“But to the Atani I will give a new gift.’ Therefore he willed that the hearts of Men should seek beyond the world and should find no rest therein; but they should have a virtue to shape their life, amid the powers and chances of the world, beyond the Music of the Ainur, which is as fate to all things else;” - Of the Beginning of Days
Valaquenta begins with a short summary of Ainulindalë. It then goes on to introduce the Lords and the Queens of the Valar, giving a bit of background information on each of them and explaining how they relate to one another.
Next, we are introduced to the Maiar, spirits similar to the Valar but of a less degree. The last section is titled 'Of the Enemies' and explains a bit more about the cruelty of Melkor as well as introducing his servant Sauron.
It is in this chapter that we see the creation of the world through the music of Eru Ilúvatar and the Ainur, the beginning of the unrest of Melkor, the descent of the Valar into the world, and the first battle of the Valar against Melkor.
The Waldman letter is a letter written to Milton Waldman, an editor and advisor to publishers in London, who had expressed and interest in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion after the widespread success of The Hobbit. For context, The Hobbit was published in 1937, this letter was written in 1951, and The Fellowship of the Ring would not be published until 1954.
Hello, friends! The Tea with Tolkien community is excited to announce our next book club: a read-along of The Silmarillion, beginning in January! You can find the schedule below.
There are many ways to participate in this free, virtual Book Club! The easiest way to join is signing up with your email address — from there we’ll send a link to our private discord server directly to your inbox, and you’ll also receive weekly emails once the book club begins. I’ll be posting about the book club on social media so if you’d like to join the discussions on twitter or Instagram, look for the hashtag #teawithtolkienbookclub.
Friday’s dinner included: “Yavanna’s Garden Salad” (similar to this recipe), a meat and cheese board, pumpkin muffins, dinner rolls + honey butter, “man flesh” (beef jerky), Lembas, mini shepherd’s pies, stuffed mushrooms, and an autumnal veggie soup (not pictured). And cake!
While this year’s Hobbit Party may have been a bit different than in years passed, it was truly the highlight of our whole year. I’m so thankful for the friends who were able to visit throughout our party weekend, especially those who helped me pull everything together and keep everything running smoothly!
When we moved into our home last year, this pueblo-style playhouse had been built into the basement by the previous owners. I immediately knew I wanted to turn it into a Hobbit Hole for our children (and let’s be honest, myself), but it took me a while to come up with a good plan and find the time to get started.
This little hobbit party game was inspired by Bilbo Baggins’ famous question from Riddles in the Dark: “What have I got in my pocket?” Of course, while this was not a true riddle and Bilbo certainly hadn’t meant it to be one, it won the game for him and he escaped with Gollum’s ring. For this fun little game, participants will take turns choosing a “pocket” box — whoever finds the pocket containing Gollum’s ring first wins!
While The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings stand out as his most influential works, there is so much more to Tolkien than hobbits, dwarves, and elves! His lesser-known shorter works, including letters, essays, poetry, and short stories, offer a unique glimpse into the way he understood myth, faith, literature, and life. Many of these can be read over the course of an afternoon, and all are thoroughly delightful. If you’re interested in reading more by Tolkien, but don’t have the time to settle into The Lord of the Rings — consider picking up one of these.
A few weeks ago, one of those glorious yet terrifying midwest thunderstorms swept across our town and knocked down our power lines right after dinnertime. After realizing we didn’t own any flashlights aside from the ones on our phones, I was able to find a few candles to light up our room after the storm. (Don’t worry, I also ordered flashlights later, too.)
A few days later, a friend shared that she was making her own ‘emergency candles’ on her instagram story and I thought, yeah, I should do this too! Candle-making is one of those things I had always wanted to try but had just assumed it was impossibly difficult — but I was quite surprised! It wasn’t too bad! If you’re feeling intimidated, don’t be! You can do it!
Today we are welcoming Chas Burrell to the Tea with Tolkien blog! Chas is the incredibly talented woman behind the blog, At Home with Chas. After following her on Instagram for years and learning so much from what she’s had to share, I asked her to write this post for the Tea with Tolkien community. I know many of us are just beginning to learn about the wonderful world of bread-making, so I know you’ll love this introduction. I also recommend subscribing to her youtube channel for helpful how-to’s!
There are few things in this world more comforting or satisfying than making your own bread. Whether it be your first attempt as you watch the yeast activate and your dough come alive. Or as a seasoned cook that bakes most every day to grace your family table with warm, hearty goodness. Bread-making truly is an art form that everyone at any skill level can enjoy.
As a young girl I knew I wanted to know how to make food, REAL food. Not food from jars or cans or boxes. I wanted to know how to make things from scratch and that included breads! As I got older I began dabbling in the bread world. Making the simplest pancakes, sweet breads, muffins, and the like all homemade and from scratch…
