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| War of the Jewels | |
|---|---|
| Name | War of the Jewels |
| Author | J. R. R. Tolkien |
| Editor | Christopher Tolkien |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The History of Middle-earth |
| Genre | Fantasy, Mythopoeia |
| Publisher | George Allen & Unwin; HarperCollins |
| Release date | 1994 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 560 |
War of the Jewels
War of the Jewels is the ninth volume in Christopher Tolkien's editorial series The History of Middle-earth, presenting drafts, variants, and commentary for narratives related to The Silmarillion and the First Age of Middle-earth. The book assembles manuscript material that traces the evolution of tales involving the Silmarils, the downfall of Númenor, and the struggles among Elves, Men, and Valar, situating late drafts alongside explanatory notes linking to works such as The Lost Road and Other Writings and Unfinished Tales. Edited by Christopher Tolkien, the volume is a primary source for comparative study of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium and his methods of myth-making.
War of the Jewels compiles writings that belong largely to the mythical framework of Arda during the Ages before the Third Age and events preceding the War of Wrath and the drowning of Beleriand. The treatment centers on locations like Gondolin, Doriath, Angband, Tirion, and Tol Eressëa, and on historical points such as the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, the exile of the Noldor, and the sieges of Angband led by Morgoth. The material interacts with earlier tales in The Silmarillion and later narratives in The Lord of the Rings, showing relationships among figures such as Fëanor, Finwë, Túrin Turambar, Lúthien Tinúviel, and Eärendil.
The volume does not present a single fixed narrative but offers successive revisions of core episodes: the forging and theft of the Silmarils by Morgoth, the oath of Fëanor and the exodus of the Noldor from Valinor, the tragic Kinslaying at Alqualondë, and the catastrophic battles around Hithlum, Dorthonion, and Angband. It traces the saga through set-piece events—such as the fall of Doriath after the treachery of Maeglin, the tale of Túrin Turambar and the doom of Nîl-related houses, and the voyages of Eärendil that culminate in the intercession of the Valar—culminating in the War of Wrath and the remakings that precede the Second Age. Christopher Tolkien juxtaposes alternative endings and different emphases, including versions that relocate key episodes to Avallónë and drafts that rework genealogies involving Elwë and Thingol.
Principal protagonists appearing across the drafts include the princes and kin of the Noldor—Fëanor, Fingolfin, Finarfin—and associated houses like those of Turgon, Finrod Felagund, and Angrod. Antagonists center on Melkor/Morgoth and his captains such as Sauron and Ulfang the Black, with entities like the Balrogs and Orcs executing his designs. The compilation includes pivotal mortal figures—Beren, Lúthien, Eärendil, Tuor—and rulers of realms such as Thingol in Doriath, Orodreth in Nargothrond, and the mariners of Númenor. Institutional actors such as the Valar, including Manwë and Ulmo, and the crafts of Aulë and Yavanna, shape providential and moral dimensions across variants.
War of the Jewels foregrounds recurring motifs of oath, exile, and doom: the binding of the Oath of Fëanor and its consequences, the motif of the far-sailing mariner exemplified by Eärendil, and the tragic heroism present in tales of Túrin, Húrin, and Hador. The ethics of pride and craftsmanship surface in episodes involving Fëanor's smithing of the Silmarils and the rivalry among houses such as Finrod and Maedhros. Themes of light and loss recur through symbols like the Silmarils, the lamps of Valinor, and the remnants of Glamdring-style heirlooms, while the interplay of fate and free will appears in the hand of the Valar and the stubborn choices of mortals and Elves. The volume also illuminates Tolkien's revisionary practice: mythic layering, philological invention, and reworking of names and topoi such as Teleri migrations and the decline of Beleriand.
Published in 1994 by George Allen & Unwin and later by HarperCollins, War of the Jewels is part of the larger editorial project begun with The Book of Lost Tales and continued through The History of Middle-earth. Christopher Tolkien arranged the manuscripts into sequences that reveal textual development from early sketches to near-final forms, accompanied by extensive notes that reference sources like The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Editions differ by pagination and typographical apparatus between British and American printings; later reprints and digital catalogues by Houghton Mifflin and HarperCollins UK integrated corrections and updated indices.
Scholarly and fan reception emphasized the volume's value for understanding Tolkien's creative process and the maturation of legendary motifs now central to The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. Critics in journals associated with Tolkien Studies and periodicals like Mythlore examined its philological detail, while commentators connected its materials to adaptations and scholarship concerning Arthurian analogues and Norse influences. The book influenced subsequent editorial projects and academic editions, shaping commentary in works by scholars at institutions such as Oxford University and Marquette University, and informing adaptations that reference First Age materials in multimedia treatments of Middle-earth.
Category:Middle-earth books