The next sections of the Sketch and Quenta cover the Darkening of Valinor. How Morgoth deceived the Elves, escaped Valinor, and with the aid of Ungoliant destroyed the Two Trees and stole the Silmarils. With the Quenta especially it's very clear to see this is the text that Christopher Tolkien drew most heavily upon when finishing The Silmarillion after his father's death.
Perhaps the most interesting characters in Tolkien's mythology are those that we know the least about: Tom Bombadil, the Pukel-men, the Blue Wizards, etc. One of the reasons I dove into all of Tolkien's Middle-earth writings I could locate was to learn more about his world and these characters.
One more character I would add to this mysterious list: Ungoliant. I love her description in the Quenta: "It is not told whence she is, from the outer darkness, maybe, that lies beyond the Walls of the World" (p. 91, The Shaping of Middle-earth). A being taking the shape of a monstrous spider who sucks up all light and belches forth utter darkness. Who is she? What is she? Tolkien never fully explains. She does not seem a fallen angel such as Morgoth might be described. It's doubtful she's Morgoth's minion given the fact she almost destroys him. The personification of utter black void? That seems as close as I can get. I'd be curious to see other's views.
No comments:
Post a Comment