Questions on the Silmarillion

[Kit Baggins]

I have some (perhaps a bit stupid) questions:

1. what is the correct plural of Silmaril- Silmarils or Silmarilli? The library copy of the Sil I'm reading at the moment says 'silmarils' but the copy I was going to buy said 'silmarilli'. My mum says it's silmarils because you wouldn't get a word ending in L that had a plural of -i, but I think she was working it as thought it was from Latin.

2. Is Silmaril an Elvish or Westron word?

3. (unrelated to either of the above questions) do any of you have a copy of the Sil with wierd flowery pictures on the cover? I do, and I don't know what they represent. Inside it has a kind of key, with each symbol corresponding to a name of an Elf: Luthien Tinuviel, Fingolfin, Earendil, Idril Celebrindal, Elwe, Feanor.

~Kit :)

[StriderX]

Ya i have the copy with the flower on it. I dont know what it means though sorry.

[Mormegil]

1. I think you can use both versions. 'Silmarilli' would be the correct Elvish. 'Silmarils' would be the Westronised form.

2. 'Silmarilli' is Quenya. meaning 'Jewels of Selima'. Selima being the substance created by Feanor from which he fashioned the Silmarils.

3. My copy of the Silmarillion has Tuor standing in Gondolin on the cover.

[Beleg Strongbow]

My cover has the war of gondolin on it. With dragons and balrogs, orcs and other hideous creatures

[imladris]

I have a cover with Eärendil on a boat holding a silmaril.

As for the rest i agree with Beleg.
:D :D ;)

[Ståle]

Mine has the Mountains of Pelori and Oiolosse on it, with two Teleri boats sailing in the waters beneath :D

[Cian]

Kit, Silmaril is Quenya. Another form is Silmarillë and the plural Silmarilli

"Silmarils" is an anglicization (compare Balrog/s); it's English-ized by the addition of plural marker -s.

[Anduril]

I think the right plural for Silmaril is "Silmarili"...If we take the examples of dead languages as latin, where some "plural" ended in vowel, and if we take the Quenya as an ancient and noble language, we can also refer to "Silmarili" as the right plural.
Remember that Tolkien took many of the roots of the ancient english and anglo saxon, not the "modern" english or the "westroned" version...

[Gareth]

Is there a site where we can see the
different covers because mine is just
a stupid flower.

[Kit Baggins]

That's probably the same cover as I've got on mine ;) .

~Kit :)

[Cian]

Originally posted by Anduril
I think the right plural for Silmaril is "Silmarili"...

Two ll's at the end rather. This is attested in RotK Appendix A. The word Silmarillion is inflected in the genitive plural: "of the Silmarils".

[Hama]

Yes, Cian I believe it is two ls. My cover is what I thought was Tuor coming to Gondolin. However, I saw the same picture (by Ted Nasmith) online and the caption said it was Tirion upon Tuna, and the character in the foreground may be Feanor. Is it perhaps the same cover as the one Mormegil has?

[Mormegil]

Hama,
My Silmarillion edition is Harper-Collins 1999.
It has an orangey look about it and has a figure, (which I presumed to be Tuor), standing at the top of some stairs, looking over a city, (which I prewsumed to be Gondolin).
Is it the same as yours? I only presumed it was Tuor in Gondolin because that was the image that immediatly sprung to mind. I can find no referance to who or where it is from my copy of the sil.

I did used to have a beautiful hardback edition of the Sil, with a white cover. But it was misplaced when I moved house about 5 years ago.:(

[Hama]

Yeah, Mormegil, that is the same edition of the book as mine. I too believed that it was Tuor coming to Gondolin, but you must remember that he did not come alone (check the account in UT) but with Voronwe and was accompanied by Ecthelion after reaching the last gate. It is in fact entitled 'Earendil searches Tirion' and was on Ted Nasmith's 2000 calendar.

[Mormegil]

Cool, It make sense that it is Earendil in Tirion.