https://tolkiengateway.net/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Ingwe&feedformat=atomTolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T18:16:11ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.39.3https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Noldor&diff=87117Noldor2009-10-27T02:56:11Z<p>Ingwe: /* The House of Finwë */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{race<br />
|image=[[Image:Jenny Dolfen - The Coming of Fingolfin.jpg|300px]]<br />
|name=Noldor<br />
|dominions=[[Tirion]], [[Vinyamar]], [[Hithlum]], [[Nargothrond]], [[Dorthonion]], [[Gondolin]], [[East Beleriand]], [[Lindon]], [[Eregion]].<br />
|languages=[[Noldorin Quenya]].<br />
|height=Tall.<br />
|length=<br />
|skincolor=White.<br />
|haircolor=Dark, sometimes red.<br />
|feathers=<br />
|distinctions=Great skill with metal and gems, deep knowledge.<br />
|lifespan=Immortal.<br />
|members=[[Finwë]], [[Fëanor]], [[Fingolfin]], [[Finrod]], [[Fingon]], [[Gil-galad]], [[Turgon]], [[Galadriel]], [[Indis]], [[Celebrimbor]], [[Orodreth]].<br />
}}<br />
The '''Noldor''' were those of the second clan of the [[Elves]] who came to [[Aman]]. They were highly skilled in crafts and gained much knowledge, which they passed on to [[Men]] after their [[Exile of the Noldor|Exile]]. Their [[High King of the Noldor|King]] was originally [[Finwë]], but he was slain by [[Morgoth]], leading his son [[Fëanor]] to avenge him and the theft of his [[Silmarils|jewels]] by making war upon Morgoth in [[Middle-earth]]. The war of the Noldor against Morgoth comprises many of the tales of the [[First Age]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
According to legend, the clan was founded by [[Tata (Elf)|Tata]], the second Elf to awake at [[Cuiviénen]], his spouse Tatië and their 54 companions, but it was [[Finwë]], the first Noldo to come to [[Valinor]] with [[Oromë]], who became their King, and led most of them to Valinor.<br />
<br />
===The Noldor in Valinor===<br />
The Noldor were accounted the greatest of the Elves and all the peoples in [[Middle-earth]] in lore, warfare and crafts. In Valinor "great became their knowledge and their skill; yet even greater was their thirst for more knowledge, and in many things they soon surpassed their teachers. The Noldor were changeful in speech, for they had great love of words, and sought ever to find names more fit for all things they knew or imagined". They were beloved of [[Aulë]] the Smith, and were the first to discover and carve gems. Their chief dwelling-place was the city of [[Tirion]] upon [[Túna]]. Among the wisest of the Noldor were [[Rúmil]], creator of the first writing system and author of many books of lore. [[Fëanor]], son of Finwë and [[Míriel Serindë|Míriel]], was the greatest of their craftsmen, "mightiest in skill of word and of hand", and creator of the [[Silmarils]].<br />
<br />
The Noldor earned the greatest hatred of [[Melkor]], who envied their prosperity and, most of all, the Silmarils. So he went often among them, offering counsel, and the Noldor hearkened, being eager for lore. But amid his seemingly good advice, Melkor sowed lies to turn one House of the Noldor against another, and in the end the peace in Tirion was poisoned. After threatening his half-brother [[Fingolfin]], Fëanor was banished from Tirion by the [[Valar]], and with him went Finwë his father. Fingolfin remained as the ruler of the Noldor of Tirion.<br />
<br />
But Melkor had yet other designs to accomplish. Soon after with the aid of [[Ungoliant]] he destroyed the [[Two Trees]], and coming to [[Formenos]] he killed Finwë, stole the Silmarils, and departed from Aman. Fëanor, driven by grief and desiring vengeance, rebelled against the Valar by coming back into Tirion and making a speech before the Noldor, in which he persuaded them to leave Valinor, follow Melkor to [[Middle-earth]], and wage war against him for the recovery of the Silmarils. He swore a terrible [[Oath of Fëanor|oath]], as did his [[Sons of Fëanor|sons]], to pursue Melkor and reclaim the Silmarils at all costs. Fëanor then claimed the title of the High King since his father was dead, but though the greater part of the Noldor still held Fingolfin as King, they followed Fëanor into [[Exile of the Noldor|Exile]] due to their valor.<br />
<br />
====The Kinslaying====<br />
The Noldor led by Fëanor demanded that the [[Teleri]] let them use their ships. When the Teleri refused, they took the ships by force, committing the first [[Kinslaying at Alqualondë|kinslaying]]. A messenger from the Valar came later and delivered the [[Doom of Mandos]], pronouncing judgment on the Noldor for the Kinslaying and rebellion and warning that if they proceeded they would not recover the Silmarils and moreover would be slain or tormented by grief. At this, some of the Noldor who had no hand in the Kinslaying, including [[Finarfin]] son of Finwë and [[Indis]], returned to Valinor, and the Valar forgave them. Other Noldor led by Fingolfin (some of whom were blameless in the Kinslaying) remained determined to leave Valinor for Middle-earth. Prominent among these others was Finarfin's son, [[Finrod]].<br />
<br />
===Exile to Middle-earth===<br />
The Noldor led by Fëanor crossed the sea to Middle-earth, leaving those led by Fingolfin, his half-brother, behind. Upon his arrival in Middle-earth, Fëanor had the ships burned. When the Noldor led by Fingolfin discovered their betrayal, they went farther north and crossed the sea at the [[Grinding Ice]] which cost them many lives.<br />
<br />
Fëanor's company was soon attacked by Morgoth. When Fëanor rode too far from his bodyguard during the [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]], several [[Balrogs|Balrogs]], including their Lord [[Gothmog]], fought him. Despite battling valiantly, Fëanor was mortally wounded and would have been captured and taken to Angband had it not been for the swift arrival of his sons. However, Fëanor died whilst being taken back to his own people. <br />
<br />
Because Fëanor had taken the ships and left the Noldor led by his half-brother on the west side of the sea, much enmity remained between the royal Houses of the Noldor. [[Fingon]] son of Fingolfin, saved [[Maedhros]] Fëanor's son from Morgoth's imprisonment, however, and the feud was settled. Maedhros was due to succeed Fëanor, but he regretted his part of the Kinslaying and left the High Kingship of the Noldor to his uncle Fingolfin, who became the first High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth. His brothers did not agree to this, and began to refer to themselves as ''the Dispossessed'', because the High Kingship had passed them by.<br />
<br />
====Kingdoms of the Noldor====<br />
In the north-west of Middle-earth the Noldor made alliance with the [[Sindar]], the Elves of [[Beleriand]], and later with Men of the Three Houses of the [[Edain]]. Fingolfin reigned long in the land of [[Hithlum]], and his younger son [[Turgon]] built the Hidden City of [[Gondolin]]. The Sons of Fëanor ruled the lands in Eastern Beleriand, while Finrod Finarfin's son was the King of [[Nargothrond]] and his brothers [[Angrod]] and [[Aegnor]] held [[Dorthonion]]. Fingolfin's reign was marked by warfare against Morgoth and in the year 60 of the First Age after their victory in [[Dagor Aglareb]] the Noldor started the [[Siege of Angband]], the great fortress of Morgoth. In the year 455 the Siege was broken by Morgoth in the [[Dagor Bragollach]], in which the north-eastern Elvish realms were conquered. Fingolfin in despair rode to Angband and challenged Morgoth to single combat. He dealt Morgoth seven wounds but perished, and he was succeeded by his eldest son Fingon, who became the second High King of the Noldor in Beleriand.<br />
<br />
====The Nirnaeth Arnoediad====<br />
In the year 472, Maedhros organised an all-out attack on Morgoth and this led to the [[Nírnaeth Arnoediad]], the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Betrayed by the new-come [[Easterlings]], the forces of the Noldor, Sindar and Edain were utterly defeated. Fingon the Valiant was slain; he was succeeded by his brother Turgon. <br />
<br />
Morgoth scattered the remaining forces of the Sons of Fëanor, and in 495 Nargothrond was also overridden. Turgon had withdrawn to Gondolin which was kept hidden from both Morgoth and other Elves. In 510, Gondolin was betrayed by [[Maeglin]] and sacked. During the attack Turgon was killed; however, many of his people escaped and found their way south. Turgon had no sons, so [[Gil-galad]], last surviving male descendant of Finarfin, became the fourth and last High King of the Noldor in Middle-earth.<br />
<br />
Finally the Valar came down to Middle-earth and in the years 545-583 the [[War of Wrath]] was fought and Morgoth was cast into the Void. But Beleriand sank into the sea, except for a part of [[Ossiriand]] (Lindon), and a few isles. The defeat of Morgoth marked the end of the [[First Age]] and the start of the [[Second Age|Second]].<br />
<br />
===The Second Age===<br />
Most of the Noldor sailed back to Aman at the End of the First Age; but some, like [[Galadriel]] daughter of Finarfin or [[Celebrimbor]] grandson of Fëanor, refused the pardon of the Valar and remained in Middle-earth. Gil-galad founded a new kingdom at Lindon, and ruled throughout the Second Age, longer than any of the High Kings except for Finwë. He was also accepted as High King by the Noldor of [[Eregion]]. But after a while [[Sauron]] had replaced his master Morgoth as the Dark Lord. With the aid of the [[Ruling Ring]] he fortified [[Mordor]] and began the long war with the remaining Elves. He attacked Eregion, destroying it, but was withstood in [[Rivendell]] and Lindon. With the aid of the [[Númenóreans]], the Noldor managed to defeat him for a time.<br />
<br />
However, in the year 3319 of the Second Age Númenor fell due to [[Ar-Pharazôn]]'s rebellion against the Valar, in which Sauron had a great part. When [[Elendil]] with his sons escaped to Middle-earth and established the realms of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]], Sauron tried to conquer Gondor before it could take root. Both Elendil and Gil-galad set out for Mordor in the [[Last Alliance]] of Men and Elves and defeated Sauron in the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and finally in the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]]. There Gil-galad perished, and so ended the High Kingship of the Noldor. Of the descendants of Finwë in Middle-earth, only Galadriel and [[Elrond]] Half-elven remained (and the Númenórean Kings through Elrond's twin brother [[Elros]]).<br />
<br />
===The Third Age===<br />
In the [[Third Age]], the Noldor in Middle-earth dwindled, and by the end of the Third Age the only big communities of Noldor remaining in Middle-earth were in Rivendell and Lindon. Their further fate of fading utterly from the World was shared by all Elves.<br />
<br />
==High Kings of the Noldor==<br />
* In Valinor:<br />
# [[Finwë]], first High King.<br />
# [[Fëanor]], first son of Finwë; claimed the title after his father's death.<br />
# [[Fingolfin]], second son of Finwë; held to be the High King by the majority of the Noldor.<br />
# [[Finarfin]], third son of Finwë; ruled the Noldor remaining in Aman.<br />
<br />
* In Middle-earth:<br />
# [[Fingolfin]], after Maedhros son of Fëanor gave up his claims.<br />
# [[Fingon]], first son of Fingolfin.<br />
# [[Turgon]], second son of Fingolfin.<br />
# [[Gil-galad]], son of Orodreth, son of Angrod.<br />
<br />
It is not known exactly how Finwë became High King: he may have been a descendant of the Noldorin primogenitor ''"Tata"'', or simply have been accepted as leader based on his status as ambassador to the Valar. The Noldor had many princely houses besides that of Finwë: [[Glorfindel]] of Gondolin and [[Gwindor]] of Nargothrond, while not related to Finwë, were princes in their own right. These lesser houses held no realms, however: all the Noldorin realms of Beleriand and later Eriador were ruled by a descendant of Finwë.<br />
<br />
The [[Men|Mannish]] descendants of [[Elros]] (the [[Kings of Arnor]]) called themselves High Kings, although their authority was only over the [[Dúnedain]]. As descendants through the female line Elros and his brother Elrond were not considered eligible, and Elrond indeed never claimed Kingship.<br />
<br />
It is perhaps notable that Galadriel, the last of the House of Finwë in Middle-earth (other than the [[Half-elven]]) and Gil-galad's great-aunt, likewise never claimed a title, let alone that of High Queen. Indeed the only known Elven "kingdom" in Middle-earth after the Second Age was the [[Silvan]] realm of Mirkwood, ruled by the Sinda [[Thranduil]].<br />
<br />
==The House of Finwë==<br />
The leaders of the Noldor were all members of the House of Finwë. The descendants of this house were also many of the major historical figures of the [[Second Age|Second]] and [[Third Age|Third]] Ages, culminating in [[Aragorn II]] and his wife [[Arwen]]. Below is a family tree showing the lines of descent from Finwë to the kings of Elves and [[Men]] in [[Middle-earth]] and [[Númenor]]. The names of the High Kings of the Noldor are in bold.<br />
<br />
(1) [[Míriel]] = '''[[Finwë]]''' = [[Indis]] (2)<br />
| |<br />
| --------------------------------------------------<br />
| | | | |<br />
[[Nerdanel]] = '''[[Fëanor]]''' [[Findis]] [[Anairë]] = '''[[Fingolfin]]''' [[Irim&euml;]] [[Finarfin]] = [[Eärwen]] <br />
| | |<br />
| --------------------------- ---------------------------<br />
| | | | | | | | |<br />
[[Sons of Fëanor|Seven Sons of Fëanor]] '''[[Fingon]]''' '''[[Turgon]]''' = [[Elenwë]] | [[Argon]] [[Finrod Felagund|Finrod]] [[Angrod]] [[Aegnor]] |<br />
: | | | |<br />
[[Celebrimbor]] | [[Aredhel]] = [[Eöl]] [[Orodreth]] [[Celeborn, Lord of Lórien|Celeborn]] = [[Galadriel]]<br />
| | | |<br />
[[Tuor]] = [[Idril]] [[Maeglin]] ------------- |<br />
| | | |<br />
[[Eärendil]] = [[Elwing]] '''[[Gil-galad]]''' [[Finduilas]] |<br />
| |<br />
----------------------------------------- |<br />
| | |<br />
[[Elros]] [[Elrond]] = [[Celebrían]]<br />
: |<br />
: ------------------------<br />
: | | <br />
[[Aragorn]] = [[Arwen]] [[Elladan and Elrohir]]<br />
|<br />
----------------------<br />
| |<br />
[[Eldarion]] Numerous daughters<br />
: <br />
Kings of [[Reunited Kingdom]]<br />
<br />
==Characteristics==<br />
The Noldor were the Second Clan of the Elves in both order and size, the other clans being the [[Vanyar]], a smaller group, and the [[Teleri]], a much larger one. The Noldor typically had grey eyes and dark hair (except for those who had Vanyarin blood, most prominently the members of the [[House of Finarfin]]).<br />
<br />
However, the Noldor were the proudest of the Elves; in the words of the [[Sindar]], they came to Middle-earth because "they needed room to quarrel in". It was this pride that Melkor used to turn the Houses of [[House of Fëanor|Fëanor]] and [[House of Fingolfin|Fingolfin]] against each other. The pride of the Noldor also led to their [[Fall of the Noldor|Fall]] and [[Exile of the Noldor|Exile]] (and their continued quarrels in Middle-earth, as noted by the Sindar).<br />
<br />
==Names==<br />
The singular form of the [[Quenya]] noun is ''Noldo'' and the adjective is ''Noldorin''.<br />
<br />
The Noldor were called ''Golodhrim'' or ''Gódhellim'' by Sindarin-speakers and ''Goldoi'' by [[Falmari]] of [[Tol Eressëa]]; they are also known as ''Deep Elves''. <br />
<br />
==Other Versions of the Legendarium==<br />
In the early versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''), the Noldor were most often called ''Noldoli'' or ''[[Gnomes]]''. They were still called Gnomes in early editions of ''[[The Hobbit]]''. They were also the ones who spoke the language that later became [[Sindarin]] (then called ''Gnomish'' or ''Noldorin'').<br />
<br />
The spelling ''Ñoldor'' rather than ''Noldor'' was used by Tolkien in his later writings (the character ''ñ'' signifying the velar nasal, the sound found in the English word "si'''ng'''"), but even in earlier versions the name ''Ñoldo'' came from a [[Primitive Quendian]] stem *ñolod&#333;, which led to Ñoldo in [[Quenya]] and ''Golodh'' in [[Sindarin]].<br />
<br />
The family tree given above is correct in the placement of [[Orodreth]] and [[Gil-galad]]: Orodreth was [[Angrod]]'s son, and [[Gil-galad]] was Orodreth's son, thus the grandson of [[Angrod]] and great-grandson of [[Finarfin]], and brother to [[Finduilas]]. These are wrongly placed in the published ''Silmarillion''. (See Orodreth and Gil-galad articles for details). [[Argon]], the third son of [[Fingolfin]], does not appear in the published ''Silmarillion'' at all.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Quenya]]<br />
* [[Finwë]]<br />
* [[House of Finwë]]<br />
* [[Fëanor]]<br />
* [[Fingolfin]]<br />
* [[Silmarils]]<br />
* [[Kinslaying at Alqualondë]]<br />
* [[Doom of Mandos]]<br />
* [[Exile of the Noldor]]<br />
<br />
[[category:Elves]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Valinor&diff=87116Valinor2009-10-27T01:15:12Z<p>Ingwe: /* Description */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{kingdom<br />
| image = [[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Shores of Valinor.jpg|300px]]<br />
| name = Valinor<br />
| meaning = Land of the [[Valar]]<br />
| type = Monarchy<br />
| hidep=yes<br />
| headofstate = [[Manwë]]<br />
| executive = <br />
| legislative = <br />
| judicial = [[Mahanaxar]]<br />
| capital = [[Valimar]]<br />
| language = [[Valarin]], [[Quenya]] (including [[Telerin]])<br />
| location = West of the [[Pelóri]]<br />
| populace= Valar, [[Maiar]], and [[Vanyar]]<br />
| currency =<br />
| religious = Belief in [[Eru Ilúvatar]]<br />
| holiday = <br />
| anthem = <br />
| formed = The departure of the Valar from [[Middle-earth]]<br />
| established = c. [[Years of the Lamps 3450|Y.L. 3450]] <br />
| reorganized =<br />
| fragmented = <br />
| dissolved = <br />
| restored = <br />
}}<br />
'''Valinor''' is the realm of the [[Valar]] in central [[Aman]]. [[Aman]] refers refers to the whole continent, while Valinor properly refers to the inhabited lands by Valar and the Elves.<br />
<br />
Valinor is the place to which the Valar moved after being driven from [[Almaren]] by [[Morgoth]]. <br />
<br />
==Description==<br />
Valinor was encircled by the [[Pelóri]] mountains, which were raised by the Valar as a defense against Melkor. <br />
<br />
Its major city was [[Valmar]], where the [[Vanyar]] and the [[Valar]] reside. Two other cities are [[Alqualondë]] and [[Tirion]], the respective homes of the [[Teleri]] and the [[Noldor]]. It also has an island, [[Tol Eressëa]], just off its east coast. The sea to the west of the island was called [[Ekkaia]], the encircling sea which surrounded both Valinor and [[Middle-earth]].<br />
<br />
Each of the Valar had their own region of the land where they resided and altered things to their desire. <br />
*[[Yavanna]], the Vala of nature, growth, and harvest, resided in the [[Pastures of Yavanna]] in the south of the island. <br />
*[[Oromë]], the Vala of the hunt, lived in the [[Woods of Oromë]] to the north-east of the pastures. The forest was home to many creatures which Oromë could track and hunt. <br />
*[[Nienna]], the lonely Vala of sorrow and endurance, lived cut off in the far west of the island in the [[Halls of Nienna]] where she spent her days crying, looking out to sea. Just south of the Halls of Nienna and to the north of the pastures there were the [[Halls of Mandos]]. <br />
*[[Mandos]], the brother of Nienna, was the Vala of the afterlife. All inhabitants of [[Arda]] went to the Halls of Mandos should they happen to die, mortals and immortals alike although it was said that in death as in life, they were separated. Also living in the Halls of Mandos was his spouse [[Vaire]] the weaver, who wove the threads of time. <br />
*To the east of the Halls of Mandos was the Isle of [[Estë]], which was situated in the middle of the lake of [[Lórellin]]<br />
*To the south were situated the [[Gardens of Lórien]] also known as [[Irmo]], the Vala of dreams. Estë and Lórien being husband and wife lived close together. <br />
*To the north of this were the Mansions of [[Aulë]] the smith Vala who was spouse to Yavanna. <br />
*In the north-east lay the Mansions of [[Manwë]] and [[Varda]], the two most powerful Valar. <br />
<br />
To the west of them stood the mound [[Ezellohar]] with the [[Two Trees of Valinor]], [[Telperion]] and [[Laurelin]]. <br />
<br />
After the destruction of [[Númenor]], the [[Undying Lands]] were removed from [[Arda]] so that [[Men]] could not reach them and only the Elves could go there by the [[Straight Road]] and in ships capable of passing out of the Spheres of the earth. By special permission of the Valar, the [[Hobbits]] [[Frodo Baggins]], [[Bilbo Baggins]] were permitted to go to Valinor. They were followed by [[Samwise Gamgee]] and [[Gimli]] the [[Dwarves|Dwarf]] who were perhaps also permitted.<br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
Valinor (archaic Valinórë) is [[Quenya]] meaning "Land of Valar". There is also the name [[Valandor]] of roughly the same meaning.<br />
<br />
The terms Ever-eve or Evereven also referred to Valinor.<br />
In [[Hobbit]] lore, the mythical West was known as [[Faery]].<br />
<br />
== Inspiration ==<br />
It has been suggested that the concept is mainly based on the legend of Faery of western mythology, as indicated by the hobbitish name.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, it seems to have been based on ghost and heavenly islands of ancient and medieval legends: Avalon, Hy Brasil, the Blessed Isles, the Elysian Fields, were mythical lands envisioned by the ancient peoples to be far into the western ocean. The legend somehow survived the Middle-Ages with [[Saint Brendan]]'s Island<br />
<br />
[[Category:Aman]]<br />
[[Category:Realms]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Tom_Bombadil&diff=87115Tom Bombadil2009-10-27T00:59:48Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div><center>{{quote|Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.|Tom Bombadil, ''[[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]''.}}</center><br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|300px|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[Brothers Hildebrandt]].]]<br />
'''Tom Bombadil''' was an enigmatic figure that lived throughout the history of [[Arda]]. Living in the depths of the [[Old Forest]], he seemed to possess unequaled power in the land around his dwelling. Although seemingly benevolent, he was not allied to the [[Free peoples]].<br />
<br />
His existence passed into Hobbit lore and was referenced in poems such as ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''. <br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Origins===<br />
[[Image:John Howe - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|left|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[John Howe]].]]<br />
{{quote|He is a strange creature.|[[Elrond]], ''[[The Council of Elrond]]''}}<br />
The origins and [[Tom Bombadil/nature|nature of Tom Bombadil]] are unknown; however, he already existed when the [[Dark Lord]] came to [[Arda]]<ref name="house">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]</ref>, signifying he was alive even before the coming of the [[Valar]].<br />
<br />
His role and nature in the [[Elder Days]] is unknown, but he must have witnessed most of the major events and battles. He also witnessed the reducing of the great forests that covered all [[Middle-earth]], and perhaps of his powers.<ref name="CoE"/> <br />
<br />
The level of his interactions with the outside world is also unclear; however, he seemed to have a name among many peoples and perhaps became a folkloric figure in the traditions and legends of Elves, Dwarves and Men.<ref name="CoE"/><ref name="Adv">''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', Preface</ref><br />
<br />
During the [[Third Age]], Tom Bombadil lived in a little house by the river [[Withywindle]] in the [[Old Forest]], together with his lovely wife [[Goldberry]]. He had contact with the [[Bucklanders]]<ref name="Adv"/> and [[Farmer Maggot]], and perhaps it was this to which he owed his jolly and whimsical attitude.<br />
<br />
However, since he was merry and benevolent, some of the Free Peoples considered him a potential ally (for example, [[Elrond]] and [[Erestor]] considered that he should be present at the [[Council of Elrond]]). However, according to [[Gandalf]], Tom Bombadil was perhaps not fully aware of the struggle of Light and Darkness and could not prove useful to their causes.<ref name="CoE"/><br />
<br />
===War of the Ring===<br />
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Willow Man is Tamed.jpg|thumb|Bombadil rescues the hobbits from the [[Old Man Willow]].]]<br />
On [[September 26]], [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]], he encountered [[travellers|four hobbits]] while he was searching for water-lilies for his wife. Two of those Hobbits, [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]], had been captured by [[Old Man Willow]]. Tom, who was the master of the Old Forest, rescued them, and took all four of them to his house<ref name="OldF">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Old Forest]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
The four hobbits stayed two nights, and he told them many tales and songs. Apparently, [[Gildor Inglorion]] had been to Tom's house, as he knew the hobbits were fleeing the [[Shire]]. With cunning questions, he made [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] tell him of the [[One Ring|Ring]]. When Tom tried it on nothing happened but he then took it off and flipped it in the air and made the ring itself disappear showing that indeed within his realm Tom was master. However, when Frodo put the ring on Tom could still see him. He bade the Hobbit to come back and sit down; his hand was fairer without the ring.<br />
<br />
The following morning, Tom warned his guests of the [[Barrow Downs]], and advised them to pass any barrow on the western side. He also taught them a song, should they come to peril<ref name="house"/>.<br />
<br />
And they did come to peril. Tom chased off a [[Barrow-wight|wight]] with song, and broke the spells on the barrow in which the four hobbits were captured. While he sent the Hobbits into calm down, he went for provisions. He also brought the ponies that had belonged to Merry. After that, he broke the spells of the barrow. From the barrow's mighty hoard, he took a brooch for Goldberry, and gave a [[Daggers of Westernesse|dagger]] to each of the hobbits. He then advised them to make for ''[[The Prancing Pony]]'' in [[Bree]]<ref> ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[Fog on the Barrow-downs]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
The peril of the hobbits was not over; an attack on their lives was carried out, and their ponies were set loose. The ponies apparently remembered the care they were given in the house of Tom Bombadil, and returned to stay beside Tom's own pony, [[Fatty Lumpkin]]. He returned them to [[Barliman Butterbur]], the proprietor of ''The Prancing Pony''. Since he had paid eighteen pence as compensation for the loss, he was now the owner of five fine ponies<ref>''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[A Knife in the Dark]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
==Inspiration==<br />
Tom Bombadil was inspired primarily from a doll Tolkien's son, Michael, toyed with; it also may have been inspired by the character Väinämöinen (spelt 'Wainamoinen' in English) in the Finnish national epic [[Kalevala]], or Father [[Francis Xavier Morgan]] at the [[Birmingham Oratory]]:<br />
{{quote|... Father Francis Xavier Morgan, then aged forty-three, who shortly after the Tolkiens moved into the district [Edgbaston] took over the duties of parish priest and came to call. In him Mabel soon found not only a sympathetic priest but a valuable friend. Half Welsh and half Anglo-Spanish (his mother’s family were prominent in the sherry trade), Francis Morgan was '''not a man of great intellect, but he had an immense fund of kindness and humour and a flamboyance''' that was often attributed to his Spanish connections. Indeed '''he was a very noisy man, loud and affectionate, embarrassing to small children at first but hugely lovable when they got to know him.'''|[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]}}<br />
<br />
==Etymology and other names==<br />
Tom Bombadil went by many names: <br />
* To the [[Elves]] and [[Dúnedain]], he was known as ''[[Iarwain]] [[penadar|Ben-adar]]'', which translated to "oldest and fatherless"<ref name="CoE">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Council of Elrond]]</ref>. <br />
* To [[Men]] (of [[Rohan]] and [[Bree]]), he was known as ''[[Orald]]''. This is an Old English word meaning "very ancient<ref name="nomen">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings]]", published in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'' (by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]]), page 761</ref>.<br />
* The Dwarves knew him as ''[[Forn]]''. This too is a reference to his age: it is Old Norse for "(belonging to) ancient (days)"<ref name="nomen"/>. In some imprints of ''[[The History of Middle-earth Index]]'', this name was accidentally spelled with a "P" as the first letter<ref>''[[The History of Middle-earth: Index]]'', "Tom Bombadil (VII)", page 435 <small>([[HarperCollins]] [[2000]] Paperback)</small></ref>.<br />
* ''Tom Bombadil'' is said to be a [[Buckland|Bucklandish]] name, added by Hobbit chroniclers to his many older ones. It is, like many names of the Bucklanders, untranslatable<ref name="Adv"/>.<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in Adaptions==<br />
<br />
Because he is left out of the three major adaptations ([[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|Ralph Bakshi]], [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC's 1981 series]] and [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|Peter Jackson's]]), Tom Bombadil's main role (providing the [[Daggers of Westernesse|Barrow-blades]]) is omitted. He does have several appearances in other adaptations, though.<br />
<br />
<center><gallery><br />
Image:Tom Bombadil viv lotr.JPG|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)]]''</center></small><br />
Image:BFME2 - Tom Bombadil 03.jpg|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''</center></small><br />
Image:Tom Bombadil LOTRO.jpg|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''</center></small><br />
</gallery></center><br />
<br />
'''1955: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:[[Norman Shelley]] voiced Bombadil, and Tolkien thought his portrayal "dreadful". [[Goldberry]] was portrayed as his daughter, rather than his wife<ref>''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 175]] ([[November 30]], [[1955]])</ref>. <br />
<br />
'''1979: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|Mind's Eye's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:In this series, Tom was voiced by [[Bernard Mayes]]. Like Norman Shelley before him, he also voiced [[Gandalf]].<br />
<br />
'''1992: ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|BBC Radio's Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'':'''<br />
:When he adapted the 1981 [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|radio series]], [[Brian Sibley]] deeply regretted cutting Bombadil from the radio series<ref>[[Brian Sibley]], ''[http://briansibleytheworks.blogspot.com/2008/01/this-page-is-still-under-construction_23.html The Ring Goes Ever On]''</ref>. When he made ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'' into a radio series, he decided to change the section "[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]". Rather than several (unadaptable) Hobbitish poems, Sibley adapted the chapters from ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. Bombadil is voiced by [[Ian Hogg]].<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:[[Daran Norris]] portrayed Bombadil with a Scottish accent. His role is much like that in the book, and as one of the few characters in this video game, he keeps most of his songs. <br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:In the [[The Two Towers Extended Edition|extended edition]], some of Bombadil's poems are transferred to [[Treebeard]], and so is his encounter with [[Old Man Willow]].<br />
<br />
'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''<br />
:Bombadil is a summonable power. Once summoned, he can plow through enemy lines. His most powerful weapon is a "Sonic Song". As soon as [[EA]] secured the rights to the books, it was decided that Tom Bombadil should be in it; his appearance is kept close to his description in the book.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/battleformiddleearth2/news.html?sid=6139678 The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Q&A - Enter Tom Bombadil], [http://www.gamespot.com/ GameSpot.com]</ref><br />
<br />
===Collectibles===<br />
In [[April]] [[2008]], [[Gentle Giant]] released the [[Tom Bombadil Mini Bust]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[:Category:Images of Tom Bombadil|Images of Tom Bombadil]]<br />
*[[Tom_Bombadil/nature|Nature of Tom Bombadil]]<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
* [http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/t/tombombadil.html Entry in the Encyclopedia of Arda] (a concise overview of the discussion)<br />
* [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/4786/76065 Count, Count, Weigh, Divide] discusses Tom Bombadil's moral aspects at length<br />
<br />
[[Category:Characters]]<br />
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Tom_Bombadil&diff=87113Tom Bombadil2009-10-27T00:58:54Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div><center>{{quote|Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.|Tom Bombadil, ''[[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]''.}}</center><br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|300px|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[Brothers Hildebrandt]].]]<br />
'''Tom Bombadil''' was an enigmatic figure that lived throughout the history of [[Arda]]. Living in the depths of the [[Old Forest]], he seemed to possess unequaled power in the land around his dwelling. Although seemingly benevolent, he was not allied to the [[Free peoples]].<br />
<br />
His existence passed into Hobbit lore and was referenced in poems such as ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''. <br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Origins===<br />
[[Image:John Howe - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|left|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[John Howe]].]]<br />
{{quote|He is a strange creature|[[Elrond]], ''[[The Council of Elrond]]''}}<br />
The origins and [[Tom Bombadil/nature|nature of Tom Bombadil]] are unknown; however, he already existed when the [[Dark Lord]] came to [[Arda]]<ref name="house">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]</ref>, signifying he was alive even before the coming of the [[Valar]].<br />
<br />
His role and nature in the [[Elder Days]] is unknown, but he must have witnessed most of the major events and battles. He also witnessed the reducing of the great forests that covered all [[Middle-earth]], and perhaps of his powers.<ref name="CoE"/> <br />
<br />
The level of his interactions with the outside world is also unclear; however, he seemed to have a name among many peoples and perhaps became a folkloric figure in the traditions and legends of Elves, Dwarves and Men.<ref name="CoE"/><ref name="Adv">''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', Preface</ref><br />
<br />
During the [[Third Age]], Tom Bombadil lived in a little house by the river [[Withywindle]] in the [[Old Forest]], together with his lovely wife [[Goldberry]]. He had contact with the [[Bucklanders]]<ref name="Adv"/> and [[Farmer Maggot]], and perhaps it was this to which he owed his jolly and whimsical attitude.<br />
<br />
However, since he was merry and benevolent, some of the Free Peoples considered him a potential ally (for example, [[Elrond]] and [[Erestor]] considered that he should be present at the [[Council of Elrond]]). However, according to [[Gandalf]], Tom Bombadil was perhaps not fully aware of the struggle of Light and Darkness and could not prove useful to their causes.<ref name="CoE"/><br />
<br />
===War of the Ring===<br />
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Willow Man is Tamed.jpg|thumb|Bombadil rescues the hobbits from the [[Old Man Willow]].]]<br />
On [[September 26]], [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]], he encountered [[travellers|four hobbits]] while he was searching for water-lilies for his wife. Two of those Hobbits, [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]], had been captured by [[Old Man Willow]]. Tom, who was the master of the Old Forest, rescued them, and took all four of them to his house<ref name="OldF">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Old Forest]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
The four hobbits stayed two nights, and he told them many tales and songs. Apparently, [[Gildor Inglorion]] had been to Tom's house, as he knew the hobbits were fleeing the [[Shire]]. With cunning questions, he made [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] tell him of the [[One Ring|Ring]]. When Tom tried it on nothing happened but he then took it off and flipped it in the air and made the ring itself disappear showing that indeed within his realm Tom was master. However, when Frodo put the ring on Tom could still see him. He bade the Hobbit to come back and sit down; his hand was fairer without the ring.<br />
<br />
The following morning, Tom warned his guests of the [[Barrow Downs]], and advised them to pass any barrow on the western side. He also taught them a song, should they come to peril<ref name="house"/>.<br />
<br />
And they did come to peril. Tom chased off a [[Barrow-wight|wight]] with song, and broke the spells on the barrow in which the four hobbits were captured. While he sent the Hobbits into calm down, he went for provisions. He also brought the ponies that had belonged to Merry. After that, he broke the spells of the barrow. From the barrow's mighty hoard, he took a brooch for Goldberry, and gave a [[Daggers of Westernesse|dagger]] to each of the hobbits. He then advised them to make for ''[[The Prancing Pony]]'' in [[Bree]]<ref> ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[Fog on the Barrow-downs]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
The peril of the hobbits was not over; an attack on their lives was carried out, and their ponies were set loose. The ponies apparently remembered the care they were given in the house of Tom Bombadil, and returned to stay beside Tom's own pony, [[Fatty Lumpkin]]. He returned them to [[Barliman Butterbur]], the proprietor of ''The Prancing Pony''. Since he had paid eighteen pence as compensation for the loss, he was now the owner of five fine ponies<ref>''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[A Knife in the Dark]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
==Inspiration==<br />
Tom Bombadil was inspired primarily from a doll Tolkien's son, Michael, toyed with; it also may have been inspired by the character Väinämöinen (spelt 'Wainamoinen' in English) in the Finnish national epic [[Kalevala]], or Father [[Francis Xavier Morgan]] at the [[Birmingham Oratory]]:<br />
{{quote|... Father Francis Xavier Morgan, then aged forty-three, who shortly after the Tolkiens moved into the district [Edgbaston] took over the duties of parish priest and came to call. In him Mabel soon found not only a sympathetic priest but a valuable friend. Half Welsh and half Anglo-Spanish (his mother’s family were prominent in the sherry trade), Francis Morgan was '''not a man of great intellect, but he had an immense fund of kindness and humour and a flamboyance''' that was often attributed to his Spanish connections. Indeed '''he was a very noisy man, loud and affectionate, embarrassing to small children at first but hugely lovable when they got to know him.'''|[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]}}<br />
<br />
==Etymology and other names==<br />
Tom Bombadil went by many names: <br />
* To the [[Elves]] and [[Dúnedain]], he was known as ''[[Iarwain]] [[penadar|Ben-adar]]'', which translated to "oldest and fatherless"<ref name="CoE">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Council of Elrond]]</ref>. <br />
* To [[Men]] (of [[Rohan]] and [[Bree]]), he was known as ''[[Orald]]''. This is an Old English word meaning "very ancient<ref name="nomen">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings]]", published in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'' (by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]]), page 761</ref>.<br />
* The Dwarves knew him as ''[[Forn]]''. This too is a reference to his age: it is Old Norse for "(belonging to) ancient (days)"<ref name="nomen"/>. In some imprints of ''[[The History of Middle-earth Index]]'', this name was accidentally spelled with a "P" as the first letter<ref>''[[The History of Middle-earth: Index]]'', "Tom Bombadil (VII)", page 435 <small>([[HarperCollins]] [[2000]] Paperback)</small></ref>.<br />
* ''Tom Bombadil'' is said to be a [[Buckland|Bucklandish]] name, added by Hobbit chroniclers to his many older ones. It is, like many names of the Bucklanders, untranslatable<ref name="Adv"/>.<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in Adaptions==<br />
<br />
Because he is left out of the three major adaptations ([[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|Ralph Bakshi]], [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC's 1981 series]] and [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|Peter Jackson's]]), Tom Bombadil's main role (providing the [[Daggers of Westernesse|Barrow-blades]]) is omitted. He does have several appearances in other adaptations, though.<br />
<br />
<center><gallery><br />
Image:Tom Bombadil viv lotr.JPG|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)]]''</center></small><br />
Image:BFME2 - Tom Bombadil 03.jpg|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''</center></small><br />
Image:Tom Bombadil LOTRO.jpg|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''</center></small><br />
</gallery></center><br />
<br />
'''1955: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:[[Norman Shelley]] voiced Bombadil, and Tolkien thought his portrayal "dreadful". [[Goldberry]] was portrayed as his daughter, rather than his wife<ref>''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 175]] ([[November 30]], [[1955]])</ref>. <br />
<br />
'''1979: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|Mind's Eye's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:In this series, Tom was voiced by [[Bernard Mayes]]. Like Norman Shelley before him, he also voiced [[Gandalf]].<br />
<br />
'''1992: ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|BBC Radio's Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'':'''<br />
:When he adapted the 1981 [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|radio series]], [[Brian Sibley]] deeply regretted cutting Bombadil from the radio series<ref>[[Brian Sibley]], ''[http://briansibleytheworks.blogspot.com/2008/01/this-page-is-still-under-construction_23.html The Ring Goes Ever On]''</ref>. When he made ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'' into a radio series, he decided to change the section "[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]". Rather than several (unadaptable) Hobbitish poems, Sibley adapted the chapters from ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. Bombadil is voiced by [[Ian Hogg]].<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:[[Daran Norris]] portrayed Bombadil with a Scottish accent. His role is much like that in the book, and as one of the few characters in this video game, he keeps most of his songs. <br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:In the [[The Two Towers Extended Edition|extended edition]], some of Bombadil's poems are transferred to [[Treebeard]], and so is his encounter with [[Old Man Willow]].<br />
<br />
'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''<br />
:Bombadil is a summonable power. Once summoned, he can plow through enemy lines. His most powerful weapon is a "Sonic Song". As soon as [[EA]] secured the rights to the books, it was decided that Tom Bombadil should be in it; his appearance is kept close to his description in the book.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/battleformiddleearth2/news.html?sid=6139678 The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Q&A - Enter Tom Bombadil], [http://www.gamespot.com/ GameSpot.com]</ref><br />
<br />
===Collectibles===<br />
In [[April]] [[2008]], [[Gentle Giant]] released the [[Tom Bombadil Mini Bust]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[:Category:Images of Tom Bombadil|Images of Tom Bombadil]]<br />
*[[Tom_Bombadil/nature|Nature of Tom Bombadil]]<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
* [http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/t/tombombadil.html Entry in the Encyclopedia of Arda] (a concise overview of the discussion)<br />
* [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/4786/76065 Count, Count, Weigh, Divide] discusses Tom Bombadil's moral aspects at length<br />
<br />
[[Category:Characters]]<br />
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Tom_Bombadil&diff=87112Tom Bombadil2009-10-27T00:57:35Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div><center>{{quote|Eldest, that's what I am... Tom remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn... he knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless – before the Dark Lord came from Outside.|Tom Bombadil, ''[[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]''.}}</center><br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|300px|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[Brothers Hildebrandt]].]]<br />
'''Tom Bombadil''' was an enigmatic figure that lived throughout the history of [[Arda]]. Living in the depths of the [[Old Forest]], he seemed to possess an unequaled power in the land around his dwelling. Although seemingly benevolent, he was not allied to the [[Free peoples]].<br />
<br />
His existence passed into Hobbit lore and was referenced in poems such as ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]''. <br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Origins===<br />
[[Image:John Howe - Tom Bombadil.jpg|thumb|left|''Tom Bombadil'' by [[John Howe]].]]<br />
{{quote|He is a strange creature|[[Elrond]], ''[[The Council of Elrond]]''}}<br />
The origins and [[Tom Bombadil/nature|nature of Tom Bombadil]] are unknown; however, he already existed when the [[Dark Lord]] came to [[Arda]]<ref name="house">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[In the House of Tom Bombadil]]</ref>, signifying he was alive even before the coming of the [[Valar]].<br />
<br />
His role and nature in the [[Elder Days]] is unknown, but he must have witnessed most of the major events and battles. He also witnessed the reducing of the great forests that covered all [[Middle-earth]], and perhaps of his powers.<ref name="CoE"/> <br />
<br />
The level of his interactions with the outside world is also unclear; however, he seemed to have a name among many peoples and perhaps became a folkloric figure in the traditions and legends of Elves, Dwarves and Men.<ref name="CoE"/><ref name="Adv">''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', Preface</ref><br />
<br />
During the [[Third Age]], Tom Bombadil lived in a little house by the river [[Withywindle]] in the [[Old Forest]], together with his lovely wife [[Goldberry]]. He had contact with the [[Bucklanders]]<ref name="Adv"/> and [[Farmer Maggot]], and perhaps it was this to which he owed his jolly and whimsical attitude.<br />
<br />
However, since he was merry and benevolent, some of the Free Peoples considered him a potential ally (for example, [[Elrond]] and [[Erestor]] considered that he should be present at the [[Council of Elrond]]). However, according to [[Gandalf]], Tom Bombadil was perhaps not fully aware of the struggle of Light and Darkness and could not prove useful to their causes.<ref name="CoE"/><br />
<br />
===War of the Ring===<br />
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Willow Man is Tamed.jpg|thumb|Bombadil rescues the hobbits from the [[Old Man Willow]].]]<br />
On [[September 26]], [[Third Age 3018|T.A. 3018]], he encountered [[travellers|four hobbits]] while he was searching for water-lilies for his wife. Two of those Hobbits, [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]], had been captured by [[Old Man Willow]]. Tom, who was the master of the Old Forest, rescued them, and took all four of them to his house<ref name="OldF">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Old Forest]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
The four hobbits stayed two nights, and he told them many tales and songs. Apparently, [[Gildor Inglorion]] had been to Tom's house, as he knew the hobbits were fleeing the [[Shire]]. With cunning questions, he made [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] tell him of the [[One Ring|Ring]]. When Tom tried it on nothing happened but he then took it off and flipped it in the air and made the ring itself disappear showing that indeed within his realm Tom was master. However, when Frodo put the ring on Tom could still see him. He bade the Hobbit to come back and sit down; his hand was fairer without the ring.<br />
<br />
The following morning, Tom warned his guests of the [[Barrow Downs]], and advised them to pass any barrow on the western side. He also taught them a song, should they come to peril<ref name="house"/>.<br />
<br />
And they did come to peril. Tom chased off a [[Barrow-wight|wight]] with song, and broke the spells on the barrow in which the four hobbits were captured. While he sent the Hobbits into calm down, he went for provisions. He also brought the ponies that had belonged to Merry. After that, he broke the spells of the barrow. From the barrow's mighty hoard, he took a brooch for Goldberry, and gave a [[Daggers of Westernesse|dagger]] to each of the hobbits. He then advised them to make for ''[[The Prancing Pony]]'' in [[Bree]]<ref> ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[Fog on the Barrow-downs]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
The peril of the hobbits was not over; an attack on their lives was carried out, and their ponies were set loose. The ponies apparently remembered the care they were given in the house of Tom Bombadil, and returned to stay beside Tom's own pony, [[Fatty Lumpkin]]. He returned them to [[Barliman Butterbur]], the proprietor of ''The Prancing Pony''. Since he had paid eighteen pence as compensation for the loss, he was now the owner of five fine ponies<ref>''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[A Knife in the Dark]]</ref>.<br />
<br />
==Inspiration==<br />
Tom Bombadil was inspired primarily from a doll Tolkien's son, Michael, toyed with; it also may have been inspired by the character Väinämöinen (spelt 'Wainamoinen' in English) in the Finnish national epic [[Kalevala]], or Father [[Francis Xavier Morgan]] at the [[Birmingham Oratory]]:<br />
{{quote|... Father Francis Xavier Morgan, then aged forty-three, who shortly after the Tolkiens moved into the district [Edgbaston] took over the duties of parish priest and came to call. In him Mabel soon found not only a sympathetic priest but a valuable friend. Half Welsh and half Anglo-Spanish (his mother’s family were prominent in the sherry trade), Francis Morgan was '''not a man of great intellect, but he had an immense fund of kindness and humour and a flamboyance''' that was often attributed to his Spanish connections. Indeed '''he was a very noisy man, loud and affectionate, embarrassing to small children at first but hugely lovable when they got to know him.'''|[[J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography]]}}<br />
<br />
==Etymology and other names==<br />
Tom Bombadil went by many names: <br />
* To the [[Elves]] and [[Dúnedain]], he was known as ''[[Iarwain]] [[penadar|Ben-adar]]'', which translated to "oldest and fatherless"<ref name="CoE">''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Council of Elrond]]</ref>. <br />
* To [[Men]] (of [[Rohan]] and [[Bree]]), he was known as ''[[Orald]]''. This is an Old English word meaning "very ancient<ref name="nomen">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings]]", published in ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'' (by [[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]]), page 761</ref>.<br />
* The Dwarves knew him as ''[[Forn]]''. This too is a reference to his age: it is Old Norse for "(belonging to) ancient (days)"<ref name="nomen"/>. In some imprints of ''[[The History of Middle-earth Index]]'', this name was accidentally spelled with a "P" as the first letter<ref>''[[The History of Middle-earth: Index]]'', "Tom Bombadil (VII)", page 435 <small>([[HarperCollins]] [[2000]] Paperback)</small></ref>.<br />
* ''Tom Bombadil'' is said to be a [[Buckland|Bucklandish]] name, added by Hobbit chroniclers to his many older ones. It is, like many names of the Bucklanders, untranslatable<ref name="Adv"/>.<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in Adaptions==<br />
<br />
Because he is left out of the three major adaptations ([[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|Ralph Bakshi]], [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC's 1981 series]] and [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|Peter Jackson's]]), Tom Bombadil's main role (providing the [[Daggers of Westernesse|Barrow-blades]]) is omitted. He does have several appearances in other adaptations, though.<br />
<br />
<center><gallery><br />
Image:Tom Bombadil viv lotr.JPG|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)]]''</center></small><br />
Image:BFME2 - Tom Bombadil 03.jpg|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II]]''</center></small><br />
Image:Tom Bombadil LOTRO.jpg|<center><small>''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''</center></small><br />
</gallery></center><br />
<br />
'''1955: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:[[Norman Shelley]] voiced Bombadil, and Tolkien thought his portrayal "dreadful". [[Goldberry]] was portrayed as his daughter, rather than his wife<ref>''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 175]] ([[November 30]], [[1955]])</ref>. <br />
<br />
'''1979: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|Mind's Eye's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:In this series, Tom was voiced by [[Bernard Mayes]]. Like Norman Shelley before him, he also voiced [[Gandalf]].<br />
<br />
'''1992: ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm (1992 radio series)|BBC Radio's Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'':'''<br />
:When he adapted the 1981 [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|radio series]], [[Brian Sibley]] deeply regretted cutting Bombadil from the radio series<ref>[[Brian Sibley]], ''[http://briansibleytheworks.blogspot.com/2008/01/this-page-is-still-under-construction_23.html The Ring Goes Ever On]''</ref>. When he made ''[[Tales from the Perilous Realm]]'' into a radio series, he decided to change the section "[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]". Rather than several (unadaptable) Hobbitish poems, Sibley adapted the chapters from ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. Bombadil is voiced by [[Ian Hogg]].<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:[[Daran Norris]] portrayed Bombadil with a Scottish accent. His role is much like that in the book, and as one of the few characters in this video game, he keeps most of his songs. <br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:In the [[The Two Towers Extended Edition|extended edition]], some of Bombadil's poems are transferred to [[Treebeard]], and so is his encounter with [[Old Man Willow]].<br />
<br />
'''2006: ''[[EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II]]'':'''<br />
:Bombadil is a summonable power. Once summoned, he can plow through enemy lines. His most powerful weapon is a "Sonic Song". As soon as [[EA]] secured the rights to the books, it was decided that Tom Bombadil should be in it; his appearance is kept close to his description in the book.<ref>[http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/battleformiddleearth2/news.html?sid=6139678 The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Q&A - Enter Tom Bombadil], [http://www.gamespot.com/ GameSpot.com]</ref><br />
<br />
===Collectibles===<br />
In [[April]] [[2008]], [[Gentle Giant]] released the [[Tom Bombadil Mini Bust]].<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[:Category:Images of Tom Bombadil|Images of Tom Bombadil]]<br />
*[[Tom_Bombadil/nature|Nature of Tom Bombadil]]<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
<br />
== External Links ==<br />
* [http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/t/tombombadil.html Entry in the Encyclopedia of Arda] (a concise overview of the discussion)<br />
* [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/4786/76065 Count, Count, Weigh, Divide] discusses Tom Bombadil's moral aspects at length<br />
<br />
[[Category:Characters]]<br />
[[Category:Ring-bearers]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Galadriel&diff=86963Galadriel2009-10-23T17:52:01Z<p>Ingwe: Cleaned-up Geneology section</p>
<hr />
<div>{{sources}}<br />
{{noldor infobox <br />
| image= [[Image:Sylvia Polster - Galadriel.jpg|250px]]<br />
| name= Galadriel<br />
| quenya= [[fn]] ''[[Artanis]]'', [[mn]] ''[[Nerwen]]''<br />
| titles= Lady of [[Lothlórien]], Lady of Light, Lady of the Wood, Lady of the [[Galadhrim]]<br />
| birth= [[Years of the Trees 1364|Y.T. 1364]], [[Tirion]]<br />
| realm= [[Tirion]], [[Lindon]], [[Eregion]], [[Lothlórien]]<br />
| death= Passed [[West]] [[Third Age 3021|TA 3021]]<br />
| age= 8,300 <br />
| parentage= [[Finarfin]] and [[Eärwen]]<br />
| spouse= [[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Celeborn]]<br />
| children= [[Celebrían]]<br />
| gender= Female<br />
| hair= Radiant gold-silver<br />
| ref=''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''<br />
|}}<br />
{{quote|Very tall [Galadriel and Celeborn] were, and the Lady no less tall than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful. They were clad wholly in white; and the hair of the Lady was of deep gold… but no sign of age was upon them, unless it were in the depths of their eyes; for these were keen as lances in the starlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory.|[[The Lord of the Rings]], ''[[The Mirror of Galadriel]]''}}<br />
'''Galadriel''' was a [[Noldo]], one of the [[Calaquendi]], and arguably the most famous and powerful elf of the [[Third Age]]. She was one of the bearers of the [[Three Rings]], of [[Nenya]], and with it kept her realm of [[Lothlórien]] free of stain.<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
===Fostering and Life in Aman===<br />
<br />
When a fourth child was born to [[Finarfin]], prince of the Noldor, and [[Eärwen]], princess of the [[Teleri]], her father named her ''Artanis'', which is "noble woman". She was unusually tall and strong as she grew, and so Eärwen’s name for her was ''Nerwen'', "man-maiden". But the most distinctive thing about her was her hair, which was of a rare silver-gold color, and dazzlingly bright. Her hair reflected her unusually diverse heritage, being half [[Teleri]]n (typified by silver hair), a quarter [[Noldor]]in (typified by dark hair), and a quarter [[Vanyar]]in (typified by golden hair). Despite her mixed blood, she was identified as a princess of the Noldor, as her father was the third son of [[Finwë]], [[High King of the Noldor]]. Yet according to [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]’s later accounts she lived with her Telerin relatives in [[Alqualondë]].<br />
<br />
It was in Alqualondë that she met [[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Teleporno]], a young Telerin prince probably the son or grandson of [[Olwë]] (which would make him Artanis’s uncle or cousin)[[Galadriel#Other Versions of the Legendarium|*]]. They eventually fell in love, and he called her in his own [[Telerin]] tongue ''[[Alatáriel]]'' (later [[Sindarin]]ized as ''Galadriel''). She had another admirer as well: her half-uncle, [[Fëanor]]. Fëanor, being a lover of beauty and brilliance, noted her shining hair. He may have been inspired by her tresses to make the [[Silmarils]], both being said to capture the light of the [[Two Trees]]. He begged her to spare him some of her hair, but she refused him a single hair three times and he gave up. She had unusually strong powers of mental perception, and when she looked into his mind, she saw only darkness.<br />
<br />
During the [[Darkening of Valinor]], she was just as fiery and visionary as Fëanor, although she despised him. During the troubles that followed she took no part in the atrocities against the Teleri during the [[Kinslaying of Alqualondë]], but urged Teleporno her beloved to sail across the [[Belegaer|Sea]] to [[Middle-earth]] by her side. He agreed for her sake, and so they both came under the [[Ban of the Valar]].<br />
<br />
===First Age===<br />
<br />
Once in [[Beleriand]] they were welcomed by King [[Thingol]] of [[Doriath]], as both were Telerin in origin. Thingol knew nothing of what had happened to his brother [[Olwë]] and the [[Calaquendi]], and they brought news. But they said nothing about the Kinslaying. Teleporno was Sindarinized as ''[[Celeborn (Lord of Lórien)|Celeborn]]'', and Artanis adopted Teleporno’s pet name for her, ''Alatáriel'', in its Sindarin form: ''Galadriel''. [[Image:456px-Donato_Giancola_-_Galadriel_and_the_mirror.jpg|right|thumb|''Galadriel and the mirror'' by [[Donato Giancola]] ]]<br />
After the rest of the Noldor arrived in Beleriand and the great [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath]] was fought, Galadriel re-established contact with her brothers, though her hate for the orphaned sons of Fëanor was still strong. She learned much from [[Melian]] during her days in Doriath, and occasionally spent time in [[Nargothrond]] with her eldest brother [[Finrod Felagund]]. She and Melian became friends, speaking often to one another about Valinor. Melian was eager to learn of the happenings of the Exile, but Galadriel would tell her nothing of what occurred after the death of the Trees. Eventually, however, as Melian’s guesses became more shrewd and accurate, Galadriel told her more, except for that of the death of Finwë, the Kinslaying, and the [[burning of the Ships]] at [[Losgar]]. Melian was able to discern some, and the rest came in rumors to Thingol’s ears. At last, egged on by the accusing words of Thingol, Angrod told all. Galadriel escaped being removed from Doriath by Thingol’s sympathy to the houses of Finarfin and [[Fingolfin]] for the wrongs they had suffered. All the same, she moved for a time to Nargothrond to live with Finrod. By [[First Age 300|300]], however, she had gone back to live in Doriath. Presumably, her husband lived with her there in peace.<br />
<br />
Precisely where the twain were during the [[Sack of Nargothrond|destruction of Nargothrond]] in [[First Age 495| 495]] and [[Sack of Doriath|Doriath]] in [[First Age 503|503]]/[[First Age 506|506]] is unknown; perhaps they were there during the sacks and escaped one or both. It is not unlikely that after the destruction of the latter they went either to the [[Havens of Sirion]] or with their Telerin kin to the [[Isle of Balar]] with [[Círdan]]. If the former, they escaped the [[Third Kinslaying]] there, and either went into hiding in Beleriand or, more probably, went to the Isle of Balar. During the [[War of Wrath]], given the choice whether to stay in Middle-earth or not, they surprisingly decided to remain. Galadriel was still very proud, even arrogant, and refused to accept the pardon of the [[Valar]]. Either Celeborn felt the same way, or stayed for the sake of his wife.<br />
<br />
===Second Age===<br />
<br />
Galadriel and her husband stayed in [[Lindon]], the kingdom of Galadriel’s grandnephew [[Gil-galad]]. There they stayed for a while, ruling over a fiefdom of Noldor. Eventually they established or moved to [[Eregion]]. Celebrimbor lived there, and gradually grew in importance among the smiths. Perhaps because of Galadriel’s detestation (Celebrimbor being the last of the [[House of Fëanor]]), Celeborn and Galadriel made contact with the [[Nandor]] of [[Amdír]], who dwelt in a forest realm called [[Lórinand]]. They eventually crossed the [[Hithaeglir]] through [[Moria]] and relocated to there, becoming great among the Wood-elves.<br />
<br />
Though Galadriel urged Celebrimbor against it, the Noldo collaborated with [[Annatar]] on the great process of making [[Rings of Power]]. By Annatar’s help, the Elves of Eregion created many rings, but both Celebrimbor and Annatar created greater rings of their own in secret. Celebrimbor wrought the [[Three Rings]] of the Elves, which were far more powerful than the lesser rings. Annatar, however, wrought the [[One Ring]]. When he placed it on his finger, the Elves were aware of his treachery, and took off their rings. Celebrimbor, afraid for his life but even more for the safety of the Three Rings, sent them to three of the [[Wise]]: [[Narya]] for Círdan, [[Vilya]] for Gil-galad, and [[Nenya]] for Galadriel. Very few even of the [[Eldar]] knew who hid each of these Rings. Celebrimbor was slain by [[Sauron]] not long after, and Eregion was laid waste. But the Three Rings were safe.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Angus McBride - Galadriel.gif|thumb|left|250px|''Galadriel'' by [[Angus McBride]]]]In time Amdír, King of Lórinand, was slain in the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] during the [[War of the Last Alliance]]. Celeborn may have participated in the war, but the greatest effect it had on the twain (and Lórinand) was the destruction of Sauron and the loss of the [[One Ring]]. Galadriel was now free to use her ring. With Nenya, the Ring of Water, Galadriel made the realm of Lórinand even greater. With the power of her ring, she protected it from the intrusion of evils throughout the [[Third Age]].<br />
<br />
===Third Age===<br />
<br />
When [[Amroth]] son of Amdír perished, Celeborn and Galadriel ruled Lórinand (now known as [[Lothlórien]] or Lórien) jointly, and were called the [[Lord and Lady]]. Lothlórien blossomed, and Galadriel planted the [[mallorn]] seeds brought with her from Lindon, the only mallorns east of the Sea. They established [[Caras Galadhon]], and the realm of Lothlórien was one of light and life. It was during their days of power and glory in Lothlórien (either before or after the deaths of Amdír and Amroth) that Galadriel bore her first and only child: a daughter exceedingly fair named [[Celebrían]]. She married [[Elrond]], a close friend of Galadriel’s and bearer of [[Vilya]] after the death of Gil-galad during the Alliance. Celeborn and Galadriel had three grandchildren by her, one of whom, [[Arwen]], they were especially close to. But Celebrían was waylaid and tortured by [[Orcs]] in [[Third Age 2509|2509]], and passed West over the sea.<br />
<br />
In [[Third Age 2463|2463]] the [[White Council]] was formed. Galadriel, being one of the [[Wise]] and the greatest threat to Sauron alive, was one of the members. Celeborn may have been as well, but this is not known for sure. She was a good friend of [[Gandalf the Grey]], and recommended that he be made head of the Council. But this distinction fell instead to [[Saruman]], whom she distrusted.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Billy Mosig - The Mirror of Galadriel.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''The Mirror of Galadriel'' by [[Billy Mosig]]]]During the [[War of the Ring]], Galadriel met the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] in [[Third Age 3019|3019]]. She especially was attentive to the [[Hobbit]] [[Frodo Baggins]], who was the bearer of the [[One Ring]]. She showed him Nenya, and let him gaze into her [[Mirror of Galadriel|mirror]] of seeing. He offered her the One Ring, and despite the extreme temptation, she resisted it successfully. She sent the Fellowship off on their quest furnished with [[Gifts_of_Galadriel|gifts]]. The two most important gifts she gave were to [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]], whom she knew well and liked, and a [[dwarf]] named [[Gimli]]. To Aragorn she gave the [[Elfstone]], which she had worn, and Celebrían her daughter. She was unsure as to what to give Gimli, and asked what he wanted. After complimenting her beauty, he requested a single strand of her hair. Galadriel remembered the posing of a similar question by Fëanor, but had searched Gimli’s heart and knew that his intentions were pure. She rewarded him with three strands, which he was later to put into an imperishable crystal in memory of her.<br />
<br />
Not long after the departure of the Fellowship she received the resurrected Gandalf. She reclothed and refurnished him, giving him a new staff. After Gandalf left, Lothlórien was subjected to three successive attacks by armies coming out of [[Dol Guldur]]. By the power of her Ring they were thrice repulsed. Celeborn then led [[Fall of Dol Guldur|an attack on Dol Guldur]] itself. Once the dark fortress was in the hands of the Galadhrim, Galadriel came, threw down its walls, and purified it of its evil. It was her last act of power, for the One Ring was destroyed, and the strength of Nenya waned and eventually vanished almost completely.<br />
<br />
===Return to Valinor===<br />
<br />
Galadriel attended the wedding of Aragorn with Arwen, then returned to Lothlórien. But in [[Third Age 3021|3021]], two years later, she bade farewell to Celeborn her husband and went West to Valinor. With her went the other two bearers of the Rings, Gandalf and Elrond, and Frodo and Bilbo Baggins who had borne the One Ring. They passed West, and came never again to Middle-earth. There in Valinor Galadriel must have tried to heal Frodo of his spiritual wounds. Whether she was successful or not is unknown. But sometime later during the [[Fourth Age]] she received Celeborn, her husband. And in [[Fourth Age 120]], it is said, she received Gimli her admirer, who died in Valinor.<br />
<br />
==Characteristics==<br />
<br />
Galadriel was very beautiful, her hair being the most notable feature about her. It reminded the Eldar of the light of the [[Two Trees]]. Galadriel, at least in her earlier years, was of a somewhat proud and rebellious nature. She was free-spirited, and during her time in Aman had many dreams of wide unexplored lands. Her favorite brother was Finrod, for he, too, shared this vision. She could explore the minds and hearts of others, and her gaze was seeing. It may be because of her unusual beauty and power that she became proud.<br />
<br />
But by the Third Age she is also seen to act with wisdom and gentleness. In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', she appears very gentle, firm, and wise. She was revered even more than Celeborn by the Galadhrim and all who met her.<br />
<br />
==Other Versions of the Legendarium==<br />
<br />
There is a bit of befuddlement and confusion in the story of Galadriel, which Tolkien revised multiple times. Originally, and in the published ''[[The Silmarillion|Silmarillion]]'', Galadriel supported Fëanor and even fought at Alqualondë. Then she met Celeborn in [[Doriath]], for Celeborn was one of the Sindar. This earlier account explains the difficulty of Celeborn and Galadriel being so closely related (the Eldar did not marry that close). Though it’s possible that Galadriel and Celeborn rebelliously defied the customs and laws, it is primarily because of this difficulty that some [[Tolkienists]] take the earlier account as canon.<br />
<br />
The later account is the one used here, being considered more canon by most (being written and used later than other accounts). It is found in ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]''.<br />
<br />
== Genealogy ==<br />
[[Finarfin]] = [[Eärwen]]<br />
|<br />
-------------------|-------------------<br />
| | | |<br />
| | | |<br />
[[Finrod]] [[Angrod]] = [[Eldalótë]] [[Aegnor]] '''GALADRIEL''' = [[Celeborn, Lord of Lórien|Celeborn]]<br />
| |<br />
| |<br />
[[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]] [[Celebrían]] = [[Elrond]]<br />
| |<br />
------|------ |<br />
| | |<br />
| | |<br />
[[Gil-galad]] [[Finduilas of Nargothrond|Finduilas]] |<br />
[[Arwen]] = [[Aragorn II|Aragorn Elessar]]<br />
<br />
</code><br />
<br />
== Portrayal in Adaptations ==<br />
<gallery> <br />
Image:Ralph Bakshi's Galadriel.jpg|Galadriel as portrayed in [[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]].<br />
Image:Peter Jackson's Galadriel.jpg|[[Cate Blanchett]] as Galadriel in [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]].<br />
Image:Galadriel lotr fotr.JPG|Galadriel as portrayed in [[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]].<br />
</gallery> <br />
<br />
'''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:Galadriel is voiced by [[Annette Crosbie]].<br />
<br />
'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:The voice of Galadriel is provided by [[Marian Diamond]].<br />
<br />
'''2001: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:Galadriel is played by [[Cate Blanchett]]. Galadriel narrates the Prologue, explaining the creation of the Rings of Power and the War of the Last Alliance. Earlier plans considered were to have either Frodo or Gandalf narrate the Prologue, but this was dropped: Frodo was not alive until thousands of years after these events happened, and although Gandalf was alive, he was not present in Middle-earth at the time; the Wizards came some one thousand years after the Prologue ends. Thus Galadriel narrates the Prologue, because she had first-hand accounts of this history and actively participated in its events. <br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:Galadriel, voiced by [[Jennifer Hale]], is the narrator of the Prologue and the Epilogue, and appears in Lothlórien.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:Galadriel frequently seems to be consulting telepathically with Elrond; there is some indication from the books that the two were able to communicate in some way, but the specific instances in the movies have no direct counterparts in the books. Further, the notion that Galadriel would send her warriors to assist at [[Helm's Deep]] is practically unthinkable in the context of the books, where Lothlórien]] was itself under threat of attack at the time.<br />
<br />
'''2007: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''<br />
:Galadriel is a non-playable character, who narrates cutscenes. She is first seen during [[The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria]] Book VI [[The Shadowy Abyss]]. The player can find here at [[Caras Galadhon]].<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
* [[:Category:Images of Galadriel|Images of Galadriel]]<br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
[[Category:Noldor]]<br />
[[Category:House of Finwë]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]<br />
[[de:Galadriel]]<br />
[[fi:Galadriel]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Portal_talk:Images&diff=86894Portal talk:Images2009-10-18T23:38:53Z<p>Ingwe: /* Non-Images */ new section</p>
<hr />
<div>== Colour scheme and links ==<br />
I think the colour scheme of the Gallery should match the rest of the site: the dark red of the logo and the grey of the background stone wall. <br />
<br />
Edit: and there should be a link in the Navigation bar on the left. --[[User:Earendilyon|Earendilyon]] 06:04, 23 April 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I agree, I hate the present color scheme. I'll put it on my to-do list. As I'm sure you've noticed I've added that ugly white bar to the top of the pages. What I'm planning on doing is moving the A-Z links to the top left. This would leave a lot of space for the left navigation links where we can put main pages like the Gallery. --[[User:Hyarion|Hyarion]] 12:14, 23 April 2006 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==Images by Artist==<br />
<br />
Do we really need that lengthy "Images by Artist" box? It'll only get bigger and bigger, and for some of those that only have one or two it might be a bit overdone. Anyway, I could be wrong, but I don't think that many people would search for images by artist as opposed to by category. I was thinking that space might be better used in breaking down some of the more important categories. We could have a smaller box (just a switch would work) with some of the more prominent artists listed; say, those with 20+ images in the database. It might also be interesting (if we have room) to put in a box with a random image. --[[User:Narfil Palùrfalas|Narfil Palùrfalas]] 17:05, 1 April 2007 (EDT)<br />
<br />
== Characters ==<br />
<br />
I am not sure that I like the word "characters" in the topics section. {{unsigned|Ingwe}}<br />
<br />
:Maybe "People" is better? -- [[User:Ederchil|Ederchil]] 14:24, 11 June 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
::Unfortunately I chose not to go with "People" for two reasons; people refers specifically to humans and not all characters are human, and it allows us to use the People category for real-life people. If we can think of a better term I'm all for it, but I think "Characters" encompasses everyone sufficiently. --[[User:Hyarion|Hyarion]] 16:05, 11 June 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:::I believe "Beings" would be appropriate.-Ingwe<br />
<br />
== Non-Images ==<br />
<br />
What's going on with all those new blank images?</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Roger_Garland_-_Two_Trees_of_Valinor.jpg&diff=74992File:Roger Garland - Two Trees of Valinor.jpg2009-01-10T06:43:46Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{rgarland}} <br />
This depiction by Roger Garland is whimsical and bright, as Tolkien would have appreciated. On the left is [[Laurelin|Laurelin the Golden]] with beautiful intricate blossoms. On the right stands [[Telperion]], often called the "Eldest of Trees." This portrayal seems to show the trees during the mingling of the lights;a time of "day" when the light of both trees shone together. In the background rise the mighty [[Pelóri]], the great mountain range raised by the [[Valar]] to protect their land. According to this work the trees are quite massive, whereas others have depicted them as the size of normal trees. One very interesting component of this painting is the Stonehenge-like ring about [[Ezellohar]], the mound of the trees. While this is not necessarily canonical, it certainly emphasizes how ancient the trees are.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Images by Roger Garland]]<br />
[[Category:Images of The Two Trees]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Laurelin]]<br />
[[Category:Images of Telperion]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Gimli&diff=72274Gimli2008-10-12T01:52:32Z<p>Ingwe: /* Character */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{redirect|Gimli|the uncanonical [[Gimli (Noldo)|Gimli the Noldo]] in the ''[[Tale of Tinúviel]]''}}<br />
{{dwarves infobox<br />
| image=[[Image:John Howe - Gimli 01.jpg|300px]]<br />
| name=Gimli<br />
| othernames=Elf-friend, Lockbearer, Lord of the Glittering Caves<br />
| life=[[Third Age 2879]] - [[Fourth Age 120]]<br />
| realm=[[Thorin's Halls]], [[Erebor]], [[Glittering Caves]]<br />
| parentage=[[Glóin son of Gróin|Glóin]]<br />
| lineage=[[Durin the Deathless]]/[[Borin]]<br />
| robes=<br />
| gender=Male<br />
|}}<br />
{{quote|Only Gimli lifted up his head; a smouldering fire was in his eyes. . .|''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[A Journey in the Dark]]}}<br />
<br />
'''Gimli''' was a [[dwarf]] of [[Durin's Folk]], a direct descendant of [[Durin the Deathless]] through [[Náin II]]'s younger son [[Borin]], and in turn [[Farin]]'s younger son [[Gróin]], and his younger son [[Glóin]]. Despite being too young at the time of the [[Quest of Erebor]] (only 62), he became famous as the only Dwarven member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]].<br />
<br />
==History==<br />
Gimli was born in the [[Blue Mountains]] one hundred and nine years after the tragic destruction of [[Dale]] and the wasting of [[Erebor]] by [[Smaug]] the Golden. Little is known about his early life (or the lives of young dwarves in general, as a matter of fact), but he was forbidden to join [[Thorin and Company]] because of his age: only 62 at the time, according to ''[[The Quest of Erebor]]''. <br />
<br />
Years later, in [[Third Age 3017|T.A. 3017]], Gimli witnessed the tempting offers of the messenger of [[Sauron]] (presumed to be a [[Nazgûl]]) concerning the [[Ring of Power]], and accompanied his troubled father to [[Rivendell]] for the dual purpose of warning retired burglar (and old acquaintance) [[Bilbo Baggins]] and seeking the counsel of [[Elrond]] on such weighty matters. His purpose in going was unknown – he neither knew Bilbo, nor liked the [[Elves]] any more than any other Dwarf at that time. It is possible his father merely took him for the experience of being in [[Rivendell]]. Whatever the reason, he attended the [[Council of Elrond]] as a representative of the [[Dwarves of Erebor]].<br />
<br />
===The Fellowship of the Ring===<br />
<br />
Gimli, as the only young dwarf (so far as we know) at the council of Elrond, was appointed as a member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]]. He alone of the company wore a mail-shirt, and carried a broad-bladed axe. He quickly distinguished himself in the company by declaring that he "needed no map" and naming the [[Misty Mountains]] individually by their [[Khuzdul]] names, inspiring the comment from [[Sam]]: "A fair jaw-cracker dwarf-language must be!"<br />
<br />
Gimli, surprisingly, stood more than all the others with [[Gandalf]] on the matter of passing through [[Moria]]. This may be influenced by his curiosity about the fate of his first cousin [[Balin]], who went thither to refound the ancient kingdom of the [[Longbeards]], and also his vengeful nature. His first clash with [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]] occurred before the [[Doors of Durin]], in a brief dispute over whose fault it was (the Elves’ or the Dwarves’) that the friendship between them waned. Gandalf quickly intervened, though it was not until [[Lothlórien]] that they would truly become friends.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Aleksandr Kortich - 03.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''Moria'' by [[Aleksandr Kortich]]]]He was quite helpful to Gandalf in explaining the Doors to the other curious members of the fellowship. Gandalf showed his appreciation of Gimli’s skills by letting him walk up front through the dark tunnels beside himself, and taking brief counsels with him when the way is unsure. It is probable that here Gandalf is tapping into Dwarven inborn or developed skills rather than actual knowledge of Moria itself, as Gimli had never personally been there.<br />
<br />
Gimli reacted most indignantly to Sam’s suggestion that Moria was but “holes”, going so far as to chant for him the ancient ''[[Song of Durin]]''. Gimli continued to be helpful to Gandalf on the rest of the dark passage, and boldly aided in the [[Battle of the Chamber of Mazarbul]], protecting Balin’s tomb. After Gandalf remained behind to halt the Balrog, Gimli led the others across the [[Bridge of Khazad-dûm]].<br />
<br />
He again shows great emotion when they near [[Kheled-zâram]], taking [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] alone out of all the company with him to see it (though Sam follows as well). This hints at a degree of affection for Frodo, though it may merely be because he was the most important of the company. Despite his helpfulness, at [[Lothlórien]] he became the greatest hindrance to the Company, when he alone was required to be blindfolded and of all of them liked the idea the least (save for perhaps Legolas). The compromise was made that the entire company would go through the Golden Wood in this manner, that Gimli would not suffer alone.<br />
<br />
Despite this early struggle, it is Gimli of all the company that is most remembered for his deeds in Lothlórien. For his heart softened towards [[Galadriel]] and as a result toward Elves in general when that great lady sympathized with his sorrows, using the traditional Khuzdul names. In return he attempted to compliment her, as he saw her love and understanding. Though slightly clumsy in his first attempt, he distinguished himself when, as Galadriel gave the Company [[Gifts of Galadriel|gifts]], he asked only for a single strand of her hair. This Galadriel graciously gave with a blessing, probably remembering when [[Fëanor]] had requested a similar gift several millennia ago. Henceforth Gimli was known as "[[Lockbearer]]". He wept openly at the departure from Lothlórien, calling the light more dangerous than the darkness he had feared.<br />
<br />
After the departure from Lothlórien Gimli is relegated a fairly minor role. He had, however, become a fast friend of Legolas the Elf, a result of Galadriel’s kindness. This, too, made him famous among all the Dwarves of the [[Third Age]].<br />
<br />
===The Three Hunters===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Pursuit in Rohan.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Pursuit in Rohan'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]] After the [[Breaking of the Fellowship]], during which he and Legolas slew many [[orcs]], Gimli listened in silence as his only remaining comrades, [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] and Legolas, sang a lament for Boromir in the character of three of the Winds. Only the East Wind was left, and Gimli would not sing it, which Aragorn declared to be appropriate.<br />
<br />
For most of the chase he served as a commentator, usually leaving the decisions to Aragorn. His reaction was quite hostile to the suspicious [[Rohirrim]], especially after [[Éomer]]’s rash comments about Galadriel. Little did either know that they would become close friends in the times to come as fiery words passed between them. After the [[Three Hunters]] were lent horses, Gimli and Éomer parted in peace, with promises to one another of reconciliation.<br />
<br />
Of the Three Hunters, Gimli seemed the most shaken by [[Fangorn]] while they searched for traces of [[Merry]] and [[Pippin]]. Gimli felt no reluctance to shoot the “unarmed” old man whom they thought was [[Saruman]], unlike Aragorn and Legolas. After Gandalf was revealed to them, Gimli fell to his knees. Gandalf put his hand on Gimli’s head, and the dwarf laughed for the first time recorded during the [[Quest of the Ring]].<br />
<br />
Gimli’s ire was raised again in King [[Théoden]]’s courts against [[Wormtongue]], who spoke slanderously of the Lady of the Golden Wood. Gandalf quickly calmed him. Gimli was delighted by the [[White Mountains]] and [[Helm’s Deep]], declaring “This country has tough bones”. He declared that if he had a hundred of his kin he could make the fortress invincible.<br />
<br />
===War of the Ring===<br />
<br />
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - The Glittering Caves of Aglarond.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''The Glittering Caves of Aglarond'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]During the [[Battle of the Hornburg]], Gimli saved Éomer’s life outside the gates. He came in, boasting of his first two orc-kills to his friend Legolas. Legolas estimated his slaughter to amount to twenty, starting the good-hearted orc-killing game that continued through the rest of the battle. Gimli was the first to the culvert when the orcs crept through, leaping heroically into their midst from the walls. He then proceeded to lead the blocking up of the culvert. During the course of the battle Gimli was one of those forced into the [[Glittering Caves]]. He was astonished to see the magnificence of these caverns, moving even Legolas with his glowing description of them. This one sight would change his life.<br />
<br />
His final kill score number was forty-two in that battle, surpassing his friend the elf by one. Gimli shows a hint of humor and affection when he greets the two [[Hobbits]] Merry and Pippin comfortably situated among [[flotsam]] and [[jetsam]] in the ruin of [[Isengard]]. He declared himself deep in Pippin’s debt when the hobbit lent him his spare pipe.<br />
<br />
As the fellowship of friends again began to break up – Gandalf and Pippin heading for [[Minas Tirith]], [[Théoden]] and his riders for [[Dunharrow]] – Gimli out of love and respect for Aragorn went with him, Legolas, the sons of Elrond, and the [[Dúnedain]] [[Rangers]] on the [[Paths of the Dead]]. He showed great reluctance before the [[Dark Door]], the final thought that drove him downward was the thought of being bested by an Elf underground.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Luca Michelucci - 1999 - March.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''The Black Ship'' by [[Luca Michelucci]]]]He participated in the epic [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]], returning with Aragorn and his other companions on the [[Black Ships]], and later recounted their journey to the fascinated Hobbits. He began to fear for Legolas, who seemed entranced by the Sea. His position on Elves completely changed, he remarked "If all the fair folk take to the Havens, it will be a duller world for those who are doomed to stay". He was much more skeptical as to the overall end of [[Men]] than his comrade.<br />
<br />
Gimli fought in the [[Battle of the Morannon]], passing through unscathed, and finding the alive but bruised Pippin among the dead lying on the hill. He returned to the [[Field of Cormallen]] to be reunited to his friends, and there displayed open affection for all of them, even his frequent rival Pippin ("If only because of the pains you have cost me, which I shall never forget").<br />
<br />
===After the War of the Ring===<br />
<br />
After the coronation of Aragorn, Gimli said farewell to his old friend Éomer, who begged for pardon as to his words on Galadriel, though he slyly added that he didn’t think she was the fairest in the world: adding that [[Arwen]] was only when Gimli began to threaten him. Gimli was content with that.<br />
<br />
During the return journey he visited many places with Legolas, including Fangorn Forest and [[Aglarond]]. Eventually he returned to Erebor, to find it nearly devastated by war. [[Dáin II Ironfoot]] had died, and [[Thorin III Stonehelm]] was now King. Eventually, though, he returned to the Glittering Caves with a contingent of dwarves, becoming the “Lord of the Glittering Caves”. He rebuilt the gates of Minas Tirith with [[mithril]] and steel, and in both [[Gondor]] and [[Rohan]] accomplished great works. In Aglarond, it is assumed, he lived on until he was old, and in [[Fourth Age 120]] it is believed that he sailed with Legolas his friend across [[Belegaer]] to [[Valinor]]. There he presumably died in peace.<br />
<br />
==Character==<br />
<br />
Gimli throughout ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' showed perhaps the greatest open contempt for Sauron and his minions, save possibly [[Boromir (son of Denethor II)|Boromir]]. He was a grim character, for the most part, laughing only occasionally and, though in a few rare situations inspiring amusement, never joking. Due to his comments especially in the chapter ''[[The Ring goes South]]'', he may be called more superstitious than the others, acting very much as if Caradhras was an actual living being.<br />
<br />
Gimli also carries the characteristic of smoldering vengeance against enemies found in many dwarves, such as when speaking of Moria. It may be that Gimli’s strongest show of sentiment was when speaking of Balin and Moria. He also is shown to have a steadfast nature to match, noticeable, for instance, when he plunges heedlessly across a stagnant creek in his eagerness to get to Moria. He also seems to have a love (or an interest, at least) in food, complementing the [[lembas]] of the Elves most highly.<br />
<br />
==Portrayal in Adaptations==<br />
{{cleanup}}<br />
{{sources}}<br />
'''1978: ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:Gimli is portrayed as almost as tall as [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] and [[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]]. He has a grey beard and wears a hood. [[David Buck]] provided Gimli's voice.<br />
<br />
'''1980: ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King]]'':'''<br />
:Both Gimli and Legolas are omitted from this adaptation, as it centers on Aragorn.<br />
<br />
'''1981: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|BBC Radio's The Lord of the Rings]]'':'''<br />
:Gimli is played by [[Douglas Livingstone]], who uses a heavily articulated accent.<br />
<br />
'''2001: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
[[Image:Gimli son of Gloin.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Gimli in ''[[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]'']]<br />
:[[John Rhys-Davies]] was Gimli in voice and close-ups; [[Brett Beattie]] was his size-double. Jackson used the antagony between Legolas and Gimli, allthough he placed most of it on Gimli's plate.<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|Vivendi's The Fellowship of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:Gimli is portrayed as a burly lumberjack, slightly smaller than Legolas, but the same size as Boromir. His moment of glory is in [[Moria]], where he aids the player (at this stage, Frodo) with trying to find the Bridge. He is voiced by [[James Horan]].<br />
<br />
'''2002: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]]'':'''<br />
:Now that [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] were no longer around to provide comic relief, Gimli was chosen to fill the spot. This has led to much criticism. <br />
<br />
'''2003: ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]]'':'''<br />
:As in the second film Gimli's character was somewhat controversially used to insert comic relief into the scenes he appeared in.<br />
<br />
'''2003: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring|Sierra's War of the Ring]]'':'''<br />
:[[Bob Papenbrook]] provided the voice of Gimli.<br />
<br />
== Genealogy ==<br />
{{familytree/start}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | | | FAR | | | | | | |FAR=[[Farin]]}}<br />
{{familytree| | | |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|.| | | |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | FUN | | | | | | GRO | | |FUN=[[Fundin]]|GRO=[[Gróin]]}}<br />
{{familytree| |,|-|^|-|.| | | |,|-|^|-|.| | }}<br />
{{familytree| BAL | | DWA | | OIN | | GLO |BAL=[[Balin]]|DWA=[[Dwalin]]|OIN=[[Óin son of Gróin|Óin]]|GLO=[[Glóin]]}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | | | | | | | | | |!| |}}<br />
{{familytree| | | | | | | | | | | | | GIM | GIM='''GIMLI<br/>ELF-FRIEND''' }}<br />
{{familytree/end}}<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[:Category:Images of Gimli|Images of Gimli Elf-friend]]<br />
{{sequence<br />
|prev=none<br />
|next=unknown<br />
|list=[[Lord of the Glittering Caves]]<br><code>IV</code> ?? – 120<br />
}}<br />
{{fellowship}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Dwarves]]<br />
[[Category:Longbeards]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]<br />
<br />
[[de:Gimli]]<br />
[[fi:Gimli]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=File:Snow.jpg&diff=72173File:Snow.jpg2008-10-09T16:15:52Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Images of Gatekeepers]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Tolkien_Gateway:Featured_quotes/Nominations&diff=72114Tolkien Gateway:Featured quotes/Nominations2008-10-06T16:23:16Z<p>Ingwe: /* Elrond-Gimli exchange */</p>
<hr />
<div>== Featured Quote Nominations ==<br />
<br />
There have never really been any standards for a '''Featured Quote''', but let us begin. Following the general model of the '''Featured Article''', let's specify a nomination followed by five affirmative votes; state either '''Agree''' or '''Disagree'''. The nominated quote should not exceed a single paragraph.<br />
<br />
<br />
=== Legolas Quote Re: Prince Imrahil ===<br />
<br />
The following is one of my favorites, and I hope we can begin by anointing it with this high honor:<br />
<br />
{{quote|That is a fair lord and a great captain of men. If [[Gondor]] has such men still in these days of fading, great must have been its glory in the days of its rising.|[[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]] speaking of [[Imrahil|Prince Imrahil]], ''[[The Return of the King]]'', [[The Last Debate]]}}<br />
<br />
:'''Agree'''. Wonderful quote. -- [[User:Ederchil|Ederchil]] 12:30, 31 July 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:'''Agree'''. Beautiful words. :) ~~ [[User:Þelma|Þelma]] 13:30, 4 August 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:'''Agree'''. Truly beautiful words. -- [[User:Eldarion Telcontar|Eldarion Telcontar]] 14:11, 12 August 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:'''Agree'''. Thought-provoking. -- Ingwe<br />
<br />
:'''Agree'''. Looks good to me, updating the [[Main Page]] right now.-- Hyarion<br />
<br />
===Elrond-Gimli exchange===<br />
{{quote|'Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,' said [[Gimli]].<br>'Maybe,' said [[Elrond]], 'but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.'|''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', [[The Ring Goes South]]}}<br />
<br />
:'''Agree'''. Though technically, I'd agree with any quote nom. What happened to the system? Was it to be weekly or monthly? -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}}<br />
<br />
::Very true, anything for a change. Perhaps an automated system that selected a quote from a database would be better, I seem to recall seeing that discussed somewhere a while ago. '''Agree'''. --[[User:Aule the Smith|Aule the Smith]] 21:48, 4 October 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::'''Agree'''. Quite proverbial. -Ingwe<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway: Featured quotes]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Talk:House_of_the_Stewards&diff=71192Talk:House of the Stewards2008-09-18T17:53:50Z<p>Ingwe: New page: Nice rewrite. I only changed a few words before, which you mercifully kept in the new version. -Ingwe</p>
<hr />
<div>Nice rewrite. I only changed a few words before, which you mercifully kept in the new version. -Ingwe</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=House_of_the_Stewards&diff=71190House of the Stewards2008-09-18T16:36:02Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>While the [[Kings of Gondor]] were laid to rest in individual tombs on [[Minas Tirith in Gondor|Minas Tirith]]'s [[Silent Street]], the [[Stewards]] were buried in a collective tomb, the '''House of the Stewards'''. It was here that [[Denethor II]] immolated himself on March 15, [[Third Age]] 3019.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Gondor]]<br />
[[Category:Graves]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=House_of_the_Stewards&diff=71189House of the Stewards2008-09-18T16:33:07Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>While the [[Kings of Gondor]] were laid to rest in individual tombs on [[Minas Tirith in Gondor|Minas Tirith]]'s [[Silent Street]], the [[Stewards]] were buried in a collective tomb, the '''House of the Stewards'''. It was here that [[Denethor II]] took his own life on March 15, [[Third Age]] 3019.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Gondor]]<br />
[[Category:Graves]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Steelsheen&diff=71068Steelsheen2008-09-17T06:14:44Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Steelsheen''' was an epithet for [[Morwen Steelsheen|Morwen]], queen of [[Rohan]] and bride of [[Thengel]]. It was given to her because of her graceful and proud bearing, qualities that were passed on to her granddaughter, [[Éowyn]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Epithets]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=J.R.R._Tolkien/temp&diff=71056J.R.R. Tolkien/temp2008-09-16T22:24:05Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{author infobox<br />
| image=[[Image:Photograph of J.R.R. Tolkien.jpg|250px]]<br />
| name=J.R.R. Tolkien<br />
| born=[[January 3]], [[1892]]<br />
| died=[[September 2]], [[1973]]<br />
| education=[[University of Oxford]]<br />
| occupation=Professor of Old and Middle English<br />
| location=Oxford, [[Leeds University|Leeds]], England<br />
| website=[http://www.tolkienestate.com The Tolkien Estate]<br />
|}}<br />
{{quote|I felt that Tolkien was like an iceberg, something to be reckoned with above water in both its brilliance and mass and yet so much more below the surface.|[[Clyde S. Kilby|Clyde Kilby]]<ref name="TatSPre">[[Clyde S. Kilby|Clyde Kilby]], ''[[Tolkien and The Silmarillion]]'', Preface</ref>}}<br />
Professor Dr. '''John Ronald Reuel Tolkien''' [[wikipedia:CBE|CBE]] (1982 - 1973) is the subject of [[Tolkien Gateway: About|Tolkien Gateway]]. His life, his works, his family: everything about the man whom fans have named affectionately '''the Professor''' can be found here. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Life==<br />
===Youth===<br />
====South Africa====<br />
====Birmingham====<br />
====Oxford====<br />
====The War====<br />
===Young Adult===<br />
====Oxford English Dictionary====<br />
====University of Oxford====<br />
===Academics and Fantasy===<br />
====University of Leeds====<br />
====The Hobbit====<br />
====The Lord of the Rings====<br />
====Back in Oxford====<br />
===The Price of Fame===<br />
====The Silmarillion====<br />
====Voluntary "Hiding"====<br />
====Death====<br />
==Character==<br />
===Faith===<br />
===Personality===<br />
===Names=== <br />
===Teacherhood===<br />
==As an Author==<br />
===The Philologist===<br />
===The Veteran===<br />
===The Christian===<br />
==Bibliograpgy==<br />
===Arda===<br />
===Non-Ardalogical fiction===<br />
===Academic Works===<br />
===Posthumous Publications===<br />
===Audio Recordings===<br />
==See Also==<br />
==References==<br />
<references/></div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=High_King_of_the_Noldor&diff=70979High King of the Noldor2008-09-15T16:29:45Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''High King of the Noldor''' was the title of six Elf-lords of the [[Noldor]]. They held titular rulership over all the Noldor of [[Middle-earth]], though in practice circumstances prevented the effective use of this power until the time of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men|Last Alliance]]. The [[Sons of Fëanor]], in particular, while they acknowledged the Kingship, paid its bearer little heed; they preferred to follow their own policies under the general leadership of [[Maedhros]].<br />
<br />
# '''[[Finwë]]''' (ruled c. 9,000 years before the beginning of the [[First Age]])<br>The first lord of the Noldor awoke at [[Cuiviénen]] and led his people into the [[West]] to dwell in [[Valinor]]. He was slain by [[Morgoth]] at [[Formenos]], and succeeded by his eldest son.<br />
# '''[[Fëanor]]''' (ruled briefly during First Age year 1)<br>He led the host of the Noldor back to Middle-earth to avenge his father's death and recover the [[Silmarils]] from Morgoth. He was slain in his assault on [[Angband]]. After his death, the Kingship by right belonged to his eldest son Maedhros, but he refused it and the succession passed instead to [[Fëanor]]'s half-brother.<br />
# '''[[Fingolfin]]''' (ruled 454 years to First Age 455)<br>He dwelt to the northwest of [[Beleriand]] with his sons, and ruled the Noldor during the [[Siege of Angband]]. When Morgoth broke the leaguer in the [[Dagor Bragollach]] ("Battle of Sudden Flame"), he rode in anger to the gates of Angband and died in single combat with Morgoth. He was succeeded by his eldest son.<br />
# '''[[Fingon]]''' (ruled 16 years to First Age 471)<br>His short reign was one of endless war with the forces of Morgoth. With Maedhros, he prepared a final assault on Morgoth, the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]] ("Battle of Unnumbered Tears"), which ended in disaster for the Noldor and Fingon's own death. He was succeeded by his brother.<br />
# '''[[Turgon of Gondolin|Turgon]]''' (ruled 39 years to First Age 510)<br>Turgon's kingship was titular indeed, for even his own kin did not know the location of his [[Hidden City]] of [[Gondolin]]. Gondolin's location was discovered by Morgoth through the treachery of Maeglin, and Turgon died in its Fall. After his death, the Kingship passed back to Fingon's line, to his only son.<br />
# '''[[Ereinion Gil-galad]]''' (ruled 3,514 years to [[Second Age]] 3441)<br>The last High King, Gil-galad held the Kingship longer than any of his forebears since [[Finwë]]. He formed the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men|Last Alliance]] with [[Elendil]], and died during the [[Siege of Barad-dûr]] at the end of the Second Age. <br />
<br />
Gil-galad was the last High King; after his time the title is never used. In order of succession, the Kingship would presumably have fallen on Turgon's descendants; [[Eärendil the Mariner|Eärendil]] (who was in the West and could not exercise it) or his eldest son [[Elrond]] (who never made claim to the Kingship).<br />
<br />
[[Category:Noldor]]<br />
[[Category:Elven Titles]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Siege_of_Gondor&diff=70723Siege of Gondor2008-09-13T07:19:20Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Stephen Hickman - Siege of Minas Tirith.jpg|thumb|right|450px|''Siege of Minas Tirith'' by [[Stephen Hickman]]]]The '''Siege of Gondor''', refers to [[Sauron]]'s siege of [[Minas Tirith]] and the [[Corsairs]] invasion of [[South Gondor]].<br />
<br />
<br />
See [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Wars and Battles]]<br />
[[Category:Sieges]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Siege_of_Gondor&diff=70722Siege of Gondor2008-09-13T07:16:51Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Stephen Hickman - Siege of Minas Tirith.jpg|thumb|right|400px]] The '''Siege of Gondor''', refers to [[Sauron]]'s siege of [[Minas Tirith]] and the [[Corsairs]] invasion of [[South Gondor]].<br />
<br />
<br />
See [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Wars and Battles]]<br />
[[Category:Sieges]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ring_Verse&diff=70721Ring Verse2008-09-13T07:09:39Z<p>Ingwe: Added Image</p>
<hr />
<div>The '''Ring-inscription''' is a [[Black Speech]] inscription in [[Tengwar]] upon the [[One Ring]], symbolising the Ring's power to control the other [[Rings of Power]].<br />
<br />
Normally the One Ring appears perfectly plain and featureless, but when heated in a fire the inscription appears in fiery letters inside and outside the Ring. A drawing of the Inscription appears in Book I, Chapter 2 of ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', "The Shadow of the Past". A transliteration appears in Book II, Chapter 2, "The [[Council of Elrond]]", where the inscription is read by [[Gandalf]]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>''Ash nazg durbatul&ucirc;k, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatul&ucirc;k, agh [[Burzum-ishi|burzum-ishi]] krimpatul''</blockquote><br />
<br />
[[Image:Tim Baker - The One Ring.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''The One Ring'' by Tim Baker]]These words, in the Black Speech of [[Mordor]], are physically painful to any [[Elves|Elf]] who hears them (as well as any other words of that language), most probably because of the power and the shadow they bring (the Shadow being the more harmful to the elves). It seems that the inscription uses Elvish lettering because the other Rings of Power were made by the Elves. <br />
<br />
Roughly translated, they mean:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>''One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them''</blockquote><br />
<br />
'''Note:''' some recent editions of ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' accidentally omit the first two clauses of this phrase from Chapter 2.<br />
<br />
The entire poem reads:<br />
<br />
:''Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,''<br>''Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,''<br>''Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,''<br>''One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne''<br>''In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.''<br>''One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,''<br>''One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,''<br>''In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.''<br><br />
<br />
Gandalf first learned of the Ring-inscription when he read the account that [[Isildur]] had written before marching north to his death and the loss of the Ring. When Isildur had cut the ring from Sauron's hand, it was burning hot, and so Isildur was able to transcribe the inscription before it faded.<br />
<br />
When Gandalf subsequently heated the ring that [[Bilbo Baggins]] had found and passed on to [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] the inscription appeared, leaving him in no doubt that it was the One Ring.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Rings and Jewels]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=The_Dragon%27s_Visit&diff=70720The Dragon's Visit2008-09-13T06:58:37Z<p>Ingwe: /* The Poem */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''The Dragon's Visit''' is a humorous poem written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] which was first published on February 4th, 1937 within [[The Oxford Magazine]], Vol. 55. No. 11. It was reprinted in [[Douglas A. Anderson]]'s [[The Annotated Hobbit]] in 1988 and a revised form can be found in Winter's Tales for Children I (1965).<br />
<br />
==The Poem==<br />
<poem> [[Image:Perkan Pickman - Glaurung.jpg|thumb|right|400px|]] <br />
The dragon lay on the cherry trees<br />
a-simmering and a-dreaming,<br />
Green was he, and the blosson white,<br />
and the yellow sun gleaming.<br />
He came from the land of Finis-Terre,<br />
from over the Blue Mountains,<br />
Where dragons live, and the moon shines,<br />
on high white fountains.<br />
<br />
"Please Mister Higgins, do you know<br />
What's a-laying in your garden?<br />
There a dragon in your cherry trees!"<br />
"Eh, what? I beg your pardon?"<br />
Mister Higgins fetched the garden hose,<br />
and the dragon awoke from dreaming;<br />
He blinked, and cocked his long green ears<br />
when he felt the water streaming.<br />
<br />
"How cool!" he said, "delightfully cool<br />
are Mister Higgins' fountains!<br />
I'll sit and sing till the moon comes,<br />
as they sing beyond the mountains;<br />
And Higgins, and his neighbors, Box,<br />
Miss Biggins and old Tupper,<br />
Will be enchanted by my voice:<br />
they will enjoy their supper!"<br />
<br />
Mister Higgins sent for the fire brigade<br />
with a long red ladder.<br />
And men with golden helmets on.<br />
The dragon's heart grew sadder:<br />
"It reminds me of the bad old days<br />
when warriors unfeeling<br />
Used to hunt dragons in their dens,<br />
their bright gold stealing.<br />
<br />
Captain George, he up the ladder came,<br />
The dragon said: "Good people,<br />
Why all this fuss? Please go away!<br />
Or your church-steeple<br />
I shall throw down, and blast your trees,<br />
and kill and eat for supper<br />
You, Cap'n George, and Higgins, Box,<br />
and Biggins and old Tupper."<br />
<br />
"Turn on the hose!" said Captain George,<br />
and down the ladder tumbled.<br />
The dragon's eyes from green went red,<br />
and his belly rumbled.<br />
He steamed, he smoked, he threshed his tail,<br />
and down the blossom fluttered;<br />
Like snow upon the lawn it lay,<br />
and the dragon growled and muttered.<br />
<br />
They poked with poles from underneath<br />
(where he was rather tender):<br />
The dragon gave a dreadful cry<br />
and rose like thunder.<br />
He smashed the town to smithereens,<br />
and over the Bay of Bimble<br />
Sailors could see the burning red<br />
from Bumpus Head to Trimble.<br />
<br />
Mister Higgins was tough, and as for Box<br />
just like his name he tasted.<br />
The dragon munching his supper said:<br />
"So all my trouble's wasted!"<br />
And he buried Tupper, and Captain George,<br />
and what was left of old Mrs. Higgins,<br />
On a cliff above the long white shore;<br />
and he sang a dirge for Higgins.<br />
<br />
A sad song, while the moon rose,<br />
with the sea below sighing<br />
On the grey rocks of Bimble Bay,<br />
and the red blaze dying.<br />
Far over the sea he saw the peaks<br />
round his own land ranging;<br />
And he mused on the folk of Bimble Bay<br />
and the old order changing:<br />
<br />
"None of them now have the wit to admire<br />
a dragon's song or colour,<br />
Now the nere with steel to meet his fire -<br />
the world is getting duller!"<br />
He spread his wings to depart;<br />
but just as he was rising<br />
Miss Biggins stabbed him to the heart,<br />
and that he found surprising.<br />
<br />
"I regret this very much," she said.<br />
"You're a very splendid creature,<br />
And your voice is quite remarkable<br />
for one who has no teacher;<br />
But wanton damage I will not have,<br />
I really had to end it."<br />
The dragon sighed before he died:<br />
"At least she called me splendid."<br />
</poem><br />
<br />
[[Category:Poems]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=The_Dragon%27s_Visit&diff=70719The Dragon's Visit2008-09-13T06:57:30Z<p>Ingwe: Added Image</p>
<hr />
<div>'''The Dragon's Visit''' is a humorous poem written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] which was first published on February 4th, 1937 within [[The Oxford Magazine]], Vol. 55. No. 11. It was reprinted in [[Douglas A. Anderson]]'s [[The Annotated Hobbit]] in 1988 and a revised form can be found in Winter's Tales for Children I (1965).<br />
<br />
==The Poem==<br />
[[Image:Perkan Pickman - Glaurung.jpg|thumb|right|400px|]] <br />
The dragon lay on the cherry trees<br />
a-simmering and a-dreaming,<br />
Green was he, and the blosson white,<br />
and the yellow sun gleaming.<br />
He came from the land of Finis-Terre,<br />
from over the Blue Mountains,<br />
Where dragons live, and the moon shines,<br />
on high white fountains.<br />
<br />
"Please Mister Higgins, do you know<br />
What's a-laying in your garden?<br />
There a dragon in your cherry trees!"<br />
"Eh, what? I beg your pardon?"<br />
Mister Higgins fetched the garden hose,<br />
and the dragon awoke from dreaming;<br />
He blinked, and cocked his long green ears<br />
when he felt the water streaming.<br />
<br />
"How cool!" he said, "delightfully cool<br />
are Mister Higgins' fountains!<br />
I'll sit and sing till the moon comes,<br />
as they sing beyond the mountains;<br />
And Higgins, and his neighbors, Box,<br />
Miss Biggins and old Tupper,<br />
Will be enchanted by my voice:<br />
they will enjoy their supper!"<br />
<br />
Mister Higgins sent for the fire brigade<br />
with a long red ladder.<br />
And men with golden helmets on.<br />
The dragon's heart grew sadder:<br />
"It reminds me of the bad old days<br />
when warriors unfeeling<br />
Used to hunt dragons in their dens,<br />
their bright gold stealing.<br />
<br />
Captain George, he up the ladder came,<br />
The dragon said: "Good people,<br />
Why all this fuss? Please go away!<br />
Or your church-steeple<br />
I shall throw down, and blast your trees,<br />
and kill and eat for supper<br />
You, Cap'n George, and Higgins, Box,<br />
and Biggins and old Tupper."<br />
<br />
"Turn on the hose!" said Captain George,<br />
and down the ladder tumbled.<br />
The dragon's eyes from green went red,<br />
and his belly rumbled.<br />
He steamed, he smoked, he threshed his tail,<br />
and down the blossom fluttered;<br />
Like snow upon the lawn it lay,<br />
and the dragon growled and muttered.<br />
<br />
They poked with poles from underneath<br />
(where he was rather tender):<br />
The dragon gave a dreadful cry<br />
and rose like thunder.<br />
He smashed the town to smithereens,<br />
and over the Bay of Bimble<br />
Sailors could see the burning red<br />
from Bumpus Head to Trimble.<br />
<br />
Mister Higgins was tough, and as for Box<br />
just like his name he tasted.<br />
The dragon munching his supper said:<br />
"So all my trouble's wasted!"<br />
And he buried Tupper, and Captain George,<br />
and what was left of old Mrs. Higgins,<br />
On a cliff above the long white shore;<br />
and he sang a dirge for Higgins.<br />
<br />
A sad song, while the moon rose,<br />
with the sea below sighing<br />
On the grey rocks of Bimble Bay,<br />
and the red blaze dying.<br />
Far over the sea he saw the peaks<br />
round his own land ranging;<br />
And he mused on the folk of Bimble Bay<br />
and the old order changing:<br />
<br />
"None of them now have the wit to admire<br />
a dragon's song or colour,<br />
Now the nere with steel to meet his fire -<br />
the world is getting duller!"<br />
He spread his wings to depart;<br />
but just as he was rising<br />
Miss Biggins stabbed him to the heart,<br />
and that he found surprising.<br />
<br />
"I regret this very much," she said.<br />
"You're a very splendid creature,<br />
And your voice is quite remarkable<br />
for one who has no teacher;<br />
But wanton damage I will not have,<br />
I really had to end it."<br />
The dragon sighed before he died:<br />
"At least she called me splendid."<br />
</poem><br />
<br />
[[Category:Poems]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Ezellohar&diff=70718Ezellohar2008-09-13T06:39:05Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Peter Xavier Price - The Two Trees.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''The Two Trees'' by [[Peter Xavier Price ]]]]'''Ezellohar''' ([[Vanyarin Quenya|VQ]]. 'Green Mound'; [[ezel]] = green) was the [[Green Mound]] before the western gates of [[Valmar]], also called [[Corollairë]], where the [[Two Trees]] of [[Valinor]] grew.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Hills]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Imrahil&diff=70716Imrahil2008-09-13T02:48:31Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{men infobox<br />
|image=[[Image:John Howe - Prince Imrahil.jpg|250px]]<br />
|name=Imrahil<br />
|othernames= [[Prince of Dol Amroth]]<br />
|birth=[[Third Age 2955|T.A. 2955]]<br />
|death=[[Fourth Age 34|Fo. A. 34]]<br />
|race=Men<br />
|gender=Male<br />
|height=Tall<br />
|hair=Black<br />
|eyes=Grey<br />
|}}<br />
{{quote|That is a fair lord and a great captain of men. If Gondor has such men still in these days of fading, great must have been its glory in the days of its rising.|[[Legolas of Mirkwood|Legolas]], ''[[The Last Debate]]''}}<br />
'''Imrahil''' was the twenty-second [[Prince of Dol Amroth]]. He was the son of [[Adrahil II]] He had two older sisters, [[Ivriniel]] and [[Finduilas of Dol Amroth|Finduilas]]. After his father's death, he became Prince in [[Third Age 3010|T.A. 3010]]. Imrahil had four children: [[Elphir]], [[Erchirion]], [[Amrothos]] and [[Lothíriel]]<sup>[[#References|1]]</sup>. <br />
<br />
==War of the Ring==<br />
During the [[War of the Ring]], Imrahil came to the aid of his [[Denethor II|brother-in-law]]. On March 9, [[Third Age 3019|T.A. 3019]], he came into [[Minas Tirith in Gondor|Minas Tirith]]: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>''And last and proudest, Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, with gilded banners bearing his token of the Ship and the Silver Swan, and a company of knights in full harness riding grey horses; behind them seven hundreds of men at arms, tall as lords, grey-eyed, dark-haired, singing as they came.''<sup>[[#References|2]]</sup></blockquote> <br />
<br />
On March 13, as [[Southrons]] harrassed [[Faramir (son of Denethor II)|Faramir]], Imrahil and his knights, with [[Gandalf|Mithrandir]], formed a sortie, and Imrahil himself saved his sister-son from his pursuers. Faramir received a poisonous wound, and Denethor fell to madness. Being the highest ranking officer [[Gondor]] fit for battle, Imrahil took command, and quickly passed it on to Mithrandir. <br />
<br />
On March 15, Imrahil ventured outside the city, and witnessed the funeral procession of [[Théoden]]. He identified [[Éowyn]], and sent her to the [[Houses of Healing]]. <br />
<br />
Because [[Éomer]] and his riders were outnumbered, Imrahil rode into battle, together with [[Húrin the Tall]], [[Forlong|Forlong of Lossarnach]] and [[Hirluin|Hirluin the Fair]], and they were soon joined by [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] who landed at [[Harlond in Gondor|Harlond]]. Imrahil continued East, driving the frightened [[Variags]] and [[orcs]] away. <br />
<br />
{{Pronounce|Imrahil.mp3|Ardamir}}Imrahil survived the battle unscathed, and together with Éomer and Aragorn he came to the gates of Minas Tirith <sup>[[#References|3]]</sup>. Imrahil recognized that Aragorn was the rightful King, but he agreed that it was wise for Aragorn to wait to enter the city, because he knew Denethor was strong-willed and proud. <br />
<br />
When Imrahil learned that Denethor was dead and Faramir dying, he suggested that Aragorn be summoned, remembering that the Kings of old were great healers. Aragorn came at Gandalf's request to heal the wounded Faramir, Éowyn and [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]], but he declared that Prince Imrahil should rule the City until Faramir awoke, in effect granting Imrahil the position of Steward.<br />
<br />
During the debate of the Captains of the West, Gandalf proposed that they march to the [[Morannon]] to distract Sauron's attention from [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] the Ring-bearer. Imrahil said that he would follow his liege Aragorn, but since Minas Tirith was under his command the Prince advised that some should remain to defend the City. In the end it was decided that an army of 7,000 would ride forth. Imrahil laughed and said:<br />
<blockquote>''"Surely this is the greatest jest in all the history of Gondor: that we should ride with seven thousands, scarce as many as the vanguard of its army in the days of its power, to assail the mountains and the impenetrable gate of the Black Land! So might a child threaten a mail-clad knight with a bow of string and green willow!"'' <sup>[[#References|4]]</sup></blockquote><br />
<br />
The Host of the West left Minas Tirith on March 18. Bypassing [[Minas Morgul]] and marching North, the heralds announced the coming of King Elessar at Imrahil's advice. When Sauron's forces emerged from the Black Gate on March 25, Imrahil stood on the front line with his men. They fought the [[Battle of the Morannon]] until the [[One Ring]] was destroyed. <br />
<br />
Prince Imrahil was present at the celebrations of the field of Cormallen, and the coronation of Aragorn as King Elessar, and rode with the funeral procession of King Théoden to Rohan, remaining in [[Edoras]] after the King's burial on August 10. Imrahil and Éomer became great friends, and in [[Fourth Age 2|Fo. A. 2]] Éomer wed Imrahil's daughter [[Lothíriel]]<sup>[[#References|5]]</sup>.<br />
<br />
==Later life==<br />
After the War of the Ring, Prince Imrahil and his nephew Faramir, [[Prince of Ithilien]], were King Elessar's chief commanders. Imrahil was also part of the Great Council of Gondor, and remained an advisor of the King<sup>[[#References|6]]</sup>.<br />
<br />
Prince Imrahil died in the year 34 of the [[Fourth Age]], and was succeed by his eldest son [[Elphir]], who continued the line of Princes. <br />
<br />
==Etymology==<br />
The name Imrahil is said to be of [[Adûnaic|Númenorean]] origin<sup>[[#References|7]]</sup>. [[Carl F. Hostetter]] and [[Patrick H. Wynne]] have proposed as a possible meaning "Heir of [[Imrazôr]]"<sup>[[#References|8]]</sup>, but the validity of this guess is low. <br />
<br />
==Portrayal in adaptations==<br />
Both the [[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King|Rankin/Bass]] and the [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King|Peter Jackson]] movies left out the character of Imrahil. Peter Jackson replaced him with a fringe character, [[Irolas]].<br />
<br />
== See Also ==<br />
* [[:Category:Images of Imrahil|Images of Imrahil]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
# ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', ''[[The Heirs of Elendil]]''<br />
# ''[[The Return of the King]]'', ''[[Minas Tirith (chapter)|Minas Tirith]]''<br />
# ''[[The Return of the King]]'', ''[[The Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]''<br />
# ''[[The Return of the King]]'', ''[[The Last Debate]]''<br />
# ''[[Appendix A]]''<br />
# ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[Letter 244]]''<br />
# ''[[Appendix E]]''<br />
# ''[[Vinyar Tengwar 25]], page 17.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]<br />
[[Category:Princes of Dol Amroth]]<br />
[[Category:Dúnedain]]<br />
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]<br />
[[de: Imrahil]]<br />
[[fi: Imrahil]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70714Canon2008-09-13T00:50:59Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or which texts should be considered part of the '''canon'''. Perhaps no clear canon can be defined. Or it may be that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|right|400px|''Goldberry'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]There are various reasons that make the idea of a Tolkien canon problematic:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Perkan Pickman - Gil-galad.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''Gil-galad'' by Perkan Pickman]]An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|right|300px| ''Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil'' by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70713Canon2008-09-13T00:50:19Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered part of the '''canon'''. Perhaps no clear canon can be defined. Or it may be that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|right|400px|''Goldberry'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]There are various reasons that make the idea of a Tolkien canon problematic:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Perkan Pickman - Gil-galad.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''Gil-galad'' by Perkan Pickman]]An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|right|300px| ''Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil'' by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70712Canon2008-09-13T00:45:44Z<p>Ingwe: /* Reasons */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered part of the '''canon'''. Perhaps no clear canon can be defined. Or it may be that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Goldberry'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]There are various reasons that make the idea of a Tolkien canon problematic:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Perkan Pickman - Gil-galad.jpg|thumb|left|300px|''Gil-galad'' by Perkan Pickman]]An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px| ''Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil'' by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70711Canon2008-09-13T00:42:57Z<p>Ingwe: /* Reasons */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered part of the '''canon'''. Perhaps no clear canon can be defined. Or it may be that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Goldberry'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]There are various reasons that make the idea of a Tolkien canon problematic:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Perkan Pickman - Gil-galad.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Gil-galad'' by Perkan Pickman]]An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px| ''Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil'' by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70710Canon2008-09-13T00:28:28Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered part of the '''canon'''. Perhaps no clear canon can be defined. Or it may be that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Goldberry'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]There are various reasons that make the idea of a Tolkien canon problematic:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px| ''Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil'' by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70708Canon2008-09-12T19:03:15Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Goldberry'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px| ''Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil'' by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70707Canon2008-09-12T19:02:44Z<p>Ingwe: Added Image</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
[[Image:Brothers Hildebrandt - Goldberry.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Goldberry'' by [[The Brothers Hildebrandt]]]]There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px| Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70706Canon2008-09-12T18:47:27Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px| Boromir, Lothiriel, and Imrahil by [[Catherine Chmiel]]]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70705Canon2008-09-12T18:42:26Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px]] In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70704Canon2008-09-12T18:41:48Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherine Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|200px]] In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70703Canon2008-09-12T18:36:38Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70702Canon2008-09-12T18:36:09Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel-Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.png|thumb|left]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70701Canon2008-09-12T18:35:37Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel-Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.png|200px|thumb|left]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70700Canon2008-09-12T18:34:24Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel-Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|200px|thumb|left|alt text]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70699Canon2008-09-12T18:34:03Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel-Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|200px|thumb|left|]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70698Canon2008-09-12T18:32:54Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel-Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|200px|]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70697Canon2008-09-12T18:32:26Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel-Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.png|thumb|left|200px|]]In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70696Canon2008-09-12T18:26:18Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.png|thumb|left|200px|]] In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70695Canon2008-09-12T18:24:43Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|200px|]] In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70694Canon2008-09-12T18:23:40Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
[[Image:Catherina Chmiel - Boromir Lothiriel Imrahil.jpg|thumb|left|300px|]] In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70689Canon2008-09-12T18:01:08Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Talk:Canon&diff=70688Talk:Canon2008-09-12T17:56:58Z<p>Ingwe: /* The New Section */</p>
<hr />
<div>Since the encyclopedia treats the post-silmarillion things as canon (eg. Gil-galad son of Orodreth) perhaps the encyclopedia should also prefer 'updated' words such as Echoriad, Amon Gwared and Dor Fin i-Chuinar? [[User:Sage|Sage]] 15:08, 5 August 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I don't know, I'm in the Second Sentence group, "Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all." -- [[User:Ederchil|Ederchil]] 15:36, 5 August 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==The New Section==<br />
:By Matthew, "On Canon and Mythology". I'm having some trouble with it, but I wanted to hear other people's opinion. <br />
<br />
# It's out of place at its current location. It could be an extension of the third reason, though.<br />
# Who is Joseph Campbell? You quote him like he's the next best thing since sliced bread, but wouldn't a more Tolkien-related explanation be better?<br />
# The spelling, dude, the spelling. Again. Middle-earth. Tolkien. And please no "JRRT"'s anywhere except on talk pages.<br />
# "While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being inerrent and a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle Earth". It could do with a {{fact}}. Where are these LotR-thumpers? If we want anything good, we don't want to quote anonymous authorities, let alone exaggerated ones.<br />
<br />
Yours, {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 18:02, 11 September 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I agree with your suggestions to whomever the writer of this article is Ederchil, but I am shocked that you are oblivious to the brilliance of Joseph Campbell.You may want to "study up." Perhaps you are right that he should not be quoted nonetheless. -Ingwe<br />
<br />
::I think Joseph Campbell was a professor on mythology, but I don't know how relevant he is to Tolkien (there are no mentions to "Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", "Tolkien" or "Middle-earth" on his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell Wikipedia] article). Although I don't mind quoting someone who was a professor on mythology, the lack of references is slightly irritating and there are many "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word weasel words]" in the article (I do think this is problem with the article in general as there appear to be no references).<br />
::I think that although Joseph Campbell may have been an expert in his field, it sounds as if many of the points raised refer to historical mythologies which have evolved over time when later writings became very different from the earlier ones (the tales of King Arthur are a good example of this). Although ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are very different, I do not think this is because of massive re-tellings in the story: it is because ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' were written very differently for very different purposes; I personally think ''The Hobbit'' stands alone from the rest of the legendarium in this respect and it is slightly unfair to compare the two - after all, the two were very separate for a long time and were moulded together it latter years. <br />
::Along with the issue of re-tellings, I do not believe that many of the conflicting passages are reconcilable: what, in fact, needs to be decided (although, of course, not by us as editors) is which parts Tolkien considered final and which parts he didn't; he was a man not a omniscient super-being, he made mistakes and changed his mind as the years progressed as many authors do (''The History of "The Lord of the Rings"'' is a testament to that).<br />
::On the issue of spelling, I recommend using [http://www.mozilla.com/firefox Firefox] which comes with an in-built spell-checker for text-areas.--[[User:Mith|Mith]] 23:27, 11 September 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Okay, I hadn't heard of Campbell. But I agree with Mith; his theories do not seem to be centered on Modern, "made-up" mythology. <br />
:::I also agree that ''The Hobbit'' stands out of the rest; obviously written for another audience, it uses many similes and anachronisms that are out of touch with the rest of the legendarium. <br />
:::The problem with "final" is this: currently, the Third Edition Hobbit is "canon" by our standards. However, in HoTH, there's the "Fifth Phase" Hobbit, which was an attempted rewrite to "merge" it with the LotR environment - more Inns, including the PP, a longer route, but unfortunately, he never got past Rivendell (don't know out of my head whether he disgarded it or not). <br />
:::Tolkien was, without a doubt, the biggest retconner in the history of retcons. Some were explained away by what now could/would be called fanwank (think Riddles in the Dark).<br />
:::Also in the retcon department - the 50th anniversary edition has several "mistakes" corrected - Tale of Years mostly. Is that canon? <br />
:::Tolkien must have said something on the "Tolkien the Chronicler" interpretation ([[Letter 268]] comes to mind), can't we use that?<br />
:::Spelling isn't really an issue of browsers, it's just that this user showed some wrong spellings - Middle Earth, Dol Goldûr, among others - before. <br />
:::--{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 07:46, 12 September 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
How long are we going to wait for the spelling in this article to be rectified before we start editing mercilessly? In some places, "Tolkien" is not even capitalized! -Ingwe<br />
<br />
:You can do it, if you like. Can't do it myself, though. My PC is so slow (apparently still some malware left) I can't edit long pages (or access, hotmail, youtube, et cetera). Otherwise, I would have done most of my concerns myself. -- {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 17:25, 12 September 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The main problem in this section is rather simple. The author asserts that people in mythology believe that they are in a mythological story. Preposterous! To us and Tolkien the story is mythological. But certainly Bilbo and others believe in their own reality. I am going to cut that part of the section. -Ingwe</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70686Canon2008-09-12T17:42:06Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. As Joseph Campbell has demonstrated in ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces'' and ''The Masks of God: vols I-IV'', a myth can have more than one true and authentic telling or version, while the actual events that transpired are either completely the stuff of legends, or their objective reality has been lost in the re-telling of the myth through time among different populations.<br />
<br />
While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Canon&diff=70685Canon2008-09-12T17:41:33Z<p>Ingwe: /* On Canon and Mythology */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{cleanup}}It is remarkably difficult to speak of what is "true" in the context of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s legendarium, or what texts should be considered '''canon'''. Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all. Others argue that a legendarium for its very nature does not need any kind of canon.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Reasons==<br />
There are various reasons for the canon problem:<br />
<br />
* Tolkien worked on Middle-earth over the course of decades, making substantial changes. Readers may remember, for example, the differences between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' with regard to [[Gandalf]] and the [[Elves]]. Moreover, toward the end of his life the focus of his writing shifted from pure story telling to more philosophical concerns, which led to a considerable shift in tone and content.<br />
<br />
* Tolkien's writing is laden with details and hints, which can be contradictory, especially in the posthumously published work. Such information should not take precedence over more explicit statements elsewhere, but it can help to flesh out our understanding of Middle-earth (even if it does at times add confusion). In general, the '''revised''' versions of ''The Hobbit'' and the ''Lord of the Rings'' are considered canon, but with ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous texts the matter is more complex.<br />
<br />
* To add to the confusion, in some cases, Tolkien intentionally left some gaps in his works. In [[Letter 144]] he provided both an explanation and an example of this, writing that ''"even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. [[Tom Bombadil]] is one (intentionally)."'' Giving an incomplete picture in this way can be frustrating, but it also makes the invented world feel more natural.<br />
<br />
{{quote|I am doubtful myself about the undertaking. Part of the attraction of the [[The Lord of the Rings|L.R.]] is, I think, due to the glimpses of a large history in the background: an attraction like that of viewing far off an unvisited island, or seeing the towers of a distant city gleaming in a sunlit mist. To go there is to destroy the magic, unless new unattainable vistas are again revealed. Also many of the older legends are purely 'mythological', and nearly all are grim and tragic: a long account of the disasters that destroyed the beauty of the Ancient World, from the darkening of [[Valinor]] to the Downfall of [[Númenor]] and the flight of [[Elendil]].|''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', [[Letter 257]]}}<br />
<br />
As only ''[[The Hobbit]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' were published during Tolkien's lifetime, only those works should be considered "true" canon with respect to Tolkien's publication history. Tolkien himself considered the published works as "fixed" and tried not to introduce new concepts that would contradict or alter them, while elements he left unpublished, he continued to experiment on.<br />
<br />
But ''The Hobbit'' was revised twice, and ''The Lord of The Rings'' once. There is no general consistency across all of these books, although the most agreement between sources may be found with the second (1950) edition of The Hobbit, the first (1954-5) edition of ''The Lord of The Rings'', and ''The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' and ''The Road Goes Ever On''.<br />
<br />
[[Christopher Tolkien]] compiled an approximation of what his father might have produced when ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was published. However, he warned readers not to look for consistency between this book and those published by his father. Throughout his commentaries in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher has pointed out many discrepancies between his final editorial selections and alterations and what he later believed would have been his father's true intentions.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, the chapters in the published ''Silmarillion'' about the ruin of [[Doriath]] and the fall of [[Gondolin]], especially the former, were largely written by Christopher Tolkien and [[Guy Gavriel Kay]], to fill in gaps in the available story, and therefore do not represent J.R.R. Tolkien's own ideas about how those stories should be handled.<br />
<br />
''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' consists of essays and stories composed after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' which were generally consistent with The Lord of the Rings. The book reveals parallel traditions regarding the history of Galadriel and Celeborn, the nature of the [[Istari]], and a few minor sub-plots. Although some people argue that the book is generally acceptable as canon, readers must bear in mind the fact that no true consistency exists between these unfinished tales and the earlier works.<br />
<br />
The various texts published in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' date from all periods of Tolkien's life and generally exclude the more finished sections used for the published works.<br />
<br />
An example of the canon question is the lineage of [[Gil-galad]]. In the published ''Silmarillion'' he is said to be the son of [[Fingon]], but as disclosed in ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'' Tolkien considered many arrangements before apparently deciding that he was the son of [[Orodreth of Nargothrond|Orodreth]], who would then also be displaced as a son of [[Finarfin]] and turned into Finarfin's grandson instead. Also, most people think [[Finwë]] had three children, all sons; [[Fëanor]] by his first wife [[Míriel]], and [[Fingolfin]] and [[Finarfin]] by [[Indis]]. However, this is incorrect, since he also had two daughters, [[Findis]] and [[Irimë]], by his second wife (Findis was in fact Finwë's first child by Indis), thus Finwë had five children. If the published ''Silmarillion'' is taken as canon all later material must be discarded, but if the later writings by Tolkien are taken as canon the ''Silmarillion'' must be rewritten, a task which Christopher Tolkien has stated he will not do as he is now retired. So we are left with a ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' which contradicts the original author's intentions, but which is the only authoritative narrative in existence for most of the traditions. The latter third of the ''Quenta Silmarillion'' in particular was never rewritten by Tolkien as a whole after the early narrative of his youth.<br />
<br />
A further problem is reconciling ''The Hobbit'' with ''The Lord of the Rings''. In 1947, Tolkien suggested to his publisher, [[Allen and Unwin|George Allen & Unwin]], that ''The Hobbit'' required revision to make it more consistent with the then nearly finished sequel. In 1950, Tolkien was surprised to be informed that the publisher had incorporated his 1947 suggestions into a new edition of ''The Hobbit''. When he received the proofs for this update he subsequently altered some of the as-yet unpublished material in ''The Lord of the Rings'' to more fully conform to the changes Allen & Unwin had made to ''The Hobbit''.<br />
<br />
Among inconsistencies which survived into the second edition, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] took far too long to reach [[Rivendell]] when a map from ''The Lord of the Rings'' was used to gauge the distance, which can only be explained with great difficulty if at all. There are additional problems as well, such as the exact location of the [[Trolls|Troll]] encounter. When he began writing ''The Hobbit'' Tolkien did not intend for it to be part of his Middle-earth mythology, but was simply populating an imaginary landscape with characters and locations for a children's adventure story. Nonetheless, for his own amusement, Tolkien borrowed several references to his unpublished mythology to give the story a sense of depth. Thus Gandalf and [[Thorin Oakenshield]] wield swords from [[Gondolin]], and [[Elrond]], ruler of Rivendell, is [[Half-elven]].<br />
<br />
==Canon and Tolkien Gateway==<br />
For the sake of consistency, in this encyclopedia ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are considered fully canon, but the status of ''The Silmarillion'' and other posthumous writings is more complex. In general, ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales'' are treated as canon, but corrections published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' generally take precedence. Late writings by Tolkien published in ''The History of Middle-earth'' that do not contradict more established texts are also generally treated as canon.<br />
<br />
This choice of canon means that this encyclopedia includes a number of corrections to the information in ''The Silmarillion'' as published. For example, the article on Gil-galad states that he is the son of Orodreth, the article on [[Amras]] mentions his death in the burning of the ships of the Teleri, and [[Argon]], Findis and Irimë have articles of their own. Details of the history of the [[Nauglamír]] and the fall of [[Doriath]] are treated as uncertain, and the story of the ''[[Wanderings of Húrin]]'' is accepted as accurate. Information on earlier or alternate versions of the stories is provided when possible.<br />
===On Canon and Mythology===<br />
In treating Tolkien's work as a revealed mythology, it must be taken into account that the material presented is done so in such a manner that it represents only one possible telling of a story. A Joseph Campbell has demonstrated in ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces'' and ''The Masks of God: vols I-IV'', a myth can have more than one true and authentic telling or version, while the actual events that transpired are either completely the stuff of legends, or their objective reality has been lost in the re-telling of the myth through time among different populations.<br />
<br />
While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle-earth, it must be remembered that he himself knew that he was constructing a mythology. As such, different versions of a story could be held as true by various peoples or tellers of those myths.<br />
<br />
Thus, Bilbo's account of ''The Hobbit'' may be coloured by his perceptions and personality; while Frodo, Sam, and the other hobbits' accounts in ''The Lord of the Rings'' will have a completely different feel and quality to them. Tolkien may not have been completely conscious of this at the time of the earliest conceptions of his writings. But later in life, when he had begun to explore the more distant and remote past of Middle-earth and the various themes that run through it, he was almost certainly aware of this. <br />
<br />
When looked at in this light, it is quite easy to reconcile the various versions of the stories and canon of Tolkien's work as being simply the cultural variations of the peoples of Middle-earth in their retelling of these stories.<br />
<br />
===Canon status of various writings===<br />
While readers often differ in their opinions of which writings to treat as canon, this encyclopedia uses the following choices:<br />
<br />
*''[[The Hobbit]]'' (third edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' (second edition &#8212; canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'' (preface is canon, poems are treated as Hobbit folklore)<br />
*''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[Bilbo's Last Song]]'' (poems, thus irrelevant to the canon question)<br />
*''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'' (canon when not in conflict with later writings)<br />
<br />
*''[[The Silmarillion]]'':<br />
**''[[Ainulindalë]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Valaquenta]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' (mostly canon, except for editing errors and where contradicted by later writings)<br />
**''[[Akallabêth]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
**''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'' (canon, author's final intent)<br />
*''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' (mostly canon, except where specifically contradicted by later writings or noted as contradictory in the text)<br />
*''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' (some parts are canon, especially late writings &mdash; but see individual parts)<br />
<br />
[[Category:Tolkien Gateway]]</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Talk:Canon&diff=70683Talk:Canon2008-09-12T17:19:03Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>Since the encyclopedia treats the post-silmarillion things as canon (eg. Gil-galad son of Orodreth) perhaps the encyclopedia should also prefer 'updated' words such as Echoriad, Amon Gwared and Dor Fin i-Chuinar? [[User:Sage|Sage]] 15:08, 5 August 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:I don't know, I'm in the Second Sentence group, "Quite a few readers do not believe that any clear canon exists at all." -- [[User:Ederchil|Ederchil]] 15:36, 5 August 2008 (EDT)<br />
<br />
==The New Section==<br />
:By Matthew, "On Canon and Mythology". I'm having some trouble with it, but I wanted to hear other people's opinion. <br />
<br />
# It's out of place at its current location. It could be an extension of the third reason, though.<br />
# Who is Joseph Campbell? You quote him like he's the next best thing since sliced bread, but wouldn't a more Tolkien-related explanation be better?<br />
# The spelling, dude, the spelling. Again. Middle-earth. Tolkien. And please no "JRRT"'s anywhere except on talk pages.<br />
# "While the readers of Tolkien often take all of the material as being inerrent and a "factual" accounting of what transpired in the various ages of Middle Earth". It could do with a {{fact}}. Where are these LotR-thumpers? If we want anything good, we don't want to quote anonymous authorities, let alone exaggerated ones.<br />
<br />
Yours, {{User:Ederchil/sig}} 18:02, 11 September 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I agree with your suggestions to whomever the writer of this article is Ederchil, but I am shocked that you are oblivious to the brilliance of Joseph Campbell.You may want to "study up." Perhaps you are right that he should not be quoted nonetheless. -Ingwe<br />
<br />
::I think Joseph Campbell was a professor on mythology, but I don't know how relevant he is to Tolkien (there are no mentions to "Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", "Tolkien" or "Middle-earth" on his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell Wikipedia] article). Although I don't mind quoting someone who was a professor on mythology, the lack of references is slightly irritating and there are many "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word weasel words]" in the article (I do think this is problem with the article in general as there appear to be no references).<br />
::I think that although Joseph Campbell may have been an expert in his field, it sounds as if many of the points raised refer to historical mythologies which have evolved over time when later writings became very different from the earlier ones (the tales of King Arthur are a good example of this). Although ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' are very different, I do not think this is because of massive re-tellings in the story: it is because ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' were written very differently for very different purposes; I personally think ''The Hobbit'' stands alone from the rest of the legendarium in this respect and it is slightly unfair to compare the two - after all, the two were very separate for a long time and were moulded together it latter years. <br />
::Along with the issue of re-tellings, I do not believe that many of the conflicting passages are reconcilable: what, in fact, needs to be decided (although, of course, not by us as editors) is which parts Tolkien considered final and which parts he didn't; he was a man not a omniscient super-being, he made mistakes and changed his mind as the years progressed as many authors do (''The History of "The Lord of the Rings"'' is a testament to that).<br />
::On the issue of spelling, I recommend using [http://www.mozilla.com/firefox Firefox] which comes with an in-built spell-checker for text-areas.--[[User:Mith|Mith]] 23:27, 11 September 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Okay, I hadn't heard of Campbell. But I agree with Mith; his theories do not seem to be centered on Modern, "made-up" mythology. <br />
:::I also agree that ''The Hobbit'' stands out of the rest; obviously written for another audience, it uses many similes and anachronisms that are out of touch with the rest of the legendarium. <br />
:::The problem with "final" is this: currently, the Third Edition Hobbit is "canon" by our standards. However, in HoTH, there's the "Fifth Phase" Hobbit, which was an attempted rewrite to "merge" it with the LotR environment - more Inns, including the PP, a longer route, but unfortunately, he never got past Rivendell (don't know out of my head whether he disgarded it or not). <br />
:::Tolkien was, without a doubt, the biggest retconner in the history of retcons. Some were explained away by what now could/would be called fanwank (think Riddles in the Dark).<br />
:::Also in the retcon department - the 50th anniversary edition has several "mistakes" corrected - Tale of Years mostly. Is that canon? <br />
:::Tolkien must have said something on the "Tolkien the Chronicler" interpretation ([[Letter 268]] comes to mind), can't we use that?<br />
:::Spelling isn't really an issue of browsers, it's just that this user showed some wrong spellings - Middle Earth, Dol Goldûr, among others - before. <br />
:::--{{User:Ederchil/sig}} 07:46, 12 September 2008 (UTC)<br />
<br />
How long are we going to wait for the spelling in this article to be rectified before we start editing mercilessly? In some places, "Tolkien" is not even capitalized! -Ingwe</div>Ingwehttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Tolkien_Gateway_talk:Featured_Gatekeepers&diff=70671Tolkien Gateway talk:Featured Gatekeepers2008-09-11T23:44:09Z<p>Ingwe: </p>
<hr />
<div>This would an interesting way to recognize contributors, if we could get it started. --[[User:Theoden1|Theoden1]] 13:53, 20 May 2008 (EDT) <br />
<br />
:I concur. Let's just delete this if we are never going to use it. Oh by the way, I nominate Theoden1. He has written some wonderful articles.-Ingwe</div>Ingwe