The Silmarillion - Overview

Overview

The Silmarillion, like Tolkien's other Middle-earth writings, was meant to have taken place at some time in Earth's past. In keeping with this idea, The Silmarillion is meant to have been translated from Bilbo's three-volume Translations from the Elvish, which he wrote while at Rivendell.

Among the notable chapters in the book are:

• "The Music of the Ainur"
• "Of Beren and Lúthien"
• "Túrin Turambar" (closely associated with "Narn i Chîn Húrin: The Tale of the Children of Húrin" in Unfinished Tales)
• "Of Tuor and The Fall of Gondolin"
• "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"

The inside title page contains an inscription written in Tengwar. In the common script, it reads "The tales of the First Age when Morgoth dwelt in Middle-earth and the Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the Silmarils to which are appended the downfall of Númenor and the history of the Rings of Power and the Third Age in which these tales come to their end."