The Silmarillion is different from J.R.R. Tolkien’s other works of literature, as it does not follow one group or journey but is instead a collection of myths about how the world, people, and cultures became how they are in the tales of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien published this book after The Lord of the Rings as a lore and myth-based novel to show how everything from his fantasy world became how it was. Initially, he was turned down to publish it, as his publisher felt it was too Celtic, so instead, he wrote The Lord of the Rings. However, he later did publish The Silmarillion after his success with The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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Though published after both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this is a prequel to both stories. Only one part directly relates to the main storylines in either follow-up novels, and all its myths are set ages before either tale begins. Therefore, if the books were to be read in chronological order, one should start with the Silmarillion, proceed to The Hobbit, and end with The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Funnily enough, while written out of order, the filming process was also out of order, as they started with The Lord of the Rings and worked their way backward. If anything, The Silmarillion would thrive as a loosely connected anthology series, telling the different stories from the book, which itself feels like built from the same vignette style as Canterbury Tales.
Is There a Fan Base for The Silmarillion?
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The Tolkien fan base is large and dedicated. There are casual fans who have watched and read the various media, from the old animated Hobbit movie to the massive Prime Video spectacle The Rings of Power. Then there are more serious Tolkien-heads who know a seemingly endless amount of tiny details about the setting and characters that weren’t in the films but just in the novels. The fans pride themselves in knowing trivia about middle earth and the lore. So if The Silmarillion were to be made into a show, the fan base will watch it, ingesting it greedily, but they also will critique it immensely because they are all experts in the field. It’s a double-edged sword.
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How Many Seasons Could It Have? How Would It Be Formatted?
Well, The Silmarillion is broken into five parts and could easily be formatted to have each season be one part of the book, equaling five seasons in the show. The franchise does tend to spread Tolkien works out, though, so it could also be easily constructed to have two seasons per part, then equaling ten seasons.
The first part, “Ainulindalë,” tells the mythic tale of the creation of Eä, the “world that is.” This is the first myth in existence for this lore, as it is the creator of everything else by default. The next part is the “Valaquenta,” which describes the Valar and Maiar, both supernatural powers of Eä. This fixates on more of the characters we might start to recognize.
The third part, a large part of the overall book, is the “Quenta Silmarillion.” It chronicles the history of the events before and during the First Age. This included the wars over three jewels, the Silmarils, that gave the book its title. The chronicles cover much history over a long period, which is why it takes up most of the book’s length. The fourth part is called “Akallabêth” and tells the history of the Downfall of Númenor and its people. This takes place during the second age.
The Fifth Part of Silmarillion Was Somewhat Made Into Rings of Power
Ironically, the Prime Video series The Rings of Power tells a portion of the fifth part of The Silmarillion. But the fall of Numenor is also a central plot point in the series, bringing in part of “Akallabêth” into the story. In the book, though, they also discuss the third age in a more general sense. The series stays close to the source material but adds its own flare and details at certain parts, including Numenor’s appearance. It’s hardly an adaptation of The Silmarillion, though.
The fifth part has Lord of the Rings characters that are more notably known by the fan-base, especially those who have only seen the movies. Galadriel and Elrond are two main characters, and also well-established characters in previously filmed movies that the audience can immediately connect and cheer for with little introduction. It would be well worth the time to, perhaps after this series, go back and do the other four parts of ancient myths given by Tolkien.
Can The Silmarillion Be Done?
Yes, but now that The Rings of Power has come out, things have gotten a bit more complicated. If there were to be another form of this story, the two would be compared, and one probably couldn’t be canon. And with the Prime Video series being so well filmed, it would not be easy to compete with on a technical level. But if Prime Video were to expand upon the premise and take on the earlier parts of The Silmarillion, putting in as much work as they did for The Rings of Power and being as faithful as possible, then it could be a huge success.
