Death, Grief, and the Other in the "Quenta Silmarillion"
The narrator of the Quenta Silmarillion uses death, grief, and mourning rituals to generate sympathy for or dehumanize groups of characters considered the Other.
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The Most Important Characters Never Named: Unveiling the Narrators of The Silmarillion
Published on 6 April 2019 | Conference Paper
This paper, presented at the 2019 Tolkien at UVM Conference, considers the question of who (fictionally) wrote The Silmarillion, what evidence exists for this authorship, and what implications arise when reading and understanding a Silmarillion narrated by a fully developed character.
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Topic: Historical Bias, Historiography and Tolkien, Tolkien Studies
Characters: Pengolodh, Rúmil
Eka and the Quen
Published on 8 September 2018 | Short Story | Author's Choice
In a post-apocalyptic world where only scraps of humankind survive, Eka discovers the lingering fëa of an Elf and is able to imagine a very different world
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Characters: No characters listed.
Character Biography: Nerdanel
Published on 1 August 2018 | Essay
Nerdanel is a rare character among Tolkien's woman characters, possessing skill and fortitude rather than beauty, yet due to editorial intervention, has been removed almost entirely from the published text. Fans--mostly women--have effected her rescue through transformative works.
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Topic: Character Study, Tolkien Studies
Characters: Nerdanel
Caranthir the Slandered: Narrative Bias, Cross-Cultural Alliances, and Fëanor’s Angriest Son
Published on 26 July 2018 | Essay
Caranthir is relentlessly described in The Silmarillion as dark and harsh and haughty, yet these descriptions bear little resemblance to his actual deeds. Instead, I argue in this essay, Caranthir serves as one of the rare cosmopolitans of the Noldor and is deliberately cast by the Silmarillion's pseudohistorical narrator as a foil to the equally cosmopolitan Finrod Felagund in order to elevate the reputation of the latter.
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Topic: Character Study, Historical Bias, Historiography and Tolkien, Tolkien Studies
Characters: Caranthir, Elu Thingol, Finrod Felagund, Pengolodh, Turgon
The Inequality Prototype: Gender, Inequality, and the Valar in Tolkien’s Silmarillion
Published on 8 July 2018 | Essay
The Valar present an interesting case study of sexism in Tolkien's legendarium because they occupy a prototypical role, representing Iluvatar's intentions on how the universe should operate. My research shows that the female Valar not only appear far less frequently in The Silmarillion than the male Valar but are less involved, less assertive, and speak less.
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Topic: Gender and Tolkien, Historiography and Tolkien, Tolkien Studies
Characters: Valar, Varda