Think of how stupid the average person is. Now realize that by definition HALF of the population is even STUPIDER
— Lex
J. R. R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion is the book to which the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit owe their lineage. Tolkien was a great admirer of language, and he invented the realm of Middle Earth partly as a setting for the invention of new dialects he created. It encompasses the ages of Middle Earth well before the setting of the Lord of the Rings when the Gods walked about Middle Earth and the elves were yet to arrive. It tells the story of the Numenoreans from whom Aragorn claims his descent, and their fall from grace and banishment to Middle Earth. It...