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II.

THE EARLIEST 'SILMARILLION'.
(The 'Sketch of the Mythology').

I have earlier (III. 3) given an account of this text, but I repeat
the essentials of it here. On the envelope containing the man-
uscript my father wrote at some later time:

Original 'Silmarillion'. Form orig [inally] composed
c. 1926-30 for R. W. Reynolds to explain background of
'alliterative version' of Turin & the Dragon: then in progress
(unfinished) (begun c. 1918).

The 'Sketch' represents a new starting-point in the history of
'The Silmarillion', for while it is a quite brief synopsis, the
further written development of the prose form proceeded from
it in a direct line. It is clear from details that need not be re-
peated here that it was originally written in 1926 (after the Lay
of the Children of Hurin had been abandoned, III. 3); but it
was afterwards revised, in places very heavily, and this makes
it a difficult text to present in a way that is both accurate and
readily comprehensible. The method I have adopted is to give
the text exactly as it was first written (apart from a very few
slight alterations of expression in no way affecting the narra-
tive, which are adopted silently into the text), but to break it up
into short sections, following each with notes giving the later
changes made in that section. I must emphasize that there is no
manuscript warrant for the 19 divisions so made: it is purely a
matter of convenience of presentation. This method has certain
advantages: the later changes can be readily compared with the
original text immediately preceding; and since the following
version of 'The Silmarillion', the Quenta, has been treated in
the same way and divided into corresponding numbered sec-
tions, passages of the one can be easily related to those in the
other.
The later changes are referenced by numbers that begin with
1 in each section. The commentary follows at the end of the
complete text, and is related to the numbered sections.

Sketch of the mythology with especial reference to the
'Children of Hurin'

1.

After the despatch of the Nine Valar for the governance
of the world Morgoth (Demon of Dark) rebels against the
overlordship of Manwe, overthrows the lamps set up to il-
lumine the world, and floods the isle where the Valar (or
Gods) dwelt. He fortifies a palace of dungeons in the North.