MA Translation (Audiovisual and Literary) (FT)

Middlesex University

School of Health and Education

TRA4020 – Research Methods and Dissertation

‘A Simplified Version in Spanish with a Hispanicisation of Proper Names of

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion for a new readership’

Student Name: Johann David Martín Bermúdez

Student Number: M00599031

Tutors: Abele Longo and Olivia Gerber Morón

Date of submission: 27 September 2019

I confirm that I am the author of this work, and that I am aware of the

University policy on plagiarism.

‘A Simplified Version in Spanish with a Hispanicisation of Proper
Names of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion for a new readership’

By

Johann David Martín

1
 Acknowledgments

I would like to thank writer J.R.R. Tolkien for having created such a wonderful world in which

people can just immerse in and dream about imaginary places through his fantastic narrative style

that has inspired so many other authors of the popular genre. Even after death, his creation is still

an important subject matter of study and research.

I would also like to thank my family and my friends in Colombia, without whom I could have

never written this dissertation. Their constant support, assistance and long-distance company have

kept me in the right track to carry out the best project I have undertaken in my academic life.

Finally, thank you to my tutors from my master’s degree, for their assistance was greatly

appreciated and helpful in many ways during the writing of this project. And thank you to my

classmates who helped me choose the novel after a long consideration, for showing interest in my

translation, for sharing my passion and for their unconditional support throughout the year.

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 Abstract

This dissertation aims to prove that a novel with a purposefully complex narrative style can
undergo an interlingual simplified versioning through various techniques that helps the reader
understand the same communicative intentions of the author, even if that means altering the
original source to create a different final product that fulfils the reader’s expectations.

With the example of the translation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion into Spanish, the
techniques of simplification and the Hispanicisation of proper names are implemented to deliver a
version of the novel that could be more understandable and accessible to readers of all ages and
preferably without any previous knowledge about Tolkien’s world.

Based on the analysis of previous translated literature of the same genre and applying a method of
rewriting, the criteria considered by translators of fantasy literary works are essential to establish
some patterns that would be useful for the endeavour and consequently different solutions are
proposed regarding the issue of simplified narration, such as the omission of archaic language, the
introduction of rephrasing and the explicitation and compensation techniques, when deemed
necessary. In terms of Hispanicising proper names, the use of innovative strategies such as the
adaptation to Spanish spelling, the use of Spanish common suffixes and the substitution, creation
and omission of different names with a semantic load also contribute to the ultimate purpose of
simplification and add the final touch for acceptability by Spanish-speaking readers.

The final product proves the feasibility and usefulness of a new simplified translation of a novel,
despite having been translated before, and encourages readers to give rewritten texts a chance in
order to expand the limited readership of this type of genre, by opening the door to Tolkien’s world
through an easy-to-read and satisfactory novel.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 1
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. 3
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ 4
CHAPTER 1 : Introduction ......................................................................................................... 5
TRANSLATION INTO SPANISH ............................................................................................ 10
CHAPTER 2 : Literature Review ............................................................................................. 18
2.1. Simplification in translation ........................................................................................ 19
2.2. Approaches to translating proper names ................................................................... 20
CHAPTER 3 : Methodology ...................................................................................................... 23
3.1. Towards an acceptable adaptation ............................................................................. 23
3.2. Transcreation process .................................................................................................. 26
CHAPTER 4 : Discussion, Analysis and Solutions .................................................................. 28
4.1. Invisibility and visibility together ............................................................................... 29
4.2. Simplified narration ..................................................................................................... 30
4.2.1. Archaic language ...................................................................................................... 31
4.2.2. Rephrasing and relocation ....................................................................................... 32
4.2.3. Paragraphs breaks .................................................................................................... 33
4.2.4. Explicitation techniques ........................................................................................... 34
4.3. Hispanicised Names...................................................................................................... 36
4.3.1. Spelling adaptation and accents for correct pronunciation.................................. 37
4.3.2. Suffixes and endings ................................................................................................. 39
4.3.3. Semantic-based substitution of names .................................................................... 40
4.3.4. Semantic-based creation of toponyms .................................................................... 43
4.3.5. Deletion of multiple names....................................................................................... 45
CHAPTER 5 : Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 48
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 52
Appendices ................................................................................................................................... 56
Appendix A: Source Text ....................................................................................................... 56

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 4-1 Table of semantic substitutions of names of communities .......................................... 41

Table 4-2 Table of semantic substitutions of names of star constellations .................................. 42
Table 4-3 Table of semantic-based creations of toponyms .......................................................... 45

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CHAPTER 1 : Introduction

The fantasy literary genre normally has a reputation as a complex type of literature that is more

suitable to imaginative avid readers, more likely children or young adults, as well as too fictitious

and far away from reality. The general belief is that a fantasy novel should always involve stories

that take place in non-existent worlds, depicting characters and creatures with strange made-up

names and who are always magically solving their problems. However, there is much more

underneath. Popular culture has been responsible for bringing the genre back from oblivion ever

since John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s high fantasy novels were so successfully received by the

general public in the mid-fifties. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings entered the realm of

mainstream consumption during the years that followed and inspired a number of other writers

such as C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling and G.R.R. Martin. People became more interested in this kind

of stories because of that complexity, as it basically represents an escape from the hectic routine

of everyday life. The foundations built by Tolkien were so solid and perfect that the subsequent

fantasy literature works would find the same positive reception worldwide.

Tolkien’s high or epic fantasy novels take place in the fictional world of Arda, more commonly in

one of its continents known as Middle Earth. This literary world is characterised by its exoticness,

a fully developed made-up history, a plethora of different peoples, cultures and races, a very

distinctive geography and even fictional languages with their own established grammar structures

and rules that were created by the author himself. He invented a world few people are capable of

bringing into existence through literature, which is why he is considered a genius of the high

fantasy genre of literature.

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His novels stand out for their creativity, intricate plots and a historical consistency of events in his

imaginary universe throughout all his novels. The work that stands out the most for its difficulty

to be fluidly read is a book known as The Silmarillion, a collection of epic legends edited and

published by his son Christopher in which he describes the mythology of his own world and

narrates the history of the creation and the first years of Arda. In this text, he introduces the reader

to lots of characters, countless places, the existence of deities inside his universe and political

environments developed by the peoples and communities of his world. It is basically a book more

commonly intended for readers who are already familiar with The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings,

despite the fact that his target audience for these novels was more easily reached. The former was

actually written for children and the latter was written for a slightly older readership to expand

upon the lore of The Hobbit. But The Silmarillion is a different matter altogether. Its level of

complexity is so superior, that even the most committed fans of his work have to admit that they,

the author of this dissertation included, had a hard time, trying to understand every detail by

consulting dictionaries or encyclopaedias dealing with all the meanings and explanations that

Tolkien himself provided throughout his lifetime in notes and letters. The archaic language of the

book can only be compared to the archaic style of old religious books such as the Bible or the

Quran, which deal with a similar type of narrative: recounting tales and legends and including

countless names and references that are hard to remember or not very relevant or interesting.

Ironically, perhaps that same feature of creating another world’s history out of nowhere is what

makes it such a masterpiece of the genre. However, this is not a negative remark at all, but quite

the contrary. It is a pleasure to read all those ideas of a different world from someone’s mind, and

given the great enjoyment produced by reading such high level of creativity, it seems unfair that

6
only a few are favoured with the grace of his inventiveness. The complexity of the narration can

certainly discourage readers who are not used to this sort of writing, in addition to the typical

thickness of this type of books. Perhaps if it were written in a simpler way, a more than satisfying

effect could also be brought to an untrained reader or even a newcomer because this project is

about opening doors, not closing them. A story about the creation and introduction to an imaginary

world should also be welcoming and attractive to readers who may wish for an effective

introduction to this universe. The fact that the original is so exclusive reduces the readership from

the get-go.

Therefore, this dissertation aims at analysing the different aspects of how J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel

can be subject to a simplified translation into Spanish. Additionally, it was translated into the most

standard Spanish possible, so as not to exclude European Spanish speakers who may also find the

translation interesting and adequate, given that Latin American Spanish is the native language of

the translator. It also includes a Hispanicised1 adaptation of proper names in order to render a more

understandable version of the novel for new readers, more specifically, children, young adults or

people who are mildly interested in the world created by Tolkien who may or may not have read

any of his other novels. The goal is to prove that a simpler version of the book can be achieved to

get a new readership interested in the genre and in Tolkien’s other novels, also that readers can

find the stories more understandable and readable, and that Hispanicised versions of the proper

names invented by Tolkien can make the writing more fluid and clear, despite his own strict

instructions not to translate some of these names into other languages. The only accepted published

1
The term ‘Hispanicisation’ is used by the author in this dissertation to refer to the process by which elements of a
text, such as proper names, become influenced by typical characteristics of the Spanish language through a linguistic
alteration procedure to make it sound as natural as if it had been originally created in Spanish.

7
translation into Spanish, as well as translations into other languages, followed his guidelines to

translate names and yet The Silmarillion remains unrecognised and underrated.

For this endeavour, the motivations and solutions found by translators of popular high fantasy

literature are analysed in order to answer the question of whether a rewriting of the book actually

makes these complex works of art more understandable to new readers. Based on that data, the

criteria of translators of these novels are only considered as ways to translate the genre and as an

inspiration for the author’s own version into Spanish. This includes criteria to Hispanicise proper

names in fantasy novels to be easily accepted by the Spanish-speaking target culture and patterns

of simplification of complex literary works for a specific target audience. The collection of this

data is helpful to establish a model of translating criteria in order to adapt the features and elements

of these books from the source language (SL) into the target language (TL), most notably with

procedures of substitution and explicitation based on Vinay and Darbelnet’s ideas (1995) that play

an important role in the simplification of complex narrative structures and styles in a text.

Finally, by applying the knowledge acquired through the research and collection of main data, two

excerpts of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion have been translated into Spanish. The first section

is taken from the Valaquenta, a short text that introduces and describes the main deities in detail,

and the second section is taken from the Quenta Silmarillion, the longest and the main story of the

novel which narrates the interactions between Elves and deities and the fight against their common

enemy, the First Dark Lord, Melkor. The two sections have been translated in a very simplified

way so that any person can read them and immediately become interested without having read

other novels written by Tolkien. The translation below acts as a sample for what could be an entire

8
novel rewritten and potentially published solely with the purpose of expanding its audience beyond

a limited readership that is already interested in the Middle Earth works and attracting new readers

that find the stories presented in the novel understandable and easy-to-follow.

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TRANSLATION INTO SPANISH

10
 HISTORIA DE LOS VALAS

Los Valas y los Maias según los elfos

Al principio de todo, Erú, “el Único”, a quien los elfos llaman Padre del Universo, engendró a

5 unos espíritus de su mente, los Sagrados, y estos tocaron una gran Música ante él. El Mundo

comenzó en esta Música, pues Erú la hizo visible y ellos la contemplaron como una luz en la

oscuridad. Muchos quedaron encantados con su belleza y con la historia que empezaba a revelarse

en ella como en una visión. Entonces, Erú le dio Vida a su visión y la colocó en el Vacío. Luego,

envió la Llama Secreta a arder en el corazón del Mundo y a este le dio el nombre de Ea.

10

Entonces algunos Sagrados se levantaron y entraron al Mundo en el inicio del tiempo. Su misión

era completarlo y hacer que se cumpliera la visión que habían observado. Durante mucho tiempo,

trabajaron en las vastas regiones de Ea, inconcebibles para los Elfos y los Hombres, hasta que llegó

el momento de crear Arda, el Reino de la Tierra. Entonces se pusieron los atuendos apropiados y

15 descendieron para morar en ella.

Los Valas

Los elfos llaman Valas a los espíritus más poderosos, los Poderes de Arda, y los hombres a menudo

los llaman dioses. Los Señores Valas son siete y las Reinas de los Valas también son siete. Los

20 nombraron con la lengua élfica hablada en Valinoria, el Reino de los Valas, aunque los elfos y los

hombres los llamen de otro modo en la Tierra Media. Los nombres de los Señores en su debido

orden son: Mangüe, “el Rey de los Vientos”; Ulmo, “el Señor de las Aguas”; Aule, “el Herrero”;

Orome, “el Cazador”; Namo, “el Juez”; Irmo, “el Maestro de los Sueños” y Tulcas, “el Campeón”.

1
 Los nombres de las Reinas son: Varda, “la Reina de las Estrellas”; Yavanna, “Dadora de Frutos”;

25 Naienna, “la Doliente”; Este, “la Sanadora”; Vaire, “la Tejedora”; Vana, “la Siempre Joven” y

Nessa, “la Bailarina”. Melcor, el primer Señor Oscuro, no se cuenta entre los Valas y en la Tierra

no se pronuncia su nombre.

Mangüe y Melcor eran hermanos en la mente de Erú, Padre del Universo. Al principio, Melcor era

30 el más poderoso entre los Sagrados que vinieron al Mundo, pero Mangüe es a quien Erú más

aprecia y es el que entiende mejor sus propósitos. A su debido tiempo fue nombrado el primero de

todos los Reyes, señor del reino de Arda y soberano de todo lo que en ella moraba. En Arda, su

poder está en los vientos, las nubes y todas las regiones del aire, desde lo más alto hasta lo más

profundo, desde las fronteras más lejanas de la Atmósfera de Arda hasta las brisas que soplan sobre

35 la hierba. Se le apodó “Señor del Aliento de Arda”. Ama a todas las aves veloces de alas fuertes y

estas se encuentran a su disposición.

Varda, la Reina de las Estrellas, vive con Mangüe y conoce todas las regiones de Ea. Su belleza es

demasiado grandiosa para ser descrita por hombres o elfos, pues la luz de Erú aún reside en su

40 rostro. Su poder y su alegría están en la luz. Vino desde las profundidades de Ea a ayudar a

Mangüe, pues conocía a Melcor desde antes de la Música y lo rechazó. Este la odió y le temió más

que a ningún otro ser creado por Erú. Mangüe y Varda casi nunca se separan y siempre están en

Valinoria. Sus aposentos se encuentran sobre Nieveterna, la cima más lejana de la Montaña Sacra,

que es la más alta de todas las montañas de la Tierra. Cuando Mangüe asciende a su trono y observa

45 el panorama con Varda a su lado, puede ver más allá que ningún otro ojo, a través de la niebla, de

la oscuridad y sobre las leguas del mar. Y si Mangüe se encuentra con ella, Varda puede escuchar

2
 claramente todas las voces que se oyen desde el este al oeste, y desde las colinas, los valles y los

oscuros lugares que Melcor ha construido en la Tierra. De todos los Grandes que moran en este

mundo, Varda es a quien los Elfos más veneran y aman. La llaman la Reina de las Estrellas,

50 invocan su nombre desde las sombras de la Tierra Media y la alaban cantando cuando aparecen

las estrellas.

Ulmo es el Señor de las Aguas. No tiene esposa y no reside durante mucho tiempo en un solo

lugar, pero se desplaza en las profundas aguas sobre o debajo de la Tierra. Es el segundo más

55 poderoso después de Mangüe y, antes de la construcción de Valinoria, él era su amigo más cercano.

De ahí en adelante, casi nunca asistió a las asambleas de los Valas, salvo para discutir asuntos

graves, pues siempre piensa en toda Arda y no necesita un lugar para descansar. Además, no le

gusta caminar sobre el suelo y no suele adoptar un cuerpo como sus compañeros. Cuando los elfos,

Hijos de Erú, lo veían, se aterrorizaban, pues la aparición del Rey del Mar era terrible como si

60 fuera una ola creciente que avanza hacia las costas, coronada por un yelmo oscuro de cresta

espumosa y una cota de malla resplandeciente, plateada y verde. Las trompetas de Mangüe son

estridentes, pero la voz de Ulmo es profunda como el océano que solo él ha visto.

No obstante, Ulmo ama tanto a los elfos como a los hombres y nunca los abandonó, ni siquiera

65 cuando soportaron la ira de los Valas. A veces llegaba sin ser visto a las costas de la Tierra Media

o se adentraba por los estrechos del mar, y ahí tocaba música con sus grandes cuernos, los

Ulumuros, labrados con conchas blancas. Aquellos que oyen la música, la escuchan para siempre

en sus corazones y su anhelo del mar nunca desaparece. Pero Ulmo les habla sobre todo a los que

residen en la Tierra Media con voces que solo se escuchan como la música del agua, pues todos

3
70 los mares, lagos, ríos, fuentes y manantiales son suyos. Por eso, los elfos dicen que el espíritu de

Ulmo corre por todas las venas del mundo. Así, Ulmo, incluso en las profundidades, se entera de

todas las necesidades y las penas de Arda que Mangüe no alcanza a ver.

Aule, el Herrero, es un poco menos poderoso que Ulmo. Su dominio se extiende por todas las

75 sustancias de las que Arda está hecha. Al comienzo, trabajó bastante en compañía de Mangüe y de

Ulmo, y él fue quien le dio forma a todas las tierras. Es herrero y maestro de todas las artes, le

agradan las obras que requieren habilidad, por pequeñas que sean, así como las poderosas

construcciones de antaño. Las gemas que yacen en lo profundo de la Tierra y el oro que brilla en

la mano, en los muros de las montañas y en las cuencas del mar le pertenecen. Los Elfos Profundos

80 aprendieron casi todo de Aule y él siempre fue su amigo. Melcor le tenía envidia porque Aule era

muy parecido a él en sus ideas y en sus poderes. Hubo una larga confrontación entre ellos, en la

que Melcor siempre estropeaba o deshacía las obras de Aule, y este se cansaba de reparar el

desorden de Melcor. Ambos también deseaban hacer sus propias cosas nuevas en las que nadie

hubiera pensado antes y se complacían cuando otros exaltaban sus habilidades. Pero Aule siguió

85 siendo leal a Erú y buscó su aprobación en todo lo que hacía. No les tenía envidia a las obras de

los otros, sino que buscaba y daba consejos. En cambio, Melcor se sumía en la envidia y el odio,

hasta que al final no hizo más que burlarse de las ideas de los otros y destruir todas sus obras

siempre que podía.

90 La esposa de Aule es Yavanna, la Dadora de Frutos. Ama todas las cosas que crecen sobre los

campos y siempre recuerda todas sus formas, desde los árboles que se alzan como torres en los

antiguos bosques hasta el musgo que se forma en las piedras o las pequeñas criaturas en el moho.

4
 Yavanna es la más venerada después de Varda entre las Reinas de los Valas. En su forma de mujer,

es alta y viste de verde, pero puede adoptar otras formas. Algunos la han visto erguida como un

95 árbol bajo el cielo, coronada por el Sol y de todas sus ramas se derrama un rocío dorado sobre la

tierra estéril que hace brotar las plantas. Las raíces del árbol se encuentran en las aguas de Ulmo y

los vientos de Mangüe hablan en sus hojas. Los elfos la bautizaron como “la Reina de la Tierra”.

Los Amos de los Espíritus son hermanos y a menudo se los llama Namo e Irmo. Estos son sus

100 verdaderos nombres, y los lugares donde viven se denominan Mandos y Lorien, respectivamente.

Namo, el mayor, vive en Mandos, al oeste de Valinoria. Es el guardián de las Casas de los Muertos

y convoca a los espíritus de los caídos. No olvida nada y conoce el futuro, excepto el que depende

de la voluntad de Erú. Es el Juez de los Valas, pero pronuncia sus condenas y sus juicios solo a

105 petición de Mangüe. Su esposa es Vaire, la Tejedora, que teje todo lo que ha existido en el Tiempo

en telas de historias, y las Mansiones de Mandos se adornan con ellas y se amplían a medida que

transcurre el tiempo.

Irmo, el menor, es el amo de las visiones y los sueños. En Lorien se encuentran sus jardines en la

110 tierra de los Valas, y es el lugar más hermoso del mundo, lleno de muchos espíritus. Su esposa es

la gentil Este, que sana las heridas y calma la fatiga. Viste de gris y su don es el descanso. Durante

el día no camina, sino que duerme en una isla en el lago de Lórelin a la sombra de los árboles. Las

fuentes de Irmo y Este calman la sed de los residentes de Valinoria, y los Valas muchas veces van

a Lorien, y ahí reposan y se alivian de la carga de Arda.

115

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 Naienna, hermana de los Amos de los Espíritus, es más poderosa que Este y vive sola. Conoce el

dolor y llora por cada herida que ha sufrido Arda por los estropicios de Melcor. Mientras se

revelaba la Música, su tristeza fue tanta que su canción se convirtió en un lamento mucho antes de

que se acabara y el sonido del duelo se integró a las canciones del Mundo antes de que comenzara.

120 Pero ella no llora por sí misma, y quienes la escuchan aprenden de la piedad y a resistir con

esperanza. Vive al oeste del oeste en los límites del mundo y rara vez va a la ciudad de Campanaria

donde todo es alegría. Prefiere ir a las Mansiones de Mandos, que se encuentran más cerca, y todos

los que esperan ahí claman por ella, porque ella brinda fortaleza al espíritu y convierte el dolor en

sabiduría. Las ventanas de su casa miran hacia afuera desde los muros del Mundo.

125

Tulcas es el más fuerte y el que ha tenido más proezas, se le apoda “el Valiente”. Fue el último en

llegar a Arda para ayudar a los Valas en las primeras batallas contra Melcor. Le gusta la lucha y

los torneos de fuerza. No cabalga porque puede ir más rápido que todo lo que camina y no puede

fatigarse. Su cabello y su barba son dorados, su piel es rojiza y sus manos son sus armas. No le

130 interesa ni el pasado ni el futuro, no es buen consejero, pero es un amigo vigoroso. Nessa es su

esposa, la hermana de Orome, el Cazador, y ella también es ágil y de pies ligeros. Ama a los ciervos

y ellos siguen a su séquito siempre que se adentra en las tierras salvajes, pero ella los puede

aventajar tan rápida como una flecha con el viento en el cabello. Le encanta bailar en Campanaria

en los prados siempre verdes.

135

Orome es un señor poderoso. Si bien no es tan fuerte como Tulcas, se encoleriza demasiado. Tulcas

siempre se ríe en los deportes o en la guerra, e incluso se reía en la cara de Melcor en las batallas

antes de que nacieran los elfos. Orome amaba la Tierra Media, la abandonó contra su voluntad y

6
 fue el último en volver a Valinoria. En el pasado, solía volver al Este por las montañas y regresar

140 con su hueste a las colinas y a las llanuras. Es un cazador de monstruos y bestias mortales, le

encantan los caballos y los sabuesos, y ama a todos los árboles. Por eso, le llaman “el Soplador del

Cuerno” y “el Señor de los Bosques”. Su caballo se llama Najar, es blanco bajo el sol y plateado

en la noche. A su gran cuerno le dio el nombre de Valaroma y suena como el ascenso del sol en

luz escarlata o el fino rayo que atraviesa las nubes. Suena por encima de todos los cuernos de su

145 hueste en los bosques que Yavanna, Dadora de Frutos, hizo crecer en Valinoria, pues ahí Orome

entrenaba a su pueblo y a sus bestias para perseguir a las malvadas criaturas de Melcor. Su esposa

es Vana, la Siempre Joven, hermana menor de Yavanna. Todas las flores brotan cuando pasa, se

abren si las mira, y todos los pájaros cantan cuando está presente.

150 Estos son los nombres de los Valas y sus Reinas, y aquí se describe su aspecto en breve, tal como

los elfos los contemplaron en el Reino Bendecido. Pero aunque las formas en que se manifestaban

a los Hijos de Erú fueran hermosas y nobles, no eran más que un velo que escondía su belleza y

poder. Los elfos sabían poco acerca de la verdadera naturaleza de los Valas, pues se remontan a

regiones y eras inimaginables.

155 […]

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 HISTORIA DE LOS SILMARILOS

Capítulo 3

De la llegada de los elfos y el cautiverio de Melcor

160

Durante mucho tiempo, los Valas vivieron dichosos a la luz de los Árboles más allá de las

montañas del Reino Bendecido, pero toda la Tierra Media yacía en un crepúsculo bajo las estrellas.

Mientras las Dos Lámparas brillaron, surgió una vegetación que ahora había dejado de crecer

porque todo estaba oscuro otra vez. Pero ya habían aparecido los seres vivos más antiguos: las

165 grandes algas en los mares, la sombra de grandes árboles en los campos y las criaturas oscuras,

antiguas y fuertes en los valles de las colinas nocturnas. Los Valas casi nunca iban a esas tierras y

bosques, salvo por Yavanna y Orome. La Dadora de Frutos caminaba ahí en las sombras,

lamentándose por la interrupción del crecimiento y la promesa de la Primavera de Arda. Puso a

dormir a muchas cosas que habían aparecido en la primavera, para que no envejecieran y

170 aguardaran su momento de despertar, que aún no había llegado.

Pero en el Norte, Melcor recobraba sus fuerzas y no dormía, sino que observaba y trabajaba. Las

cosas malignas que había pervertido caminaban por todas partes, y monstruos y formas terroríficas

frecuentaban los oscuros bosques adormilados. En la fortaleza de Infrabismo, convocó a sus

175 demonios, espíritus que se habían unido a él al principio en los días de su esplendor y que se

volvieron tan corrompidos como él: sus corazones eran de fuego, sostenían látigos de llamas, los

envolvía un manto de oscuridad y el terror iba delante de ellos. Se llamaron Bálrogos en la Tierra

Media en épocas posteriores. En esos tiempos oscuros, Melcor engendró muchos otros monstruos

8
 con muchas formas y de diferentes especies que perturbaron al mundo durante mucho tiempo y su

180 reino ya se extendía hacia el sur de la Tierra Media.

Melcor también construyó una fortaleza y una armería cerca de las costas noroccidentales del mar

para resistir a cualquier asalto que pudiera provenir del Reino Bendecido. Esa fortaleza era

comandada por Sáuron, teniente de Melcor, y se le llamó Ferroprisión.

185

Entonces, los Valas se reunieron porque se inquietaron por las noticias que Yavanna y Orome

habían traído desde las Tierras Exteriores. Yavanna habló ante los Valas y les dijo:

—Oh, poderosos de Arda, la Visión de Erú fue breve y terminó muy pronto, para que tal vez no

pudiésemos adivinar la hora designada en tan pocos días. Pero ténganlo por seguro: se aproxima

190 la hora, y en esta edad se revelará nuestra esperanza y los Hijos despertarán. ¿Dejaremos las tierras

que serán su morada desoladas y llenas de maldad? ¿Permitiremos que caminen en la oscuridad

mientras aquí haya luz? ¿Toleraremos que llamen a Melcor señor mientras Mangüe se sienta en la

Montaña Sacra?

195 Y Tulcas gritó:

—¡No! ¡Vamos a la guerra sin demora! ¿No hemos descansado ya bastante de las contiendas y no

se halla nuestra fuerza ya renovada? ¿Dejaremos que uno solo se nos oponga para siempre?

Pero a petición de Mangüe, habló Namo y dijo:

200 —Es cierto que en esta era vendrán los Hijos de Erú, pero aún no. Además, está escrito que los

Primeros Nacidos llegarán en la oscuridad y lo primero que contemplarán serán las estrellas. Será

9
 una gran luz cuando empiecen a menguar y siempre recurrirán a Varda cuando lo necesiten.

Entonces Varda abandonó la reunión y desde las alturas de la Montaña Sacra contempló la

205 oscuridad de la Tierra Media bajo las innumerables estrellas, débiles y lejanas. Entonces, comenzó

una gran labor, la mayor de todas las obras de los Valas desde su llegada a Arda. Tomó el rocío

brillante de las cubas del Árbol Plateado y con él hizo nuevas estrellas más radiantes para la llegada

de los Primeros Nacidos. Por eso a ella, que desde lo profundo del tiempo y las labores de Ea se le

había llamado “la Iluminadora”, los Elfos le dieron el nombre de “la Reina de las Estrellas”.

210 Entonces, hizo los planetas Carnil y Luinil, a Nénar y Lúmbar, a Alcarinque y Elemmire, luego

reunió a muchas otras de las antiguas estrellas y las organizó en agrupaciones en los cielos de

Arda: la Mariposa, el Amante Celestial, el Águila del Oeste, la Frontera Solar y el Espadachín

Celestial con su cinturón brillante que presagia la Última Batalla que ocurrirá al final de los días.

Y en lo alto en el norte, como desafiando a Melcor, colocó la corona de las siete estrellas poderosas,

215 la Hoz de los Valas y símbolo del destino.

Mientras Varda finalizaba su larga labor, el Espadachín Celestial se alzó en el cielo por primera

vez y el fuego azul de la Estrella Perro destelló en la niebla por encima de los confines del mundo.

Esa fue la hora del despertar de los Hijos de la Tierra, los Primeros Nacidos de Erú. Junto a la

220 laguna bañada por las estrellas, llamada Agua del Despertar, se levantaron del sueño de Erú. Y

mientras permanecían aún en silencio junto a la laguna, lo primero que contemplaron sus ojos

fueron las estrellas de los cielos. Por eso, siempre han amado la luz estelar y han venerado a Varda,

Reina de las Estrellas, por encima de todos los Valas.

10
225 […]

Vivieron durante mucho tiempo en su primera morada cerca del agua bajo las estrellas y caminaron

por la Tierra maravillados, empezaron a hacer uso de las palabras y a darle nombre a todo lo que

percibían. Se llamaron “los Hablantes” porque podían utilizar su voz y aún no habían conocido a

230 ningún otro ser vivo que hablara o cantara.

En cierta ocasión, Orome estaba cabalgando hacia el este durante una cacería, giró hacia el norte

por las costas del Hélcar y pasó bajo la sombra de las Montañas Rojas en el este. Entonces, de

repente, Najar soltó un gran relincho y se quedó inmóvil. Y Orome, sorprendido, se quedó sentado

235 en silencio y en esa quietud bajo las estrellas, le pareció escuchar muchas voces cantando a lo

lejos.

Así, los Valas por fin encontraron de casualidad a aquellos a quienes habían esperado por tanto

tiempo. Y al observar a los elfos, Orome se sorprendió como si fueran seres repentinos,

240 maravillosos e imprevistos, pues esto siempre les sucederá a los Valas. Desde el exterior del

Mundo, aunque todo se haya preconcebido en la música y se haya mostrado en una visión lejana,

en algún momento todos los que entran realmente a Ea se encontrarán desprevenidos ante algo

nuevo y no anunciado.

245 En el principio, los Hijos de Erú eran más fuertes y más grandiosos de lo que son ahora, pero no

más hermosos, pues aunque la belleza de los elfos en los días de su juventud iba más allá de

cualquier belleza que Erú hubiese creado, esta no ha desaparecido. Aún existe en el oeste y el dolor

11
 y la sabiduría la han perfeccionado. Orome amaba a los elfos y los llamó “Pueblo de las Estrellas”.

Sin embargo, ese título solo se les dio después a los que lo siguieron por el camino hacia el oeste.

250

Sin embargo, muchos de los elfos se aterrorizaron a su llegada, por culpa de Melcor. Los sabios

concluyeron que Melcor, siempre vigilante, fue el primero que se enteró del despertar de los elfos,

y envió sombras y espíritus malignos a espiarlos y acecharlos. Así que, algunos años antes de la

llegada de Orome, cuando los elfos se aventuraban lejos, solos o en grupos pequeños, era común

255 que desaparecieran y nunca regresaran. Los elfos decían que el Cazador los había atrapado y

estaban asustados. Y de hecho, las canciones más antiguas de los elfos, cuyos ecos aún se

recuerdan en el oeste, hablan de las figuras sombrías que andaban por las colinas por encima del

Agua del Despertar o que pasaban de repente sobre las estrellas, y del jinete oscuro en su salvaje

caballo que perseguía a los viajeros para atraparlos y devorarlos. Pero Melcor sentía un gran odio

260 y un temor por las cabalgatas de Orome. Tal vez enviaba a sus oscuros sirvientes como jinetes o

tal vez inventaba rumores para que los elfos rechazaran a Orome, en caso de que se lo encontraran.

Así fue que cuando Najar relinchó y Orome realmente llegó ante ellos, algunos de los elfos se

escondieron, huyeron o se extraviaron. Pero los que tuvieron valor y se quedaron, entendieron

265 inmediatamente que el Gran Jinete no era una figura de la oscuridad, pues la luz del Reino

Bendecido brillaba en su rostro y los más nobles de entre los elfos se sintieron atraídos por ella.

Poco se sabe de aquellos infelices que fueron atrapados por Melcor, pues nadie que haya vivido

ha descendido nunca a las profundidades de Infrabismo, ni ha explorado la oscuridad de las

270 consejos de Melcor. Sin embargo, los sabios de la Isla Solitaria afirman que todos los elfos que

12
 cayeron en manos de Melcor, antes de que cayera Infrabismo, fueron encarcelados, lentamente

corrompidos y esclavizados mediante la crueldad. De este modo, Melcor crió la horrible raza de

los Orcos por envidia y como una burla a los elfos, y ambas razas fueron enemigas acérrimas. Los

Orcos tenían vida y se multiplicaban igual que los Hijos de Erú y los sabios dicen que Melcor

275 nunca pudo hacer nada que tuviera vida propia, ni nada similar desde su rebelión en la Canción de

los Sagrados antes del Principio. Y en lo profundo de sus oscuros corazones, los Orcos aborrecían

al Amo al que servían con miedo, el único causante de su miseria. Esta pudo ser la acción más vil

de Melcor y la más detestable para Erú.

280 Orome se quedó un buen tiempo con los elfos, después regresó cabalgando de prisa por mar y

tierra a Valinoria y comunicó la noticia en la ciudad de Campanaria, donde habló de las sombras

que perturbaban al Agua del Despertar. Entonces, los Valas se regocijaron en su alegría, a pesar

de sus dudas, y discutieron por un largo tiempo las medidas que se debían tomar para proteger a

los elfos de la sombra de Melcor. Pero Orome regresó inmediatamente a la Tierra Media y habitó

285 con los elfos.

Mangüe estuvo pensando por un tiempo en la Montaña Sacra y pidió el consejo de Erú. Y al

descender a Campanaria, convocó a los Valas al Círculo del Destino. Incluso Ulmo acudió desde

el Mar Exterior.

290

Entonces, Mangüe le dijo a los Valas:

—Este es el consejo de Erú en mi corazón: debemos recobrar de nuevo el dominio de Arda, cueste

lo que cueste, y librar a los elfos de la sombra de Melcor.

13
295 Tulcas se sentía complacido, pero Aule se afligió, presagiando las heridas que se abrirían en el

mundo con aquella lucha. Los Valas se prepararon y partieron desde el Reino Bendecido en pie de

guerra, decididos a atacar las fortalezas de Melcor hasta el final. Melcor nunca olvidó que esta

guerra se libró para salvar a los elfos y que ellos fueron la causa de su ruina. Sin embargo, los elfos

no participaron en estas acciones y poco sabían de la embestida de poder desde el oeste contra el

300 norte al comienzo de sus días.

Melcor salió al encuentro de los Valas en el noroeste de la Tierra Media y se destruyó una gran

parte de esa región. Pero la primera victoria de los ejércitos del Oeste fue rápida y los servidores

de Melcor huyeron de ellos a la fortaleza de Infrabismo. Entonces, los Valas entraron a la Tierra

305 Media y montaron guardia en el Agua del Despertar. De ahí en adelante, los elfos nunca supieron

de la gran Batalla de los Poderes, salvo por el hecho de que la Tierra se estremeció y rugió debajo

de ellos, las aguas se agitaron y el norte se iluminó con lo que parecían potentes fuegos. El asedio

de Infrabismo fue largo y penoso y se libraron muchas batallas ante sus puertas, pero los elfos solo

escucharon rumores acerca de estas. En esa época, cambió la forma de la Tierra Media y el Gran

310 Mar que la desgarró desde el Reino Bendecido se expandió y se hizo más profundo, irrumpió en

las costas y creó un profundo golfo en el sur. Se formaron muchas bahías menores entre el Gran

Golfo y el estrecho de Hielocrujiente en el lejano norte, donde casi se juntaban la Tierra Media y

el Reino Bendecido. La principal bahía era la Bahía de Bálar. El imponente río Sirión desembocaba

en ella desde las tierras altas recién levantadas en el norte, Pinoterra, y desde las montañas en torno

315 a Neblinia. Las tierras del lejano norte fueron totalmente desoladas en esos días, pues Infrabismo

se encontraba en lo más profundo de ellas, y sus abismos estaban llenos de fuegos y de grandes

14
 huestes al servicio de Melcor.

Pero al final se derribaron las puertas de Infrabismo, los techos se derrumbaron y Melcor se refugió

320 en el abismo más profundo de todos. Entonces Tulcas dio un paso al frente como Campeón de los

Valas, luchó contra él y lo hizo caer de bruces. Lo ató con la cadena Angainor que Aule había

forjado y se lo llevó cautivo. Y así, el mundo tuvo paz durante una larga era.

[…]

325

Entonces los Valas se reunieron en consejo una vez más y quedaron divididos en la discusión. En

últimas, por lo tanto, los Valas convocaron a los elfos a Valinoria para que residieran allí junto a

los Poderes a la luz de los Árboles para toda la eternidad. Namo rompió el silencio y dijo:

—Así se ha juzgado.

330 Este llamado dio lugar a muchas adversidades que sucedieron posteriormente.

Pero los elfos al principio no estaban dispuestos a atender el llamado, pues solo habían visto a los

Valas iracundos mientras iban a la guerra, excepto por Orome, y se sentían temerosos. Por lo tanto,

Orome fue enviado de nuevo ante ellos, y eligió embajadores entre ellos para que fueran a

335 Valinoria y hablaran en nombre de su pueblo: Ingüe, Fingüe y Elgüe, quienes más tarde se

convirtieron en reyes. Al llegar allí, se asombraron por la gloria y la majestuosidad de los Valas y

tuvieron grandes deseos de la luz y del esplendor de los Árboles. Entonces, Orome los llevó de

vuelta al Agua del Despertar, ellos hablaron ante su pueblo y les aconsejaron responder al llamado

de los Valas de trasladarse al oeste.

15
340

Entonces ocurrió la primera división de los elfos. La familia de Ingüe y la mayor parte de las

familias de Fingüe y de Elgüe se dejaron seducir por las palabras de sus señores y tenían la

intención de irse y seguir a Orome. Ellos fueron conocidos como el “Pueblo de las Estrellas”, que

fue el nombre que les dio Orome desde el principio. Pero muchos rechazaron el llamado, porque

345 preferían la luz de las estrellas y los amplios espacios de la Tierra Media y no un rumor de unos

Árboles. Estos fueron los “Elfos Renuentes”, que se separaron en ese momento del Pueblo de las

Estrellas y nunca más se volvieron a encontrar hasta muchas edades después.

El Pueblo de las Estrellas se preparó entonces para una gran marcha desde su primer hogar en el

350 este, y se desplegó en tres huestes. La más pequeña y la primera en ponerse en marcha la condujo

Ingüe, el más grande de los señores de toda la raza élfica. Entró a Valinoria y se sienta al pie de

los Poderes, y todos los Elfos veneran su nombre. Nunca regresó a la Tierra Media y nunca la

volvió a mirar. Su pueblo fue conocido como los “Elfos Hermosos”, los favoritos de Mangüe y

Varda, y muy pocos Hombres han hablado con ellos alguna vez.

355

Luego, vinieron los “Elfos Profundos”, un nombre de sabiduría, liderados por Fingüe. Eran amigos

de Aule, el Herrero, y fueron famosos en las canciones, pues lucharon y trabajaron mucho tiempo

y con mucho esfuerzo en las antiguas tierras del norte.

360 La hueste más grande fue la última en llegar. Fueron los “Elfos Rezagados”, pues se retrasaron en

el camino. No todos estaban decididos a pasar desde la penumbra hacia la luz de Valinoria. Les

encantaba el agua y aquellos que llegaron por fin a las costas occidentales se enamoraron del mar.

16
 Por lo tanto, se conocieron como los “Elfos Marinos” en el Reino Bendecido, pues tocaban música

junto a las olas rompientes. Debido a su gran número, tuvieron dos líderes: Elgüe Mantogrís y

365 Olgüe, su hermano.

Estas tres familias del Pueblo de las Estrellas, que se trasladaron al extremo occidental en los días

de los Árboles fueron conocidas colectivamente como los “Elfos de la Luz”. Sin embargo, hubo

algunos elfos que también empezaron a marchar hacia el oeste, pero se perdieron en el largo

370 camino, se desviaron o se retrasaron en las costas de la Tierra Media. Estos fueron en su mayoría

de la familia de los Elfos Rezagados, como se cuenta más adelante. Vivieron junto al mar o vagaron

por los bosques y las montañas del mundo, aunque sus corazones añoraban el oeste. Los Elfos de

la Luz los llaman los “Elfos Desventurados”, porque nunca llegaron al Reino Bendecido. Así que

los Desventurados y los Renuentes fueron conocidos por igual como los “Elfos de la Oscuridad”,

375 ya que nunca llegaron a contemplar la Luz que precedió al Sol y a la Luna.

17
CHAPTER 2 : Literature Review

In order to determine how justifiable it is to undertake a simplification of a novel implying a

recreation of the text and a full adaptation of the proper names thereof with the purpose of making

it more understandable and interesting to reach a new type of readership, one has to consider how

many times this particular type of rewriting has been used in the past for the same reason as applied

to other works of literature. In addition, if the novel has been long recognised in a specific culture

as a significant part of the corpus of translated literature, one has to deal with the reaction of the

people who admire J.R.R Tolkien’s The Silmarillion for its very complexity by having a very good

justifiable reason to rewrite the whole text in the same language and the required skills to do it

justice, because otherwise fanatics may feel particularly offended if it is not done properly.

Therefore, a proper analysis of previous translations of this genre is mandatory, so that the new

version suits the requirements of a new addition to the corpus of translated literature. This specific

approach belongs to a branch of translation known as descriptive translation studies which “aim

to describe how translations actually are, rather than simply prescribing how they should be”.

(Pym, 2014) One of its pioneers, Gideon Toury, proposes a significantly important three-phase

methodology as a different strategic approach to render a translation that could be easily

understandable by Spanish-speaking readers, based on the corpus of translated fantasy literature

that already exists. His purpose with this methodology is to find thinking patterns in the translators’

decision-making process by means of norms that specifically refer to a culture. Thus, the existing

translated literature is analysed in this project to draw conclusions leading to a model of translation

to be applied in the new translation of The Silmarillion. This chapter will delve into the way

simplification has played a significant role in translation in the past and how cultural adaptation of

proper names has helped the comprehensibility of a text in another language.

18
 2.1. Simplification in translation

Concerning the procedure of simplification, or simplified rewriting, the term involves breaking up

longer and more complex sentences into shorter ones (Laviosa 2002:61) According to Laviosa,

simplification can be considered on three different levels: lexical, syntactic and stylistic. The first

one is the process of reducing the number of words, the second is the syntactic level related to the

rendering of complex structures as simplified ones and lastly, the stylistic level involves breaking

up long sentences avoiding elaborate collocations, reducing repetitions, redundancies and

shortening circumlocutions. (Laviosa, 1997:289) One of the most famous examples is perhaps the

rewriting of the Bible. Even though it was made in an intralingual way, Eugene Nida’s

development of the dynamic-equivalent Bible-translation theory can be applied in this context. He

wanted his approach to preserve the meaning in a readable way because it is more important than

to preserve the original grammatical structure of this kind of text. He claims that the translation

should have an immediate meaning for the target readers by saying that “intelligibility is not to be

measured merely in terms of whether the words are understandable and the sentences

grammatically constructed, but in terms of the total impact the message has on the one who

receives it”. (Nida, 1969:22). Considering this purpose of rewriting the whole text for a new

audience, Christiane Nord suggests her function plus loyalty approach that contemplates the

purpose as the one that determines the choice of translation method. This purpose must be defined

by the translation brief that describes the specific request and must be fulfilled by the text producer

so that the receivers accept it as a functional product as long as it does not contradict or is not

compatible with the communicative intentions of the original author. (Nord, 2001)

19
Nonetheless, sometimes simplification also implies a need for more words, rather than fewer, to

explain something with more detail. Theorists such as Vinay and Darbelnet (1995) define

explicitation as “a process to introduce information into the target language which is present only

implicitly in the source language, but which can be derived from the context or the situation”. It is

essentially the strategy to explain something implicit in the source text (ST) to the reader of the

target text (TT) by means of additions, substitutions or even omissions to avoid distractions and

thus making it explicit. Readers who are already familiar with Tolkien’s works may not have any

problem deciphering what he meant with some words, but this project targets readers who may not

know anything about his imaginary world and if the objective is to attract them, everything must

be explained very carefully, without taking anything for granted.

However, for this simplifying process to fulfil its purpose in depth, there is a significant portion of

the task that needs to be addressed: the change of proper names in fictional languages. Alteration

facilitates the reading even more, which is why translators have always dealt with this issue. The

strategies are countless and it is a choice entirely defined by the translator.

2.2. Approaches to translating proper names

Some translators choose to follow certain standards and adapt their work to the target culture as

much as possible, others opt to reflect the source culture into the target culture as a means of

extreme foreignisation and to completely disregard the translated literature strategies that have

been used in the past. The fantasy genre is characterised by having a very innovative and creative

nature. Imaginative writers produce ideas and elements that pose a challenge for the translators

when it comes to translating those elements into other languages and cultures, particularly proper

20
names, which tend to have a semantic background in the source culture. They might be somehow

suggestive and sonorous in their SL, and in these cases, the choice of translators is to somehow

adapt these features into the TL in pursuit of familiarity or simply retain the same names in the

translation, ignoring the author’s possible intention behind them, but highlighting their exoticness.

As a general approach, the translator of this project has decided to adapt and to change the names,

based on the author’s linguistic intention behind the fictional languages and contrary to the original

translators’ approach. This is the point in which the Hispanicisation comes into play. This term’s

official connotation is originally different. According to the Collins Dictionary (2019), it means

“to make Spanish, as in custom or culture; bring under Spanish control or influence”, a cultural

phenomenon that goes hand in hand with colonisation. Despite its negative connotation of

destruction of indigenous culture and ethnocide, the term is adopted in this dissertation with a more

positive meaning related to the accessibility to fictional languages. It definitely implies a

conversion but it does not intend to completely supress the foreign distinctiveness of these

languages.

Many translation theorists have attempted to analyse the strategies and various approaches when

translating names, such as Virgilio Moya, who argues that the best equivalence between the SL

and the TL in the field of names of real people is obtained by means of transcription, leaving

them as they are in the SL, but in the case of fictional names, the duty to translate them is directly

proportional to the symbolic load of the sign of such name. And regarding toponymes, the best

equivalence is also the transcription, if they have not been well-established in Spanish. (Moya,

1993) According to Tanja Huvila, the names that convey cultural elements should be translated

and their meaning should be recognisable. She argues that the translator is always free to make its

21
own decisions as appropriate, but a translation will never be perfect and it is always domesticating

because “the translator takes a foreign text and translates it usually to his or her domestic language,

whether s/he has used an alienating or familiarizing method is irrelevant, the fact that the text has

been brought to the reader in their mother tongue makes the text domesticated”. (Huvila, 2016:

34) In terms of strategies, Eirlys E. Davies (2003, 65-100) proposes seven translation techniques

for proper names in books: Preservation is used to transfer the term directly into the TT with no

explanation. Addition is when a translator keeps the original item but supplements it with

information that is necessary. Omission is used to omit a difficult culture-specific item to convey

in the name. Globalisation is the process of replacing culture-specific references with more

general references, while localisation is when the translator adopts a particular reference from the

target culture. And finally, transformation is an alteration or distortion of the original and

creation is to produce something entirely different from the ST, both of which had a large role in

this project.

The aforementioned approaches concerning both the matter of simplification and Hispanicisation

of proper names are thus the foundations that this project will be based upon. It can be stated that

for purposes of simplification, the sentences of the new text should be shorter, clearer and never

confusing for the reader, and that there are many ways to adapt proper names into Spanish that

make them look like names originally created for the TL and to convey the meaning of names, if

they have it, with plenty of options for the translator, who has to be resourceful in every way to

propose the best equivalent name. The following chapter will deal with the methodology used to

implement this research project and to pursue the feasibility of it.

22
CHAPTER 3 : Methodology

When discussing the issue of feasibility of a simplification of a complex novel for a new

readership, one has to consider that the appropriateness of a translation of any kind is a concept

open to interpretation that can be associated with the acceptance of an artistic work. Many people

might believe it is a translation that is fair and that does justice to the original text and other people

might believe the opposite. For this specific project, there was no need for interviews or surveys

given that it is an entirely theoretical research involving the examination of methods used by other

translators for the simplification of complex narrative structures and the rendering of proper names

in order to use or enhance the most appropriate solutions for this task. The collection of this

information enabled the researcher to establish some patterns in terms of the criteria considered in

order to adapt the features and elements of books from the SL into the TL.

3.1. Towards an acceptable adaptation

In the case of literary translation, the criticism increases as the work of literature is certainly being

transformed into something new, regardless of its secondary nature. As Oittinen claims: “yet very

often adaptation is seen as a negative phenomenon: compared to its original, the adaptation is of

little value; it is secondary, a nonoriginal.” (Oittinen, 2000: 76), it is very difficult for people to

accept that an original work is going to be altered and transformed, because human beings are

generally afraid of change. But they accept and embrace change eventually, if they think it is for

the best purpose. The project of simplification of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion is a complex

task that required challenging skills for adapting the excerpts of the novel as a completely different

rewriting easily understandable by new readers. It could be alluded as an abridgment, which in

23
essence means “a shortened form of a work retaining the general sense and unity of the original”

(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2019), however in this case it is only shortened to a certain extent.

That purpose of general sense and unity is what defined the simplification of The Silmarillion,

because the intention was to the contents of the book so that readers find it more understandable

and easier to read. If that purpose is fulfilled, the translation will be successfully received, because

the translator has adapted the text according to the presumptive readers, as Oittinen suggests.

(Oittinen, 2000: 78) For Nord, translation is basically a communicative interaction between

individuals in which the translator acts as a mediator that transforms the cultural gap and makes

communication possible. But in extreme cases of cultural distance, such as this project, in which

the presumptive readers are mainly people who have not been introduced to Tolkien’s fantasy

world before, she proposes the use of an ‘exoticizing translation’, which focuses on the strangeness

of the ST to make it understandable and accessible. For this purpose, she introduces the term

‘loyalty’, referring to the social relationship between people: the translator has a responsibility to

both the target audience and the ST sender, whose communicative intentions must not be

misunderstood. (Nord, 2001) This approach thus solves the question of function, which in this case

is to simplify the complex narration of a novel for readers who need it, and the question of loyalty,

which is taking into account both Tolkien’s intention and the readers’ expectations. It is the

justification for the existence of the project, given that there is already a translation into Spanish

that was loyal to Tolkien but that was not addressed for readers other than people familiar with

Tolkien’s universe.

Given that the researcher is quite familiar with many captivating fantasy novels, an attempt has

been made to try to replicate that style in rewriting the intricate characteristics of Tolkien’s book,

24
because the simplification process involves a translation that brings the text closer to the target-

language readers by speaking a familiar language (Oittinen, 2000: 84). Additionally, this

knowledge of the genre and all its characteristics allowed the researcher to analyse how the

translation of this type of literature has been conducted throughout the years and what kind of

strategies have been used to convey the authors’ originality and storytelling in another language.

The descriptive translation studies have inspired the researcher to carry out an exhaustive analysis

of the translated fantasy literature based on Toury’s methodology (2012), according to which the

first step of the methodology is to situate the text within the target culture system, to see whether

there are similarities or differences; the second step is to conduct the textual analysis of the ST and

the TT to identify relationships, and the final step is to generalize patterns identified in order to

reproduce a translation for these pairs. (Toury, 2012: 31-4) Thus, close attention was paid to how

the important elements of the genre, such as the type of narration and the creative proper names,

have been rendered in other languages in these parallel texts in order to identify the models to

reconstruct the translation process between both languages and achieve a method accepted by

readers because of its previous use. Regarding the narrative style, for instance, J.K. Rowling’s

Harry Potter books demonstrate a smooth and rhythmic pace with a good flow that children find

extremely appealing and C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia novels are originally written for

children and the writing is very whimsical and easy to follow, as if reading a fairy tale. Therefore,

this narrative style was used in the new version to avoid replicating the complex style of The

Silmarillion. As explained above, Tolkien’s other novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

are written for a different type of readers. Even if they are also slightly hard to read, it is easier to

follow the plot due to the descriptiveness of the narration that is primarily addressed to young

adults or adults in general. On the other hand, The Silmarillion is a collection of stories that use

25
“archaisms as a deliberate and fully integrated style element”, as the Norwegian tolkienologist Nils

Ivar Agøy perfectly puts it. (Agøy, 2003) He compares this style to that in the King James Bible

of 1611, because of Tolkien’s use of the old way of telling stories. (Ibid.: 34) Therefore, if the

purpose of this endeavour was not to render a translation into Spanish that matched this old style

of storytelling, but to rephrase it and rewrite it, the text as a novel had to be characterised for a

clear smooth pace with no room for confusion. Long and complex sentences had to be broken

down into simpler constructions that made the text comprehensible and compelling at all times,

which is basically the syntactic approach proposed by Laviosa. (See Laviosa, 1997)

3.2. Transcreation process

Concerning the alteration that the ST underwent after it was simplified into the TL, especially with

the transformation of most of the proper names, there is a useful process that attempts to justify

radical changes in a translation, and it is the theory of the cannibalistic approach as applied to

transcreative writing and developed by Haroldo de Campos. He believed that translations should

never be submissive to the original and that translation was a hybrid activity that transgressed the

natural relation between form and content (De Campos, 1981). After he translated the Hebrew

Bible into Portuguese, he referred to the fact that he had ‘Portuguised’ the Hebrew language and

likewise ‘Hebrewises’ the Portuguese language (Gentzler, 2008). In a similar fashion, The

Silmarillion’s proper names in Quenya2 have been Hispanicised and at the same time names were

‘Quenyacised’ due to the fact that recurring features of this language were replicated in some

Spanish forms. It could be said that the original proper names were obliterated from the ST and

2
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien spoken by the Elves in his novels.

26
rechannelled through a familiar language in order to be understood as the author meant it in his

fictional languages, making the reader understand a deeper meaning of the names, even though the

ST did not have this purpose of explaining everything. Thus, the new text became a hybrid, because

it is and is not an original piece of work (ibid.).

Having all these ideas in mind as the main focus of all the methods proposed, the detailed

procedure used in this simplification of The Silmarillion and the application of all the strategies of

Hispanicisation are discussed in the chapter below as an innovative way to help other translators

in the future when facing these significant challenges.

27
CHAPTER 4 : Discussion, Analysis and Solutions

The high fantasy genre of literature usually relates to tales that take place in fictional worlds with

their own geography, history, different races, creatures and rules of magic, in addition to a plethora

of characters that are involved throughout the plot. As it might be expected, many proper names

are derived from all these creative inventions and the author would sometimes invent names that

have special or secret meanings behind them. It is rare that they invent names purely at random.

As a specialist in Philology, he even created languages for elves, dwarves, men and orcs in the

first place, but he would often say that the languages needed a history and speakers that would use

them. So naturally, he came up with all kinds of names for his characters, kingdoms, cities, rivers,

mountains, creatures, etc. He wrote The Hobbit initially for children with a fluent and descriptive

way of writing. Then came The Lord of the Rings with a more elegant and old-fashioned style and

then he further enhanced this approach by adopting a narrative similar to complex Biblical history,

Old English poems such as Beowulf and Nordic mythology literature for his telling of The

Silmarillion. Given that this type of epic literature was written many years ago with a different

kind of English that is no longer used, he deliberately used the same features of those books in his

novel to make it look as if it had been written in those times and to reflect an ancient and eccentric

writing.

Two sections of the book were subject to analysis in this particular project, given that they are

clear examples of what the whole book represents and they exemplify the challenges posed by the

translation issues in the ST. The first one is the entire story of the Valaquenta, a section in which

there are no dialogues, its only purpose is to explain the identity of the divine beings of the world

of Arda, because they will later play a significant role in the events that will unfold in the following

28
section: The Quenta Silmarillion, of which the third chapter is included in the translation as the

second part of the project to be analysed. Fundamental aspects of the process of simplification and

Hispanicisation of the proper names have been analysed in detail below, but first it is important to

highlight the task of the translator here as an effort to unite two opposite sides of a coin for a greater

purpose.

4.1. Invisibility and visibility together

The very popular and greatly influencing concepts of domestication and foreignisation coined and

analysed in depth by theorist Lawrence Venuti (1995) are challenged, as the translator of the

project attempts to render a translation that attempts to unite the two approaches formulated by

him. The domestication is evident when fluency and naturalness are given priority in the TL and

there is a certain separation between the ST’s complexity and the new TL’s simplicity, for which

purpose the translator had to be invisible in the eyes of the reader, without drawing attention to

himself, adapting the foreign elements and keeping them as relatable as possible to the real world,

something Venuti does not consent to. On the other hand, foreignisation is also present in the

translation because the otherness of the ST was effectively marked in the translation itself, by

keeping the spirit of the novel intact and calling attention to the fact that this originally complex

novel actually takes place in another world. This is achieved with the introduction of a great

number of characters, places and objects with names invented in non-existent languages, inviting

the reader to enter this unknown world by preserving some of the proper names in the fictional

languages and forcing the reader to pronounce them accurately as Tolkien intended, through a

perfect transcription in the TL. Additionally, the level of simplification is such that the reader

cannot forget that he/she is reading a rewriting for Spanish-speaking readers that fulfils its purpose

29
of being understandable and memorable. The translator wants to show his potential as a rewriter

of stories who can use his own skills to retell a story that was not as compelling at first glance as

other books written by the same author. Thus, the translator demonstrates that he can be invisible

when the text reads fluently after minimising some of the foreignness, but also visible by helping

the writer to expand his readership through this new rewriting and by calling attention to the fact

that it is the translator who should be praised or criticised for its simplification efforts.

4.2. Simplified narration

The first step for the simplification in question, looking back at previous models, relates to how

the narration should be like in general in the TL. Shavit (2006: 36) states that a text is less complex

and conforms to a simplified model “by deletions or by changing the relation between elements

and functions”. Even if his approach is translation of literature for children, some of his concepts

can be applied in the matter of simplification. He talks about an affiliation to existing models that

implies the translation of literature relating the text to models that already exist in the target system

because there is always a need to accept only the conventional (Ibid.: 28) and this has happened

with the translations and adaptations of Gulliver’s Travels, Robinson Crusoe and Alice in

Wonderland. They were all adapted into literature specifically addressed to children and the level

of complexity of the text, an ideological adaptation and a change of stylistic norms had to be

changed so that they could be accepted as children’s literature. Some of the main characteristics

that make The Silmarillion so hard to read even for English-speaking readers is the use of

archaisms that are no longer used, the use of a narrative that resembles passages of Holy Books

such as the Bible in which a great number of characters are introduced in the same paragraph

30
mentioning their genealogy, the distracting use of the same name repeatedly in the same section

and surprising returns of characters that had been mentioned long before and unfortunately have a

name similar to other characters, usually relatives, which usually leads to absolute confusion.

More specifically, there are certain significant elements that should be addressed in this work of

simple and unobstructed narration: the archaisms that are the representation of old English

language, the complex constructions of sentences, also distinctive of Old English forms and related

to poetic forms, the representation of dialogues in English writing style and the sudden introduction

of characters without a proper explanation of their identity. Therefore, some solutions have been

presented for each case:

4.2.1. Archaic language

As noted by Agøy (2003), the language of The Silmarillion is deliberately archaic and some

expressions and terms are no longer used in modern English, or they have a different sense

from the sense they previously had. Tolkien defended his own calculated use of archaisms in

the sense that his characters would not use a modern language to express their dialogues,

because doing otherwise would be “an insincerity of thought, a disunion of word and

meaning” (Tolkien, 1981: 225). Agøy argues that this is an essential element of the novel and

therefore would have to be conveyed finding a similar old-fashioned use of the language into

which the text is being translated. Not doing so, he states, would constitute an act of disloyalty

and disrespect to the readers. And he is correct, as long as the function of the translation is to

produce a faithful adaptation of the book. But as this project focuses on a different matter, not

a typical translation, but rather a simplified versioning and rewriting for another type of

31
readership, it is doubtful that they will feel offended for being able to understand more than

from the already accepted published translation. Nonetheless, the rendering of archaisms

became a slightly formal speech, so that the old-fashioned nature of the ST was effectively

conveyed. After all, it is true that Tolkien’s characters cannot speak with a modern speech. It

would sound unnatural, even more so if the characters speaking are deities. In line 184 of the

ST, the old pronoun ‘Ye’ is used, which is the plural form of thou, an archaic or dialect form

of ‘you’ (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2019) and which can also be found in other sections

of the book, along with pronoun variants such as thy, thine and thee. The solution to convey

that archaic form was to find the Spanish equivalent of an archaic formal (polite) second

person pronoun: ‘vos’ for singular and ‘vosotros’ for plural. Nowadays, vos has disappeared

from modern European Spanish, yet still exists in some regions of Latin America as an

informal form of address, and vosotros is still used informally in European Spanish but no

longer used in Latin America. The interjection ‘Nay’ which is an archaic word for ‘no’ (Collins

English Dictionary, 2019) can also be seen in line 191, along with its natural opposite ‘Yea’

for ‘yes’. In this case it was not possible to find a Spanish unused form to express agreement

or disagreement, therefore they were simply translated as the general equivalent usage of “Sí”

and “No” in Spanish, despite the loss of the archaisms.

4.2.2. Rephrasing and relocation

According to Baker, the concept of simplification implies making the ST more accessible to

the readers of the TL based on “the idea that translators subconsciously simplify the language

or message or both” (Baker, 1996:181). However, the only difference in this project is that the

translator consciously simplifies the text so that the readers are able to understand everything.

32
Sometimes, this would mean breaking down lengthy and complex sentences into shorter ones

or connecting two different sentences to form just one by reformulating the wording and

keeping the general meaning of what is being communicated. Laviosa (2002: 61-62) in fact

proposes that in translation, “a comparatively lower average sentence length may be

considered an aspect of stylistic simplification”, which is why most of the long sentences were

broken up for better understanding. For example, lines 149 to 151 of the ST were rephrased

in Spanish as “The elves knew little about the true nature of the Valar, since they come from

unimaginable regions and ages.” (Lines 153-154 of TT) The phrase itself in English is

formulated in a complex way that could be expressed in a different manner for a different type

of readers in the same language. Sometimes even two separate sentences were connected for

the sake of continuity and to avoid sudden disruption of ideas.

Another common resource used was the change in the sentence structures and word order that

might facilitate the reader’s understanding. The original text is characterised by archaic

constructions, such as the object-subject-verb sentence structure, rare and unusual in modern

texts, but a recurring feature of old texts: e.g. “To those lands and forests the Valar seldom

came” in line 164. The repetitive use of conjunctions ‘and’ and ‘but’, mostly at the beginning

of paragraphs and in several sentences within the same paragraph, was also reduced to the

maximum extent to make the text more fluid, because keeping them would have made reading

distracting. In some cases, even five words could be reduced to just one: “And it came to pass

that” simply became ‘Then’.

4.2.3. Paragraphs breaks

33
The model in which dialogue is indicated in a novel written in Spanish has certain punctuation

rules that the author has to follow. And the primary one is the use of the long dash (—) to

indicate the beginning and, in some cases, the end of a speaker’s quotation. Each change of

speaker should always start a new paragraph in order to form a sequence of quotations to

specify that a dialogue is taking place. This is not usual in English, since that is the purpose

of the single quotation marks (‘’) which in turn are embedded in the text itself. The dash helps

the reader identify the dialogue for ease of understanding. And this is a case of an incidental

simplification, because it is a change that should happen in any translation of dialogue from

English into Spanish. It is visually more clear that a character is about to speak and very often

the quotation marks in English dialogues hide the fact that a speaker is delivering its lines.

Therefore, this typical alteration of paragraphs is a simplification technique in itself that

should always be used if the purpose is to produce a genuine writing style of the Spanish

language that its readers are familiarised with.

4.2.4. Explicitation techniques

Given the amount of information contained within the same paragraph provided by the author

to the readers in a matter of lines, the translator attempted to explain and introduce additional

and short explanations to tell the reader what he/she needs to know about that particular piece

of information, in line with Vinay and Darbelnet’s definition of the explicitation strategy to

introduce information into the TL that is only implicit in the SL (Vinay and Darbelnet, 1995).

In one of the first paragraphs of the second section, the Valaquenta, the reader is provided

with the names of all the gods and goddesses of the world of Arda, a total of 15 main characters

whose names are sometimes similar and could be mistaken in the future for others. Therefore,

34
explicitation was applied here, explaining what the gods or goddesses were mostly known for,

as it is common in mythological legends. It could be argued that Tolkien proceeds to explain

immediately after who each of them was and what they did explaining their skills and powers

in detail. But it is also a good idea to introduce the names with a very short introduction of

who they were. The original version in line 22-24 reads:

Therefore, the translator has opted to explain who they are as follows in lines 21-27

of the TT:

“The names of the Lords in due order are: Mangüe, the Wind King; Ulmo,

the Water Lord; Aule, the Smith; Oromei, the Hunter; Namo, the Judge;

Irmo, the Dream Master and Tulcas, the Champion. The names of the

Queens are: Varda; the Lady of the Stars; Yavanna, Giver of Fruits;

Naienna, the Weeper; Este, the Healer; Vaire, the Weaver; Vana, the Ever-

Young and Nessa, the Dancer. Melkor, the first Dark Lord, is no Valar and

his name is not spoken upon Earth.”

This immediately gives the reader an image of who they are and when they are mentioned

again, there is hardly the need to go back or go to the appendix dictionary section of all the

proper names in the original novel. According to Newmark (1988: 91), the introduction of

35
 annotations or additional information to compensate cultural or linguistic problems

concerning proper names should always be within the text, if possible, so that the readers’

attention is not interrupted. And this is something even the readers of the novel in its original

language struggle with a lot.

After these general aspects of simplified narration have been sorted out, even more specific items

now have to be addressed to complete the task: the introduction of Hispanicised proper names that

give the text a more natural look and provide the reader with as many graphic images as possible

to trigger more imagination rather than confusion or frustration.

4.3. Hispanicised Names

Tolkien invented Quenya and Sindarin, the Elvish tongues that he developed as if he were creating

real languages, with their own grammar rules, pronunciation guidelines and spelling indications.

All names that are allegedly derived from these tongues have a meaning in that specific language.

The problem starts when the reader is given the translation of the same name into another also

unintelligible language, and we are also given the English translation. The reader thus ends up with

3 or 4 names, of which only the translation into its own language is memorable. The question here

is which of the names the simplifying translator should keep if the objective is only giving one and

only one name for a character. A clear solution would be to find the name that either is mentioned

first or has the most repetitions in the entire text overall if it is a transparent name without any

meaning. But if the name has a semantic load, it should be successfully conveyed in the TL as

well.

36
 4.3.1. Spelling adaptation and accents for correct pronunciation

This first section is not based on any previous translated literary work. It is purely

experimental and an original innovation of the author that has not been attempted before, but

that proves to be very useful. Some of the names that appear in the novel are in fact

untranslatable, as Hong-man (2010) correctly puts it, because of the different languages

created by Tolkien. Names in the Elvish tongues like Quenya and Sindarin or names in the

Dwarvish language, Khuzdul, cannot have a semantic translation and therefore have to be

retained in those languages. However, as an additional help for readers to pronounce the names

as Tolkien would have wanted to, they have been adapted to the Spanish transliteration of how

they are correctly pronounced in those languages, according to his own instructions on how

to do it. He actually suggested this process once for the name ‘Gamgee’ from The Lord of the

Rings in his Guide to the Names for translating that novel. He specified that the name should

be best treated as 'meaningless', and should be retained with any spelling changes that may

seem necessary to fit it to the style of the language of translation (Tolkien, 1975). This resulted

in the translation ‘Gamyi’ in Spanish. Nord actually argues that even if a character’s name is

simply copied into the TT without any changes, a change will still occur since the reader of

the TT will pronounce the character’s name in a different way than the reader of the ST (Nord,

2003:185). Thus, the idea of alteration of spelling is actually really good. The circumflex, the

accents and the diaereses on some of the names are an indication from the author to pronounce

them in the right way, but he just assumed that everyone would read his guidelines beforehand

and then included them in his novels. Given that it is not common and people just ignore the

diacritical points and mispronounce them, the names have been adapted into Spanish

phonemes. It may seem like an insignificant characteristic, but when the translation pays

37
homage to the real pronunciation intended by the writer, it shows that there is an admiration

and a respect for the main text. Thus, names of the Valar deities have been transliterated into

names that could be read in Spanish with the right pronunciation, such as Manwë,

transliterated as Mangüe and Oromë, translated as Orome, because if read by a Spanish-

speaking person, they would be pronouncing the names in the right way specified by Tolkien

himself. The vowel ë is not common either in English or in Spanish and it is very possible that

many readers have just ignored it in the past.

Spanish spelling rules have also been applied to the writing of the names, based on the

pronunciation idea, because if that is the purpose of that rewriting, it has to be visible in a way

that the stress is placed in the correct syllables. In Spanish, the only diacritical mark to identify

the stress of a particular syllable is the normal accent (´) and it can be applied to any of the

vowels. (á, é, í, ó, ú). It can only be used once in a single word, as it marks the stressed syllable

according to the Spanish spelling rules. Sometimes it is not even needed. Thus, names like

“Eru”, the name of the main god is transferred as “Erú” with an accent on the last syllable,

because it is specified that it should be pronounced as [eh-roo] in English. Another diacritical

mark in Spanish is the diaeresis on the U (ü), and it can only precede E or I. When the letter

G precedes a U plus a hard vowel (A, O), the U and the vowel are both pronounced. When the

G precedes a soft vowel (E, I), the Ü comes into play and it indicates that both vowels should

be pronounced, because the u is usually silent in this kind of diphthong: ‘gue’ or ‘gui’. Thus,

according to the pronunciation of some deities like Manwë, which should be said as [ˈmanwe],

according to Tolkien Gateway (2018), it should be written as “Mangüe” when transcribed into

Spanish. And that is the final decision that has been determined for all names of characters

38
without a specific hidden semantic load.

4.3.2. Suffixes and endings

In order to indicate the plural form of nouns in Spanish, the endings –s, -os or –es are normally

used. And for some names of communities within the world of Tolkien, they would be very

helpful if they had this same ending to recognize them as a name of a particular community

or race. In the Spanish translation of The Silmarillion, those names were only transcribed as

they were just in the original novel, making it difficult to differentiate them as a community.

Thus, the Valar, the Noldor and the Eldar are plural nouns that designate groups of people.

According to the Spanish general rule, if a singular noun ends in a vowel, an –s should be

added to make it plural. And if a singular noun ends in a consonant, -es or -os should be added

for the same purpose. Similarly, in the translation of Christopher Paolini’s first novel Eragon

from The Inheritance Cycle series into Spanish, translators Silvia Kómet and Enrique de Hériz

adapted the name of a rebel community in the novels, the ‘Varden’, to Vardenos, even though

they were never referred to as Vardens in English as a plural form. They could have considered

the noun Varden to be plural, but they decided to naturalise it with the appropriate plural

ending. In The Silmarillion, the singular of Valar is Vala, so following the Spanish rule, the

plural noun should be simply “Valas” and for the elvish community of Noldor, the plural

should be “Noldos”. However, as the word Noldor belongs to the Quenya language and has

an equivalent in English, the translator has opted to use that connotation of the community,

in this case, the “Deep Elves” but this topic will be discussed below. Another example is the

Ulumúri, the designated name of the great shell horns that Ulmo uses to produce music. As it

is a plural noun, it was decided to provide the suffix –os, so that the name can evoke several

39
objects, resulting in “Ulumuros”. It is worth noting that italics are only used in the translation

when mentioning the specific name of objects such as the Ulumuros to emphasise that they

are not names of characters or places. A similar strategy was used in G.R.R. Martin’s Clash

of Kings for the names of ships or galleys, e.g. The Princess Rhaenys, the Balerion.

One of the most common endings in Spanish for toponyms, i.e. names of places and cities, is

the suffix –ia, which has been applied to some of the names found in The Silmarillion to

inform the reader that they are names of cities or towns. However, not all of them were adapted

in this way, only main countries or kingdoms have this ending. This was the same procedure

used by the translator of A Game of Thrones written by G.R.R. Martin, Cristina Macía, who

translated the name of Winterfell, the castle of one of the most important families in the novel,

as ‘Invernalia’. In this case, she had the advantage that the name was not supposedly in a

different language. So she complemented the ‘winter’ section of the name, which in Spanish

is “invierno” with the ending “-ia”, thus adapting the name for Spanish-speaking readers.

Some examples are: Valinor replaced by Valinoria and Beleriand replaced by Belerandia, but

also Valimar or Valmar replaced by Campanaria and Hithlum replaced by Neblinia, for which

a different creative-based process explained below was used without forgetting the suffix –ia,

for toponyms.

4.3.3. Semantic-based substitution of names

There are cases of several denominations for a single item, be it a community, a place or a

constellation. Some of them can be in English, others in Quenya, others in Sindarin and others

can be just nicknames of those same items. Names of communities such as the Noldor, the

40
Sindar and the Aratar are specific nouns that are derived from the Quenya language, one of

the tongues spoken by the Elves. The meanings in English of these names are provided by

Tolkien as an explanation of who they are. Thus, the names in Quenya have been avoided in

order not to generate confusion and have been substituted by the official meanings established

by the author himself, as the table indicates below:

Table 4-1 Table of semantic substitutions of names of communities

In this manner, it is easier to remember the communities the narrator is talking about as a

specific community, because such a great number of names for different Elvish communities

might confuse the readers that could also forget what the name actually meant after a while

and it could later disrupt their reading. In one case, specifically, the name Quendi is used

repeatedly for a while when referring to the elves in general, but given that it would be

distracting for the reader, the general noun ‘elves’ was used instead.

41
The same procedure was applied sometimes for toponyms with original meanings in the

fictional languages, for example, continents such as Aman, the name in Quenya for the

Blessed Realm and residence of the deities and communities of elves, was completely

substituted by its meaning in Spanish, “Reino Bendecido”, as well as Cuiviénen, a pond

known to be the birthplace of the Elves that means Water of Awakening in Quenya, “Agua

del Despertar”, therefore these connotations in Spanish were used instead, despite their length

in order to avoid strange names. Likewise, the same strategy was applied to the Orocarni, as

the Red Mountains and Tol Eressëa as the Lonely Island.

Furthermore, the names of some constellations created by one of the goddess Varda were

replaced by their meanings in Spanish because the names of Quenya do not evoke the fact that

they are groups of stars in the reader’s mind and even the original novel fails in this task,

because it never provides the meaning in English for some of them. Yet this did not stop

linguists that have studied the languages invented by Tolkien and in some cases, their

translations into English were later used for this Hispanicisation, as listed below:

Table 4-2 Table of semantic substitutions of names of star constellations

This strategy helps readers better understand subsequent sentences that refer to these

communities, places or constellations in a way that they do not have to look back or refer to

42
Tolkien dictionaries.

4.3.4. Semantic-based creation of toponyms

When the author of a novel introduces a name with a symbolic load in his own language, or

in this case, in his own fictional languages, there is a moral obligation to convey that load in

the TL during the translation, because the meaning is embedded in the name for a reason.

After analysing previous translated works of the genre, most of them find the way to convey

those semantic-based names. Regrettably, one of the only occasions in which proper names

with a semantic load were completely neglected, was in the translation of J.K. Rowling’s

Harry Potter series into Spanish. Given the great number of names invented by Rowling to

highlight the traits of her characters that usually included roots of Latin, Old English and

French, it is a shame that the translators did not attempt to convey that, because the loss of

meaning was gargantuan in the Spanish translation, but as Gutierrez (2003) puts it, it cannot

be denied that the transferral of the names allowed British ethnicity and customs to be kept in

the translation. Readers of the genre, especially children, were equally attracted to the Spanish

translation, but it is also interesting to think about what a semantic-based translation could

have achieved otherwise, perhaps attracting even more readers. In the case of The Silmarillion,

however, one of the main aspects of the simplification is to create images in the mind of the

reader to remember the characters and places without hesitation, and this can only be done by

translating that semantic load. An innovative approach for this issue was the procedure of

creation proposed by Davies (2003), for which she proposes coming up with something

entirely different from the ST. The inspiration for this approach came from some of the

translations of toponyms into Spanish for G.R.R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire. For

43
example, one of the fortresses is named Riverrun, a word that evokes the flow of a river. This

makes sense because it is located in a place where rivers converge, and it was translated as

“Aguasdulces” in Spanish, ‘Sweetwaters’. It is not literal, but still meets the purpose of

evoking the water. Also, the fortress of the Eyrie, translated as “Nido de Águilas” preserves

the meaning of the word as a Nest of Eagles. The sigil of the House that owns the fortress is

also an eagle, which makes it even more appropriate. Likewise, in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles

of Narnia, there is a place called ‘Underland’ which could have been transliterated as the

translator did with the country of ‘Archenland’ but in this occasion, she translated the two

portions of the name and created the name ‘Bajotierra’.

Therefore, something similar was attempted with many of the places contained in The

Silmarillion, but the process in this case included a translation from Quenya into English for

the creation of a new toponym in Spanish, which would be a combination of that meaning into

only one word and it is another original experiment undertaken by the translator to help the

reader. For example, The Dark Lord’s fortress is named Utumno, which Tolkien stated that it

derives from Tumna which in Quenya means “low-lying, low, profound, deep”. The author of

this project then proceeded to find words in Spanish that evoked these adjectives. The prefix

‘infra-’ typically means ‘below’ and ‘abismo’ is a word that means abyss, a deep space. Thus,

a combination of both of these words would result in the new compound toponym Infrabismo,

which fulfills the purpose of making the reader imagine a deep fortress located underground.

The following table illustrates the process for the creation of these toponyms:

44
 Table 4-3 Table of semantic-based creations of toponyms

This newly-created strategy might be useful for translators of fiction novels if their purpose is

to convey a semantic load in the proper names made up by the authors of those novels in the

TT, even more if they are actually created from invented languages.

4.3.5. Deletion of multiple names

And finally we have the intricate nature of Tolkien’s characters that usually have a complex

history described through the eyes of the people of Arda. Most of them have a name given at

birth by their own people, and another name due to their feats and achievements. They can

also have names in other languages spoken by other races and nicknames in those languages.

45
In the spirit of making it less confusing, several names have been omitted from the whole

book. For instance, Eru Ilúvatar is the main deity in Tolkien’s fictional world of Arda.

Sometimes he is called by both names and most of the times he is called just Ilúvatar. Given

that Eru is the most identifiable name and also the first one he is known by in the book, it has

been selected as the only name this character will be known by in this simplified Hispanicised

version. Ilúvatar is barely used and has therefore been omitted, despite the fact that in the

novel it is stated that Eru means "The One", and the epithet Ilúvatar means "Father of All" in

the fictional tongue Quenya (Tolkien, 1977).

But there are more problematic cases: the King of Doriath of the Sindar people is known as

Elwë during his first years. Then his name is changed to Thingol that means ‘Greymantle’ in

Quenya and is also known later by names like The Hidden King or the nickname Elu. In order

to avoid confusion, the translator has chosen to preserve the first name that was mentioned in

the novel for the rest of the translation, despite subsequent changes of more common names,

in this case: Elwë, adapted into Spanish as “Elgüe”. Also, the deity known as Oromë has an

abundance of names like Aldaron which means ‘Horn-Blower’ in Quenya, Araw which means

the same thing in Sindarin, or Tauron which means ‘Lord of the Forests’. For the sake of

simplicity, the name Orome is kept throughout the entire translation, and occasionally the

nicknames imposed by other races were mentioned once. For example, line 92 reads:

“Kementári, Queen of the Earth, she is surnamed in the Eldarin tongue.” referring to the

goddess Yavanna. Therefore, the Spanish translation is back-translated as “The elves called

her the Queen of the Earth” and Keméntari is deleted from the translation.

46
These are some of the main solutions to the issues encountered in these excerpts of The

Silmarillion. Some of them were based on previous translated literature and others were inspired

by the translator’s ideas and experience with this type of genre. It was definitely very useful to be

familiar with all these great fantasy novels that have been a success worldwide and whose

translations have always been generally accepted by the public and it is expected that this new

rewriting has fulfilled its purpose to reach new readers who feel enticed to read the whole novel.

47
CHAPTER 5 : Conclusion

The intention of this dissertation was to prove that a simplified translation of the novel written by

J.R.R. Tolkien into Spanish is feasible and satisfactory, focusing especially on an appropriate

adaptation of the proper names with the characteristics of the TL in order to be easily accepted by

any type of readership. Some relatives and friends of the translator tried the new version and found

it easier to follow and more appealing and remarkable. Due to the fact that some of the main ideas

that were key for the solution of the translating issues were in fact based on the already accepted

translations of some of the most popular fantasy novels of recent times and others were created

specifically for this project, it can be stated that the translation has achieved its purpose of

producing a simplified version of The Silmarillion focusing especially on the Hispanicised

adaptation of proper names. The final result is a translation that is not extremely different from the

ST, yet it is not a completely rewritten text because the translator has been successful in conveying

the spirit and essence of the text and making some significant changes to enhance the general

narration that are essential for this project to be deemed an original versioning experiment.

The various strategies that were implemented for the process of simplification were quite useful

to evidence that a text can be increasingly rephrased to a certain extent without losing the original

author’s intention of his/her words. As complex as it may be, this project confirmed that The

Silmarillion could be retold in a different manner, losing insignificant characteristics, such as the

archaic language, that are not necessary if the purpose of this translation is to simply narrate a story

and are only important for the original language readers. Techniques such as rephrasing can help

a great deal to explain complicated structures of the original text to avoid the reader’s distraction

48
and explicitation lived up to the expectations acting as a mediator between the author and the

reader, provided that the reader really needed assistance or guidance with the text without going

so far as to give unimportant information that might be even more confusing. Concerning the

matter of Hispanicisation of proper names, the knowledge of previous translations of the same

genre of high fantasy inspired the translator to follow some of the patterns that were established in

some of the most famous works of literature that have been translated and successfully received

by Spanish-speaking readers, such as the use of Spanish common suffixes and the creation of new

names for the effective conveyance of the semantic and symbolic load thereof. However, it also

encouraged the implementation of innovative techniques that would help with maximum

comprehension and avoidance of confusion through methods of substitution of names with their

relevant equivalent meaning in Tolkien’s fictional languages and the reduction and omission of

irrelevant names that did not contribute to the main plot and would be redundant and distracting

in a simplified narration. The adaptation to the Spanish spelling for names without a connotative

purpose, the transparent names, was especially original given that it had never been applied before,

but it proved to be very important when it came to the correct pronunciation of the author’s

invented names. In the end all these techniques were very useful for the final product because it

looks like a different novel with plenty of changes, but it is still essentially the same story that

readers of all ages may be interested in and a literary work that seems more accessible than the

original one. It is ultimately a project that intended to go beyond the original intention of the author

by easily providing the reader with a specific knowledge about the world of Arda, thus the

meanings behind Tolkien’s creative names of characters, places, constellations and communities

are made available to the reader through a transformation of their linguistic form using the existing

resources of the Spanish language in order to create unforgettable images in a reader’s mind.

49
This is a project similar to Haroldo de Campos’s, who published his own rendition of Goethe’s

Faust, God and the Devil in Goethe's Faust, a transcreation work in which he applies his

cannibalistic views to the original novel by making some significant changes and rewriting a

significant portion of the novel in his own style, based on his own interpretation. Likewise, the

researcher and translator of the sampled extract of The Silmarillion has produced a transformed

version acting as a mediator between the author and the potential readers and is willing to publish

this work as a translated novel identified as a simplified rewriting of the book, not as the translated

version of The Silmarillion, because that one already exists in Spanish. De Campos was listed as

the author in the cover of his book, and in the second cover page, Goethe is listed as the author,

accompanied by De Campos listed in smaller print as a transcreator. It could be done in a similar

way in this case, specifying that it is not the original novel, perhaps with a different original name

like “The Silmarillion Retold: A simplified version”. It could attract readers from all ages, people

who had always wanted to read but felt discouraged every time they started to read the original

novel, because telling the story in simple words was the purpose of the study all along. The

unquestionable problems of copyright, the difficulty in reaching and convincing publishers to

consider the idea and the high cost of publication are the main complications for the project’s

further success, but a suitable proposal could be made to the Tolkien Estate with a generous royalty

deal for them to consider the possibility of allowing the project to be marketed, taking into account

the great current popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. Eventually, the idea could be even expanded

to other languages and an intralingual simplification could even be attempted for the novel.

In addition, this important and innovative study was intended as a potential guide to perform the

50
same process on other literary works of the same genre or other genres, given the usefulness that

a simplification can produce for readers other than the originally intended ones and the advantages

that a Hispanicisation of proper names can have on the overall understanding of a novel. It was a

huge accomplishment to produce a condensed version of a great novel altering the style of

narration, and yet managing to keep the spirit of the original text and remaining loyal to the author

This rarely happens with translations and that is why this process should be replicated for the same

purposes of reaching another type of readership. It could be interesting to conduct the same process

on J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series with a new translation into Spanish of all the invented names

and study the reaction of Spanish-speaking readers who are already accustomed to the English

names.

Finally, this project intends to be an example for all translators of literary works, who should take

a stance and gain more visibility with their own translations. The work of a translator is to convey

a message between two communicating parties, but this work proves that we can go beyond and

be more than simple mediators and also act as creators of our own works, as transcreators who

should also be recognised for our efforts and invention capabilities.

51
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55
Appendices

Appendix A: Source Text

56
 VALAQUENTA

Account of the Valar and Maiar according to the lore of the Eldar

In the beginning Eru, the One, who in the Elvish tongue is named Ilúvatar, made the Ainur of his

5 thought; and they made a great Music before him. In this Music the World was begun; for Ilúvatar

made visible the song of the Ainur, and they beheld it as a light in the darkness. And many among

them became enamoured of its beauty, and of its history which they saw beginning and unfolding

as in a vision. Therefore Ilúvatar gave to their vision Being, and set it amid the Void, and the Secret

Fire was sent to burn at the heart of the World; and it was called Eä.

10

Then those of the Ainur who desired it arose and entered into the World at the beginning of Time;

and it was their task to achieve it, and by their labours to fulfil the vision which they had seen.

Long they laboured in the regions of Eä, which are vast beyond the thought of Elves and Men,

until in the time appointed was made Arda, the Kingdom of Earth. Then they put on the raiment

15 of Earth and descended into it, and dwelt therein.

Of the Valar

The Great among these spirits the Elves name the Valar, the Powers of Arda, and Men have often

called them gods. The Lords of the Valar are seven; and the Valier, the Queens of the Valar, are

20 seven also. These were their names in the Elvish tongue as it was spoken in Valinor, though they

have other names in the speech of the Elves in Middle-earth, and their names among Men are

manifold. The names of the Lords in due order are: Manwë, Ulmo, Aulë, Oromë, Mandos, Lórien,

and Tulkas; and the names of the Queens are: Varda, Yavanna, Nienna, Estë, Vairë, Vána, and

57
 Nessa. Melkor is counted no longer among the Valar, and his name is not spoken upon Earth.

25

Manwë and Melkor were brethren in the thought of Ilúvatar. The mightiest of those Ainur who

came into the World was in his beginning Melkor; but Manwë is dearest to Ilúvatar and

understands most clearly his purposes. He was appointed to be, in the fullness of time, the first of

all Kings: lord of the realm of Arda and ruler of all that dwell therein. In Arda his delight is in the

30 winds and the clouds, and in all the regions of the air, from the heights to the depths, from the

utmost borders of the Veil of Arda to the breezes that blow in the grass. Súlimo he is surnamed,

Lord of the Breath of Arda. All swift birds, strong of wing, he loves, and they come and go at his

bidding.

35 With Manwë dwells Varda, Lady of the Stars, who knows all the regions of Eä. Too great is her

beauty to be declared in the words of Men or of Elves; for the light of Ilúvatar lives still in her

face. In light is her power and her joy. Out of the deeps of Eä she came to the aid of Manwë; for

Melkor she knew from before the making of the Music and rejected him, and he hated her, and

feared her more than all others whom Eru made. Manwë and Varda are seldom parted, and they

40 remain in Valinor. Their halls are above the everlasting snow, upon Oiolossë, the uttermost tower

of Taniquetil, tallest of all the mountains upon Earth. When Manwë there ascends his throne and

looks forth, if Varda is beside him, he sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through

darkness, and over the leagues of the sea. And if Manwë is with her, Varda hears more clearly than

all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west, from the hills and the valleys, and

45 from the dark places that Melkor has made upon Earth. Of all the Great Ones who dwell in this

world the Elves hold Varda most in reverence and love. Elbereth they name her, and they call upon

58
 her name out of the shadows of Middle-earth, and uplift it in song at the rising of the stars.

Ulmo is the Lord of Waters. He is alone. He dwells nowhere long, but moves as he will in all the

50 deep waters about the Earth or under the Earth. He is next in might to Manwë, and before Valinor

was made he was closest to him in friendship; but thereafter he went seldom to the councils of the

Valar, unless great matters were in debate. For he kept all Arda in thought, and he has no need of

any resting-place. Moreover he does not love to walk upon land, and will seldom clothe himself

in a body after the manner of his peers. If the Children of Eru beheld him they were filled with a

55 great dread; for the arising of the King of the Sea was terrible, as a mounting wave that strides to

the land, with dark helm foam-crested and raiment of mail shimmering from silver down into

shadows of green. The trumpets of Manwë are loud, but Ulmo's voice is deep as the deeps of the

ocean which he only has seen.

60 Nonetheless Ulmo loves both Elves and Men, and never abandoned them, not even when they lay

under the wrath of the Valar. At times he win come unseen to the shores of Middle-earth, or pass

far inland up firths of the sea, and there make music upon his great horns, the Ulumúri, that are

wrought of white shell; and those to whom that music comes hear it ever after in their hearts, and

longing for the sea never leaves them again. But mostly Ulmo speaks to those who dwell in Middle-

65 earth with voices that are heard only as the music of water. For all seas, lakes, rivers, fountains

and springs are in his government; so that the Elves say that the spirit of Ulmo runs in all the veins

of the world. Thus news comes to Ulmo, even in the deeps, of all the needs and griefs of Arda,

which otherwise would be hidden from Manwë.

59
70 Aulë has might little less than Ulmo. His lordship is over all the substances of which Arda is made.

In the beginning he wrought much in fellowship with Manwë and Ulmo; and the fashioning of all

lands was his labour. He is a smith and a master of all crafts, and he delights in works of skill,

however small, as much as in the mighty building of old. His are the gems that lie deep in the Earth

and the gold that is fair in the hand, no less than the walls of the mountains and the basins of the

75 sea. The Noldor learned most of him, and he was ever their friend. Melkor was jealous of him, for

Aulë was most like himself in thought and in powers; and there was long strife between them, in

which Melkor ever marred or undid the works of Aulë, and Aulë grew weary in repairing the

tumults and disorders of Melkor. Both, also, desired to make things of their own that should be

new and unthought of by others, and delighted in the praise of their skill. But Aulë remained

80 faithful to Eru and submitted all that he did to his will; and he did not envy the works of others,

but sought and gave counsel. Whereas Melkor spent his spirit in envy and hate, until at last he

could make nothing save in mockery of the thought of others, and all their works he destroyed if

he could.

85 The spouse of Aulë is Yavanna, the Giver of Fruits. She is the lover of all things that grow in the

earth, and all their countless forms she holds in her mind, from the trees like towers in forests long

ago to the moss upon stones or the small and secret things in the mould. In reverence Yavanna is

next to Varda among the Queens of the Valar. In the form of a woman she is tall, and robed in

green; but at times she takes other shapes. Some there are who have seen her standing like a tree

90 under heaven, crowned with the Sun; and from all its branches there spilled a golden dew upon the

barren earth, and it grew green with corn; but the roots of the tree were in the waters of Ulmo, and

the winds of Manwë spoke in its leaves. Kementári, Queen of the Earth, she is surnamed in the

60
 Eldarin tongue.

95 The Fëanturi, masters of spirits, are brethren, and they are called most often Mandos and Lórien.

Yet these are rightly the names of the places of their dwelling, and their true names are Námo and

Irmo.

Námo the elder dwells in Mandos, which is westward in Valinor. He is the keeper of the Houses

100 of the Dead, and the summoner of the spirits of the slain. He forgets nothing; and he knows all

things that shall be, save only those that lie still in the freedom of Ilúvatar. He is the Doomsman

of the Valar; but he pronounces his dooms and his Judgements only at the bidding of Manwë.

Vairë the Weaver is his spouse, who weaves all things that have ever been in Time into her storied

webs, and the halls of Mandos that ever widen as the ages pass are clothed with them.

105

Irmo the younger is the master of visions and dreams. In Lórien are his gardens in the land of the

Valar, and they are the fairest of all places in the world, filled with many spirits. Estë the gentle,

healer of hurts and of weariness, is his spouse. Grey is her raiment; and rest is her gift. She walks

not by day, but sleeps upon an island in the tree-shadowed lake of Lórellin. From the fountains of

110 Irmo and Estë all those who dwell in Valinor draw refreshment; and often the Valar come

themselves to Lórien and there find repose and easing of the burden of Arda.

Mightier than Estë is Nienna, sister of the Fëanturi; she dwells alone. She is acquainted with grief,

and mourns for every wound that Arda has suffered in the marring of Melkor. So great was her

115 sorrow, as the Music unfolded, that her song turned to lamentation long before its end, and the

61
 sound of mourning was woven into the themes of the World before it began. But she does not weep

for herself; and those who hearken to her learn pity, and endurance in hope. Her halls are west of

West, upon the borders of the world; and she comes seldom to the city of Valimar where all is

glad. She goes rather to the halls of Mandos, which are near to her own; and all those who wait in

120 Mandos cry to her, for she brings strength to the spirit and turns sorrow to wisdom. The windows

of her house look outward from the walls of the world.

Greatest in strength and deeds of prowess is Tulkas, who is surnamed Astaldo, the Valiant. He

came last to Arda, to aid the Valar in the first battles with Melkor. He delights in wrestling and in

125 contests of strength; and he rides no steed, for he can outrun all things that go on feet, and he is

tireless. His hair and beard are golden, and his flesh ruddy; his weapons are his hands. He has little

heed for either the past or the future, and is of no avail as a counsellor, but is a hardy friend. His

spouse is Nessa, the sister of Oromë, and she also is lithe and fleetfooted. Deer she loves, and they

follow her train whenever she goes in the wild; but she can outrun them, swift as an arrow with

130 the wind in her hair. In dancing she delights, and she dances in Valimar on lawns of never-fading

green.

Oromë is a mighty lord. If he is less strong than Tulkas, he is more dreadful in anger; whereas

Tulkas laughs ever, in sport or in war, and even in the face of Melkor he laughed in battles before

135 the Elves were born. Oromë loved the lands of Middle-earth, and he left them unwillingly and

came last to Valinor; and often of old he passed back east over the mountains and returned with

his host to the hills and the plains. He is a hunter of monsters and fell beasts, and he delights in

horses and in hounds; and all trees he loves, for which reason he is called Aldaron, and by the

62
 Sindar Tauron, the Lord of Forests. Nahar is the name of his horse, white in the sun, and shining

140 silver at night. The Valaróma is the name of his great horn, the sound of which is like the upgoing

of the Sun in scarlet, or the sheer lightning cleaving the clouds. Above all the horns of his host it

was heard in the woods that Yavanna brought forth in Valinor; for there Oromë would train his

folk and his beasts for the pursuit of the evil creatures of Melkor. The spouse of Oromë is Vána,

the Ever-young; she is the younger sister of Yavanna. All flowers spring as she passes and open if

145 she glances upon them; and all birds sing at her coming.

These are the names of the Valar and the Valier, and here is told in brief their likenesses, such as

the Eldar beheld them in Aman. But fair and noble as were the forms in which they were manifest

to the Children of Ilúvatar, they were but a veil upon their beauty and their power. And if little is

150 here said of all that the Eldar once knew, that is as nothing compared with their true being, which

goes back into regions and ages far beyond our thought.

[…]

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 QUENTA SILMARILLION

155 The History of the Silmarils

Chapter 3

Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor

160 Through long ages the Valar dwelt in bliss in the light of the Trees beyond. The Mountains of

Aman, but all Middle-earth lay in a twilight under the stars. While the Lamps had shone, growth

began there which now was checked, because all was again dark. But already the oldest living

things had arisen: in the seas the great weeds, and on earth the shadow of great trees; and in the

valleys of the night-clad hills there were dark creatures old and strong. To those lands and forests

165 the Valar seldom came, save only Yavanna and Oromë; and Yavanna would walk there in the

shadows, grieving because the growth and promise of the Spring of Arda was stayed. And she set

a sleep upon many things that had arisen in the Spring, so that they should not age, but should wait

for a time of awakening that yet should be.

170 But in the north Melkor built his strength, and he slept not, but watched, and laboured; and the evil

things that he had perverted walked abroad, and the dark and slumbering woods were haunted by

monsters and shapes of dread. And in Utumno he gathered his demons about him, those spirits

who first adhered to him in the days of his splendour, and became most like him in his corruption:

their hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before them; they had

175 whips of flame. Balrogs they were named in Middle-earth in later days. And in that dark time

Melkor bred many other monsters of divers shapes and kinds that long troubled the world; and his

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 realm spread now ever southward over Middle-earth.

And Melkor made also a fortress and armoury not far from the north-western shores of the sea, to

180 resist any assault that might come from Aman. That stronghold was commanded by Sauron,

lieutenant of Melkor; and it was named Angband.

It came to pass that the Valar held council, for they became troubled by the tidings that Yavanna

and Oromë brought from the Outer Lands; and Yavanna spoke before the Valar, saying: 'Ye mighty

185 of Arda, the Vision of Ilúvatar was brief and soon taken away, so that maybe we cannot guess

within a narrow count of days the hour appointed. Yet be sure of this: the hour approaches, and

within this age our hope shall be revealed, and the Children shall awake. Shall we then leave the

lands of their dwelling desolate and full of evil? Shall they walk in darkness while we have light?

Shall they call Melkor lord while Manwë sits upon Taniquetil?'

190

And Tulkas cried: 'Nay! Let us make war swiftly! Have we not rested from strife overlong, and is

not our strength now renewed? Shall one alone contest with us for ever?'

But at the bidding of Manwë Mandos spoke, and he said: 'In this age the Children of Ilúvatar shall

195 come indeed, but they come not yet. Moreover it is doom that the Firstborn shall come in the

darkness, and shall look first upon the stars. Great light shall be for their waning. To Varda ever

shall they call at need.'

Then Varda went forth from the council, and she looked out from the height of Taniquetil, and

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200 beheld the darkness of Middle-earth beneath the innumerable stars, faint and far. Then she began

a great labour, greatest of all the works of the Valar since their coming into Arda. She took the

silver dews from the vats of Telperion, and therewith she made new stars and brighter against the

coming of the Firstborn; wherefore she whose name out of the deeps of time and the labours of Eä

was Tintallë, the Kindler, was called after by the Elves Elentári, Queen of the Stars. Carnil and

205 Luinil, Nénar and Lumbar, Alcarinquë and Elemmírë she wrought in that time, and many other of

the ancient stars she gathered together and set as signs in the heavens of Arda: Wilwarin,

Telumendil, Soronúmë, and Anarríma; and Menelmacar with his shining belt, that forebodes the

Last Battle that shall be at the end of days. And high in the north as a challenge to Melkor she set

the crown of seven mighty stars to swing, Valacirca, the Sickle of the Valar and sign of doom.

210

It is told that even as Varda ended her labours, and they were long, when first Menelmacar strode

up the sky and the blue fire of Helluin flickered in the mists above the borders of the world, in that

hour the Children of the Earth awoke, the Firstborn of Ilúvatar. By the starlit mere of Cuiviénen,

Water of Awakening, they rose from the sleep of Ilúvatar; and while they dwelt yet silent by

215 Cuiviénen their eyes beheld first of all things the stars of heaven. Therefore they have ever loved

the starlight, and have revered Varda Elentári above all the Valar.

[…]

220 Long they dwelt in their first home by the water under stars, and they walked the Earth in wonder;

and they began to make speech and to give names to all things that they perceived. Themselves

they named the Quendi, signifying those that speak with voices; for as yet they had met no other

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 living things that spoke or sang.

225 And on a time it chanced that Oromë rode eastward in his hunting, and he turned north by the

shores of Helcar and passed under the shadows of the Orocarni, the Mountains of the East. Then

on a sudden Nahar set up a great neighing, and stood still. And Oromë wondered and sat silent,

and it seemed to him that in the quiet of the land under the stars he heard afar off many voices

singing.

230

Thus it was that the Valar found at last, as it were by chance, those whom they had so long awaited.

And Oromë looking upon the Elves was filled with wonder, as though they were beings sudden

and marvellous and unforeseen; for so it shall ever be with the Valar. From without the World,

though all things may be forethought in music or foreshown in vision from afar, to those who enter

235 verily into Eä each in its time shall be met at unawares as something new and unforetold.

In the beginning the Elder Children of Ilúvatar were stronger and greater than they have since

become; but not more fair, for though the beauty of the Quendi in the days of their youth was

beyond all other beauty that Ilúvatar has caused to be, it has not perished, but lives in the West,

240 and sorrow and wisdom have enriched it. And Oromë loved the Quendi, and named them in their

own tongue Eldar, the people of the stars; but that name was after borne only by those who

followed him upon the westward road.

Yet many of the Quendi were filled with dread at his coming; and this was the doing of Melkor.

245 For by after-knowledge the wise declare that Melkor, ever watchful, was first aware of the

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 awakening of the Quendi, and sent shadows and evil spirits to spy upon them and waylay them.

So it came to pass, some years ere the coming of Oromë, that if any of the Elves strayed far abroad,

alone or few together, they would often vanish, and never return; and the Quendi said that the

Hunter had caught them, and they were afraid. And indeed the most ancient songs of the Elves, of

250 which echoes are remembered still in the West, tell of the shadow-shapes that walked in the hills

above Cuiviénen, or would pass suddenly over the stars; and of the dark Rider upon his wild horse

that pursued those that wandered to take them and devour them. Now Melkor greatly hated and

feared the riding of Oromë, and either he sent indeed his dark servants as riders, or he set lying

whispers abroad, for the purpose that the Quendi should shun Oromë, if ever they should meet.

255

Thus it was that when Nahar neighed and Oromë indeed came among them, some of the Quendi

hid themselves, and some fled and were lost. But those that had courage, and stayed, perceived

swiftly that the Great Rider was no shape out of darkness; for the light of Aman was in his face,

and all the noblest of the Elves were drawn towards it.

260

But of those unhappy ones who were ensnared by Melkor little is known of a certainty. For who

of the living has descended into the pits of Utumno, or has explored the darkness of the counsels

of Melkor? Yet this is held true by the wise of Eressëa, that all those of the Quendi who came into

the hands of Melkor, ere Utumno was broken, were put there in prison, and by slow arts of cruelty

265 were corrupted and enslaved; and thus did Melkor breed the hideous race of the Orcs in envy and

mockery of the Elves, of whom they were afterwards the bitterest foes. For the Orcs had life and

multiplied after the manner of the Children of Ilúvatar; and naught that had life of its own, nor the

semblance of life, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the Ainulindalë before the

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 Beginning: so say the wise. And deep in their dark hearts the Orcs loathed the Master whom they

270 served in fear, the maker only of their misery. This it may be was the vilest deed of Melkor, and

the most hateful to Ilúvatar.

Oromë tarried a while among the Quendi, and then swiftly he rode back over land and sea to

Valinor and brought the tidings to Valmar; and he spoke of the shadows that troubled Cuiviénen.

275 Then the Valar rejoiced, and yet they were in doubt amid their joy; and they debated long what

counsel it were best to take for the guarding of the Quendi from the shadow of Melkor. But Oromë

returned at once to Middle-earth and abode with the Elves.

Manwë sat long in thought upon Taniquetil, and he sought the counsel of Ilúvatar. And coming

280 then down to Valmar he summoned the Valar to the Ring of Doom, and thither came even Ulmo

from the Outer Sea.

Then Manwë said to the Valar: 'This is the counsel of Ilúvatar in my heart: that we should take up

again the mastery of Arda, at whatsoever cost, and deliver the Quendi from the shadow of Melkor.'

285 Then Tulkas was glad; but Aulë was grieved, foreboding the hurts of the world that must come of

that strife. But the Valar made ready and came forth from Aman in strength of war, resolving to

assault the fortresses of Melkor and make an end. Never did Melkor forget that this war was made

for the sake of the Elves, and that they were the cause of his downfall. Yet they had no part in

those deeds, and they know little of the riding of the might of the West against the North in the

290 beginning of their days.

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 Melkor met the onset of the Valar in the North-west of Middle-earth, and all that region was much

broken. But the first victory of the hosts of the West was swift, and the servants of Melkor fled

before them to Utumno. Then the Valar passed over Middle-earth, and they set a guard over

295 Cuiviénen; and thereafter the Quendi knew nothing of the great Battle of the Powers, save that the

Earth shook and groaned beneath them, and the waters were moved, and in the north there were

lights as of mighty fires. Long and grievous was the siege of Utumno, and many battles were

fought before its gates of which naught but the rumour is known to the Elves. In that time the shape

of Middle-earth was changed, and the Great Sea that sundered it from Aman grew wide and deep;

300 and it broke in upon the coasts and made a deep gulf to the southward. Many lesser bays were

made between the Great Gulf and Helcaraxë far in the north, where Middle-earth and Aman came

nigh together. Of these the Bay of Balar was the chief; and into it the mighty river Sirion flowed

down from the new-raised highlands northwards: Dorthonion, and the mountains about Hithlum.

The lands of the far north were all made desolate in those days; for there Utumno was delved

305 exceeding deep, and its pits were filled with fires and with great hosts of the servants of Melkor.

But at the last the gates of Utumno were broken and the halls unroofed, and Melkor took refuge in

the uttermost pit. Then Tulkas stood forth as champion of the Valar and wrestled with him, and

cast him upon his face; and he was bound with the chain Angainor that Aulë had wrought, and led

captive; and the world had peace for a long age.

310

[…]

Then again the Valar were gathered in council, and they were divided in debate. At the last,

therefore, the Valar summoned the Quendi to Valinor, there to be gathered at the knees of the

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315 Powers in the light of the Trees for ever; and Mandos broke his silence, saying: 'So it is doomed.'

From this summons came many woes that afterwards befell.

But the Elves were at first unwilling to hearken to the summons, for they had as yet seen the Valar

only in their wrath as they went to war, save Oromë alone; and they were filled with dread.

320 Therefore Oromë was sent again to them, and he chose from among them ambassadors who should

go to Valinor and speak for their people; and these were Ingwë, Finwë and Elwë, who afterwards

were kings. And coming they were filled with awe by the glory and majesty of the Valar, and

desired greatly the light and splendour of the Trees. Then Oromë brought them back to Cuiviénen,

and they spoke before their people, and counselled them to heed the summons of the Valar and

325 remove into the West.

Then befell the first sundering of the Elves. For the kindred of Ingwë, and the most part of the

kindreds of Finwë and Elwë, were swayed by the words of their lords, and were willing to depart

and follow Oromë; and these were known ever after as the Eldar, by the name that Oromë gave to

330 the Elves in the beginning, in their own tongue. But many refused the summons, preferring the

starlight and the wide spaces of Middle-earth to the rumour of the Trees; and these are the Avari,

the Unwilling, and they were sundered in that time from the Eldar, and met never again until many

ages were past.

335 The Eldar prepared now a great march from their first homes in the east; and they were arrayed in

three hosts. The smallest host and the first to set forth was led by Ingwë, the most high lord of all

the Elvish race. He entered into Valinor and sits at the feet of the Powers, and all Elves revere his

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 name; but he came never back, nor looked again upon Middle-earth. The Vanyar were his people;

they are the Fair Elves, the beloved of Manwë and Varda, and few among Men have spoken with

340 them.

Next came the Noldor, a name of wisdom, the people of Finwë. They are the Deep Elves, the

friends of Aulë; and they are renowned in song, for they fought and laboured long and grievously

in the northern lands of old.

345

The greatest host came last, and they are named the Teleri, for they tarried on the road, and were

not wholly of a mind to pass from the dusk to the light of Valinor. In water they had great delight,

and those that came at last to the western shores were enamoured of the sea. The Sea-elves

therefore they became in the land of Aman, the Falmari, for they made music beside the breaking

350 waves. Two lords they had, for their numbers were great: Elwë Singollo (which signifies

Greymantle) and Olwë his brother.

These were the three kindreds of the Eldalië, who passing at length into the uttermost West in the

days of the Trees are called the Calaquendi, Elves of the Light. But others of the Eldar there were

355 who set out indeed upon the westward march, but became lost upon the long road, or turned aside,

or lingered on the shores of Middle-earth; and these were for the most part of the kindred of the

Teleri, as is told hereafter. They dwelt by the sea or wandered in the woods and mountains of the

world, yet their hearts were turned towards the West. Those Elves the Calaquendi call the

Úmanyar, since they came never to the land of Aman and the Blessed Realm; but the Úmanyar

360 and the Avari alike they call the Moriquendi, Elves of the Darkness, for they never beheld the

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Light that was before the Sun and Moon.

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