crack_van | The Silmarillion: An Overview

Big battles and even bigger baddies, beautiful Elves and rugged Men, strong women and talking dogs -- The Silmarillion's got everything (except hobbits).

When JRR Tolkien published The Lord of the Rings in 1954, he'd already spent decades immersed in creating the legends of Middle-earth's earlier history. The Silmarillion and related tales* are a compilation of these legends. They tell of the creation of Middle-earth (or Arda, as the wider universe is known), and recount the stories of the LotR characters Galadriel, Celeborn, Elrond, Glorfindel & their families, as well as Aragorn's forebears, the three Houses of Elf-Friends & the Númenoreans, in their battles against Sauron and Morgoth, Sauron's former master, during the First and Second Ages of Middle-earth.

But that's a bit misleading: in many ways, The Silmarillion is the opposite of The Lord of the Rings. At the heart of LotR is the way that the naive goodness of humble characters, such as the hobbits, enables them to reach far beyond their roots to shape the wider events of Middle-earth. As Galadriel puts it, 'even the smallest person can change the course of the future'. At the heart of The Silmarillion is the tale of how, over and over, powerful, gifted, wise Elves and Men come to fall and cause many of the evils of their ages -- Elf slaughters Elf, and beauty always comes to ruin. It's a much darker story than The Lord of the Rings, featuring inter-racial tension, rape, incest, betrayal and a decided lack of happy endings.

*For details, see 'The Sources'

I'm assuming in the following that people know the basics of The Lord of the Rings. Anyone who doesn't might care to refer to casapazzo's excellent Lord of the Rings Summary -- or I'm told there's a movie or three out there that get the story over quite well ;)

Ten Reasons to Read Silmfics

Get the backstory of all your favourite LotR characters
Countless Elves way prettier than Legolas
Numerous Men way hunkier than Aragorn
That Lúthien chick kicks major ass
Slashier than a slashy thing
Doomed Elf--Men romances
Three Silmarils trump One Ring
Bigger battles than Pelennor Fields
The angstometer's stuck on max
And finally, you don't have to read The Silmarillion!

Who's Who

The Silmarillion and related tales have a cast of thousands; only a few of the principals are mentioned here. Where possible, I've tried to avoid major spoilers, but it wasn't always possible! Not everyone has pictures (sorry!) but hopefully I've included enough of a range of characters and artistic interpretations to get your imaginative juices working. The interested are referred to the links under Selected Resources for (an awful lot) more details

The Gods

Eru/Ilúvatar: creator of Arda; often equated with the Christian God (but fear not, The Silmarillion is no Christian allegory). He remains outside the boundaries of the world he created

Ainur: Spirits created by Eru. Come in two flavours, Valar and Maiar. They can assume any bodily form, but are often associated with one particular shape

The Valar are the pantheon of gods & goddesses, residing in Valinor of Aman. They rarely interfere with life in Middle-earth, and most of them don't deign to set foot in fanfic; those that do include:

Manwë Súlimo: head honcho. Wife is Varda aka Elbereth

Melkor/Morgoth: see under Bad Guys

Aulë aka Mahal: craftsman extraordinaire. Creator of the Dwarves and teacher of various Noldorin Elves. Wife is an Earth Mother type called Yavanna

Námo/Mandos: Lord of the (Elvish) Dead; strictly, Mandos is the name of his Purgatory-like halls

The Lord of the Waters (by Anke Eissmann)

Ulmo: Lord of the Seas

Oromë: the Great Hunter

The Maiar are a motley assortment of demi-god types. (The Istari or Wizards are of this order, though they don't turn up till the Third Age.) Aside from Sauron (see under Bad Guys), rarely mentioned in The Silmarillion and conspicuous for their absence from fanfiction; the best known are:

Melian: caused major scandal by marrying the Elf, Thingol

Eönwë: Manwë's herald

Elves

(aka Quendi, the Firstborn)

Immortal and tied to Arda, when they are slain they go to the halls of Mandos. Some flavours of canon allow for re-embodiment. The races of Elves are puzzlingly diverse, but luckily there are only a few that really count. All the Elves mentioned in The Silmarillion count among the Eldar, that is they travelled from Cuiviénen, where the first Elves awakened, at the summoning of the Valar

the Vanyar travelled to Aman and remained in Valinor. Consequently, very few enter into fanfiction. Indis (second wife of Finwë) is an exception. They often have golden hair. Led by Ingwë
the Noldor went to Aman, but most later returned to Beleriand. Great warriors and skilled in crafts of all kinds. With rare exceptions (mainly the descendants of Finarfin, son of Indis), they have dark hair. The great majority of Silmfic Elves are of the Noldor. Their first leader is Finwë
the Teleri most often refers to those Elves who travelled to Aman but settled in Alqualondë. Skilled in music and lovers of the sea. Several seem to have silver hair. Led by Elwë and Olwë. Actually it's a much broader group, including also ...
- the Sindar (Grey Elves) who remained behind in Beleriand. Led by Elwë under his Sindarin name of Thingol
- various others who fell by the wayside at other points

A tapestry of sorrows (by Jenny Dolfen): Míriel in Mandos. This one picture sums up so much of the flavour of The Silmarillion

For those who don't mind spoilers, the pictures show Fëanor slain by Gothmog (background left), the rescue of Maedhros from Thangorodrim by Fingon (background right) and the sack of Doriath (foreground)

The House of Finwë (Noldor)

Finwë: first High King of the Noldor, and head of the most famous dysfunctional family in Arda. His second marriage to Indis (of the Vanyar), after first wife Míriel's death, scandalised the strictly monogamous Elves. His sons are Fëanor (by Míriel) and Fingolfin & Finarfin (by Indis); suffice to say the two branches of the family don't get on

Fëanor (by Kasiopea)

Fëanor aka Fëanáro: the most famous (infamous?) of the Noldor. Unsurpassed craftsman, creator of the Silmarils. High King of the Noldor after the death of Finwë. His name means 'Spirit of Fire', and his temper lives up to it. With his wife Nerdanel, he has two sons...

Maglor and Maedhros (by Kasiopea)

Maedhros aka Maitimo, Nelyafinwë, Russandol: The original fiery redhead (Russandol means 'copper top'); tall, beautiful and a mighty warrior. He settles in north-east Beleriand but is immortalised in countless Silmfics at a WWW near you

Maglor son of Fëanor (by Jenny Dolfen)

Maglor aka Makalaurë, Kanafinwë: Skilled musician & poet forced by circumstances to be a warrior; accordingly beloved of Silmficcers the world over

...Hey, hang on a mo, make that seven sons -- the five others that hardly anyone bothers to write about are fair-haired Celegorm (Turkafinwë), proud Caranthir (Morifinwë), crafty & malicious Curufin (Curufinwë) and the twins, Amrod (Pityafinwë) & Amras (Telufinwë)

...But (at least according to some sources) Fëanor only has one grandson, Celebrimbor, son of Curufin. Said to be the most cunning jewel-worker bar only his grandfather, he forged the three Elven Rings in Eregion in the Second Age. One source gives him an unrequited love for Galadriel

The Coming of Fingolfin (by Jenny Dolfen)

Fingolfin: High King of the Noldor after Maedhros's abdication. Father of Fingon, Turgon & Aredhel. Settles in Hithlum in the extreme north of Middle-earth

Fingon rescues Maedhros (by Jenny Dolfen)

Fingon aka Findekáno: High King of the Noldor after Fingolfin's death, also settles in Hithlum. Brave and just, he's numbered amongst The Silmarillion's all-too-few Good Guys. Canonical friend of Maedhros; much fanfiction makes their relationship even closer. Despite the latter, somehow manages to father Gil-galad

Gil-galad aka Ereinion: son of Fingon and last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth. First keeper of Vilya, the Ring of Air

Turgon, Idril and Maeglin (by Kasiopea)

Turgon: King of Gondolin and -- despite stiff competition from the likes of Thingol -- strong contender for snootiest king of Arda. Notably tall. His daughter is Idril Celebrindal

Aredhel aka Ar-Feiniel: Elvish battered wife, she abandons her husband Eöl the Dark Elf to seek sanctuary with her brother in Gondolin; mother of Maeglin

Maeglin: son of Eöl and Aredhel, comes with his mother to Gondolin. Suitor for Idril Celebrindal, does not react well to being pipped at the post by a mere mortal

Glorfindel: golden-haired Elf of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin. Best known for having been black-balled from Peter Jackson's Fellowship on Equal Opportunity grounds. Not really a major player in The Silmarillion, but darling of several Silmficcers

The oath of Finrod to Barahir (by Anke Eissmann)

Finrod Felagund aka Ingoldo: son of Finarfin and brother of Galadriel; golden haired, as are all the descendents of Finarfin, he's another of The Silmarillion's All-Round Good Eggs. Some versions of canon reward him for his virtue by separating him from his wife, Amarië, who remains behind in Valinor. Friend of men, particularly of the House of Bëor. Built the underground fortress of Nargothrond

Galadriel aka Altariel, Artanis: tall, golden-haired daughter of Finarfin and sister of Finrod, said to be beautiful even for an Elf and the wisest among the Noldor (the latter may not be saying much). Bearer of Nenya, the Ring of Water. In Middle-earth, she lives in Doriath and later in Eregion. She marries Celeborn of the Sindar; their daughter Celebrían marries Elrond early in the Third Age; in some versions they also have a son, Amroth. Probably the character most reworked by Tolkien

Portrayed by Cate Blanchett in the Peter Jackson films

House of Elwë (Teleri)

Elwë/Thingol aka Elu, Elwë Singollo, Greymantle: High King of the Sindar & King of Doriath, he marries the Maiar, Melian. Silver-haired and said to be the tallest Elf ever, he makes a seriously grumpy prospective father-in-law. He shares a fatal weakness for bright, shiny objects with many of the Noldor. Their daughter is...

Lúthien (detail from a calendar by Alan Lee)

...the beautiful Lúthien Tinúviel: Arwen mark 1. The most beautiful woman of her age, she throws herself away on a scruff of a Man, Beren. Unlike Arwen, she gets to kick some serious ass before settling down. Mother of Dior, grandmother of Elwing. Lúthien is supposedly modelled on JRR Tolkien's wife, Edith Bratt

Elwing: settles at the Havens of Sirion after the sack of Doriath. One source claims she's the second-most beautiful Elf of all time: mixed blood must be good for the complexion! Marries Eärendil the Mariner; mother of Elrond & Elros

Elrond & Elros, aka the Peredhil (Half-Elven): The original Terrible Twins (though they may or may not have been born simultaneously). Mixed-race mongrels (Maiar, Noldorin/Telerin Elf, Men) whose family tree reads like the Silmarillion Who's Who, they are fostered by Maedhros & Maglor after the sack of Sirion. Given the choice of mortal or Elvish life, in one of the more oft-ficced scenarios

Elros becomes the first King of Númenor (as Tar-Minyatur) at the end of the First Age

Elrond lives in Lindon with Gil-galad early in the Second Age, before founding Rivendell (Imladris)

Elrond is portrayed by Hugo Weaving in the Peter Jackson films

Celeborn: known to a generation of movie-goers as That Tall Bloke Next To Galadriel, actually a silver-haired Sindarin Elf from Doriath; a kinsman of Thingol

Portrayed by Marton Csokas in the Peter Jackson films

Dwarves

(aka Khazâd, Naugrim)

Created by Aulë, whom they name Mahal. Crafts people, then as later, they love stone masonry and gem work. During this period, they inhabit Nogrod & Belegost in the Blue Mountains, as well as Khazad-dûm (later called Moria). Though Dwarves of Belegost assist in building Menegroth in Doriath, few Dwarves are characterised in the Silmarillion legendarium. In fact, there's really only the Petty Dwarf (Noegyth Nibin), Mîm, who lives in the caves of Amon Rûdh near Nargothrond

Most of the (sadly rare) Dwarf-centric fanfiction from the period features the Second Age Dwarf Narvi of Khazad-dûm, co-maker of the Doors of Moria, who doesn't even rate a mention in The Silmarillion

Men (& women)

(aka Edain, Atani, the Second People, the After-born, and many more derogatory nicknames)

The Men of The Silmarillion are largely of the Three Houses of Elf-Friends: Bëor, Haleth & Hador, who fight alongside the Elves in the various battles against Morgoth and Sauron. Despite angst by the bucketloads, they don't get nearly enough fanfic screentime

Beren recovers a Silmaril (by Anke Eissmann)

Beren aka Erchamion, Camlost: son of Barahir of the House of Bëor. Tolkien's very own Marty-Stu, he gets to carry off both Lúthien and a Silmaril, and he has the largest pet in Middle-earth

The fostering of Tuor (by Anke Eissmann)

Tuor, son of Huor of the House of Hador. Comes to Gondolin where he marries Idril Celebrindal -- the second marriage of Man with Elf; their child is Eärendil

Túrin and Beleg (by Anke Eissmann) (Túrin's the one with the beard)

Túrin Turambar, son of Húrin of the House of Hador. Possibly the unluckiest person in the entire Silmarillion legendarium, which is quite a feat

The faithful of the three Houses were given the island of Númenor off the coast of Aman at the end of the First Age. Notable Númenoreans include the first King, Tar-Minyatur (Elros); the last King Ar-Pharazôn, who usurped his unfortunate wife Tar-Míriel (Ar-Zimraphel)'s throne and used it to rebel against the Valar; and the faithful headed up by Elendil and his sons Isildur & Anárion

Pets

Huan: giant talking dog (honest!) and true star of the story of Beren & Lúthien

Bad guys (& gals)

Morgoth/Melkor aka Bauglir: bigger, nastier version of Sauron. Originally the mightiest of the Valar, he's got a serious Lucifer thing going on. Sworn enemy of Elves in general and the Noldor in particular, he shares with the latter a magpie liking for bright, shiny objects. Stuffed out of Arda at the end of the First Age, making way for...

Sauron aka Annatar, Gorthaur: At first a Maiar of Aulë, later Morgoth's lieutenant and, in the Second Age, successor. In his fair bodily form, under the name Annatar (Lord of Gifts), he seduced (in some stories, literally) both the Elves of Eregion and the Men of Númenor

Ungoliant: bigger, nastier version of Shelob

Glaurung: bigger, nastier version of Smaug

Gothmog: bigger nastier version of the Moria balrog

Carcharoth: head werewolf of Angband

The cast of bad guys is rounded out with assorted orcs and Easterlings

Where's Where in Arda

Maps of Aman, Númenor & Beleriand

Arda: Tolkien's entire earth. JRR Tolkien envisaged his legends as set in a prehistorical period of our earth; Middle-earth roughly corresponds with Europe, Aman with the Americas

The West

Alqualondë aka Swan Havens: coastal city where the Teleri settle

Aman aka The Blessed Realm, The Undying Lands: the entire continent in the West inhabited by the Valar and various Elves. (Where Frodo & Co sail off to after RotK)

Helcaraxë aka the Grinding Ice: frozen straits between the continents of Aman & Middle-earth

Mandos: Purgatory-like Halls of the Elvish Dead, presided over by Námo

Tol Eressëa: island off the coast of Aman where Elves returning from Middle-earth settle

Valinor: area where the Valar live; the city is Valmar. A curiously sterile Paradise

The Rest

aka Middle-earth

Angband: Morgoth's fortress

Belegost: major settlement of Dwarves in the Blue Mountains

Beleriand: large region of Middle-earth to the west of the Blue Mountains; divided in two by the River Sirion; largely destroyed at the end of the First Age

Ered Luin / Blue Mountains: mountainous boundary of Beleriand in the First Age. After the destruction of Beleriand, Ered Luin forms part of the coast of Middle-earth

Doriath aka the Hidden Kingdom: Realm of Thingol & Melian in Beleriand, protected by Melian's Girdle

Eregion aka Hollin: realm of the Noldor in the Second Age to the west of the Misty Mountains. City is Ost-in-Edhil, near Khazad-dûm

Gondolin aka the Hidden Rock: secret city in the north of Beleriand, in the vale of Tumladen within the Encircling Mountains (Echoriath); ruled by Turgon

Havens of Sirion: coastal settlement on the River Sirion, home of Elwing and her people

Himring: Maedhros's hill-top stronghold in the north-east of Beleriand

Hithlum: cold unhospitable region of Middle-earth north of Beleriand; ruled by Fingolfin & Fingon

Lindon: the remnants of Beleriand remaining above the sea in the Second Age

Menegroth aka The Thousand Caves: home of Thingol and Melian, in the realm of Doriath

Nargothrond: underground fortress of Finrod Felagund in West Beleriand, by the River Narog

Númenor aka Westernesse: large island inhabited by (you've guessed it) the Númenorean Men in the Second Age. Overrun after the Númenoreans invaded Aman, in Tolkien's version of the Atlantis legend

Thangorodrim: Mountains above Angband

What's What

(aka Stretching the Analogy Past Breaking Point)

Two Trees, Telperion & Laurelin: early lighting system for Valinor. Created by Yavanna (one of the Valar), their light was captured in the Silmarils

Silmarils: kinda like the One Ring, only there's three of them for treble trouble. To cut a (very) long story short, at the centre of the biggest jewel heist in Arda's history

Nauglamír: fabulous golden necklace made for Finrod by the Dwarves, into which was later set one of the Silmarils

Quenya: The language of the Elves of Aman

Sindarin: The language of the Sindarin Elves of Beleriand, later taken up by the Noldorin Elves in Middle-earth

When's When

See casapazzo's Lord of the Rings Summary for an excellent summary of the events of the First and Second Ages. There's also a neat parody version by camwyn

The Sources

I'm interpreting my brief broadly to include all fiction set before the beginning of the Third Age. Sources include:

The Silmarillion (ed. Christopher Tolkien, 1977)
- Ainulindalë -- creation myth, fall of Melkor
- Valaquenta -- description of the Valar & Maiar
- Quenta Silmarillion -- the history of the Silmarils
- Akallabêth -- the downfall of Númenor
Unfinished Tales (ed. Christopher Tolkien, 1980)
- Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin
- Narn i Hîn Húrin -- tale of Túrin, Mîm the Petty Dwarf & Nienor
- Aldarion and Erendis -- a tale of Númenor before the downfall
- The History of Galadriel and Celeborn
History of Middle-earth (HoMe) -- 12 volumes for the completist including:
- 2 volumes of the Book of Lost Tales
- Athrabeth Finrod a Andreth -- debate between Finrod Felagund & human Andreth
- Tolkien's shopping lists

This all looks a bit scary, so if like me you failed to get past the first page of The Silmarillion on your first three attempts (or don't own a copy), don't lose hope. Most fanfiction authors know their canon backwards, and you'll soon catch on.

As this material was published after JRR Tolkien's death, edited by his son Christopher Tolkien, and JRRT changed his mind over his lifetime on the history of various characters numerous times, there's considerable room for the fanfiction riffing on different sources/interpretations. It's probably best not to worry too much about this fluidity -- unless, of course, you like that sort of thing, in which case footnotes ahoy!

The Online Fandom

Lists & LJs

Silmfics -- long-running, active Yahoo fiction/discussion list. Lots of fiction & artwork can be unearthed by poking around in the files section, some of which isn't available elsewhere

silmfics -- newish fiction LJ

silmarillion -- discussion LJ

Awards & recs sites

Awards

Given the relative paucity of recommendations sites, good places to look for stories

Galvorns -- Silmarillion awards, now entering their second year (last year's winners are here); categories for 2004 include 'The Pure Unadulterated Lust-Inducing Torrid Zestful Elven Reproduction (P.U.L.I.T.Z.E.R.) Award' & 'Greatest Overuse of Elvish', making good on the claim of one of the organisers that they're a 'very tongue-in-cheek contest indeed'

MEFAs -- comments-based Tolkien awards, first ran in 2004; multiple Silmarillion categories

Mithrils -- panel-judged Tolkien awards, ran in 2003 & 2004; single Silmarillion category, but many other categories had Silmarillion entries

Recs

Ansereg: Darkfic Recommendations -- the darker side of Tolkien, courtesy of Tyellas

Deborah's Recommendations -- Silmarillion author recommendations

Espresso Recommendations -- my collected Silmarillion recs (if you want a sneak peek at what's coming up!)

Silver Tree: Portrait of an Elf Lord -- Marnie's fiction & essay recommendations; Celeborn & Galadriel focus

Selected resources

Art

With a text-only source, art is great for ~~fantasising about~~ visualising characters while reading. A few amateur galleries can be found care of Anke Eissmann, Hope Hoover, Jenny Dolfen & Kasiopea; Middle-earth Tours also has collections of pro art, including veteran Tolkien illustrators John Howe, Alan Lee & Ted Nasmith

Information

Encyclopedia of Arda -- very comprehensive; an excellent starting point for all those niggling Now Who The Hell Was He problems

Redbook of Westmarch -- background info on the writing of the Silmarillion legendarium & summary of the Silmarillion itself (beware spoilers!)

Languages

Ardalambion -- everything you ever wanted to know about Sindarin, Quenya & other languages invented by Tolkien but never dared ask

Hisweloke -- online/downloadable Sindarin dictionary

Links

Support Silmfics -- the Silmarillion fanlisting

This is just a starter pack; do please suggest links to Silm-centric goodness in the comments!

Acknowledgements

Artwork was created by Jenny Dolfen, Kasiopea & Anke Eissmann. Jenny Dolfen's work is reproduced according to the conditions listed at her site. Kasiopea & Anke Eissmann's works are reproduced with permission from the artists. Please, do not use these works without the artists' permission. On the other hand, do visit their galleries and send them feedback if you enjoy their work!

Thank you for your time in reading, and apologies that this tale grew so much in the telling -- JRRT's verbosity seem to be catching...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Eissman's style looks familiar. Does she have a gallery at Elfwood?

I don't know of one. She does do among the best amateur illustrations from LotR; there's one of Faramir & Eowyn (http://anke.edoras-art.de/cgi-bin/lotr6.pl?file=so_they_stood_72_6.jpg) which you may well have seen iconified.

Just been to check, and she's there, in F/SF art gallery #83. Nearly 70 pics at this page (http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/art/a/n/anke/anke.html). I particularly like her Luthien, it was my desktop wall paper for a while.

I ran 'Luthien' through the Elfwood search engine and got about 300 hits. Best artist (aside from Eissman) was probably Hope Hoover, who I see you also have listed, but by no means the only good one. There are some very talented people there. And some who are ... erm ... well, I'm not sure it can be put tactfully.

Ah, thanks Temeres. I did actually ask Hope Hoover for permission to reproduce one of her pictures, but unfortunately she hasn't yet responded. I'll add hers if I hear positively from her.

Hope Hoover has been without a PC for a couple of weeks; I think she's just getting back online right now.

Thingol! Without a doubt, the best name Tolkien ever came up with. It's what made The Silmarillion interesting, laughing at poor Thingol's name.

Well, interesting in addition to the really powerful folks, the shiny jewelery, and the hideous characterizations. On reflection, I'm not sure why I read so much of that canon, so many times.

Great overview! This fandom so needs to grow, and it's incredibly hard to summarize, so *claps*

Thingol! Without a doubt, the best name Tolkien ever came up with. It's what made The Silmarillion interesting, laughing at poor Thingol's name.

Celebrian is always the one that cracks me up :)

Thanks! It was very difficult to know what balance to strike given the huge richness of detail in the source, but I've tried to give enough background that a newcomer will be able to make sense of the stories I've got lined up to rec.

Very nice overview, thanks! The art you've included is lovely.

Cheers! It was a somewhat daunting task -- particularly when I read the guidelines & realised I was meant to provide pix for all the principals easier said than done!

Great overview! It's been ages and ages since I read the Sil, and I hardly read any fanfic (two Elrond & Elros stories, but that's about it). Which I see I shall have to rectify.*g*

Thanks, Selenak! There's a lot more to Silmfics than just Elrond & Elros... let us hope I can draw you in :)

Wow, succinct and amusing overview of a formidable cannon. I love the art you've included (and squee because I think that Luthien painting must be my fav Alan Lee), and:

Galdriel...said to be beautiful even for an Elf and the wisest among the Noldor (the latter may not be saying much)
Heeee! The Noldor are so easy to make fun of...

Thank you, Nigeltde! I'm really glad you like the artwork. There is this terrible urge to puncture the pomposity of some parts of the source material :)

Weehaw! This overview made me want to read it again. *applauds*

*sigh* Finrod is so my literary boyfriend. hehe.

I'm grateful for all these links, as I haven't been involved in lotr stuff in a long while, and it's good to get fresh stuff that I don't have to google or search through haystacks for. :D

Huan... and true star of the story of Beren & Lúthien
hahaha. So true. I always felt way more emotionally involved with ole Huan. Though I do agree that Luthien kicks ass. *firm nod*

:D

Glad the links are useful, Jacklemmon, I was worried about overproviding. Hope to have some Finrod and Huan recs up before I'm through.

The Silmarillion: An Overview

Ten Reasons to Read Silmfics

Who's Who

The Gods

Elves

Dwarves

Men (& women)

Pets

Bad guys (& gals)

Where's Where in Arda

The West

The Rest

What's What

When's When

The Sources

The Online Fandom

Archives

Lists & LJs

Awards & recs sites

Selected resources

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