[ Daily Tolkien ] A Tolkien Virgin: Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor

Tolkien Online ^ | December 14, 1999 | Mark-Edmond

[JameRetief]

A Tolkien Virgin: Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor
by Mark-Edmond

The Journey Continues

Okay, first things first: who is "the mightiest mariner of song?" I'm dying here! What a way to end a chapter. All, I can do is sigh. Unless Tolkien decides to take a break from the grand legendary history to tell a more personal tale of the one mariner that was ever able to sail to Valinor. I just hope this story is told later. Don't ruin it for me, and tell me if it is or is not told--just let me hope.

As for the rest of the chapter, the first time I read it, I didn't like it. I've been under the impression that these legends that Tolkien wrote for England are supposed to have taken place before our known history picks up. If this is the case, then I would have hoped that Tolkien's description of the Sun and the Moon would have been closer to our real Sun and Moon. It's truly fantasy that the Sun and Moon are a flower and a fruit that are encased and drawn across the sky by spirits. There is one line that leads me to believe that perhaps the Sun and Moon were originally as described in this chapter, but later were changed into the celestial beings that we have now. I know, I know, it's just a fantasy story and I shouldn't be so picky, but it seems to me that Tolkien is good enough of a writer to have been able to come up with a Sun/Moon myth that is both realistic and fantastic: tell a fantasy story about how our real Sun and real Moon came into being. And don't ruin it for me if he does smooth this all out.

Two asides: First, I liked it better the second time: it's at least a beautiful myth. Second, in this chapter we have Melkor's might decreasing even more. What will become of him? Will he eventually be so drained of power that he is just a man? Does he fade away altogether?

Author: Mark-Edmond
Published on: December 14, 1999

The next Tolkien Virgin article covers: The Silmarillion: Of Men

[JameRetief]

The Daily Tolkien articles by various authors	The Tolkien Virgin articles by Mark-Edmond
ARTICLES 01-10
ARTICLES 11-20
ARTICLES 21-30	ARTICLES 01-10
ARTICLES 31-40	11) Of the Sindar
41) Love in the Trees	12) Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor
42) The Philosophical Etymology Of Hobbit
43) Exploring Tolkien's Fourth Age

[JameRetief]

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Read along with a Tolkien Virgin as he discovers and comments on the history of Middle Earth as he reads it for the first time.  These articles start with The Silmarillion, journeys through The Hobbit, and finishes with the epic Lord Of The Rings.  At the pace of 2 articles per week (Mondays and Fridays) the articles will wrap up about the same time that the final movie of the Lord Of The Rings story is released. 

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