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“But Eärendil came, shining with white flame, and about Vingilot were gathered all the great birds of heaven and Thorondor was their captain, and there was battle in the air all the day and through a dark night of doubt. Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him down from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.”

– The Silmarillion, Of the Voyage of Eärendil

Here, Eärendil the Mariner brings light, hope, and victory to the lands of Arda by leading the charge against Morgoth and finally breaking his remaining forces.

Despite describing numerous episodes of goodness, truth, and beauty, Tolkien infused the greater part of the Silmarillion with sorrow, darkness, and loss. From the opening chapter, the narrative follows little that does not adhere to the chaos of Melkor and its ramifications upon the inhabitants of Arda. The predominant theme of the tale is unmistakably the Professor's concept of “The Long Defeat.” Our heroes show courage, fortitude, and valor in the face of evil only for them to repeatedly suffer, fall, and eventually die under the wrath of Morgoth. In the midst of all this destruction, precious few instances of happiness ever last for long. The author is, however, careful not to convey a defeatist or fatalist philosophy in his stories, for he is sure to carry on with a hopeful conclusion. In his essay On Fairy-Stories he introduces the essential literary idea of what he called “Eucatastrophe” – the happy ending.

“The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous “turn” (for there is no true end to any fairy-tale): this joy, which is one of the things which fairy-stories can produce supremely well, is not essentially 'escapist', nor 'fugitive'. In its fairy-tale—or otherworld—setting, it is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”

The instance of Eärendil's arrival signals, at long last, that the rule of Morgoth is finally over, that elves, men, and all other folk will soon be free, and that they may enjoy peace once more. It is THE happy ending of the Quenta Silmarillion.

Done with Ballpoint and gel pens.

Description

“But Eärendil came, shining with white flame, and about Vingilot were gathered all the great birds of heaven and Thorondor was their captain, and there was battle in the air all the day and through a dark night of doubt. Before the rising of the sun Eärendil slew Ancalagon the Black, the mightiest of the dragon-host, and cast him down from the sky; and he fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, and they were broken in his ruin.”

– The Silmarillion, Of the Voyage of Eärendil

Here, Eärendil the Mariner brings light, hope, and victory to the lands of Arda by leading the charge against Morgoth and finally breaking his remaining forces.

Despite describing numerous episodes of goodness, truth, and beauty, Tolkien infused the greater part of the Silmarillion with sorrow, darkness, and loss. From the opening chapter, the narrative follows little that does not adhere to the chaos of Melkor and its ramifications upon the inhabitants of Arda. The predominant theme of the tale is unmistakably the Professor's concept of “The Long Defeat.” Our heroes show courage, fortitude, and valor in the face of evil only for them to repeatedly suffer, fall, and eventually die under the wrath of Morgoth. In the midst of all this destruction, precious few instances of happiness ever last for long. The author is, however, careful not to convey a defeatist or fatalist philosophy in his stories, for he is sure to carry on with a hopeful conclusion. In his essay On Fairy-Stories he introduces the essential literary idea of what he called “Eucatastrophe” – the happy ending.

“The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous “turn” (for there is no true end to any fairy-tale): this joy, which is one of the things which fairy-stories can produce supremely well, is not essentially 'escapist', nor 'fugitive'. In its fairy-tale—or otherworld—setting, it is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat and in so far is evangelium, giving a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”

The instance of Eärendil's arrival signals, at long last, that the rule of Morgoth is finally over, that elves, men, and all other folk will soon be free, and that they may enjoy peace once more. It is THE happy ending of the Quenta Silmarillion.

Done with Ballpoint and gel pens.