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In the account of the Hiding of Valinor we move in S from the Lost Tales to The Silmarillion: I have observed (I. 223) the total absence in the latter of the bitter divisions among the Valar, of Manwë’s disgusted withdrawal, of Ulmo’s vain pleading for pity on the Noldor – and of my father’s explicit view in the tale of The Hiding of Valinor that the actions of the Valar at this time, and their failure to make war upon Morgoth, were a profound error arising from indolence and fear. The fear of Morgoth does indeed remain, and is the only motive offered in The Silmarillion for the Hiding of Valinor; but the author makes no comment on it. In S however the element of divine anger against the Noldoli is still present (though neither here nor later is there any reference to the peculiar anger of Aulë against them (see I. 176), save that in the Annals of Valinor (p. 267) when Finrod and others returned to Valinor after hearing the Doom of Mandos ‘Aulë their ancient friend smiled on them no more’).

There are differences and omissions in the later versions of the story of the Hiding of Valinor in relation to that in the tale which have been sufficiently discussed already (I. 223–4); but it may be noticed that in S no reason is given for keeping open the pass of Kôr, neither that in the tale nor that in The Silmarillion.

It is very clear that with the ‘Sketch’ the structure of the Valinórean part of the mythology, though not of course the detail, had quite largely reached the stage of development of the published version; and it can be understood why my father wrote on the envelope containing S the words Original ‘Silmarillion’. It is here that ‘The Silmarillion’ begins.

ssss1

It will be seen that in this passage S has already the structure and some even of the phrases of the last three paragraphs of chapter 12 (‘Of Men’) in The Silmarillion.

The Fëanorian oath (ascribed here to the sons only) is embodied in the text as written, which probably shows that the interpolated passage, introducing the oath, in §5 (ssss1) was inserted while S was still in process of composition.