The Book of Lost Tales, Part 1 - J. R. R. Tolkien [35]
8 This sentence concerning Melko is lacking in the draft.
9 In the draft this paragraph reads:
Now Eldar and Men were of Ilu’s devising alone, nor had any of the Ainu nor even Melko aught to do with their fashioning, though in truth his music of old and his deeds in the world mightily affected their history thereafter. For this reason maybe, Melko and many of the Ainu out of good or evil mind would ever be for meddling with them, but seeing that Ilu had made the Eldar too alike in nature if not in stature to the Ainu their dealings have been chiefly with Men.
The conclusion of this passage seems to be the only place where the second text is in direct contradiction of the draft.
10 The draft has: ‘and these are they whom ye and we now call the Valur and Valir.’
11 The entire passage following the mention of the Solosimpi and ‘their love to dwell ever by the shore’ is lacking in the draft.
12 For this passage the draft has:
“…but to Men I will appoint a task and give a great gift.” And he devised that they should have free will and the power of fashioning and designing beyond the original music of the Ainu, that by reason of their operations all things shall in shape and deed be fulfilled, and the world that comes of the music of the Ainu be completed unto the last and smallest.
13 ‘whereas the Eldar dwell for ever’ draft text.
Changes made to names in
The Music of the Ainur
Ainur Always Ainu in the draft text.
Ilúvatar Usually Ilu in the draft text, but also Ilúvatar.
Ulmo In the draft text Ulmo is thus named but also Linqil (corrected to Ulmo).
Solosimpi < Solosimpë.
Valar or Vali Draft text Valur and Valir (these appear to be masculine and feminine forms).
Ónen < ówen.
Vai < Ulmonan.
Commentary on
The Music of the Ainur
A linking passage continues the text of The Music of the Ainur and leads into the story of The Building of Valinor without any break in the narrative; but I postpone this link until the next chapter. The actual written text is likewise continuous between the two tales, and there is no suggestion or indication that the composition of The Building of Valinor did not follow that of The Music of the Ainur.
In later years the Creation myth was revised and rewritten over and over again; but it is notable that in this case only and in contrast to the development of the rest of the mythology there is a direct tradition, manuscript to manuscript, from the earliest draft to the final version: each text is directly based on the one preceding.* Moreover, and most remarkably, the earliest version, written when my father was 27 or 28 and embedded still in the context of the Cottage of Lost Play, was so evolved in its conception that it underwent little change of an essential kind. There were indeed very many changes, which can be followed stage by stage through the successive texts, and much new matter came in; but the fall of the original sentences can continually be recognized in the last version of the Ainulindalë, written more than thirty years later, and even many phrases survived.
It will be seen that the great theme that Ilúvatar propounded to the Ainur was originally made somewhat more explicit (‘The story that I have laid before you,’ p. 53), and that the words of Ilúvatar to the Ainur at the end of the Music contained a long declaration of what Melko had brought about, of what he had introduced into the world’s history (p. 55). But by far the most important difference is that in the early form the Ainur’s first sight of the World was in its actuality (‘even now the world unfolds and its history begins’, p. 55), not as a Vision that was taken away from them and only given existence in the words of Ilúvatar: Eä! Let these things Be! (The Silmarillion p. 20).
Yet when all differences have been observed, they are much less remarkable than the solidity and completeness with which the myth