Did you read the Silmarillion? The mytho-poetic compendium of the history of the Noldor/Elves in Middle-Earth was a challenging read. Much like the publishers of Tolkien’s The Hobbit, I wanted more after reading the Lord of the Rings. My brother doled out the books to me one at a time when I devoured book after book. There was a ten-year age span between us, and he shared things with me that were a bit ahead of my time. It didn’t matter, I took it all in.
The creation myth for the universe. Feanor’s obsession with the Silmarils. Fingolfin’s betrayal and long journey to Middle-Earth. Morgoth’s retreat and resurgence. The betrayals, the infighting. Beren and Luthien. The many battles and wars. The dragons. It was dense and thick. And it left an impression on me.
At the time, I didn’t understand the breadth of Tolkien’s imagination or the years of noodling on his ideas that made up the Silmarillion. Christopher Tolkien quantified, in part, the scope of his father’s imagination. What a herculean and magnificent undertaking for Christopher Tolkien.
