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The History of Middle-Earth #4
A Formação da Terra-média
Quarto volume de A História da Terra-média, série editada por Christopher Tolkien que oferece uma visão detalhada da genialidade e do processo criativo em evolução de J.R.R. Tolkien.
Este livro descreve a transição gradual do Legendário primitivo apresentado nas duas partes de O Livro dos Contos Perdidos para o que se tornaria O Silmarillion. Além de uma versão do Quenta, a edição apresenta o Ambarkanta (ou "A Forma do Mundo"), uma seleção de mapas e diagramas do mundo com as descrições que Tolkien fez deles, e as primeiras versões de Os Anais de Valinor e Os Anais de Beleriand, esboços mais antigos da cronologia da Primeira Era.
Este livro descreve a transição gradual do Legendário primitivo apresentado nas duas partes de O Livro dos Contos Perdidos para o que se tornaria O Silmarillion. Além de uma versão do Quenta, a edição apresenta o Ambarkanta (ou "A Forma do Mundo"), uma seleção de mapas e diagramas do mundo com as descrições que Tolkien fez deles, e as primeiras versões de Os Anais de Valinor e Os Anais de Beleriand, esboços mais antigos da cronologia da Primeira Era.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published August 21, 1986
About the author
J.R.R. Tolkien
817 books78.9k followersJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal.
Tolkien was an accomplished amateur artist who painted for pleasure and relaxation. He excelled at landscapes and often drew inspiration from his own stories. He illustrated many scenes from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, sometimes drawing or painting as he was writing in order to visualize the imagined scene more clearly.
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past.
Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in 1892 to English parents. He came to England aged three and was brought up in and around Birmingham. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1915 and saw active service in France during the First World War before being invalided home. After the war he pursued an academic career teaching Old and Middle English. Alongside his professional work, he invented his own languages and began to create what he called a mythology for England; it was this ‘legendarium’ that he would work on throughout his life. But his literary work did not start and end with Middle-earth, he also wrote poetry, children’s stories and fairy tales for adults. He died in 1973 and is buried in Oxford where he spent most of his adult life.
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February 8, 2016
On to volume 4 of the History of Middle-earth series and we are now starting to come to something that appears, in both form and content, much closer to what we ended up receiving as the published Silmarillion. In the first two volumes we were given Tolkien’s earliest drafts of the tales that would (albeit in an often much transformed manner) ultimately become the main stories of the First Age of Middle-earth all joined together by a narrative framing conceit that tied it in explicitly to our own world’s history (an element that never actually left the tales, but became much less apparent as time wore on). Then we saw Tolkien shift into the composition of several major narrative epic poems that tackled some of the tales that were to prove to be favourites of his (which were, if not complete, at least fairly well fleshed out), along with many poetic fragments of other tales that, as is sadly a common case with Tolkien, never got very far in their composition. Now in this volume we see Tolkien shifting gears and once again composing prose in several different texts, though in a completely new format.
The first of these texts is what Christopher Tolkien calls ‘The Sketch of the Mythology’ which is truly a bare bones precis of the history of the First Age designed as an accompaniment to the long ‘Lay of the Children of Hurin’ poem from the previous volume. Tolkien apparently hoped to have the poem considered for publication and sent along the sketch in order to fill in necessary details of the context of the poem and give minimal explanation of the many events and persons to which it alludes for a prospective editorial reader. Readers of the published Silmarillion will already see something they can recognize here, albeit with much less literary flair: a high level overview of the many adventures, peoples, and events that occurred in what was to become the First Age of Middle-earth.
The next section, called ‘The Quenta’, seems to have evolved almost directly from the Sketch, though it represents a much fuller and more literary detailing of the same events. Instead of simply giving bare bones facts Tolkien allows his poetic side much more freedom and fleshes out details to the point where the text moves from mere summary to something akin to story. As the Tolkien Professor notes in his podcast on this volume some key elements that emerge in the later Silmarillion seem to have their origin here in the Quenta: Beren & Luthien get their somewhat happy ending with Luthien fully embracing the life of mortality (and ultimate eternal union with Beren beyond the circles of the world); Gondolin shifts from being a beacon of hope and place of final refuge for elves fleeing the wrath of Morgoth to an inward looking isolationist community sowing the seeds of its own destruction; and Earendil finally seems to live up to the messianic foreshadowings that have surrounded his birth from the beginning and becomes a successful messenger to the Valar on behalf of the beleaguered peoples of Middle-earth. It is in the Quenta that we probably see the closest analogue in Tolkien’s early writings to what the published Silmarillion became.
Next come a series of maps and accompanying text called the ‘Ambarkanta’ that attempt to delineate not only geographical elements of Middle-earth, but many of the cosmological elements of it as well. I will admit to be largely confused by many parts of this, especially the various types of ‘seas’ that seem to surround and encompass Arda (Tolkien’s created world as whole) and their various roles in the cosmology based on their elemental composition. Tolkien obviously loved both geographical and cosmological details and could seemingly lose himself endlessly in their implications and development, something that was a double-edged sword: it allowed him to return to texts and ideas and refine them to a point where the reality of his sub-creation became truly impressive (something that has been noted elsewhere as nearly the equivalent of one man creating a body of work analogous to the mythological beliefs of an entire people); but it also diverted his attention from actually writing down his stories as he could get caught into endless details and the need to constantly refine and work out fully any and all implications of a given idea or concept. Finally are the two sets of annals: the ‘Annals of Valinor’ and the ‘Annals of Beleriand’, which each give another precis of the major events that occurred in Valinor and the later Elven kingdoms of Beleriand respectively in a year-by-year summary format.
One other aspect of this volume that is intriguing is the inclusion of several Anglo-Saxon translations of some of these texts, a nod to the fact that the overarching idea of the early Elvish histories as the source of a truly ‘English mythology’ transmitted to us by a lone Anglo-Saxon mariner was still an important part of Tolkien’s overall view of his work. These are not stories that are meant to have taken place in 'another world', but are the earliest and forgotten histories of our own. It also shows us that far from being a diversion from his professional life as a philologist and scholar of Anglo-Saxon, Tolkien’s writings on Middle-earth were intimately connected with his professional studies and it seems likely that both aspects of his life deeply informed each other. It is indisputably true that his love of language was the ultimate well-spring of his many tales and, in some sense at least, his contention that they existed 'merely' to give his invented languages a reason to exist and people to speak them is not without merit.
Not my favourite in the series so far, but a truly necessary text (for the Tolkien enthusiast) when considering the ultimate development of the Silmarillion proper in both form and content.
The first of these texts is what Christopher Tolkien calls ‘The Sketch of the Mythology’ which is truly a bare bones precis of the history of the First Age designed as an accompaniment to the long ‘Lay of the Children of Hurin’ poem from the previous volume. Tolkien apparently hoped to have the poem considered for publication and sent along the sketch in order to fill in necessary details of the context of the poem and give minimal explanation of the many events and persons to which it alludes for a prospective editorial reader. Readers of the published Silmarillion will already see something they can recognize here, albeit with much less literary flair: a high level overview of the many adventures, peoples, and events that occurred in what was to become the First Age of Middle-earth.
The next section, called ‘The Quenta’, seems to have evolved almost directly from the Sketch, though it represents a much fuller and more literary detailing of the same events. Instead of simply giving bare bones facts Tolkien allows his poetic side much more freedom and fleshes out details to the point where the text moves from mere summary to something akin to story. As the Tolkien Professor notes in his podcast on this volume some key elements that emerge in the later Silmarillion seem to have their origin here in the Quenta: Beren & Luthien get their somewhat happy ending with Luthien fully embracing the life of mortality (and ultimate eternal union with Beren beyond the circles of the world); Gondolin shifts from being a beacon of hope and place of final refuge for elves fleeing the wrath of Morgoth to an inward looking isolationist community sowing the seeds of its own destruction; and Earendil finally seems to live up to the messianic foreshadowings that have surrounded his birth from the beginning and becomes a successful messenger to the Valar on behalf of the beleaguered peoples of Middle-earth. It is in the Quenta that we probably see the closest analogue in Tolkien’s early writings to what the published Silmarillion became.
Next come a series of maps and accompanying text called the ‘Ambarkanta’ that attempt to delineate not only geographical elements of Middle-earth, but many of the cosmological elements of it as well. I will admit to be largely confused by many parts of this, especially the various types of ‘seas’ that seem to surround and encompass Arda (Tolkien’s created world as whole) and their various roles in the cosmology based on their elemental composition. Tolkien obviously loved both geographical and cosmological details and could seemingly lose himself endlessly in their implications and development, something that was a double-edged sword: it allowed him to return to texts and ideas and refine them to a point where the reality of his sub-creation became truly impressive (something that has been noted elsewhere as nearly the equivalent of one man creating a body of work analogous to the mythological beliefs of an entire people); but it also diverted his attention from actually writing down his stories as he could get caught into endless details and the need to constantly refine and work out fully any and all implications of a given idea or concept. Finally are the two sets of annals: the ‘Annals of Valinor’ and the ‘Annals of Beleriand’, which each give another precis of the major events that occurred in Valinor and the later Elven kingdoms of Beleriand respectively in a year-by-year summary format.
One other aspect of this volume that is intriguing is the inclusion of several Anglo-Saxon translations of some of these texts, a nod to the fact that the overarching idea of the early Elvish histories as the source of a truly ‘English mythology’ transmitted to us by a lone Anglo-Saxon mariner was still an important part of Tolkien’s overall view of his work. These are not stories that are meant to have taken place in 'another world', but are the earliest and forgotten histories of our own. It also shows us that far from being a diversion from his professional life as a philologist and scholar of Anglo-Saxon, Tolkien’s writings on Middle-earth were intimately connected with his professional studies and it seems likely that both aspects of his life deeply informed each other. It is indisputably true that his love of language was the ultimate well-spring of his many tales and, in some sense at least, his contention that they existed 'merely' to give his invented languages a reason to exist and people to speak them is not without merit.
Not my favourite in the series so far, but a truly necessary text (for the Tolkien enthusiast) when considering the ultimate development of the Silmarillion proper in both form and content.
October 30, 2024
My esteem with Tolkien's world-building in these volumes of the History of Middle-earth continues to grow with each installment, even if I feel these are really only books for the Tolkien completionist. I mostly enjoyed this volume, especially the Quenta and early Silmarillion sections, and liked the larger than world, but universe building in the Ambarkanta. Christopher Tolkien's efforts in compiling these volumes, making them readable, and his valuable commentary must continue to be noted.
April 23, 2026
I would like to pay tribute to Christopher Tolkien, who did so much to properly present to us the genesis of what we call The Silmarillion.
March 30, 2025
Every time I do even a small deep dive into Tolkien’s imagination, I am left breathless. Here we see only half formed bits of what would become Tolkien’s Silmarillion. Only the first age is mostly worked out. And yet, it is astonishing.
This volume will only be appealing to more hardcore Tolkien fanatics to be sure. That said, if you are one of said fanatics, this volume will be a delight.
This volume will only be appealing to more hardcore Tolkien fanatics to be sure. That said, if you are one of said fanatics, this volume will be a delight.
May 3, 2021
3.5 stars
In the fourth History of Middle-earth, JRRT takes several strides in his writing of his greater mythology and gets close to the printed The Silmarillion, but frankly, I'm getting a little bogged down spending so much time in the First Age. Still, it was neat to see Tolkien finally starting to expand on Eärendel's tale, which goes from a few lines of poetry in Lays of Beleriand to greatly expanded prose versions, each writing of which gets it closer to the tale we already know. The same could be said for all the other stories here.
Tolkien also revives the idea of an Englishman from ye olden times finding Valinor and translating their texts - into Old English. Not being able to read OE, I did skip those parts, lol, though I did quickly peruse one such section to see what words I could recognize, and they were the ones you'd expect to be unchanged over several centuries, such as "the", "and", "he", and the like. Christopher does, of course, provide commentary on these sections just like all the others to highlight the changes, additions and omissions to previous texts. All told, the OE sections were only about 20 or 30 pages or so, so it was only a small part of the overall book.
Still, I will say that I'm glad the next one is the last for The Silm and am very much looking forward to rereading The Histories of Lord of the Rings.
In the fourth History of Middle-earth, JRRT takes several strides in his writing of his greater mythology and gets close to the printed The Silmarillion, but frankly, I'm getting a little bogged down spending so much time in the First Age. Still, it was neat to see Tolkien finally starting to expand on Eärendel's tale, which goes from a few lines of poetry in Lays of Beleriand to greatly expanded prose versions, each writing of which gets it closer to the tale we already know. The same could be said for all the other stories here.
Tolkien also revives the idea of an Englishman from ye olden times finding Valinor and translating their texts - into Old English. Not being able to read OE, I did skip those parts, lol, though I did quickly peruse one such section to see what words I could recognize, and they were the ones you'd expect to be unchanged over several centuries, such as "the", "and", "he", and the like. Christopher does, of course, provide commentary on these sections just like all the others to highlight the changes, additions and omissions to previous texts. All told, the OE sections were only about 20 or 30 pages or so, so it was only a small part of the overall book.
Still, I will say that I'm glad the next one is the last for The Silm and am very much looking forward to rereading The Histories of Lord of the Rings.
February 2, 2016
This will be my 12-volume write-up of the entire series "The History of Middle Earth".
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This series is ONLY for the hardcore Tolkien fanatic. Predominantly written by JRR's son, based on JRR's notes on the creation of The Silmarilion and The Lord of the Rings (much less on The Hobbit). It is somewhat interesting to see the evolution of the story; for example, "Strider" was originally conceived as a Hobbit (one of those who "went off into the blue with Gandalf" as alluded to in The Hobbit).
But the downside to this is that it isn't very fun to read. You can only read yet another version of Beren and Luthien so many times before you're tired of seeing the miniscule changes from one version to the next.
So, overall, I slogged through this over about a year. I'd say it was worth it in the end for someone like me who loves Tolkien and his entire created world of Arda (and Ea in general). But I'll never re-read them. They come off too much as seeming like Christopher Tolkien just bundled every scrap of paper he could find, rather than thinning them down into a logical consistency.
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This series is ONLY for the hardcore Tolkien fanatic. Predominantly written by JRR's son, based on JRR's notes on the creation of The Silmarilion and The Lord of the Rings (much less on The Hobbit). It is somewhat interesting to see the evolution of the story; for example, "Strider" was originally conceived as a Hobbit (one of those who "went off into the blue with Gandalf" as alluded to in The Hobbit).
But the downside to this is that it isn't very fun to read. You can only read yet another version of Beren and Luthien so many times before you're tired of seeing the miniscule changes from one version to the next.
So, overall, I slogged through this over about a year. I'd say it was worth it in the end for someone like me who loves Tolkien and his entire created world of Arda (and Ea in general). But I'll never re-read them. They come off too much as seeming like Christopher Tolkien just bundled every scrap of paper he could find, rather than thinning them down into a logical consistency.
September 18, 2019
The original Silmarillion writings.
October 24, 2025
I am so unbelievably desperate for The History of Middle-Earth to move into the Second Age, I could cry. It will always be interesting to read J.R.R.'s multiple drafts of the same texts, and I am deeply grateful for Christipher compiling and editing all these manuscripts. But the commentary is deeper and more exhaustive than I am able to handle. I did love seeing the various maps, but the transition to Old English broke me.
January 14, 2018
The first part of the book describes, in the scrap-book fashion form, sketches of the phases of the birth of the mythology; i.e. explanations and annotations are organized as re-told text of previous versions of the stories that are published in official version of "The Silmarillion", along with some versions from "The Book of Lost Tales 1&2". The second part was real chocolate muffin for me. I literally devoured those pages. And in the passages that are part of "The Ambarkanta" much is told about the shaping and re-modeling of Arda (that, of course, official version of "The Silmarillion" is lacking of) along with explanations about the Circles of the World and with six by Tolkien's hand drawn draft maps. Also, first and emended versions about creation and purpose of the Walls of the World and The Door of the Night are presented, and now perplexity (due to lack of logical explanations and links in previous versions) about this structures that tormented me is finally solved. The third part are early annals of Valinor and Beleriand - useful and interesting data that explain the same events but from different Valar/Elves time counting manner.
May 22, 2008
This made the overall history of Middle-Earth clearer than the previous volumes of The Histories of Middle-Earth, though that may have been in part because this is essentially the third time I've read the stories in their various incarnations. Tolkien's writing is beautiful even in its unfinished form, and Christopher Tolkien's comments are insightful and explanatory as in the previous books. The maps were delightful, drawn by the Professor himself, and even if they were not entirely accurate for the "final" writing, were still helpful and interesting. It also included some pages written in Old English, which although I couldn't read them, were still neat for the fact that they were in Old English, and were not so long as to make me feel like I had wasted my money buying a book I couldn't read.
October 23, 2024
Mám takovej pocit, že čím víc toho vím, tím míň toho ve skutečnosti vím!
February 8, 2024
"Il cuore spietato non tiene conto del potere della pietà, da cui una grave ira può venire forgiata e avvamparsi un fulmine dinanzi cui cadono le montagne".
Con questo quarto volume la situazione migliora sensibilmente. Infatti, come già saprà chi ha seguito le mie recensioni, i precedenti tre volumi (qui: 1-2-3) non mi erano piaciuti per niente. Il quarto capitolo, invece, fa un netto passo in avanti. Anche se…
Mi restano gli stessi dubbi e timori dei precedenti libri ma, almeno questa volta, la storia è più lineare e più facile e comprensibile da leggere. Si narra di grandi battaglie ed imprese memorabili, quasi come se ci si trovasse di fronte ad avvenimenti mitologici (ed in parte lo sono davvero). Inoltre, abbiamo sotto mano alcuni dati molto interessanti; su tutti, giusto per fare un esempio, spicca una piccola curiosità: Morgoth si forgia una corona di ferro per incastonarvi i Silmaril appena rubati a Formenos (Valinor)… perché questi, nel momento del furto, gli avevano irrimediabilmente ustionato le mani (e lui stesso non si libererà mai più dal dolore).
[https://lastanzadiantonio.blogspot.co...]
Con questo quarto volume la situazione migliora sensibilmente. Infatti, come già saprà chi ha seguito le mie recensioni, i precedenti tre volumi (qui: 1-2-3) non mi erano piaciuti per niente. Il quarto capitolo, invece, fa un netto passo in avanti. Anche se…
Mi restano gli stessi dubbi e timori dei precedenti libri ma, almeno questa volta, la storia è più lineare e più facile e comprensibile da leggere. Si narra di grandi battaglie ed imprese memorabili, quasi come se ci si trovasse di fronte ad avvenimenti mitologici (ed in parte lo sono davvero). Inoltre, abbiamo sotto mano alcuni dati molto interessanti; su tutti, giusto per fare un esempio, spicca una piccola curiosità: Morgoth si forgia una corona di ferro per incastonarvi i Silmaril appena rubati a Formenos (Valinor)… perché questi, nel momento del furto, gli avevano irrimediabilmente ustionato le mani (e lui stesso non si libererà mai più dal dolore).
[https://lastanzadiantonio.blogspot.co...]
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June 9, 2022
Είτε βρήκα αυτό το βιβλίο σχετικά βατό ή απλά έπαθα ανοσία με αυτή την σειρά.
Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο ήταν κάτι σαν μύθος του Σίσυφου για μένα.
Αφού είχα διαβάσει τους τόμους 1 και 2 που ονομάζονται το Βιβλίο των Χαμένων Ιστοριών και αποτελούν την πρώτη μορφή των μύθων του Τόλκιν και θα μπορούσαμε να πούμε και του Σιλμαρίλλιον, ξαναδιάβασα στον 3ο τόμο τους δύο βασικούς μύθους σε ποιητική μορφή, και τώρα στον 4ο τόμο διάβασα την Σύνοψη της Μυθολογίας, που αποτελεί ουσιαστικά την δεύτερη μορφή του Σιλμαρίλλιον, και ακολούθως την εκτενέστερη μορφή της με το όνομα Quenta Noldorinwa.
Με άλλα λόγια διάβασα για τα παιδιά του Χούριν στον 2ο τόμο, στον τρίτο τόμο και τώρα άλλες δυο φορές στον 4ο τόμο. Και φυσικά υπάρχει και μια τελευταία φορά στον επόμενο τον πέμπτο τόμο.
Είμαι ή δεν είμαι μετά ο Σίσυφος;
Φυσικά εδώ είμαστε στην γνώριμη και ώριμη γραφή του Τόλκιν της δεκαετίας του 30' και όχι στην υπερβολικά αρχαΐζουσα της δεκαετίας του 10'-20'.
Αυτό που όμως με ταλαιπώρησε σε αυτό τον τόμο ήταν ο υπερβολικά αναλυτικός και ακαδημαϊκής φύσεως
σχολιασμός του Κρίστοφερ Τόλκιν.
Σημειώσεις για το αν η συγκεκριμένη φράση ήταν γραμμένη με μολύβι ή κόκκινο μελάνι, ή εάν η λέξη Eledhwen στο χειρόγραφο γράφτηκε με ή χωρίς h μου ήταν παντελώς άχρηστες. Αλλά το 90% των υποσημειώσεων και το 60% του σχολιασμού ήταν αυτής της φύσεως.
Νομίζω μια πιο χρηστική έκδοση χωρίς υποσημειώσεις και άσκοπο σχολιασμό θα ήταν μικρότερη και αυτό θα έδινε δυνατότητα να τυπωθεί με μεγαλύτερη γραμματοσειρά και να είναι έτσι πιο ευκολοδιάβαστη.
Αλλά για την ώρα τέτοια έκδοση δεν υπάρχει οπότε μόνο οι μελετητές του Τόλκιν θα ενδιαφέρονται να διαβάσουν όλη την Ιστορία της Μέσης Γης μέχρι το τέλος, και μαζόχες όπως εγώ.
January 1, 2023
Another literary archaeology tome. Christopher Tolkien did a heck of a job organizing his father's writings. This is not light reading.
December 26, 2024
Over the course of these books you get to see Tolkien developing his ideas, for example how originally all the stories are told to a mariner from ancient England which is an idea that he eventually dropped.
This one is mostly concerned with the development of the Silmarillion.
The first part is the submission that Tolkien gave to the publishers. After the success of The Hobbit, the publishers wanted something more, so Tolkien put together a brief outline of what would become the Silmarillion, which is just so overwhelming in detail that it’s understandable the publisher effectively said "what the heck is this?!"
So Tolkien went on to write Lord of the Rings.
There is a heck of a lot of minutiae, like x was called this in this manuscript, then in this other manuscript he was called y for the first few paragraphs, then he changed it to z and wrote a correction in pencil next to the two first occurrences, and so on. I let this kind of stuff just wash over me. It’s not like I’m going to remember it anyway. It’s the bold strokes I’m interested in.
There's some interesting things about books within books, and commentaries on histories in books. ie that Tolkien was writing and commenting on more ancient texts. And in a funny way, that's what Christopher is doing by writing these books.
There are some pretty cool maps in here including the first ever maps of Beleriand. It's a pretty good reproduction.
Other maps are interesting but almost illegible. I can only think that this is due to the scanning and printing technology available in 1986 when this was published. The maps and description of the shape of the world are pretty cool.
I enjoyed this volume way more than the previous one.
This one is mostly concerned with the development of the Silmarillion.
The first part is the submission that Tolkien gave to the publishers. After the success of The Hobbit, the publishers wanted something more, so Tolkien put together a brief outline of what would become the Silmarillion, which is just so overwhelming in detail that it’s understandable the publisher effectively said "what the heck is this?!"
So Tolkien went on to write Lord of the Rings.
There is a heck of a lot of minutiae, like x was called this in this manuscript, then in this other manuscript he was called y for the first few paragraphs, then he changed it to z and wrote a correction in pencil next to the two first occurrences, and so on. I let this kind of stuff just wash over me. It’s not like I’m going to remember it anyway. It’s the bold strokes I’m interested in.
There's some interesting things about books within books, and commentaries on histories in books. ie that Tolkien was writing and commenting on more ancient texts. And in a funny way, that's what Christopher is doing by writing these books.
There are some pretty cool maps in here including the first ever maps of Beleriand. It's a pretty good reproduction.
Other maps are interesting but almost illegible. I can only think that this is due to the scanning and printing technology available in 1986 when this was published. The maps and description of the shape of the world are pretty cool.
I enjoyed this volume way more than the previous one.
August 12, 2020
La Formación De La Tierra Media.- J.R.R. Tolkien
"Solo las cañas susurraban, pero una niebla pendía sobre los ríos como una niebla marina arrastrada tierra adentro, como un jirón de sueños salinos."
La Formación De La Tierra Media es un compilado de textos escritos por John y editados y ordenados por Christopher Tolkien. En estos textos encontramos las primeras leyendas sobre la creación del mundo, su geografía y primeros mitos.
La antología incluye el primer Silmarillion (un esbozo de la mitología), El Quenta (una ampliación y reescritura del primer Silmarillion), El Primer Mapa Del Silmarillion (dividido en sección occidental y oriental, con explicaciones del mismo muy interesantes), El Ambarkanta (lo más interesante del libro, una descripción del Universo, con mapas y diagramas que explican cómo fue cambiando el mundo) y por último Los Anales De Valinor y Los Anales De Beleriand.
Después de cada texto original, Christopher nos explica (capítulo por capítulo) las diferencias con el texto finalmente publicado, además de exponer también significados e intenciones de su padre con esos escritos. Cómo suele ser en esta serie de libros de la Historia De La Tierra Media, algunas de estas explicaciones (todas importantes) son de una longitud mayor que el texto original.
Una gran opción para conocer en profundidad la Creación y Primer Edad de La Tierra Media.
🤘🤘🤘
"Solo las cañas susurraban, pero una niebla pendía sobre los ríos como una niebla marina arrastrada tierra adentro, como un jirón de sueños salinos."
La Formación De La Tierra Media es un compilado de textos escritos por John y editados y ordenados por Christopher Tolkien. En estos textos encontramos las primeras leyendas sobre la creación del mundo, su geografía y primeros mitos.
La antología incluye el primer Silmarillion (un esbozo de la mitología), El Quenta (una ampliación y reescritura del primer Silmarillion), El Primer Mapa Del Silmarillion (dividido en sección occidental y oriental, con explicaciones del mismo muy interesantes), El Ambarkanta (lo más interesante del libro, una descripción del Universo, con mapas y diagramas que explican cómo fue cambiando el mundo) y por último Los Anales De Valinor y Los Anales De Beleriand.
Después de cada texto original, Christopher nos explica (capítulo por capítulo) las diferencias con el texto finalmente publicado, además de exponer también significados e intenciones de su padre con esos escritos. Cómo suele ser en esta serie de libros de la Historia De La Tierra Media, algunas de estas explicaciones (todas importantes) son de una longitud mayor que el texto original.
Una gran opción para conocer en profundidad la Creación y Primer Edad de La Tierra Media.
🤘🤘🤘
July 17, 2021
I am definitely nowhere near a hardcore enough Tolkien Nerd™ for this one. But if you are, you'd probably love it!
"Love" might be going too far...appreciate it, perhaps.
Because this is intended to show the progress and shaping, as the title says, of the creation of Middle-earth, a lot of it is super nitty-gritty repetitive details and commentary, and also various versions of other texts, like The Silmarillion and The Lays of Beleriand. So if you've read those, as I have, you get this strong (and apparently very French) sense of déjà vu and ennui because you're literally reading stuff you've read before, just in a condensed/shortened format. It's still fun to dive back into this world, but at a certain point, it starts to feel unnecessary. I love Middle-earth and have always said that the fantasy world I'd want to visit/live in is The Shire (because I'm not a weirdo like some of you who want to visit hella dangerous worlds where everyone is always dying and horrible shit keeps happening, or you über-weirdos who want to live in a fucking school run by a damn terf) but jeez, there's a limit to how much detail one needs about.......anything.
I did like the maps, and The Ambarkanta was interesting. It was also fun trying to read the portions in Middle English. But mostly this one just didn't do much for me and felt like it could've been left out of the series. Not very accessible, and kinda navel-gazey.
"Love" might be going too far...appreciate it, perhaps.
Because this is intended to show the progress and shaping, as the title says, of the creation of Middle-earth, a lot of it is super nitty-gritty repetitive details and commentary, and also various versions of other texts, like The Silmarillion and The Lays of Beleriand. So if you've read those, as I have, you get this strong (and apparently very French) sense of déjà vu and ennui because you're literally reading stuff you've read before, just in a condensed/shortened format. It's still fun to dive back into this world, but at a certain point, it starts to feel unnecessary. I love Middle-earth and have always said that the fantasy world I'd want to visit/live in is The Shire (because I'm not a weirdo like some of you who want to visit hella dangerous worlds where everyone is always dying and horrible shit keeps happening, or you über-weirdos who want to live in a fucking school run by a damn terf) but jeez, there's a limit to how much detail one needs about.......anything.
I did like the maps, and The Ambarkanta was interesting. It was also fun trying to read the portions in Middle English. But mostly this one just didn't do much for me and felt like it could've been left out of the series. Not very accessible, and kinda navel-gazey.
July 18, 2024
Minęło ponad pół roku od mojej ostatniej wizyty w Śródziemiu, więc z ogromną przyjemnością wybrałam się na kolejną eksploracyjną wycieczkę po tej krainie, aby odkryć, jak przebiegało Kształtowanie Śródziemia.
Legendy Śródziemia i Valinoru.
W czwartym tomie Historii Śródziemia znalazły się:
Fragmenty prozatorskie następujące po Zaginionych opowieściach.
Najwcześniejszy Silmarillion (Szkic mitologii).
Quenta.
Pierwsza mapa do Silmarillionu.
Ambarkanta.
Najwcześniejsze Kroniki Valinoru.
Najwcześniejsze Kroniki Beleriandu.
Coraz bliżej Władcy Pierścieni.
Ballady Beleriandu nastroiły mnie poetycko, a Kształtowanie Śródziemia gładko przywróciło do prozy, umożliwiając ponowne zachłyśnięcie się mitologią Śródziemia i poznanie utworu Quenta. To właśnie Quenta jest źródłem i poprzednikiem Valaquenta, który później, wraz z innymi utworami, złożył się na pierwszą wersję Silmarillionu.
Muszę przyznać, że wspaniale czułam się, czytając o misternym procesie tworzenia jednego z najbardziej fascynujących fantastycznych światów. Z przyjemnością eksplorowałam różne zagadnienia, takie jak przemiana Gondolinu w izolowaną społeczność.
Syciłam swoje oczy mapami i tekstem Ambarkanta, który próbuje opisać nie tylko geograficzne, ale i kosmologiczne elementy Śródziemia.
Całość lektury zakończyłam z przyjemnością przeglądaniem Kronik Valinoru i Beleriandu, które pomału nastroiły mnie już na to, by pomyśleć o „zamknięciu drzwi” do Pierwszej Ery. ;)
Reasumując. Po raz kolejny się powtórzę, ale jeśli jesteście fanami Tolkiena i fascynuje Was wykreowany przez niego świat, to Kształtowanie Śródziemia nie tylko Was zachwyci, ale także pozwoli docenić kunszt autora, który prezentował on, na każdym etapie tworzenia swojego dzieła.
Gorąco polecam!
https://unserious.pl/2024/07/ksztalto...
Legendy Śródziemia i Valinoru.
W czwartym tomie Historii Śródziemia znalazły się:
Fragmenty prozatorskie następujące po Zaginionych opowieściach.
Najwcześniejszy Silmarillion (Szkic mitologii).
Quenta.
Pierwsza mapa do Silmarillionu.
Ambarkanta.
Najwcześniejsze Kroniki Valinoru.
Najwcześniejsze Kroniki Beleriandu.
Coraz bliżej Władcy Pierścieni.
Ballady Beleriandu nastroiły mnie poetycko, a Kształtowanie Śródziemia gładko przywróciło do prozy, umożliwiając ponowne zachłyśnięcie się mitologią Śródziemia i poznanie utworu Quenta. To właśnie Quenta jest źródłem i poprzednikiem Valaquenta, który później, wraz z innymi utworami, złożył się na pierwszą wersję Silmarillionu.
Muszę przyznać, że wspaniale czułam się, czytając o misternym procesie tworzenia jednego z najbardziej fascynujących fantastycznych światów. Z przyjemnością eksplorowałam różne zagadnienia, takie jak przemiana Gondolinu w izolowaną społeczność.
Syciłam swoje oczy mapami i tekstem Ambarkanta, który próbuje opisać nie tylko geograficzne, ale i kosmologiczne elementy Śródziemia.
Całość lektury zakończyłam z przyjemnością przeglądaniem Kronik Valinoru i Beleriandu, które pomału nastroiły mnie już na to, by pomyśleć o „zamknięciu drzwi” do Pierwszej Ery. ;)
Reasumując. Po raz kolejny się powtórzę, ale jeśli jesteście fanami Tolkiena i fascynuje Was wykreowany przez niego świat, to Kształtowanie Śródziemia nie tylko Was zachwyci, ale także pozwoli docenić kunszt autora, który prezentował on, na każdym etapie tworzenia swojego dzieła.
Gorąco polecam!
https://unserious.pl/2024/07/ksztalto...
August 27, 2018
Sadly the reviews are starting to sound the same at this point, Tolkien’s original attention to detail, and his son’s research exposing the creation and growth of the story through multiple revisions and discarded or enhanced paths continues to amaze.
September 13, 2022
Several different stories detailing the creation of Middle-Earth, as usual with Christopher Tolkien's many notes and insights on the manuscripts, how they differ and maybe even why.
This series is so nerdy, I love it.
This series is so nerdy, I love it.
March 25, 2023
Drier than the first 3 volumes of HOME but it's amazing how, all of a sudden, it's recognizable as The Silmarillion!
March 14, 2019
Phew, tough cookie to chew. But I did, and swallowed it too. Very interesting, but intense.
October 9, 2020
Not for the faint of heart 🤣
March 29, 2026
A really interesting volume which - unusually - includes full dates and chronology of the first age.
As always with the History, there are numerous spellings and versions of names and tales but the details in this one stand out especially around the later period.
As always with the History, there are numerous spellings and versions of names and tales but the details in this one stand out especially around the later period.
September 22, 2021
If you're interested in reading more about and examining the evolution of manuscripts for the mythology found in The Silmarillion, this would definitely be a book to look into. For me, however, it was less than exciting to read given that I've read The Silmarillion and am interested primarily in learning new stories and mythology for Tolkien's world.
April 24, 2022
De este libro no hay una reseña como tal porque todas las apreciaciones que he ido recogiendo de la lectura de Historia de la Tierra Media hacen parte de un proyecto más grande que espero algún día llegue a algún lado.
Hasta ahora, este ha sido el tomo que más me he demorado en leer porque cada tanto iba y volvía a otra fuente que me encontraba o que necesitaba y volver acá demoraba más de lo que quería y solo ahora soy consciente de lo mucho que demoré.
Los textos incluidos en este volumen tienen una estructura cronológica y geográfica que aportan una dimensión muy diferente a la que conocemos sobre los relatos de la Tierra Media y Valinor. Junto al Esbozo del Quenta más extenso que conocemos está el Ambarkanta o Forma del Mundo que es una descripción del mundo tal cual lo concibió Tolkien durante esta época.
Algo que me ha quedado muy presente de toda la serie de HTM es que Christopher conocía los límites y errores de su padre y que nunca trató de ocultarnos ni perfeccionarlos, siempre fue honesto en señalarlos y, en la mayoría de los casos, presentarnos una posible explicación.
Hasta ahora, este ha sido el tomo que más me he demorado en leer porque cada tanto iba y volvía a otra fuente que me encontraba o que necesitaba y volver acá demoraba más de lo que quería y solo ahora soy consciente de lo mucho que demoré.
Los textos incluidos en este volumen tienen una estructura cronológica y geográfica que aportan una dimensión muy diferente a la que conocemos sobre los relatos de la Tierra Media y Valinor. Junto al Esbozo del Quenta más extenso que conocemos está el Ambarkanta o Forma del Mundo que es una descripción del mundo tal cual lo concibió Tolkien durante esta época.
Algo que me ha quedado muy presente de toda la serie de HTM es que Christopher conocía los límites y errores de su padre y que nunca trató de ocultarnos ni perfeccionarlos, siempre fue honesto en señalarlos y, en la mayoría de los casos, presentarnos una posible explicación.
October 13, 2013
Once again I feel like I am rereading part of JRR Tolkien’s Silmarrillion for the umpteenth time. I read these books to get some stories that somehow never made it to publication. What I get are differing versions of the same stories sometimes with similar event and at other times with different event. Though the names may change the song remains the same.
In this volume Christopher gives us a tales from the Early Silmarilion, the Quenta, Ambarkanta, Earliest annals of Valinor and the Earliest Annals of Beleriend. This volume takes us all the way till the end of the first age. Starting with the Valar coming down to Arda and Melkor’s rebellion. We are taken through the capturing of Melkor by Tulkas and the awakening of the Elves an being lead to Valinor by Orome the Vala of the Hunt. We are told how when Melkor was released he deceives the Noldoli called Gnomes into turning against the Valar. Oh by the way there were three groups of elves that came to Valinor. The Quenda, who were lead by Ingwe, Teleri, and the Noldoli, who were lead by Finwe. By the way with the Noldoli there are enough names beginning with F to remember that it can get rather confusing. In any case after Melkor is freed he goes about destroying the two trees with the help of Ungoliant. From them the Silmarrion are created. He covets those as well and steals them. Later on when Ungoliant and Melkor feud over splitting the Silmarils, Melkor slays Ungoliant. Melkor holes up in Angaband creating Orcs, Balrogs and Dragon.
Feanor who crafted the Jewels wants them back so he and his Noldoli steal ships from the Teleri and go there. The Gods try to stop them and make them ask for pardon but to no avail. They reach the northern wastelands and wage war against Angaband. Gothmog the head Balrog clays Feanor and Maidros his eldest son his hung suspended by his wrist only to be rescued later on. Manwe in the mean time send Throndor the Eagle to keep an eye on things. The Valar have disavowed the Noldoli who went to the Earth. Aule is especially upset with them. Over the years there will be many battle/
The tale of Beren and Luthien is retold as is the Lay of Hurin’s Chikldren. The Fall of Gondolin is reiterated once again as well. At least this time we are treated to a conclusion. Beren and Luthien gave birth to Elwing , while Tuor and Idril would give birth to Earedel. Survivors of Gondolin and Thingols realm would marry and from that birth Dior would be born. Maidros a son of feanor vows to ge the Silmarils back and there is a fight. Elwing takes off in the flight of a bird while Earedel builds Wingalot, a swan shaped boat. Earedel will contact the Valar on behalf of man and elf and Manwe’s son will take on Melkor. We all know the end that evil loses and good wins but there is a prophecy that the light of the two tree Silpion and Laurelin will return, the Gods will reign over all and man and elf shall dwell side by in the end of days. All this happens after Melkor’s return and a final battle. Until then Melkor is locked beyond the doors of time bound by hand and foot.
In this volume Christopher gives us a tales from the Early Silmarilion, the Quenta, Ambarkanta, Earliest annals of Valinor and the Earliest Annals of Beleriend. This volume takes us all the way till the end of the first age. Starting with the Valar coming down to Arda and Melkor’s rebellion. We are taken through the capturing of Melkor by Tulkas and the awakening of the Elves an being lead to Valinor by Orome the Vala of the Hunt. We are told how when Melkor was released he deceives the Noldoli called Gnomes into turning against the Valar. Oh by the way there were three groups of elves that came to Valinor. The Quenda, who were lead by Ingwe, Teleri, and the Noldoli, who were lead by Finwe. By the way with the Noldoli there are enough names beginning with F to remember that it can get rather confusing. In any case after Melkor is freed he goes about destroying the two trees with the help of Ungoliant. From them the Silmarrion are created. He covets those as well and steals them. Later on when Ungoliant and Melkor feud over splitting the Silmarils, Melkor slays Ungoliant. Melkor holes up in Angaband creating Orcs, Balrogs and Dragon.
Feanor who crafted the Jewels wants them back so he and his Noldoli steal ships from the Teleri and go there. The Gods try to stop them and make them ask for pardon but to no avail. They reach the northern wastelands and wage war against Angaband. Gothmog the head Balrog clays Feanor and Maidros his eldest son his hung suspended by his wrist only to be rescued later on. Manwe in the mean time send Throndor the Eagle to keep an eye on things. The Valar have disavowed the Noldoli who went to the Earth. Aule is especially upset with them. Over the years there will be many battle/
The tale of Beren and Luthien is retold as is the Lay of Hurin’s Chikldren. The Fall of Gondolin is reiterated once again as well. At least this time we are treated to a conclusion. Beren and Luthien gave birth to Elwing , while Tuor and Idril would give birth to Earedel. Survivors of Gondolin and Thingols realm would marry and from that birth Dior would be born. Maidros a son of feanor vows to ge the Silmarils back and there is a fight. Elwing takes off in the flight of a bird while Earedel builds Wingalot, a swan shaped boat. Earedel will contact the Valar on behalf of man and elf and Manwe’s son will take on Melkor. We all know the end that evil loses and good wins but there is a prophecy that the light of the two tree Silpion and Laurelin will return, the Gods will reign over all and man and elf shall dwell side by in the end of days. All this happens after Melkor’s return and a final battle. Until then Melkor is locked beyond the doors of time bound by hand and foot.
March 14, 2019
Magisterial, profound, important.
May 20, 2026
Je continue mon exploration de la création du monde de Tolkien et sa Terre du milieu avec un volume fondateur consacré aux écrites du Silmarillion, l’Esquisse de sa mythologie et de la Quenta, sans oublier les descriptions de l’Ambarkanta et des chronologies et cartes, les fameuses Annales du Valinor et du Beleriand. Une lecture vraiment pointue et exigeante !
Ce n’est ainsi pas un livre qu’on lit pour son/ses histoire(s) mais plutôt pour assister à la naissance d’un monde, un monde fondateur de la fantasy : celui de la Terre du Milieu. Pocket réédite ici, avec cette belle couverture faisant collection avec les dernières, le quatrième tome de l’immense entreprise éditoriale menée par Christopher Tolkien dans L’Histoire de la Terre du Milieu. Une entreprise qui n’est pas un roman, ni même un recueil homogène mais un chantier, un atelier de mythologie en perpétuelle mutation, où l’on voit son père, JRR Tolkien chercher, hésiter, déplacer des continents, remodeler des généalogies et surtout tenter de donner une cohérence à ce qui deviendra la Terre du Milieu qu’on connaît. C’est en cela que ce livre peut être fascinant derrière sa lecture aride.
Mais il me faut être honnête : l’ouvrage n’a rien d’une lecture confortable. Si vous espérez retrouver le souffle épique du Seigneur des Anneaux vous allez vite déchanter, comme ce fut mon cas lors de ma première rencontre avec ces textes analytiques. Ici, ce sont des annales, des cartes, des chronologies, des versions alternatives de récits déjà connus des lecteurs du Silmarillion qui sont portées à nous et commentées par le fils de l’auteur à travers les bribes parfois qu’il a découvertes, donnant cette impression constante d’entrer dans le laboratoire mental de son père. On ne lit pas le roman : on l’observe en train de se construire. Et c’est là que Christopher Tolkien devient essentiel.
Sans lui, ces textes seraient probablement restés cachés dans les recoins des archives universitaires. Son travail éditorial dépasse largement la simple compilation. Il contextualise, compare, annote, explique les variantes, signale les contradictions, éclaire les évolutions linguistiques ou mythologiques. Ce sont des commentaires arides, pointus, à réserver aux fans extrêmes de l’auteur ou alors aux aspirants auteurs, créateurs de monde, rôlistes, qui partagent ce goût de la langue et de la création d’univers. Christopher Tolkien agit presque comme un archéologue de l’imaginaire paternel. Il ne cherche jamais à lisser les incohérences : au contraire, il les expose avec une minutie impressionnante et parfois très exhaustive. Cette honnêteté intellectuelle lui donne une valeur presque universitaire, sans effacer pour autant ce petit plaisir littéraire de suivre sous nos yeux en direct la création d’un vaste univers dans toute sa richesse et complexité, ce qui émerveille.
Le cœur du livre est composé de l’Esquisse de la Mythologie et de la Quenta, c’est-à-dire des formes primitives du Silmarillion. On y découvre une mythologie encore mouvante, parfois plus abrupte, parfois plus étrange que dans les textes définitifs qu’on connaît. Certains noms changent, certains équilibres aussi, des noms et des relations sont modifiés. On sent Tolkien en train de tâtonner, chercher et expérimenter pour trouver la bonne voie vers ce monde qui peuple son imaginaire intérieur depuis longtemps. Ce qui m’a frappée surtout, c’est l’ampleur de ses idées dès les années 20-30. La Terre du Milieu n’est pas née du succès du Hobbit ; elle lui pré-existait déjà comme une obsession mythologique et linguistique chez lui.
C’est d’ailleurs l’un des aspects du livre que j’ai trouvé les plus passionnants : comprendre que, pour Tolkien, l’invention des langues et celle du monde étaient indissociables. Cela se retrouve sur les cartes, les annales, les généalogies présentent qui ne sont pas des gadgets ajoutés après coup pour satisfaire des fans jusqu’au-boutistes ; ils constituent le fondement même de sa création. Tolkien ne raconte pas une histoire dans un décor : il reconstruit un passé mythique avec la rigueur d’un historien pour ensuite y insérer une aventure épique. Chez lui, tout semble avoir eu lieu avant le récit principal. Le passage consacré à l’Ambarkanta résume parfaitement cela. Voir Tolkien réfléchir à la structure cosmique du monde, à la forme des continents, des mers et aux rapports entre mythe et géographie est passionnant et singulier. C’est comme avoir face à nous non pas un romancier, mais un créateur de mythes qui serait né au XXe siècle. C’est dense, labyrinthique, parfois opaque, mais profondément singulier et intéressant si on se passionne pour cela.
En revanche, il faut aussi reconnaître que le livre souffre de ses qualités. La répétition des versions devient vite éprouvante. Certaines sections ressemblent davantage à des notes de recherche qu’à des textes destinés à être lus pour y chercher de l’aventure. Ce n’est donc pas une lecture plaisir. On admire plus la richesse documentaire qu’on prend plaisir à lire, ce qui peut faire ressentir une certaine fatigue devant l’accumulation des variantes et des commentaires philologiques de son fils. Ce n’est pas un défaut de l’édition : c’est la nature même du projet, mais c’est fondamentalement clivant.
Je ressors donc de cette nouvelle lecture, toujours avec le même sentiment ambivalent : l’admiration devant la richesse du travail de Christopher, l’émotion face à l’hommage qu’il rend ainsi au génie créateur de son père, et une certaine distance, pour ne pas dire parfois une pointe d’ennui, face au caractère très universitaire et académique poussé à l’extrême dans le commentaire de la création d’un monde. Je ne suis moi-même pas autrice, ni rôliste donc je passe sûrement à côté de quelque chose. Néanmoins, je salue l’ampleur et l’ambition de ce travail qui semble être aussi un moyen pour Christopher de continuer à dialoguer avec son père décédé, tout en nous offrant une entreprise éditoriale monumentale pour mieux comprendre la processus de création de l’Histoire de la Terre du Milieu. Et Pocket rend tout cela accessible dans une édition à l’effet collection qui me séduit énormément en terme d’objet livre, je l’avoue. Merci à eux.
Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....
Ce n’est ainsi pas un livre qu’on lit pour son/ses histoire(s) mais plutôt pour assister à la naissance d’un monde, un monde fondateur de la fantasy : celui de la Terre du Milieu. Pocket réédite ici, avec cette belle couverture faisant collection avec les dernières, le quatrième tome de l’immense entreprise éditoriale menée par Christopher Tolkien dans L’Histoire de la Terre du Milieu. Une entreprise qui n’est pas un roman, ni même un recueil homogène mais un chantier, un atelier de mythologie en perpétuelle mutation, où l’on voit son père, JRR Tolkien chercher, hésiter, déplacer des continents, remodeler des généalogies et surtout tenter de donner une cohérence à ce qui deviendra la Terre du Milieu qu’on connaît. C’est en cela que ce livre peut être fascinant derrière sa lecture aride.
Mais il me faut être honnête : l’ouvrage n’a rien d’une lecture confortable. Si vous espérez retrouver le souffle épique du Seigneur des Anneaux vous allez vite déchanter, comme ce fut mon cas lors de ma première rencontre avec ces textes analytiques. Ici, ce sont des annales, des cartes, des chronologies, des versions alternatives de récits déjà connus des lecteurs du Silmarillion qui sont portées à nous et commentées par le fils de l’auteur à travers les bribes parfois qu’il a découvertes, donnant cette impression constante d’entrer dans le laboratoire mental de son père. On ne lit pas le roman : on l’observe en train de se construire. Et c’est là que Christopher Tolkien devient essentiel.
Sans lui, ces textes seraient probablement restés cachés dans les recoins des archives universitaires. Son travail éditorial dépasse largement la simple compilation. Il contextualise, compare, annote, explique les variantes, signale les contradictions, éclaire les évolutions linguistiques ou mythologiques. Ce sont des commentaires arides, pointus, à réserver aux fans extrêmes de l’auteur ou alors aux aspirants auteurs, créateurs de monde, rôlistes, qui partagent ce goût de la langue et de la création d’univers. Christopher Tolkien agit presque comme un archéologue de l’imaginaire paternel. Il ne cherche jamais à lisser les incohérences : au contraire, il les expose avec une minutie impressionnante et parfois très exhaustive. Cette honnêteté intellectuelle lui donne une valeur presque universitaire, sans effacer pour autant ce petit plaisir littéraire de suivre sous nos yeux en direct la création d’un vaste univers dans toute sa richesse et complexité, ce qui émerveille.
Le cœur du livre est composé de l’Esquisse de la Mythologie et de la Quenta, c’est-à-dire des formes primitives du Silmarillion. On y découvre une mythologie encore mouvante, parfois plus abrupte, parfois plus étrange que dans les textes définitifs qu’on connaît. Certains noms changent, certains équilibres aussi, des noms et des relations sont modifiés. On sent Tolkien en train de tâtonner, chercher et expérimenter pour trouver la bonne voie vers ce monde qui peuple son imaginaire intérieur depuis longtemps. Ce qui m’a frappée surtout, c’est l’ampleur de ses idées dès les années 20-30. La Terre du Milieu n’est pas née du succès du Hobbit ; elle lui pré-existait déjà comme une obsession mythologique et linguistique chez lui.
C’est d’ailleurs l’un des aspects du livre que j’ai trouvé les plus passionnants : comprendre que, pour Tolkien, l’invention des langues et celle du monde étaient indissociables. Cela se retrouve sur les cartes, les annales, les généalogies présentent qui ne sont pas des gadgets ajoutés après coup pour satisfaire des fans jusqu’au-boutistes ; ils constituent le fondement même de sa création. Tolkien ne raconte pas une histoire dans un décor : il reconstruit un passé mythique avec la rigueur d’un historien pour ensuite y insérer une aventure épique. Chez lui, tout semble avoir eu lieu avant le récit principal. Le passage consacré à l’Ambarkanta résume parfaitement cela. Voir Tolkien réfléchir à la structure cosmique du monde, à la forme des continents, des mers et aux rapports entre mythe et géographie est passionnant et singulier. C’est comme avoir face à nous non pas un romancier, mais un créateur de mythes qui serait né au XXe siècle. C’est dense, labyrinthique, parfois opaque, mais profondément singulier et intéressant si on se passionne pour cela.
En revanche, il faut aussi reconnaître que le livre souffre de ses qualités. La répétition des versions devient vite éprouvante. Certaines sections ressemblent davantage à des notes de recherche qu’à des textes destinés à être lus pour y chercher de l’aventure. Ce n’est donc pas une lecture plaisir. On admire plus la richesse documentaire qu’on prend plaisir à lire, ce qui peut faire ressentir une certaine fatigue devant l’accumulation des variantes et des commentaires philologiques de son fils. Ce n’est pas un défaut de l’édition : c’est la nature même du projet, mais c’est fondamentalement clivant.
Je ressors donc de cette nouvelle lecture, toujours avec le même sentiment ambivalent : l’admiration devant la richesse du travail de Christopher, l’émotion face à l’hommage qu’il rend ainsi au génie créateur de son père, et une certaine distance, pour ne pas dire parfois une pointe d’ennui, face au caractère très universitaire et académique poussé à l’extrême dans le commentaire de la création d’un monde. Je ne suis moi-même pas autrice, ni rôliste donc je passe sûrement à côté de quelque chose. Néanmoins, je salue l’ampleur et l’ambition de ce travail qui semble être aussi un moyen pour Christopher de continuer à dialoguer avec son père décédé, tout en nous offrant une entreprise éditoriale monumentale pour mieux comprendre la processus de création de l’Histoire de la Terre du Milieu. Et Pocket rend tout cela accessible dans une édition à l’effet collection qui me séduit énormément en terme d’objet livre, je l’avoue. Merci à eux.
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February 3, 2019
Volume 4 of the History of Middle Earth comes with the usual disclaimer for this series- this is for Tolkien enthusiast only.
The Shaping Of Middle-Earth still has some fascinating insights but the reader is definitely treading familiar ground here. We have three more iterations of the Silmarillion stories, each time getting closer to their final form. However going through the same material again with only slight differences can get a little dry even for devotees.
Beyond that there is a section on the earliest maps of Beleriand. I love maps, but this proved disappointing as my edition seemed to be missing two of the maps. Grrr!
There is also included some translations of portions of the stories into Anglo-Saxon, and although I am a hardcore fan, I am not that hardcore to learn to read Anglo Saxon!
There will be some new material next time though as Tolkien expands his legendarium into the second age!
The Shaping Of Middle-Earth still has some fascinating insights but the reader is definitely treading familiar ground here. We have three more iterations of the Silmarillion stories, each time getting closer to their final form. However going through the same material again with only slight differences can get a little dry even for devotees.
Beyond that there is a section on the earliest maps of Beleriand. I love maps, but this proved disappointing as my edition seemed to be missing two of the maps. Grrr!
There is also included some translations of portions of the stories into Anglo-Saxon, and although I am a hardcore fan, I am not that hardcore to learn to read Anglo Saxon!
There will be some new material next time though as Tolkien expands his legendarium into the second age!
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