Book: The Silmarillion

Overview
The Silmarillion presents a sweeping mythic history of the world that becomes Middle-earth, moving from cosmic creation through the bright and tragic ages that precede The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Its tone is epic and elegiac, combining origin myths, heroic sagas, and moral reckonings to explain how the long strife between the powers of good and evil shaped the fate of elves, men and the lands they inhabit. The narrative stitches together many distinct tales into a single chronology of rising hopes, terrible betrayals and gradual loss.

Creation and the Valar
The tale opens with the Music of the Ainur, a divine symphony in which the supreme deity, Eru Ilúvatar, brings the world into being through themes sung by angelic beings called the Ainur. Some of these Ainur enter the created world as the Valar and Maiar to order it, building lands and lights and guardianship, while one among them, Melkor, rebels and seeks dominion, sowing discord and shaping the course of history toward conflict.

The Silmarils and the Noldor
Central to the book are the Silmarils, three jewels wrought by the elf Fëanor that hold the undimmed light of the Two Trees of Valinor. Melkor, later named Morgoth, steals the jewels, and his theft sparks calamities: the destruction of the Trees, the exile of the Noldorin elves from the Blessed Realm, and the horrific kinslaying at Alqualondë. The oath sworn by Fëanor and his sons to recover the Silmarils fuels centuries of war, alliances and betrayals across the western lands, shaping the destiny of entire peoples.

Fate of Heroes: Beren, Lúthien and Túrin
Interwoven with the epic war narrative are intimate, haunting tales of individuals who defy fate or are crushed by it. The love of Beren, a mortal man, and Lúthien, an elf-maiden, becomes the most luminous example of courage and sacrifice when Lúthien aids Beren in seizing a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown. By contrast, the story of Túrin Turambar is a dark Greek-like tragedy of doom and misunderstanding, a life blighted by ill luck, pride and vengeance that ends in ruin for him and those he loves.

The End of the First Age and After
The long wars culminate with the coming of Men and the great voyage of Eärendil, who sails to the Valar bearing a Silmaril to plead for aid. The Valar finally intervene, Morgoth is overthrown in the cataclysmic War of Wrath, and the map of the world itself is altered, coastlines change and vast realms disappear. Though Morgoth is defeated, the world is forever changed: many kingdoms fall, sanctuaries are lost, and the mantle of prominence begins to shift toward Men.

Akallabêth and the Downfall of Númenor
The Akallabêth traces the Second Age rise and tragic fall of Númenor, a mighty island realm granted to Men who fought with the Valar. Blessed with longevity and power, Númenóreans grow envious and fearful of death; their pride is manipulated by Sauron, and a fateful expedition to claim immortality brings about the island's drowning and the reshaping of the world's geography. The survivors found the kingdoms of Men that will later stand in the Third Age.

Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
The final section bridges to The Lord of the Rings by recounting Sauron's machinations in the Second Age, the forging of the Rings of Power, the deception of the Rings' bearers and the eventual loss of the One Ring that drives later history. It sketches the long decline of Númenor's heirs, the persistence of once-great houses, and the slow waning of the Elves as Men rise to inherit the world.

Themes and Legacy
The Silmarillion explores pride and repentance, the tension between fate and free will, and the bittersweet beauty of sub-creation, the idea that making art or stories echoes divine creation. Its register is lofty and sometimes austere, yielding a sense of deep antiquity and sorrow that makes later tales in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings feel like distant echoes. The book stands as a foundational mythic corpus that illuminates Tolkien's moral imagination, linguistic craft and enduring sense of loss and hope.