RELATED: How Lord of the Rings' Gandalf the Grey & White Are Different Eventually, Melkor invaded Valinor and stole the valuable Silmarils, beginning the War of the Jewels. Still, Melkor continued to interfere, especially as elves, dwarves and humans began to populate the continent. The other Ainur later withdrew from Middle-Earth to live in seclusion in the heavenly land of Valinor. However, Melkor continued to be a thorn in the others' side by undermining their efforts and recruiting others to his cause. When the mortal world known as Arda was finished, many Ainur were allowed to enter it to prepare the world for the arrival of mortal species and govern them. Though most Ainur cooperated, Melkor broke off and began to sing his own song and create discord. In The Silmarillion, Tolkien explains the universe was originally created by Eru Ilúvatar, the source of all creation, who manifests a group of all-powerful spirits known as the Ainur to help him sing reality into existence. The Silmarillion was eventually published in 1977, four years after its author's death. With his original idea a no-go, Tolkien began writing a different book, which would become the first book in The Lord of the Rings series, The Fellowship of the Ring. He presented the concept, but it was rejected for its obscurity.

RELATED: Lord of the Rings: The Four Ages of Middle-earth, ExplainedĪt first, Tolkien conceived of the book after he had written and published The Hobbit when his publisher asked for a sequel. The book maps out the legend of Middle-earth, from the beginning of creation all the way up to the events of Tolkien's mainstream novels in a series of stories that blend myth and poetry. The book's odd-sounding name is actually an in-universe reference, as the 'Quenta Silmarillion' translates from Tolkien's Quenya into the English 'History of the Silmarils.' The Silmarils themselves are three pure jewels that play a similar role to the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings in telling the story of the ancient First Age of Middle-earth.

Lord of the rings trilogy books amazon