The Silmarillion is J.R.R. Tolkien’s posthumously published collection of myths edited by Christopher Tolkien.
The book was published in 1977, four years after Tolkien’s death. Christopher Tolkien assembled and edited material that his father had developed across decades. Because Tolkien left many versions and unfinished passages, the final volume is an editorial construction rather than a single manuscript completed for publication.
The Silmarillion begins with the creation of Eä and continues through the history of Arda. Its central narratives include the creation of the Silmarils, the rebellion of the Noldor, the wars against Morgoth, the fall of Númenor, and the rise of Sauron.
The title refers to the Silmarils, three jewels made by Fëanor. These jewels contain the light of the Two Trees of Valinor and drive much of the First Age conflict. The book’s style is more mythic and compressed than the narrative prose of The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings.