Morgoth's Ring (29 page)

(V.208 - 10) apart from the greatly expanded opening - in which most of the new material derives from the later Ainulindale'.

That the much fuller story in AAm (see p. 60, commentary on $$11 - 29) was written after the revision of the Silmarillion chapter can be seen from various points. Thus the old story that Melkor only began the delving of Utumno after the fall of the Lamps is still present (see p. 61, $20). The phrase in LQ $11

concerning the first star-making of Varda was first written in the form '... the ages unrecorded of the labours of the Great in Aman' (for Aman > Ea see p. 149, $1), which shows it to be earlier than the closely similar phrase in AAm ($24): 'Middle-earth lay in a twilight beneath the stars that Varda had wrought in the ages forgotten of her labours in Ea' - where it is used in a distinct context, of the darkness after the fall of the Lamps.

$12 The footnote to QS $12 giving the name Utumno of Melko's original fortress survived at first in the revised version, but was lost from one of the typescripts and not reinstated.

On the final text LQ 2 my father pencilled a hasty footnote after 'deemed that he was secure from assault for ever': The chief of his fortresses was at Utumno in the North of Middle-earth; but he made also a fortress and armoury not far from the northwestern shores of the Sea, to resist any assault from Aman. This was called Angband and was commanded by Sauron, lieutenant of Melkor.

In QS ($$62, 105) the story was that Morgoth, when he returned from Valinor, built Angband on the ruins of Utumno; in AAm ($127, p. 109) this may well have been still present, but j the statement of QS $62 that 'Morgoth came back to his ancient habitation' is lacking. Now there enters the story that Melkor built both strongholds in the ancient days - and also that Sauron was the commander of Angband; cf. the late note written on the typescript of AAm (p. 127, $127): 'The making of this fortress

[Angband] as a guard against a landing from the West should come earlier.'

The original passage in QS concerning Vaiya, the Outer Sea, beyond which 'the Walls of the World fence out the Void and the Eldest Dark', reflecting the contemporary Ambarkanta, survived in the revision almost unchanged, except that it is now said that none but the Valar know how wide is the Outer Sea (in contrast to the Ambarkanta and its diagrams). On the great difficulty of interpreting this passage in the light of the later world-image see pp. 62-4.

On LQ 2 my father emended Vaiya to Ekkaia (whence its occurrence in the published Silmarillion). The Outer Sea is given no Elvish name in AAm.

$13 In the first texts of the 1951 revision the sentence 'and in the language of this island of Men Heofonsyl was its name among those few that ever descried it afar off' was part of the text (as it was in QS, with Tindbrenting for Heofonsyl), and the footnote began at 'Yet in error, as the Eldar teach me...' This seems the natural arrangement. The typist of LQ 1, as often elsewhere, put the footnote into the body of the text; but my father when correcting LQ 1 put the whole passage into a footnote - in contrast to what he did in a similar case in the first chapter (p. 150, $6), where he left the footnote in the text. It certainly seems clear in these cases that he did not refer back to the texts preceding LQ 1 (see p. 143). - The Old English name Heofonsyl 'Pillar of Heaven' occurs in The Notion Club Papers of the Meneltarma (IX.314).

$14 Palurien > Kementari by a pencilled change on LQ 2. This was as it were a casual change, not made in $15 (nor in $5).

Kementari occurs in the Valaquenta (p. 202).

$16 Telperion (not Silpion) is the primary name in AAm (first appearing in $5, pp. 50, 59); in the Silmarillion tradition it became the primary name by emendation to the first typescript text of the 1951 revision.

$17 With the reference (in the footnote on the names of the Two Trees) to Galathilion the Less, the White Tree of Tuna, cf. AAm $69 (annal 1142, p. 85): 'In this year Yavanna gave to the Noldor the White Tree, Galathilion, image of the Tree Telperion'.

In the last sentence the word 'vats' was changed to 'wells' on LQ 2 (cf. 'mighty vats' in AAm $28, changed on the typescript to 'shining wells' (p. 69); in AAm* 'deep pools' (p. 68)).

On the carbon copy of LQ 2, which otherwise received no emendations, my father added the following note to the word spilth in the last sentence:

meant to indicate that Laurelin is 'founded' on the laburnum.

'jocund spilth of yellow fire' Francis Thompson - who no doubt got the word from Timon of Athens (his vocabulary was largely derived from Elizabethan English)

The reference is to Francis Thompsons's Sister Songs, The Proem:

Mark yonder, how the long laburnum drips

Its jocund spilth of fire, its honey of wild flame!

Cf. the original description of Laurelin in the Lost Tales (1.72):

'all its boughs were hidden by long swaying clusters of gold flowers like a myriad hanging lamps of flame, and light spilled from the tips of these and splashed upon the ground with a sweet noise.' In the earlier versions (from Q through to the first typescript of the 1951 revision) Laurelin was expressly likened to 'those trees Men now call Golden-rain' - that being a name of the laburnum, and the words 'a golden rain' are used in the final form of the passage ($15). - The reference to Timon of Athens is to Act II, Scene 2, 'our vaults have wept / With drunken spilth of wine'.

3 OF THE COMING OF THE ELVES.

The textual situation here is similar to that in the previous chapter but more complicated. After very substantial revision carried out on the old pre-Lord of the Rings texts there followed a typescript made by my father; but after LQ 1 had been taken from it he made further changes to it (mostly very minor, but a major alteration in $20), which were 'lost', since LQ 2 was a straight copy of LQ 1 and he clearly never compared the texts in detail. This typescript I shall refer to for the purposes of this section as 'Text A'. For some reason it ceases to be a typescript at the words 'counselled the Elves to remove' (near the end of $23), which stand at the foot of a page, and becomes a manuscript on the following page with the words 'into the West'. The manuscript portion is in two forms, the first heavily emended, and the second written out fair.

There follows now the text of LQ 1 (the 'lost' alterations made to Text A are given in the commentary). The system of paragraph-numbering in this chapter, and elsewhere, needs a word of explanation. As generally, I have retained the numbers of QS, introducing

'sub-paragraph numbers' (as $18a) where QS has nothing corresponding. Where the revised text expands a QS paragraph into more than one, or several (as in $$20, 23) only the first is numbered.

3. Of the Coming of the Elves.

$18 In all this time, since Melkor overthrew the Lamps, the Middle-earth east of the Mountains was without light. While the Lamps had shone, growth began there which now was checked, because all was again dark. But already the oldest living things had arisen: in the sea the great weeds, and on the earth the shadow of great trees; and in the valleys of the night-clad hills there were dark creatures old and strong. In those lands and forests Orome would often hunt; and there too at times Yavanna came, singing sorrowfully; for she was grieved at the darkness of Middle-earth and ill content that it was forsaken. But the other Valar came seldom thither; and in the North Melkor built his strength, and gathered his demons about him. These were the first made of his creatures: their hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before them; they had whips of flame. Balrogs they were named by the Noldor in later days. And in that dark time Melkor made many other monsters of divers shapes and kinds that long troubled the world; yet the Orcs were not made until he had looked upon the Elves, and he made them in mockery of the Children of Iluvatar. His realm spread now ever southward over the Middle-earth.

$18a It came to pass that the Valar held council, and Yavanna spoke before them, saying: 'Behold, ye mighty of Arda, the Vision of Eru was brief and soon taken away, so that maybe we cannot guess within a narrow count of days the hour appointed. Yet be sure of this: the hour approaches, and within this age our hope shall be revealed, and the Children shall awake. But it is not in Aman that they shall awaken. Shall we then leave the lands of their dwelling desolate and full of evil?

Shall they walk in darkness while we have light? Shall they call Melkor lord while Manwe sits upon the Holy Hill?'

And Tulkas cried aloud: 'Nay! Let us make war swiftly! Have we not rested from strife over-long, and is not our strength now renewed? Shall one alone contest with us for ever?'

But at the bidding of Manwe Mandos spoke and he said: 'In this age the Children shall come indeed, but they come not yet.

Moreover it is doom that the First Children should come in the darkness and should look first upon the Stars. Great light shall be for their waning. To Varda ever shall they call at need.'

$19 And Varda said naught, but departing from the council she went to the mountain of Taniquetil and looked forth; and she beheld the darkness and was moved.

Then Varda took the silver dews from the vats of Telperion, and therewith she made new stars and brighter against the coming of the First-born. Wherefore she whose name out of the deeps of time and the labours of Ea was Tintalle, the Kindler, was called after by the Elves Elentari, the Queen of the Stars.

Karnil and Luinil, Nenar and Lumbar, Alkarinque and Elemmire she wrought in that time, and other of her works of old she gathered together and set as signs in Heaven that the gods may read: Wilwarin, Telumendil, Soronume, and Anarrima; and Menelmakar with his shining belt that forebodes the Last Battle that shall be. And high in the North as a challenge unto Melkor she set the crown of seven mighty stars to swing, the Valakirka, the Sickle of the Gods and sign of doom. Many names have these stars been given; but in the North in the Elder Days Men called them the Burning Briar: quoth Pengolod [> (quoth Pengolod)].

$20 It is told that even as Varda ended her labours, and they were long, when first Menelmakar strode up the sky and the blue fire of Helluin flickered in the mists above the borders of the world, in that hour the Children of the Earth awoke, the First-born of Iluvatar. Themselves they named the Quendi, whom we call Elves (quoth AElfwine); but Orome named them in their own tongue Eldar, people of the stars, and that name has since been borne by all that followed him upon the westward road. In the beginning they were stronger and greater than they have since become; but not more fair, for though the beauty of the Quendi in the days of their youth was beyond all other beauty that Iluvatar has caused to be, it has not perished, but lives in the West, and sorrow and wisdom have enriched it.

And Orome looking upon the Elves was filled with love and wonder, as though they were beings sudden and marvellous and unforetold. For [so] it shall ever be even with the Valar. From without the world, though all things may be forethought in music or foreshown in vision from afar, to those who enter verily into Ea each in its time shall be met at unawares as something new and strange.

Thus it was that Orome came upon the Quendi by chance in his wandering, while they dwelt yet silent upon [read beside] the star-lit mere, Kuivienen, Water of Awakening, in the East of Middle-earth. For a while he abode with them and aided them in the making of language; for that was their first work of craft upon Earth, and ever most dear to their hearts, and the fair Elvish speech was sweet in the ears of the Valar. Then swiftly Orome rode back over land and sea to Valinor, filled with the thought of the beauty of the Elves, and he brought the tidings to Valmar. And the gods rejoiced, and yet were amazed at what he told; but Manwe sat long upon Taniquetil deep in thought, and he sought the counsel of Iluvatar. And coming then down to Valmar he called a conclave of the Great, and thither came even Ulmo from the Outer Sea.

And Manwe said to the Valar: 'This is the counsel of Iluvatar in my heart: that we should take up again the mastery of Arda, at whatsoever cost, and deliver the Quendi from the shadows of Melkor.' Then Tulkas was glad; but Aule was grieved, and it is said that he (and others of the Valar) had before been unwilling to strive with Melkor, foreboding the hurts of the world that must come of that strife.

$21 But now the Valar made ready and came forth from Aman in the strength of war, resolving to assault the fortress of Melkor in the North and make an end. Never did Melkor forget that this war was made on behalf of the Elves and that they were the cause of his downfall. Yet they had no part in those deeds; and little do they know of the riding of the power of the West against the North in the beginning of their days, and of the fire and tumult of the Battle of the Gods. In those days the shape of Middle-earth was changed and broken and the seas were moved. Tulkas it was who at the last wrestled with Melkor and overthrew him, and he was bound with the chain Angainor that Aule had wrought, and led captive; and the world had peace for a great age. Nonetheless the fortress of Melkor at Utumno had many mighty vaults and caverns hidden with deceit far under earth, and these the Valar did not all discover nor utterly destroy, and many evil things still lingered there; and others were dispersed and fled into the dark and roamed in the waste places of the world, awaiting a more evil hour.