The best Silmarillion stories

[brain_dead_1st]

I assume the best stories are in the second half of the book, but I never got that far because I got bored halfway through and gave up. Twice.

Ditto,
what a waste of paper the first half is

[Haldir77]

Don't get me depressed! I just started reading the book yesterday!

anyway I must agree the first parts are a we bit boring but interesting nonetheless .

[Asrai Syrion]

This is'nt really endearing me to read this

But I will soldier on

[Karak Norn Clansman]

This is'nt really endearing me to read this

But I will soldier on

There, there. The book was never finished and should perhaps have been given a chance by Tolkien's publishers if he were to rewrite the narrative in a more conventional novel book style, and if they had forced him to introduce amusing elements in his epic and mostly tragic Silmarillion stories. The odd thing is that the Sil is based a lot on Nordic and other old, polytheistic mythology, but yet it lacks all of the comic bits which can be found in those mythologies. If one wants a laugh out of old stories, one'd better read Nordic sagas and the like. If one wants more of Tolkien's Middle-Earth, one should read the Silmarillion, but do try the real world stuff as well!

Still, the Sil is a great book in many respects (I admit this despite my dislike of the fading of elves and dwarves) and should be given a fair chance by any reader of Fantasy or Tolkien. The first half isn't a complete waste of paper, despite a lot of long-winded pieces which were hard to keep the concentration up throughout. The creation myth might be quite boring, but it is also sleek and pretty smart, and the fury of Fëanor is one of the best parts of the book despite the glaring tragedy. (I can stand tragedies, but it is more than irritating when one's clear favourite character - not necessarily the primary ones - becomes the focus of some horrid story twists.)

Soldier on and find out yourself if the book is to your liking, and what parts are not.

[Polaria]

As a real-world mythological footnote, Turin Turambar's story is of course heavily based on traditional stories such as Sigurd the dragonslayer and Beowulf, with Turin's unintended marriage with his own sister and its suicidal outcome as an upbringing element which was common in old stories.

Turin Turambars story is one of those where -Tolkien didn't really bother to invent anything own. He basically carbon-copied much of it from The Kullervo Cycle of Kalevala.

[Hrokka `Eadsplitter]

Tolkien once described his work with Middle-Earth as a new mythology, something to take pride in. What he meant was that of the original meltdown of cultures that became the UK never had a common mythology. Celts, Picts, Romans, Saxons and Vikings all was mixed up and that the UK never had their own national Epic Mythology like Finland had the Kaalevaala, Greece the Illiad and Scandinavia had our Norse Mythology. And that his work was a try to make up for that. This is of course my interpretation of a random letter that was read in a documentary. I do not claim knowing anything about Tolkiens purpose, but those reasons give room for speculation.

Yes, Turin Túrambar, the Dagnir Glaurunga, is pretty much Sigurd Fafnirsbane in Middle-Earth, but hey, which author would pass on making his own version of that?
The Children of Húrin is perhaps the piece of Silmarillion I personally like the best.
The curse of Morgoth does not only affect Turin, but also wreaks havoc wherever he goes.
(On a sidenote, does anyone know what happened to the Dragon Helmet of Dór-Lomin? Can't find a thing about where it went after Turin laid his hands on it)

The Silmarillion is Tolkiens own attempt at writing an Edda, an Illiad or even a re-write of the bible, for Middle-Earth. (And it's far more interesting than at least the bible)
Oh, and Tuor was great fun reading about, but his story just ends a tad to happily for my taste. Yes, I'm a horrible person.
Cheers.

[juicytomatoes]

I loved Fingolfin's solo charge to his doom all due to a misinterpretation of events. Just thought it was cool that he could wound the greatest of the Valar...

[Powerposey]

I loved Fingolfin's solo charge to his doom all due to a misinterpretation of events. Just thought it was cool that he could wound the greatest of the Valar...

Agreed, this is my favorite story. I cannot begin to count how many times I have read that part since I was a young lad.

[Karak Norn Clansman]

Fingolfin's duel with Morgoth was a fine point in the Sil, but I'd argue it doesn't come close to Fëanor's charge into a cohort of Balrogs. If nothing else, the latter would have looked splendid in a movie, and especially if Fëanor would have slain and wounded a few of the Balrogs.

On a side note:

Despite its age, Gondolin's fall always read as a surprisingly good story which would have fit into the wider writings without too much effort at editing and rewriting. The battle of Minas Tirith in The Return of the King was obviously inspired by the battle and faction descriptions, and these two pieces of writing are my favourites amongst Tolkien's work, along with The Hobbit, oddly enough. I'd have very much liked to see a finished version of Gondolin's fall, especially because I still wonder what Rog the elf would have been called had JRR Tolkien revisited the story.