A breakdown of Tolkien’s ‘Of Men’, Chapter 12 in The Silmarillion. As usual I share a mini summary with my thoughts, 10 tidbits and 5 quotes!

A Mini Summary and Some Personal Thoughts

In Chapter 12 of The Silmarillion, Men finally arrive in Middle-Earth! We learn the names Elves had for Men – including the Avari meaning the Second People, and my personal favorite, the Sickly. We also read about the differences between Elves and Men, cause there’s a lot. And we get a familiar name drop – or two! – at the very end of the chapter.

Let’s get into the tidbits!

Ten Tidbits About ‘Of Men’

1. Middle-earth was left untended with the lordship of Morgoth uncontested.

Now that the Valar had given light to Middle-earth in the forms of the Sun and the Moon, they ‘left it for long untended, and the lordship of Morgoth was uncontested save by the valour of the Noldor.’ However, not all the Valar left Men all on their own. Ulmo kept Middle-earth in mind, and gathered news of what was going on there through his waters.

2. Time began to be counted in the Years of the Sun.

From this time on, time was counted in the Years of the Sun, instead of the Years of the Trees. The Years of the Sun were ‘swifter and briefer’ than the Years of the Trees. And the ageing of all thing sped up exceedingly.

3. Men arrive in Middle-earth.

We finally get to the awakening of the Younger Children of Ilúvatar – Men! At the rising of the Sun, they awoke in the land of Hildórien in the eastern part of Middle-earth.

4. The Elves had a lot of named for Men – most of which were not very nice.

Here are some of the names that Elves called Men (they get worse the farther down you go LOL):

• the Second People – makes sense, they did come second after the Elves
• Hildor, the Followers
• Apanónar, the After-born – ok, we get it
• Engwar, the Sickly – feel like we’re getting a little personal now
• Fírimar, the Mortals
• the Usurpers – mmmm, really though?
• the Strangers – wow
• the Inscrutable
• the Self-cursed
• the Heavy-handed – what does this even mean?
• the Night-fearers – well now that’s just kind of rude
• the Children of the Sun

This list makes me laugh. If you wanted proof that The Silmarillion was written by the Elves, just read this chapter.

One of these names doesn’t seem to fit quite as well with all the others though. To me, Children of the Sun doesn’t seem as mean as the others. But maybe it has a more negative connotation to the Elves than I know.

5. The Silmarillion is mainly about the Elves – in case you needed a reminder.

I like how this chapter about men, which is SUPER short, specifies that The Silmarillion deals mostly with Elves and ‘of Men little is told in these tales.’ Like the Elves just want to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea, this book is about the Elves. I guess that explains why this chapter is 3 pages long and the chapter on the coming of the Elves is 8 pages long (in my copy of The Silmarillion at least).

6. Men feared rather than loved the Valar, but Ulmo loved them anyways!

Men have feared the Valar, rather than loved them, and have not understood the purposes of the Powers, being at variance with them, and at strife with the world.

Men were afraid of the Valar, not understanding them and their purposes. But Ulmo loved them anyways! And as a result, Men loved the waters.

Ulmo nonetheless took thought for them, aiding the counsel and will of Manwë; and his messages came often to them by stream and flood.’ And so Men loved the waters, even if they didn’t understand the messages.

7. Peace was brief (thanks to Morgoth and Fëanor).

The lies of Morgoth, and the oath of Fëanor were ‘ever at work’. And so this period of peace was brief, and there then came a time of great wars between the powers of the North (the Noldor and the Sindar and Men) who fought against Morgoth’s hosts.

8. Elves and Men have lots of differences.

This chapter gives a pretty thorough comparison of Elves and Men. We learn that Elves and Men actually used to be more alike in strength and stature. But Elves had greater wisdom, skill and beauty. They could not die from sickness or pestilence. They could be destroyed, but back then their bodies were even stronger than they were later on as time wore on. Plus Elves were immortal, and so became even wiser as ages passed. On the other hand, men were ‘frail, more easily slain by weapon or mischance, and less easily healed; subject to sickness and many ills.’ And the major difference is that Men grew old and died. They’re mortal.

9. Immortality vs Mortality

Speaking of mortality, Elves don’t know what happens to Men after they die. They just know that Men cannot come back to Middle-Earth. Except for one exception – ‘Beren son of Barahir, whose hand had touched a Silmaril’! There’s a lot to unpack just in those 10 words alone! If you’ve read and/or watched LOTR, Barahir might sound familiar. And touching a Silmaril is also a big deal, since we learned earlier on in The Silmarillion that no unclean hands can touch a Silmaril, and they in fact burned Morgoth’s hands pretty badly. Interesting!

10. Tolkien throws in a familiar name – or two – at the end of the chapter.

With so many unfamiliar names in The Silmarillion, it’s always nice to come across a familiar one. At the end of the chapter we get potentially two! The chapter closes with this quote:

And in the glory and beauty of the Elves, and in their fate, full share had the offspring of elf and mortal, Eärendil, and Elwing, and Elrond their child.

If you’re familiar with LOTR, you’ll definitely recognise Elrond! If you’ve watched The Rings of Power, Eärendil may also be familiar, from a couple of scenes where Elrond spoke of his father (some of my fav scenes in the show). Definitely stay tuned, cause Eärendil does some incredibly amazing things later on in The Silmarillion!

5 Fav Quotes from ‘Of Men’

Life teemed upon the soil and in the waters in the Second Spring of Arda, and the Eldar increased, and beneath the new Sun Beleriand grew green and fair.

Such a beautiful scene.

At the first rising of the Sun the Younger Children of Ilúvatar awoke in the land of Hildórien in the eastward regions of Middle-earth.

And thus Men arrived in Middle-earth.

There was little peril in the lands and hills; and there new things, devised long ages before in the thought of Yavanna and sown as seed in the dark, came at last to their budding and their bloom. West, North, and South the children of Men spread and wandered, and their joy was the joy of the morning before the dew is dry, when every leaf is green.

I like how this shows how Men were ‘devised long ages before’, and the imagery of how they came at last to their budding and bloom.

But the dawn is brief and the day full often belies its promise.

Another poignant Tolkien quote.

But in the dawn of years Elves and Men were allies and held themselves akin, and there were some among Men that learned the wisdom of the Eldar, and became great and valiant among the captains of the Noldor.

I think it’s amusing the link Elves attribute here to Men becoming great and valiant and them learning wisdom from the Eldar. I know Elves must have gained wisdom having lived so much longer, and am sure Men benefitted greatly from learning from them! But still =P

Further Study

I love listening to podcasts to gain more insights and thoughts on Tolkien’s works. Here a couple I listened to about this chapter:

• The Prancing Pony Podcast Episode 021 – New World, Man
• The Tolkien Professor’s Silmarillion Seminars

The Silmarillion Second Breakfast Book Club

That’s Chapter 12, ‘Of Men’! If you’ve missed any previous posts on The Silmarillion in our Second Breakfast Book Club, then check out the Reading Schedule. You can find updates on future chapters there as well. Next up, Chapter 13!