks for their *cough* unusual intermarriages. But as far as Elrond and the Silm are concerned, the Half-Elves were the heroes who saved the freaking day.

So, reinterpret the Silmarillion however you want. Professor Tolkien would probably even get a kick out of it. As a philologist, he was all about how languages and stories shift and morph over time based on the migrations and changing attitudes of their people.