Ainulindalë is the opening section of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.
The title means “Music of the Ainur” in Quenya. It tells how Ilúvatar, the supreme creator, brings the Ainur into a great musical theme. Melkor introduces discord, but the resulting music becomes part of a larger design that reveals the creation of Eä, the universe.
Ainulindalë functions as Tolkien’s creation myth and establishes ideas that shape the rest of the legendarium: the Ainur, Melkor’s rebellion, the world’s origin, and the relationship between freedom and providence. Its style resembles a mythic or scriptural prologue rather than a conventional novel chapter.
The next section, Valaquenta, describes the Valar and other powerful spirits. Quenta Silmarillion then recounts the history of the Silmarils and the wars of the First Age. Akallabêth concerns Númenor, so none of those titles is the opening section.