The Silmarillion: A Group Reading [update 4.12.05]

[Nimbrethil]

Nimbrethil's Semi-Coherent Thinkings
The Ainulindale

Some of my favourite things:

• Iluvatar dealing with Melkor's discord. I like that scene. Like it a lot. Battling with music reminds me of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". I bet the Charlie Daniels Band got the idea from Tolkien. No, not seriously XD
  To respond to what Lord Vader was saying about this part: I didn't actually think of the inability of sound to exist without air, possibly because they could also see things without light, and Eru was sitting and standing on things. I would suggest that it's not a literal Music, but it I'm pretty sure it is.
  
• Melkor's attempts at evil result in good things, like snow and rain. Delightful. Inspiring. Good thing he's so powerful and he's continually angry, otherwise he'd not be a very good adversary. Along the same lines, I like the suggestion that Melkor made the choice to be evil; it wasn't some inherent nature of his. Unless you count pride and jealousy. Which you might.
  
• The last paragraph. I won't quote it, but I like it because it tells where the story of the creation comes from, gives you a good idea of just how much Trouble Melkor is going to be, and it finishes with the phrase "innumerable stars", which remains lovely despite being used so much.
  

Quote:

And it is said by the Eldar that in the water there lives yet the echo of the Music of the Ainur more than in any substance else that is in this Earth; and many of the Children of Illuvatar hearken still unsated to the voices of the Sea, and yet know not for what they listen.

That quotation makes me say, "Ooh!" and squinch up my face in glee at its prettiness. Seriously.

I didn't find them difficult because there wasn't anything to imagine; for me it was that the style and the subject won't let you get away with being a lazy reader. Me, I'm a lazy reader. I often have a limited attention span. So for the opening chapter of a book to ask me to concentrate for a good length of time is difficult and challenging. Usually reading out loud helps, and I did that for other sections of the Sil when I was reading it for the first time.

Zurgi

Or just post that the comments for the current reading start at page yadayada or something *shrugs*

Yeah. Thought about it. Will probably end up doing that. See how it goes, I guess. ^_^  

[Hironaur]

Personally, I like the Ainulindale. I love the thought of Earth or Ea coming to being through music. But, being a huge fan of classical music, I would. Wouldn't it be amazing if someone could compose a symphony of the creation of Ea? Not that they would likely do it justice, but still, I think it would be great! I, like Zurgiea/Zamster/Zurgi, thought of it as a great philharmonic orchestra.

I think I like this creation theory better than the one we go by. And the wonderfully put "blob of non-corporeal spirt" version of Eru, is no different than I picture our God. What makes him real and Eru a non-corporeal spirit? (Not to be taken offensively by Darth) But that could just be my frustration with religion...

Hmm, what about Melkor? I didn't really think much about him, strangely enough. I'll read through it again come back to that. I think that's all I can think of now, though I'm sure I'll think of more comments later.  

[Thaxul]

I just got the Sil within the last half hour, and I have already read this chapter. this is my first experience of the Sil, and I have only read this chapter, so my ideas may seem slightly naive.

Anyway, I found this chapter not as interesting as I had hoped. I never understood what the Valar were, and how they came to be, and now I do. I imagine the battle of music between Melkor and the other Ainur like a clash of light, and such. *shrugs*

My favourite part, was when some of the Ainur descended down to Arda on the bright cloud, and they had no idea what to do then. I thought of them as little lost children, wandering aimlesly after they had lost their mother. It just seemed amusing to me at the time.

thats what i thought, lets continue the reading!  

[Hironaur]

thaxul

My favourite part, was when some of the Ainur descended down to Arda on the bright cloud, and they had no idea what to do then. I thought of them as little lost children, wandering aimlesly after they had lost their mother. It just seemed amusing to me at the time.

Yes, little lost children amuse me too... O.o  

[Nimbrethil]

A helpful reminder:

Tomorrow's supposed to be the last day for the Ainulindale, so if you wanted to post about that, Wednesday will be your last day. Then we're moving on to the Valaquenta and I know all of you will definetly have lots of interesting things to say about that.

That is all.  

[Falathrim]

So, how many of us commented? Five?

Only five people in this guild don't suck.  

[Nimbrethil]

Falathrim

So, how many of us commented? Five?

Only five people in this guild don't suck.

Quite... stare

I'll be watching for many a bandwagon jumper-on-er once people realize how much cooler they'd be if they commented.

That made no sense.  

[Glorfirith Annun]

YAY! I read it! Finally... after a million interuptions, nearly falling off my bed, room jumping and finding my place in two different copies I have finished the 6 pages...

I really like the Ainulindale. It paints a picture in my head that makes my mind wander and think of very smart things that I could never think of usually. If that makes any sense. I love it.  

[zylaxidia]

I will post. The ainulindale, for me, is rather beautiful. I think it's a really creative and well written (well duh, its Tolkien). The part about the Ainu singing brought up lots of mental pictures, and they were...pretty....amusing....looking...heh. But as a singer and musician(ish) myself, I think the way Melkor's discord was protrayed came through very nicely.

I would say more, but my mind ran away a couple hours ago.  

[Menegil]

I've already read the Valaquenta. Will try to post a comment as soon as possible...  

[Nimbrethil]

Nimbrethil has a Shiny New Cell Phone
Valaquenta

Since nothing (I almost wrote "not anything") really happens in this chapter, shorter comments this week from me.

The descriptions of each of the Valar made me wish I had some kind of visual artistic talent. Favourite Valar are still Tulkas and Mandos and Varda. Woot.

Not sure what else to comment on, except I was thinking of the animosity that the Valar seem to have gathered from certain parties with very long names. This chapter doesn't really lend itself to the "Valar are Jerks" club cause. (How can they be jerks if birds sing at their coming and flowers bloom where they walk and they dance on green lawns and battle Melkor for a really long time and care for the Earth so much?) I was almost converted to the Club a little while ago, but the arguments wore off. We get a little hint that they will become wrathful later on during Ulmo's mini-bio, but since that wrath has to do with other events (some coming up sooner than others), I guess we'll discuss that wrath amd the reasons behind it when we get to it later on. (Yay!)

I was trying to decide whether I was annoyed by their imperfections or not, and I don't think I am. I think I'd be more annoyed and less interested if they were infallible and omnicient and were little mini-incarnated Erus just running around all over the place. Melkor would be much harder to defeat if that were true. Or maybe easier. No, harder.

I think I just wrote a lot without actually saying anything. Oh well. Done and done.  

[Falathrim]

The Valar are jerks. You shall be converted.

I'll be honest. The Valaquenta bores me. I'll probably put off reading it until the last day, at which point I'll finally read it, and you'lll finally be gifted with the oppurtunity to read my hatemongering comments.  

[Glorfirith Annun]

Falathrim

The Valar are jerks. You shall be converted.

I'll be honest. The Valaquenta bores me. I'll probably put off reading it until the last day, at which point I'll finally read it, and you'lll finally be gifted with the oppurtunity to read my hatemongering comments.

*shakes fist*  

[Zurgi]

Falathrim

The Valar are jerks. You shall be converted.

I'll be honest. The Valaquenta bores me. I'll probably put off reading it until the last day, at which point I'll finally read it, and you'lll finally be gifted with the oppurtunity to read my hatemongering comments.

And all your bad typing too xd "you'lll"? "oppurtunity"? xp  

[Falathrim]

Wadddaya mean, bad typign? Shtu up!

This is the fault of those wretched Powers, and you KNOW IT.