A breakdown of Tolkien’s ‘Of the Beginning of Days’, the first chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion. I share a mini summary in the midst of some personal thoughts, ten tidbits and five fav quotes!

A Mini Summary and Some Personal Thoughts

I honestly don’t know if Tolkien could pack any more epicness into a chapter. Of the Beginning of Days has some of my absolute favorite moments: the growing of plants in Arda, the creation of the Two Trees of Valinor, the gentle hour of softer light when the golden and silver lights from the Two Trees of Valinor mingle – doesn’t it just sound heavenly?! Speaking of, there’s also the establishment of Valinor. Throw in a war (The First War), a wedding, and the start of time, and you’ve got one jam-packed chapter. You can check out some of my fav tidbits below, but I really hope you give this chapter a read. There’s some heart-stompingly beautiful paragraphs that I could bask in for hours.

Ten Tidbits About ‘Of the Beginning of Days’

The First War

The First War began before Arda was even full shaped, between the Valar and Melkor

Tulkas the Strong

Tulkas was the hero of the day, arriving on the scene and driving out Melkor, and so became one of the Valar. I love how Tolkien describes it: ‘So came Tulkas the Stonrg, whose anger passes like a mighty wind, scattering cloud and darkness before it; and Melkor fled before his wrath and hs laughter and forsook Arda, and there was peace for a long age.

Flora and Fauna

Yavanna sowed seeds, and so the earth was filled with plants:

Then the seeds that Yavanna had sown began swiftly to sprout and to burgeon, and there arose a multitude of growing things great and small, mosses and grasses and great ferns, and trees whose tops were crowned with cloud as they were living mountains, but whose feet were wrapped in a green twilight. – The Silmarillion, JRR Tolkien⁣

At this time, beasts also came forth into the grassy plains, the rivers and lakes, and the shadows of the woods.

Lamps of the Valar: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Working together the Valar made two mighty lamps to give light to Middle-earth: Aule and Yavanna wrought the lamps, Varda filled them, Manwe hallowed them, and the Valar set them upon high pillars in the north and south – loving the teamwork!

Wedding Festivities

Tulkas and Nessa get married, and can you imagine what a wedding it would be? This is actually the only wedding we see between two Valar! They sound like such a fun couple, and their wedding must have been such a party. Sadly, things turn pretty quickly from there…

The Marring of Arda

Melkor took advantage of everyone’s distraction with the wedding festivities to come to Middle-Earth and build the fortress of Utumnno deep under the Earth, and so the Spring of Arda was marred.Melkor and the Valar again fought, and Melkor cast down the pillars holding the lamps and broke them. This changed the shape of Arda, and in all the confusion Melkor escaped and hid in Utumno.

The Establishment of Valinor

The Valar set up a new home in the region called Valinor – also known as the Undying Lands in LOTR! Valinor became even more beautiful than Middle-earth had been in the Spring of Arda, and it was blessed because the ‘Deathless’ lived there.

Growing the Two Trees of Valinor

Yavanna hallowed the green mound Ezellohar, and she sat there singing a song of power. Nienna watered the mound with her tears, and the Valar all sat around listening to the song of Yavanna. Then two slender shoots came out of the mound and the saplings grew under the song of Yavanna into the Two Trees of Valinor: Telperion and Laurelin. They are known as Yavanna’s greatest creation.

The Beginning of the Count of Time

I love Tolkien’s use of capital letters (it’s pretty frequent 😋), and here we have another milestone in the midst of this packed first chapter of the Quenta Silmarillion – the start of Time!⁣ Can you imagine tracking time by the waxing and waning of the Two Trees of Valinor?! It’s all just so beautiful

The Coming of the Children of Ilúvatar and the Gift of Men

Here we get our first introduction to the Children of Ilúvatar: the Quendi and the Atani, Elves and Men. We learn that the hour appointed by Ilúvatar for the coming of the Firstborn (three guesses who that will be) is coming, and in the meantime Middle-earth lay in a twilight beneath Varda’s stars. Elves are actually made more like the Ainur than Men and so the dealings of the Ainor have been mostly with the Elves.

To Men Ilúvatar gave ‘a new gift’, to dwell in the world alive for only a short time, and not be bound to it. So Men are mortal beings. ‘Death is their fate, the gift of Ilúvatar.’ Elves, on the other hand, would remain on the Earth until the end of days, not dying until the world dies (unless they’re killed or waste away in grief).

5 Fav Quotes from ‘Of the Beginning of Days’

Now therefore the Valar were gathered upon Almaren, fearing no evil, and because of the light of Illuin they did not perceive the shadow in the north that was cast from afar by Melkor; for he was grown dark as the Night of the Void. And it is sung that in that feast of the Spring of Arda Tulkas espoused Nessa the sister of Oromë, and she danced before the Valar upon the green grass of Almaren.

This quote kind of breaks my heart, because Melkor uses such a joyous beautiful occasion to enact such evil.

The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of his countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves. The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were of glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light.

The Two Trees of Valinor and their description is one of my favorites out of all of Tolkien’s writings.

In seven hours the glory of each tree waxed to full and waned again to naught; and each awoke once more to life an hour before the other ceased to shine. Thus in Valinor twice every day there came a gentle hour of softer light when both trees were faint and their gold and silver beams were mingled.

If I could ever go anywhere and see anything in all of fantasy literature, it hands down would be this moment.

And each day of the Valar in Aman contained twelve hours, and ended with the second mingling of the lights, in which Laurelin was waning but Telperion was waxing. But the light that was spilled from the trees endured long, ere it was taken up into the airs or sank down into the earth; and the dews of Telperion and the rain that fell from Laurelin Varda hoarded in great vats like shining lakes, that were to all the land of the Valar as wells of water and of light. Thus began the Days of the Bliss of Valinor; and thus began also the Count of Time.

It’s amazing to me that the Count of Time began here – who knows how long the First Age even lasted. I also love this fun little fact about Varda – that she hoarded the dew and rain that fell from Telperion and Laurelin in great vats that were like shining lakes. I mean, those are some huge vats! ✨⁣

But as the ages drew on to the hour appointed by Ilúvatar for the coming of the Firstborn, Middle-earth lay in a twilight beneath the stars that Varda had wrought in the ages forgotten of her labours in Eä.

I love the feeling of anticipation here, like Middle-earth is all just waiting for the arrival of the Firstborn.

Further Study

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

• The Prancing Pony Podcast Episode 008 – And So It Begins
• The Tolkien Professor’s Silmarillion Seminars

The Silmarillion Second Breakfast Book Club

That’s Chapter 1, Of the Beginning of Days – can you believe that’s just the beginning?! If you missed the first few of 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 2!