"Historical documentation", then.
It's definitely not written as a typical storyline narrative, like a Bible, for more like a recording of events.
I'm not saying this is a bad thing.
That's certainly a more fitting way to put it. The Bible comparisons are an inevitability considering the scope of the narrative and the inspirations of Tolkien.
Thats because he never really got around to writing the Silmarillion. He had been working on many of the stories since before the time of the Hobbit, but he never actually got around to actually putting it into a finished form.. The published version is what Christopher Tolkien has been able to produce based upon the little he did write and his notes.
Technically, he did finish The Silmarillion to a publishable level. In fact he was very keen to have The Silmarillion published alongside The Lord of the Rings. It was his intention to have the two books as companion pieces. The publishers thought differently though much to Tolkien's annoyance. But he couldn't delay the publication of The Lord of the Rings any further. He carried on trying to have The Silmarillion published in his lifetime, but alas, it was not meant to be.
Also, The Lost Tales, which form much of the foundations of The Silmarillion are very much developed in terms of actual storytelling. The Fall of Gondolin for example is quite a fleshed out narrative, certainly in comparison to its retelling in the The Silmarillion as are the other well known tales; The Tale of Tinúviel and the Narn i Chîn Húrin. The most dramatic difference is the detail found in The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor. The segments in The Silmarillion pertaining to this part of Arda's history are scant at best.
The Silmarillion in general seems bare boned in comparison to The Lost Tales, but the stories of the Eldar days are pretty much complete when taken as a whole and there was much for Christopher Tolkien to work from.
So...what's the story on this? I've seen the photo before...why did they have Radagast costumed up for the LOTR trilogy? A deleted scene?
That's from the Lord of the Rings reflections trading card game. Merchandise to go along with the films at the time of their respective releases. There's also a Glorfindel one as well the Tom Bombadil card mentioned by DieH@rd above.
Silmarillion is my favorite thing that Tolkien has ever done. Not the best but my favorite. You have standard heroic stories like Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin. You have really, really messed up shit like Turin's story. You have medieval romances like Beren and Luthien. Not to mention that with the War Of Wrath Tolkien pretty much assured that no one coule ever top a battle in scale and insanity. The thought of being able to see the armies of Morgoth fight against the full hosts of the Valar is one of the few things that keep me going through life. A film maker could make a fine career out of making stories from Sil.
A kindred spirit indeed.
