The Silmarillion received a generally poor reception on publication; it sold much less well than The Lord of the Rings.
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17 Facts About The Silmarillion
2.
In keeping with this idea, The Silmarillion was supposedly translated from Bilbo's three-volume Translations from the Elvish, which he wrote while at Rivendell.
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3.
Quenta The Silmarillion, the bulk of the book, is a series of interconnected tales set in the First Age that narrate the tragic saga of the three forged jewels, the Silmarils.
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4.
The Silmarillion attacked the Elvish kingdom of Doriath, ruled by Thingol and Melian.
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5.
The Silmarillion persuaded most of the Noldor to pursue Melkor, whom Feanor renamed Morgoth, to Middle-earth.
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6.
The Silmarillion gave Beren back his life and allowed Luthien to renounce her immortality and live as a mortal in Middle-earth.
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7.
The Silmarillion surrendered himself to be taken as a prisoner to Numenor.
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8.
The Silmarillion intended them to become an English mythology that would explain the origins of English history and culture.
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9.
The Silmarillion completed the first story, "The Fall of Gondolin", in late 1916.
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10.
The Silmarillion called his collection of nascent stories The Book of Lost Tales.
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11.
The Silmarillion renewed work on The Silmarillion after completing The Lord of the Rings, and he greatly desired to publish the two works together.
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12.
The Silmarillion was persuaded not to do this in 1946; later attempts conflicted with the already published texts of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
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13.
The Silmarillion tried to use the latest writings of his father's and to keep as much internal consistency as possible, given the many conflicting drafts.
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15.
The Silmarillion was criticized for being too serious, lacking the light-hearted moments that were found in The Lord of the Rings and especially The Hobbit.
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16.
The Silmarillion suggested that the main reason for its "enormous sales" was the "Tolkien cult" created by the popularity of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and predicted that more people would buy The Silmarillion than would ever read it.
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17.
Gergely Nagy writes that The Silmarillion is long both in Middle-earth time and in years of Tolkien's life; and it provides the impression of depth for both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
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