Ainulindalë (Morgoth's Ring)

The name Ainulindalë refers to more than one character, item or concept. For a list of other meanings, see Ainulindalë (disambiguation).

Morgoth's Ring

Part One: Ainulindalë Part Two: The Annals of Aman Part Three: The Later Quenta Silmarillion The First Phase Of the Valar Of Valinor and the Two Trees Of the Coming of the Elves Of Thingol and Melian Of Eldanor and the Princes of the Eldalië Of the Silmarils and the Darkening of Valinor Of the Flight of the Noldor Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor The Second Phase The Valaquenta The Earliest Version of the Story of Finwë and Míriel Laws and Customs Among the Eldar Later Versions of the Story of Finwë and Míriel Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor Of the Darkening of Valinor Of the Rape of the Silmarils Of the Thieves' Quarrel Part Four: Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth Tale of Adanel Part Five: Myths Transformed

The Ainulindalë is the first part of Morgoth's Ring, the tenth volume of The History of Middle-earth. It contains three different versions of the Ainulindalë (Rúmil's work) written after the last version published in The Lost Road and Other Writings.

Synopsis

When he had just begun to write The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien rewrote the cosmological myth in what his son lettered as Ainulindalë B. Christopher assumed that his father didn't come back to the matter of the Elder Days until finishing The Lord of the Rings, but editing this new volume, he realized that Tolkien did work on the Ainulindalë before starting The Return of the King. He found a single torn sheet of a new version of the Ainulindalë from 1946 and two drafts of the Letter 115. This letter was probably written in 1948, to Katherine Farrer, the wife of the theologian Austin Farrer, answering her comments on the Legendarium. He had previously lent her some manuscripts, including a Round World Version of the Ainulindalë, which Christopher letters as C*, and the previous Ainulindalë B. Mrs. Farrer preferred the Flat World Version, answering Tolkien with great entusiasm:

I like the Flat World versions best. The hope of Heaven is the only thing which makes modern astronomy tolerable: otherwise there must be an East and a West and Walls: aims and choices and not an endless circle of wandering.

She even asked to read more about The Silmarillion, and Tolkien "was really very touched by [her] kind letter – and also excited", although it took a long time for answering her, due he could not find some manuscripts to lend her. Thus, Tolkien rejected the Round World version of the Ainulindalë and wrote a new version directly from the version B. As Christopher summarizes:

• Ainulindalë B, a manuscript from 1930s, lent to Katherine Ferrer in 1948 with the 'Flat World Version' written in it.
• A new version, lost apart from a single torn sheet, written in 1946.
• Ainulindalë C*, a typescript based on this last text, lent to Katherine Ferrer in 1948 with the 'Round World Version' written in it.
• Ainulindalë C, made from version B, removing innovative elements of version C*.
• Ainulindalë D, the last clean version, probably made not longer after version C.

Due the peculiarities of version C*, Christopher does not give the texts in chronological order.

Alteration in last revision 1951

Before starting with the Ainulindalë texts, Christopher gives a brief but important document: an isolated list of names headed Alteration in last revision 1951. Here are given definitive Elvish names, such as Eru, Arda, Almaren, among others. Not all of them were newly devised, some of them go back to The Notion Club Papers and The Drowning of Anadûnê. Thus, this list has great value of dating, as the differences with Ainulindalë D show that this last version was written before 1951.^:7

Ainulindalë C

The title-page says: "This was written by Rúmil of Túna and was told to Ælfwine in Eressëa (as he records) by Pengoloð the Sage". None of the earlier texts about Ælfwine is said that Pengoloð (Pengolod) instructed him directly, but he is cited as the author of works translated by Ælfwine.^:8

The narrative follows closely the previous version during the first paragraphs, but the structure is completely changed with the inclusion of important elements: after the Great Music, Ilúvatar doesn't show the new creation to the Ainur, but a Vision. There they can see the history of the world and the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar, and they wished in their hearts that the world was real like them. Then the Vision is taken away, and Ilúvatar gives Being to the Vision with his creative word. After the