The White Council

Re: Silmarillion 3rd edition

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

Well, one way to do a 3d Silmarillion--and I hereby suggest this--would be to set up a "Reader's Silmarillion" website, for posting a suggested reconstruction of the book, based on the HOME. I agree with most of Michael's suggestions (exc. return of Turambar- I must have missed something; his doomed exit seems very much what JRRT conceived in the cycle).

In the later HOME, one can begin to count the mea culpas from Christopher Tolkien- even his hint that a reconstructed Silm, as he published it, perhaps ought not to have been attempted at all; on some final questions, we are left ultimately "in the dark." It is sad to see from HOME just how far from completion The Silm was, and how JRRT struggled to add appropriate post-LOTR edits even while much of the story languished. But on the whole, I am comfortable with most of CT's reconstructions, though regreting the cuts. ***

: : Yes. But what exactly should be done, Michael? I am interested : : to hear what you would add and what you would drop.

: Hm. I've been asked this before and I'm as unprepared now to answer the question properly as I was last time.

: Still, some of the things I would do would include:

: 1) restore the story of Hurin and the outlaws

: 2) correct the genealogical errors made by Christopher (not just : the Gil-galad matter, but the other changes/additions JRRT : made should be included somehow)

: 3) bring Turin back at the end of the First Age for the final : battle at Thangorodrim

: 4) kill off Amras as THE PEOPLES OF MIDDLE-EARTH indicates should : have been done

: 5) include that battle in Lammoth (I think) where one of the : other Elf princes is killed

: 6) straighten out the story of Thingol somehow (and this is not : intended to be a light criticism of Christopher's story)

: I'm not sure of what I would do about the story of Tuor and Gondolin. That's a real mess, as is the story of Maeglin. I suppose most people would feel it is impossible to do any better than Christopher did, but it might be worth a try to construct some sort of replacement material, even if it were deemed unfit for publication.

: A new SILMARILLION really would have to contain non-JRRT material just as the first one does, but it could be more faithful to the glimmering vision we see in bits and pieces scattered across HOME.