Círdan - History and Lore of the Elves in Middle-earth - Tolkien's LotR Lore

This LotR Lore video basically explores the complete History and Lore of the Elves from the perspective of Cirdan (the Shipwright). Who is this Elf in the background? Why do Elves and dwarf dislike each other? What's the story of Dol Guldur? Who is Cirdan? I answer all these questions.
The video was planned as a short video about Cirdan, the Elf in the background, but mutated into a 90 minutes long in-depth look at Tolkien's Lore and History of the Elves in Middle-earth and how some Elves affected the other Elven Clans, but also the dwarves, Edain and Dúnedain (e.g. Aragorn).
I'll also look at the lore behind many famous elven characters like Galadriel, Elrond, Thranduil, Celeborn, Cirdan and Gil-galad.
Thanks to Niahti & benef
Two Trees of Valinor Art Work:
Niahti: www.artstation...
Benef (Frédéric Bennett): benef.devianta...
Mistakes:
I say: "He could potentially be part of the small group of the first elves in existence."
I don't mean the "Unbegotten" (the 144 Elves (according to the legend from the "The War of the Jewels"), who don't have parents, except Eru) by this, but the group of the first few generations living in Cuiviénen. Depending on interpretation Círdan can be at best 3rd generation or later.
-Círdan is not the oldest Elf of all Elves, just upon the oldest living on the continent Middle-earth (I also say this correctly in the video, but some people may be confused by it)
At around 39:21 min in the bullet-point it should be Fingon, High King of the Noldor, not Finrod. Finrod (Galadriel's older brother) was dead already and the King of Nargothrond (not High King)
It happens that I put the stress on the wrong syllable on names. In case of Teleri or Istari, the stress is on the first syllable.
When Amon Lanc is abandoned by the Silvan Elves is not clear. I thought it was related to Sauron hiding in Greenwood/Mirkwood, but this is probably not the case and they maybe abandoned it in the Second Age under Thranduil's father Oropher (if you consider him canon).
Sources:
Books:
The Lord of The Rings (1954-1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Silmarillion (1977) by J. R. R. Tolkien; Editor: Christopher Tolkien
The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien
Unfinished Tales (1980) by J. R. R. Tolkien; Editor: Christopher Tolkien
The Peoples of Middle-earth (1996) by J. R. R. Tolkien; Editor: Christopher Tolkien
Pictures from:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Shadow of War
Shadow of Mordor
Best Tolkien/LotR Wiki:
tolkiengateway....
Maps:
lotrproject.com...
Two Trees of Valinor Art Work:
Niahti: www.artstation...
Benef (Frédéric Bennett): benef.devianta...
Recommandations
Recommended Wiki:
tolkiengateway.net
White Trees Lore:
• Why do the Elves like ...
Dragon Lore:
• Dragons in Lord of the...
Sauron Lore:
• Who is Sauron? - The H...
Wizards (Istari) Lore:
• Who are Tolkien's Wiza...
Númenor and Aragorn Lore:
• The long Story of Arag...
The Philosopher's Games / TPhGames / TPhLore
► Social Media:
➥ Twitter (@PhilosophGames): / philosophgames
➥ Twitch Channel - / thephilosophersgames
➥ Discord Server - / discord
► Of Games and Rings Podcast:
➥ Spotify - open.spotify.c...
➥ Apple (iTunes) - podcasts.apple... (short link: apple.co/3tq0WQj )
➥ Google Podcasts - podcasts.googl...
#LotR #Lore #explained

[@tsuchan]

This video really short-sells itself. It's something like finding the universal answer paper to every exam on Middle Earth. Brilliantly researched, produced and narrated.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, much appreciated ^^ It was a ton of work and evolved from a video about Círdan to a video about the History of the Elves (at least a lot of it) from Círdan's perspective.

[@tsuchan]

@@ThePhilosophersGames It was worth it. It's now my go-to resource for the middle-earth timeline, and I'll definitely be re-watching this several times. By the way, in my mind... Círdan took the last ship as he said. But Legolas and Gimli took the journey much later, in a boat. (^_-)/

[@superkroger]

@@ThePhilosophersGames pp p

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

@@superkroger ?

[@RobiFM90]

This is literally one of the best Tolkien lore videos ever made! I always come back to it!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, much appreciated :) It was very tough to make, took like 2 month and that hit my average channel views very had, but I'm very happy to see, that people like it and it gets views. One of my best lore videos so far in my opinion too ^^

[@Czarina888777]

Bocanadas. 💞

[@elmuchoerte3769]

C

[@kuelexx5451]

I absolutely love how you focus on intended pronunciation. It always makes for a more interesting listen and you pull it off well.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

thank you, much appreciated ^^

[@dawnfuller8261]

I agree!

[@Sabeaa]

❤

[@tombombadilofficial]

1:19:13 *2nd wisest decision during the Third Age if only if they had decided to follow my advice to throw the One Ring in Eowyn’s pot of soup.*

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

You are right, that would be the safest place on Arda :O You are a genius, Tom

[@HELLinaaaa]

Never ever quit your accent and pronunciation, it is how I can differentiate them. I’ve always thought Tolkien discovered a piece of history those only with an open mind could understand at the time and did his best to bring it to us through his works. Amazing video!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha thank you ^^ Yes getting rid of my accent for English will be really difficult and i guess by now trying to pronounce the names as Tolkien described it, has become a trademark for my channel, so don't worry ^^

[@p_campbell]

@@ThePhilosophersGames I think that only 'because' your main language is not English that is why your pronunciation is better. 🤔

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

@@p_campbell Yes for sure. English's phonology is completely different compared to what Tolkien described I guess, but German has many similarities (except the TH, DH ^^)

[@p_campbell]

@@ThePhilosophersGames Do you believe the Germanic dialects and maybe some Slavic influenced his writing?

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

@@p_campbell For sure there are some Germanic influences. He was an expert for Old English (West Germanic language). There are Old Norse names and even inspirations, etc. Also Roman and Greek mythology. I'm not an expert on Slavic mythology though. So I can't really answer this. But ofc Germanic and Slavic languages are related.

[@WhoIsCalli]

I could listen to the history of the elves all day long 🧝‍♂️ Thanks for this 😊

[@tinamaysonette7058]

Thank you for your thorough content and insight into the few areas in which Tolkien is not explicit, your conclusions are logical and well thought out using what is known. The work is epic and productions such as this are a delight and joy to all who appreciate the lore.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you much appreciated ^^ A lot of work went into this and i was very happy with the result. Though my Who is Elrond video project dwarves this one by a lot.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Well that took a while O.O I planned it as a 25-30 minutes long video and it mutated to my longest video yet. If you ever wanted to know more about the lore of the Elves of Middle-earth, this covers almost all of it from Círdan's perspective. I think I got carried away at many places and it's a really messy video. Also sound is not that great at some places, sorry for that (my popfilter was too close and I didn't notice). As always, there will also be some mistakes (I post corrections in the description or edit this post). Still I'm curious if you like it :)

[@JimRiven]

Just found your channel, and if I'm honest, I had to watch this in a few chunks, it's the length of an average film! But, unlike an average film, this was bloody well enjoyable. New subscriber and now I'm off to check out all the rest of your work. :)

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, happy you enjoyed so much :) Yes, I tend to do longer videos and go fairly in-depth. Still surprised that some people watch it at once ^^

[@FantasticExplorers]

Bro, I LOVE your channel BUT I have a hard time getting through your videos because of your pronunciation. Words in Elvish NEVER have a rolled R (you say 'moRRRgoth' when you should be saying 'more - goth' and ë sounds like an A or AY as in WAY. Language was very important to Tolkien and he created his legendarium to support his languages... Not the other way around. (I know that's probably not an easy change with your background... so) Hit me up if you want, I'm an English teacher.

[@FantasticExplorers]

You actually pronounce the names better when you're not thinking about it ;)

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

@@FantasticExplorers That is not correct. The R is rolled and as an English Teacher you should know a bit about Old English or Middle-English, where the R is rolled too. The Modern English /ɹ/ is a relatively new development. Many other languages use different pronunciations of the R and the rolled R IPA:/r/ or the flap /ɾ/ variant is not uncommon at all. Finnish, Spanish, southern German dialects still heavily use /r/, Russian (and a lot of other Eastern European languages), Portuguese, Italian, etc. And ofc some of those languages were inspirations for the elvish languages. Tolkien wrote in Appendix E of The Lord of the Rings: "R represents a trilled r in all positions" And that very clearly means R = /r/ Listen to Tolkien himself (my R roll is ofc stronger, which has to do with my native language vs Tolkien's): kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJXIkIaYi7qJnKM

[@Alejojojo6]

It was a bit confusing. I know this is such a big effort and work, I really love it, but I was a bit lost on your telling, and I know the story by heart so I guess any newcomer may get lost a bit. There is a confusion with the Teleri I want to clarify: The Teleri were divided into three, few went to Aman, known as the *Falmari* (Elves of the Sea), led by Olwë brother of Elwë because they couldn't wait more for him to appear. Some Teleri wanted to stay because they had fallen in love with the shores of Middle Earth, and were convinced by Ossë to say since he like their singing. Those were led by Círdan and known as *Falathrim* (Elves of the Shores). The Teleri who remain looking for Elwë inland, were known as the *Eglath* (The Forsaken) and when Elwë reappeared, the Falathrim and the Eglath took the name of Sindar (This name was actually given to them by the Noldor, meaning "The Greys", but they kept knowing themselves as Eglath in their tongue).

[@TGCDaily]

10hour shift , Comes home and sees PhilosophersGame discussion about Círdan. Soothing the pain away mate! Cheers

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

I hope you enjoyed it ^^ Thank you :)

[@FizzLeeague]

I am currently writing my dissertation on Tolkien's work. My topic is about the experience and assimilation of trauma throughout the legendarium. I just wanted to write to you to say I loved this video; I watched it in one sitting, it brought into sensual reality (visual and phonic) the history of the Second Age. I enjoyed particularly your cartographic representations of the events the videos cover. The wars and movements of the various populations. Mostly, though, I loved your adherence to Tolkien's language rules. Please, please, do not listen to these people telling you not to stress the correct pronunciation. Roll the r's, dammit! I think it's respectful to the monumental art that Tolkien left for us to try to speak of it as he intended/envisioned.

[@robertkostoroski3581]

are kidding me ! instead of talking do something to actually help , you sir are a pompous ass , help me 1st !

[@Chadgigington]

Damn you pay 100s of thousands of dollars to write essays about Tolkien's work?

[@stellagetreuer5164]

Oh, that sounds incredibly interesting! I’d love to read that! What’s your field, if I may ask?

[@FizzLeeague]

@@stellagetreuer5164 Literature and Literary Linguistics. I love psychology and history too though. It all came together for my trauma dissertation. I presented it for the Tolkien Society in the 2021 Spring Seminar. My name is Jordan Doyle and you can find the seminar on YT. Feel free to check it out and give me feedback. The piece is called Talkin (Tolkien) Trauma

[@raremusic2]

You deserve so much more attention dude. These are probably the most comprehensive Tolkien lore videos on KZbin.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^ I always try to explore Tolkien's works in all its depths, but that comes with the price of a very long research and production, which is probably why so few go into that much detail. It does not help channel growth that much. Still that is my niche I guess :)

[@Dougie-ex1ov]

TRUE

[@henrysaunders6683]

Arachir........ look him up

[@itamarsiqueira3046]

@@henrysaunders6683 vg

[@neebatron]

He definitely hits the important beats. But I think I appreciate this so much because I already have a very good understanding of The Silmarillion... I can’t imagine hearing this without reading that book over 20 times

[@garyvance7906]

I want to thank you for the entertaining and informative video you make.You go deeper into the stories then anyone on KZbin.Thanks again and keep up the great work!

[@alanmartin9207]

I'm delighted to have stumbled upon this excellent video. Ever since I learned that Cirdan gave Narya to Gandalf, I have admired Cirdan as an underappreciated character of immense wisdom and foresight. Thank you for bringing his history together.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy you liked it :) Agreed, Círdan is one of my favourite elvish characters too ^^

[@dustinclark9622]

Ooooooooooooooooooo

[@cheesymusicofficial]

​@@dustinclark9622

[@thisjustin5330]

This Is Better Than Most Movies

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha thank you ^^

[@brinybutton9372]

I have read "The Silmarillion" however its been years. You are refreshing and this is great listening, you accurately bring points together leading to the main focus and it is a lot. Thank you for your dedication.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Much appreciated, thank you too! Yes I think trying to connect the red dots and diving in a bit deeper here and there is what defines my channel, happy you enjoyed that!

[@Anaris10]

I started playing D+D in 1982 and was a little familiar with Tolkien. I liked the name Cirdan, so about my 3rd or 4th character was Cirdan, an Elf fighter. Played him intermittingly over the years. I remembered the "Shipwright" so eventually he became known as the "Sea-Lord" after becoming 12th level, got my island, a fine Magic-user wife, 2 sons as well as a group Elven shipwrights. The character sheet is somewhere, last played him at 15th. my DM is even older than me and remembers him..maybe..

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha that is cool. It's kind of fitting, considering that Tolkien's works were an inspiration for D&D and D&D itself also was a huge influence on the fantasy genre itself too.

[@muddlewait8844]

What a fantastic channel! So glad to have discovered it. The long videos may not grow subscribers, but they’re so valuable. Your attention to detail and identification of exceptions and contradictions has me learning new things even after many years of (admittedly casual) Tolkien study. Thank you!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, glad you found your way :) I think the long videos have done wonders for my channel (they generate a lot of subs and views) and I'm kind of known for them I guess (and going into a lot of detail), even though I only made a few. Next one will be a long one too. I'm working for several months on it now. Curious how people will like it, because I dive into quite some detail. When it comes to shorter videos I'm also really happy with my LotR film/book analysis series. It has like 24 Episodes and 7+ hours of content (we have just reached Rivendell). I think though people often do not know that it exists 😅 ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5aQZZ9taadro9k )

[@sheepladybaa]

an hour and a half of listening to you talk about elves??? hell yeah, your accent makes me so happy

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha thank you, glad you like it :D

[@thestraightroad305]

Because it really lends authenticity to the content and helps us get deeper into the narratives. Wonderful!

[@beggon12]

Thanks for another wonderfully in-depth video! You're in a league of your own, sir.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) This was also a ton of work. In my head it started as a "short" 20-30 minutes video and then it mutated into this 95 minutes video ^^

[@libertycentral6564]

Absolutely epic video. So much time and effort put in. Keep up the good work!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, much appreciated :) I'll try ^^

[@liammarshall393]

1.4m view and only 44k subs? That's ridiculous, the content you pump out is extremely informative and well put together. You deserve so much more

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you and I agree 😂 I know channels with fewer total views having more subs. it seems people really don't want to subscribe after watching my videos for over an hour 😅

[@Jack-gv3mk]

@@ThePhilosophersGames Just start pumping out heaps of short clips of the more exciting parts of your longer video's and you will probably gain more subs. I don't really know what I'm talking about but those shorts seem to always have heaps of subs Solid Content anyways mang

[@KrisH-kp9vx]

I can't even imagine the study and work compiled to do this. Thank You so much for your excellent efforts in educating novice Tolkien fans to this extent. Kudo's!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) Yes it was a ton of work. Editing the video alone took me around 50h+, so much appreciated ^^

[@KrisH-kp9vx]

@@ThePhilosophersGames Here is something I have been wondering and mayhap a suggestion for a future video.... Tom Bombadil/The Barrow Downs/The necklace and the lady who last wore it. These parts of the story always fascinated me along with the Ents.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you for the suggesteions. Tom Bombadil is on my list and in the closer selection. The Barrow Downs could also be an interesting topic. "The necklace and the lady who last wore it" you mean Lúthien? Or the Elfstone? Or something totally different? ^^

[@KrisH-kp9vx]

I really don't know or remember if Tom named her or not when he found it. But it meant something to him so it has always left me wondering.

[@mariannedole5165]

Thank you for this. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also, as a blind person, appreciate your wonderful pronunciation of the Elvish names. Hope Siri said that word correctly. Anyway, thanks again

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy you liked it, much appreciated :) Yes, Siri did. I think I never had a comment from a blind person (at least not that I'm aware of). If there is anything, that could enhance the experience in future videos let me know.

[@philserna25]

This was phenomenal! Amazing content! Easily one the best summary of Tolkien's storyline!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) Happy you liked it ^^

[@jojo45180]

Good video my German friend, Círdan is one of my favourite Tolkien's character too. I'm waiting for your next video. Greetings from Argentina

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you! Oh yes, Círdan is also one of my favorite characters ^^ I also have to say (I already said it in another comment) while making the video, Thingol/Elwë jumped up in my ranking too. Greetings from Germany :)

[@rogerbuss6069]

This HAS to be the MOST in-depth study into the histories if Middle Earth ever done! I listen to the WHOLE THING! Though it WAS super in-depth I tried my BEST to follow along with the information! Overall....I LOVED IT! GREAT work!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, much appreciated ^^ It was a ton of work to make. Happy you enjoyed it.

[@xBloodXGusherx]

So Initially loaded this video up while playing a video game thinking I could follow along. NO! I now see this video will need my full attention as it is greatly indepth! So far i'm glad I found this channel.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha thank you, yes I can imagine that. I tried to go relatively in depth with it and there is so much complexity in Tolkien's universe. I hope you enjoy it ^^ Thank you for commenting too :)

[@Halo1138]

"You know, we have a big meeting in Aman. We've got Elves like crazy here and not enough time to build a fleet of ships. What should we do?" "How about we just make that island over there a ship and strap Ulmo to it?" "...Fund it."

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha :D

[@oarcano8413]

congratulations !!!!This realy is the most comprehensive Tolkien lore videos on KZbin.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you!

[@lukeskywalkerthe2nd773]

I absolutely love the Elfs of Tolkien's works. They are honestly my most favorite version in all of Fantasy, and I admire the long history and the great characters that spawned from them. This video explains them perfectly! :) (P.S. Happy 10k subs, Phlisophers Games! You truly earned it! :) )

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) 100.000 here we come ^^ Yes, I like the Elves too. Some of them are my favorite characters like Elrond and Círdan. While Making this video Thingol/Elwë also jumped up in my ranking ^^

[@lukeskywalkerthe2nd773]

@@ThePhilosophersGames Same!!! :)

[@darrenmeservia5578]

@Luke Skywalker the 2nd Not Elfs... but Elves. I was always a Fan of Glorfindel. But they basically killed him off with Arwen. That's my biggest pet peeve about the Movies! Peace from Alberta, Canada.

[@doubletake1238]

@@darrenmeservia5578The movies were a bad joke. Arwen lol. My biggest pet peeve was a small snarky man playing the huge and powerful Aragorn. Viggo?? Really??? That makes it all borderline unwatchable, Aragorn would have been 6'5" or so and have no trouble dispatching the likes of Lurtz (more Jackson BS). I am a regular dude and I could easily beat up Viggo. Still irks me...

[@tombombadilofficial]

0:46 *At least he had a cameo! I’m so triggered!*

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha, I can totally understand that. I miss you in the films too =/

[@fredkrissman6527]

I love your aside, "...that story is complicated, and will be saved for a later video... However, I mention it here to get you more confused!"

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

😄

[@F-Rank]

08:38 "...The Nandor elves [...] Only mentioned here, to confuse you more." ...Love it, you just earned yourself another subscriber, without even asking for it! _(Also, the quality of your content helped immensely.)_

[@Brakvash]

Cheeky Nandor elves amirite?

[@foxkenji]

After much learning and thought about this, I finally reached a conclusion on the purpose of the elves to return to Valinor: to make Christmas toys.

[@TeamTwiistz]

Best video ever. Watched it 3 times. Please never remove it

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha happy you liked it ^^ I don't plan on removing it. So unless it gets removed by some one else, it will not move ^^ Also working on another very long video about Elrond.

[@MehmetSurmeli]

Your videos are complexly perfect. Thank you for sharing these valuable videos.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, much appreciated! :)

[@chrisnotyou]

Nerd of the rings is far FAR better.

[@MehmetSurmeli]

@@chrisnotyou I'm following Nerd of the Rings as well but for detailed info and for theory-crafting I like this channel. They are different in depth and extent.

[@chrisnotyou]

@@MehmetSurmeli okay. Nerd of the rings is far FAR better. I didnt ask a question.

[@shadara5370]

I love watching your LotR videos. Thank you for making them for all of us.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy you enjoy them, thank you :)

[@saraheschweiler4939]

Wow, your 23 page script offered a brilliant overview of Cirdan & the Elven lore. Thank you so much for your engaging presentation. Your erudite passion for these topics is much appreciated! 🙏🌿🌷🌿💚🌿🌷🌿🙏

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you too, much appreciated :) It's ice to share my passion ^^

[@shamuschannel682]

Your videos are so brilliantly done and interesting- thank you for doing this

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy you enjoyed them! Thank you too for commenting :) A lot of work goes into them, so your comment is much appreciated ^^

[@palantir135]

The Silmarillion compressed and with very helpfull charts. I like it a lot.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) I have also learned, that it's also very difficult to compress the Silmarillion further ^^

[@gandalfthewhite9864]

first watched this video when it was at 5k views I even ripped it to my harddrive for when I lose internet connection and play 3rd age. I am blown away its at 1.3 million views now great job man you deserve it best lore breakdown of a lotr character on you tube.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, Gandalf ^^ Yes I'm also really happy it got so many views over time and I still think it's an incredible video, while I often think of other older works of mine that I could have done it better. It also started slow, but got more and more popular over time. What wonders me the most is that this video, the Sauron video and the Istari video, etc never boosted my subs to 50k+ subs 😅 though I still get very good views (and am very happy about this), while other colleagues of mine ran a away with subs in comparison.

[@gandalfthewhite9864]

@@ThePhilosophersGames I don't understand how you're channel is not bigger then some of the other people posting lotr videos. I really think it comes down to editing images keeping it simple as possible and really limiting time lengths of videos. people have really short attention spans man that's why I think most other channels are staying in the 10 min range. but 40k is not a bad number there are 1000s of channels posting lotr content and most never break even 1k subs and as the new show airing nears 100% I see you breaking 100k. I wanted to get into making lotr videos myself 5 years ago on this channel and realized I would never be able to edit stuff on the level you guys can so I gave up and went down the good ol conspiracy theorist side of things.

[@Cydonius1]

"but it's more complicated" … words that describe perfectly Tolkien's works :D excellent video

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes, it's always complicated, which i like about hi works. They have great depth ^^ Thank you :)

[@eschiedler]

In one version, there were many Silmarilli. Ungoliant was insatiably famished and turned on Melkor and before his Balrogs drove off the monster, Melkor fed her the the jewels one by one to hold her off until he was left with three. Those are the ones left in the telling of the rest of the saga.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes in the Silmarillion version he feeds her other jewels/gems (that are not Silmarilli and just what he plundered) too, but there are only 3 Silmarilli, which he does not want to feed her.

[@eschiedler]

@@ThePhilosophersGames Thanks for the update.

[@thesandmancurtballirg4371]

Tolkien: 'It took Hobbit humility to fulfill the unspoken will of Eru, without which all would have been lost forever'. And Feanor is the meanest Elf in the history of Elves.

[@rickythe2nd63]

A most excellent labor of love, this video! A thousand thanks! Can't wait for Morgoth video

[@machinebeard1639]

How about Lessgoth and Big titty goth?

[@DaRollinThunder]

Thanks for making this video! I have of Cirdan in a lot of videos but all I ever knew about him was that he made ships. Also, I have heard about a lot of these events plenty of times but you hit a lot of details I never knew.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

That's so nice to hear :) I always try to uncover the small details in my videos (sometimes I get carried away or sidetracked a bit ^^), but this usually comes at the price of a much time needed for research. Tolkien sometimes just mentions information in a "dependent clause" and those can be hard to find. Also when you put the described places on a map, it suddenly uncovers new insight. I red his works a lot and I always discover something new, which is a big part of what I love about his works. I'm always a bit worried, when I tell the same story the 5th time, but I try to put something new into it, even if it's only the context from a different perspective. I guess there are also not many videos about Círdan and he's often forgotten, but it's one of my favorite characters ^^ As always, thank you for watching and commenting :D

[@wolfm8097]

That made the most sense out of everything. Cirdan is going probably one of my favorite now

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha that is nice to hear. Círdan is for sure a very interesting character. Happy you enjoyed this video and my points made sense for you ^^

[@julianneyvonne560]

You really have done a great job piecing all this together! I've watched many lore channels and this is by far the best Silmarillion explained video I've watched. I didn't know Cirdan was in the movies at all which ashames me 😂🤷

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you! Yes, it took a lot of work structuring the video, so much appreciated. haha yes he is easy to miss. In the first shot the camera does not even focus on him xD

[@ladyalaina42]

Amazing video! Thank you for such comprehensive info on the noted ship maker and warrior.

[@marcuspresler4202]

Your videos bring back the love of Middle Earth and Tolkien that I first felt in Jr High, thank you so much for dedication and hard work!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy to hear ^^ Always great if I can get people back into Tolkien's works. Thank you too much appreciated :)

[@markmangligot5855]

i always listen to your videos.its really great! plus with that matching voice of yours brings me to middle earth. am i weird or what? well anyway, keep making videos like this. thumbs up!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, happy you enjoy my videos so much :)

[@bradwilliams7198]

However, Cirdan gives Narya to Galdalf when he arrives in Middle-Earth, because as he says, "it is idle" i.e. I'm not using it for anything. What I think this implies is that Cirdan wasn't originally meant to be the owner of Narya, he just happened to end up with it. It says elsewhere in the Legendarium that Celebrimbor gave Narya to Gil-galad, but Gil-Galad already had Vilya. What I think mayes the most sense is that one Ring was meant to go to each house of the Noldor: Vilya to Gil-Galad, Nenya to Galadriel, and Narya to be kept by Celebrimbor.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

I would assume that there were times when Círdan could use it, but yes probably when Gandalf arrived, it was a better fit for him.

[@ThePsyMinded]

Thanks for the great videos! You are a true gem. I read Silmarillion 3 times and I will read it again for sure, it is truly a captivating story.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

No problem, happy you enjoy my content ^^ It's also nice to hear that people read or re-read the books. Yes esp. The Silmarillion is a very complex book, with many interesting stories.

[@littleogeechee223]

Oh, so glad I found your channel! How spectacular!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Me too, always nice when people find their way to my channel and like the content :)

[@scrap.catastrophe]

great video. An Adam to Armageddon whirlwind tour. Cirdan seen it all.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you! haha yes that's true :D

[@clickclack1395]

You do a great job on all the videos and deserve lots of credit. This one is your best so far that I have seen

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) Yes I also really like this one. It was a ton of work and I think it turned out quite well.

[@PipeRetrogamer]

I'm baffled by the care you put in correct pronounciation of elvish names. Awesome vid.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^ Yes it really took me some time to research and learn it and it makes voice recording also not easier 😅 Still make some mistakes here and there, but I improved over time and learnt a lot.

[@starkat70]

If this video was the Short one I cant wait for what's in the Long one.

[@sikhinthemaking2044]

Wow Loved the video it was something much needed but I wish if you could make a timeline video where all the events on all lands occurred would be awesome because in short videos we get lost with who did what where and who is child of whom and their ancestors were who, so please if you can make a bigger video would be awesome

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) Yes that's a good idea, I put it on the list ^^ In addition I always had the idea to implement like a visual timeline into my existing videos (esp. the longer ones). It's a thing I often had in my mind in the past. Even for this one and I think that would be very helpful, so the viewer does not get lost and a better understanding of where we are in Tolkien's timeline. But to do so I need to implement it into my video structure (for example hint at it at certain points and integrate it well into the video), which starts at writing the script weeks before I sit down and edit (so I need to plan for it in an early stage of the video and I have to keep a good pacing in mind). And so far I did a poor job of doing this (maybe because my Information density is so high). Every time I'm in the process of editing the video (at the end) I feel like I can't really utilize a visual timeline in the video itself and just putting one into it does not work (for me the video needs to be built around that idea). So for my style of making these videos, I need to write the script with a time line in mind very early on. When the video is this long and complex, it's already extremely challenging to bring all the information together in a good and interesting way (some info gets cut out, some is added while e.g. voice recording, etc), explaining everything for people somewhat new to Tolkien's additional works and connecting the dots of the lore at the same time. Doing all this with a timeline in mind on top of it adds another layer of complexity to the video, even though it looks like the simplest thing ever from the outside - if that makes sense. Sure I could just add a visual time line here and there, but for the video to be good (from my perspective), I need to weave it into the structure of the video itself. I will probably try to do this in the future and test it with a video. But imo it will not be easy. But as you said: a timeline video would be a good idea too! Sorry for the long reply ^^'

[@hamzabocquet4478]

Hello, again ! It’s Elendillarin ( sorry, I can’t find my first commentaries, I sent to you, about 1 year and 1/2 ) The quality of your work, is simply breathtaking !! I’m rejoining another of your followers, who says : Your knowledge of the Tolkien’s work is fantastic ! He also added ( what I said, in my first mail ) , the way you carefully pronounce, the Elvish names, ( of the places, personnes, artefacts, and more ) gives a very special insight ! The same follower, added : ´ I suppose, that English in not your mother thong, and this add’s something « exotic », and augment’s the pleasure of listening ! So, thanks again, for your fabulous work ! ( I’m quite sure, that the « great Tolkien » would have been very proud !! Live long and prosper Elendillarin

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you! Much appreciated :) Very curious how people will like part one of my next video (Elrond's and his ancestors). It might be a bit confusing. I remember the comment saying that my accent may sound a bit "exotic" fitting the way I pronounce the names. haha live long and prosper!

[@hamzabocquet4478]

Hello « The PhilosophersGames », I’ts Elendillarin ( again ) If I may, you should not be worried, about how people are going like it or not ! ( what i’m sure, they are going to like it !! Otherwise, you would not have so many followers!! ) And as for your « exotic » accent, please, kipp it ! It ad’s a lot to your knowledge of The Lord of the Rings !!! I can’t wait to see ( and listening ), « Elrond and his ancestors » !!! If i’m not mistaken, Äerendil is one of them, and not « A Small One » ! ( was he not abord Vingilot, whit a Silmaril ? So that when he approached THE UNDYING LANDS, the VALARS authorized him to « land », in their Kingdom, and asking for Help, against « the other idiot » ……..? Live long and prosper Elendillarin

[@stotty117]

the work you do is litterly un mached man this was a good video hope you do more long video's like this

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) I'll try, but those long videos take forever to make. I plan a new video (potentially quite long too) right now, but it could take some time until it's done. However I try to make all my videos as detailed as I can. I think 20+ minutes is still quite long for more focused topics.

[@stotty117]

Is there any more lore on how legolas mother died like more details than what we got in the hobbit. (Title who was the queen of mirkwood)

[@stotty117]

20/30 muinets is the perfect run times for videos

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Sadly no. We don't know anything about her. Legolas was created very late by Tolkien. Originally Glorfindel should take his role, but Tolkien changed his mind quite late and so Legaolas was born. The Hobbit book only mentions an elven prince, which could be Legolas. Thranduil is also exclusively called "Elvenking" in the Hobbit book, because the it was originally not part of the LotR universe, which changed with the Second Edition (a few years before LotR was released). I think all this led to Legolas not being that strongly woven into the lore. Yes 20 minutes is a good run time. But from a KZbin creator perspective, that is still quite long. I usually end up having videos this long, but I struggle a lot with my release schedule. KZbin sadly forces me to upload very often (at least if I want my channel to grow).

[@GreatGreebo]

Thank you for yet another BRILLIANT video. I really enjoy your style🤘 I probably already commented before but I’m rewatching your entire catalog so here’s another comment to help your channel with the ‘rithm. Thank you kind sir for yet another *BRILLIANT* video.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, this is also one of my favourite videos of those I made. I was really happy with the result. There are ofc a few mistakes (see mistakes section in the description) and maybe there is also a development I made as creator, but I often think my older videos a bit more "to the point" compared to e.g. Who is Elrond, though that one is also an exception. Not sure if I will ever go to this lengths and details again.

[@GreatGreebo]

@@ThePhilosophersGames I enjoy all of your videos but these long(er) form ones *REALLY* hit the spot for me when I need a good, solid Tolkien fix! You have an immense skill for explaining things in great detail. I imagine it is A LOT of work. I am sure you hear this all the time, but I will gladly help you out if you ever need a research slave, I mean research assistant! I really enjoyed researching for both my own experimental designs and scientific writings as well as for my PhD Advisor.. I’m sure digging into Tolkien’s work is even MORE fascinating . I miss doing serious research like what you have to do for a video like this. Once again. thank you for the thoughtful reply and I appreciate your videos very much,

[@johnsarmiento1797]

Great work, I would definitely keep on watching your videos again and again. Tolkien's legendarium always amazes me😊😊❤

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^ Happy you like them so much :)

[@kickmyself1973]

when they make that series (spinoff from Lotr) they have to use your intel. That is amazing how much you read up and presented this.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^ Yes the information is quite vast (even though some small parts are still missing). It took like 3 months to make and was a ton of work. But ofc there are people more knowledgable than me out there too.

[@sail2temporary]

Thank you. Very informative.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^

[@jessefifa]

I keep coming back to your vids for the best info ty man

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

much appreciated ^^ Hope my next video will be done soon, so people have something new to watch (will be long)

[@jessefifa]

@@ThePhilosophersGames I'm glad to hear :D

[@faustianrevival3816]

thanks 4 all the effort putting this video together, I enjoyed it.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

happy you liked it, thank you :)

[@johnnybhoff226]

Yea, I’ve watched it so many times. I love it. And can’t wait for the Elrond video!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

I'm happy you enjoy this one so much. Thank you for your support while I work on the other video ^^

[@johnnybhoff226]

@@ThePhilosophersGames your channel really has made learning about the lore much more digestible. I especially love your longer videos about character history and your film and book differences. Those are by far my favorite.

[@jerryknuckles736]

I know im late to this party but you got my subscription! I love anything and everything Tolkien.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, welcome to my channel :) I hope you enjoy!

[@jerryknuckles736]

@@ThePhilosophersGames I am enjoying!! I have a 3 day weekend off from work. Ive got a wedding to go to, but im using my hotel to watch lotr (just popped in the two towers), and im enjoying your videos as we speak. Keep it up! Please and thank you!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha sounds fun ^^ I can tease already that a new video will release today if nothing goes wrong (will be a bit longer and I hope it won't be too confusing 😅)

[@jerryknuckles736]

@@ThePhilosophersGames I'll watch for that to pop on my feed for sure. Keep it up. Ive read the books. Theres nothing quite as confusing as the insane detail in Tolkien's works. So I will do my best as ive always done. Having to re read and rewatch over and over to absorb all the info.

[@ginge1885]

I watch your videos and simply get lost in them. You have convinced me to read the books however I have no idea in what order is the best way to do it.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^ It's always nice to hear, when people want to start reading the books, because they watched my videos ^^ Best reading order in my opinion is Hobbit, Lord of the Rings + LotR's Appendices (at least read A and B) or LotR first and then Hobbit. Then you can read the Silmarillion. If you want to go even deeper after that: Unfinished Tales, (Letters of Tolkien), (Great Tales) and if you still want to dive deeper into the creation of works and things Tolkien worked on, but never published: the 12 History of Middle-earth books (+ History of the Hobbit) and all the other remaining works. I have a video about the reading order too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/onbaooqka8unj7M In June/July There will also be a new book with so far unpublished material from Tolkien called The Nature of Middle-earth. It seems it would make sense to put it towards the History of Middle-earth books too. I hope that helps ^^ Much fun reading!

[@ginge1885]

@@ThePhilosophersGames thank you soo much.

[@WastedAndWounded7]

Great video.. i could see how much hard work you put into your videos and i can’t thank you enough for that !! I’m a newbie to all this lotr lore and universe but this video helped me immensely in understanding the basics. Now please excuse me while I start binging on the rest of your channel.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy to hear, thank you :) I wish you a lot of fun exploring Tolkien's vast and deep lore ^^

[@franciscofeest6691]

Tolkien was a genius

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes, he was brilliant

[@starkat70]

on everything but mountains

[@starkat70]

@@7seednew The Mountain Ranges of Middle Earth make no sense they follow no real world Plate Tectonics ..they make T intersections move east to west south to north and 3 sided square formations. This used to trigger me every time I saw a map of Middle Earth ...Until just a couple days ago ...I used to explain it away as the remnants of Giant Dragons formed the mountain ranges ..but I just figured it out that makes way more sense and lets me sleep easy and not eye twitch every time I see a Map of Middle Earth. Stone Giants ...it had to be Stone Giants and their Battles that formed the Crazy Mountain Ranges ...that is the only way it makes sense for me. JRR Tolkien was a genius it had to be Stone Giants.

[@DLJeeves]

@@starkat70 I know exactly what you mean, I used to wake up with night terrors, kicking and screaming, and all my family could get out of me were the words "Stone giants... It had to be stone giants". Really strange point in my life.

[@walangchahangyelingden8252]

@@starkat70 Hahaha, I can understand the frustration.

[@AngryShellback]

Loved it, it really takes someone with an accent to pronounce all those elvish names and locations... Thank you for the video...

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy you liked it, thank you too ^^ Yes my native language definitely helps (German). The pronunciation is in parts similar (e.g. the vowels, etc). Does not help with English though, even though German and English are closely related languages and many words are somewhat similar (helsp with learning vocabularies). But the pronunciation/phonology is totally different.

[@lorehub923]

It's been a long time mellon ! :) Good to have you back ! :) 😁😁💪💪👍👍

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

It has!. This video took forever to make :) I plan to upload more frequently again ^^

[@seaschulainn]

I'm new to the LOTR fandom, thanks for making these videos! Very helpful!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Welcome to the fandom :D Happy you found my videos useful :)

[@letstalktolkien8431]

Hey Chris! Another great video thanks!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^

[@stefan6695]

Wow 👏👏👏 RESPEKT!!! Ich habe noch kein Video gefunden was so gut die Lore der Elben zusammengefasst hat! Habe auch noch mehr über das zweite Zeitalter erfahren was nicht im Silmarillion steht 👍 5☆ 👌

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^

[@thekittenfreakify]

I'm happy I found this. I didn't read the books and this expands a lot of what the movies condensed

[@isilion]

Superbly done video, unspeakably deep!

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, much appreciated! This is one of the videos I'm really happy with as well. usually I always have some details where I feel I could have done it better. I guess with e.g. the Who is Elrond video project I went really a bit too far 😂 This maybe has a better balance.

[@isilion]

@@ThePhilosophersGames I don't think you went too far imo dude. One of the beautiful and interesting aspects of your channel is the deepness and immersiveness of your content! ☺️ unfortunately it'll end up being kind of a niche thing...

[@krift1716]

Much of this sounds like anglo saxxon and celtic folklore. Middle earth being Britain/Ireland/Scotland and the elves being Normans and Germans. And the land to the west "valinor" Amar being, America?, or a kind of undying land like Hy-Brasil/Elysium "The land of the Blessed". Off the west coast of Sligo, ireland. Lord of the rings is just a fantastic pan-folklore of Europeans people. Not suprising. Tolkien was a polyglot of ancient languages and had a bunch of untranslated European manuscripts and artifacts in the basement of Oxford. He also read the books of W.Y Evans Wentz "The Celtic Fairy faith" which mentions this middle earth, the little people, and the eldar, the gentlepeople. Tall nordic elves from another dimension in the ancient forest of Europe.

[@Alejojojo6]

Not all elves in Nargothrond were killed, many escaped and went to either the mouth of the Sirion or to Doriath. Thanks to the refugees, Thingol knew about the fall of the City and about where Turin had been.

[@archangel7126]

So this is pure gold. The knowledge of the silmarillion really does need to be spread more. Only one point of confusion, well actually I'm not sure about this myself, but isn't tolkiens world before the fall of numenor flat? You're maps showed a round world.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Yes, it's flat. The information that hints at the world being flat is inside the little box at the bottom left. I just created one base sketch of Arda as circle and cut between them so you can compare the changes on the landmasses easier. It' not meant as correct representation of Arda's actual shape. Thank you ^^

[@barehardjeremy]

Very well played sir, excellent video

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you ^^

[@arashariae4253]

if it was any other subject i would not even watch the first 5 minute now I'm at the end of it and say to all that it was worth it thank you for making it ThePhilosophersGames.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) That's nice to hear ^^ Who does not love the elves and their lore?

[@kylemiller7562]

08:

[@billlosapio7571]

Beautifully done. Thank you for your hard work.

[@edwinvasconez]

Fantastic history and well done for a nebbie to understand the Tolkien World.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Happy you liked it, thank you :) I always wonder, how helpful this video is for people, who are not that deep into the lore. It's a lot of information ^^

[@debaronAZK]

after watching all your lore videos I might give the Silmarillion another try. I tried to read it many times before, but its density made it very hard for me to follow the story. these videos helped a lot and have clarified the parts that I have read, but not understood.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you! Yes, the Silmarillion is not easy to read, so I'm happy that my videos could help you a bit :)

[@jamiecullum5567]

Try listening to it as an audiobook, available on youtube. Much easier to follow that way i found

[@LordMcAwesome]

This was very comprehensive and entertaining. I'm lookin forward to seeing your other videos. Greetings from Sweden :)

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, happy you enjoy watching my videos :)

[@kahoaalohamalalis8841]

Excellent! Love it. It was a difficult subject to cover. Without the history it would be even more confusing even though some of it was glossed over. Cirdan had to be the oldest elf of note in Middle Earth during the Third Age. A piece more in depth in the migrations of the Elves to Aman would be a good supplement. Unless you already did one. I'll have to look. Also, the migration of Men to the west is a bit of a mystery. What made them travel in that direction? Couldn't be Sauron. He was still with his master Morgoth at the time, wasn't he? Was it because the first sunrise was in the west when Men awoke and that is what they sought?

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :) Yes it was a ton of work to make it and I had to rewrite and cut out a lot of things, to not get lost. I originally imagined this as like a 30 minutes video, but got carried away ^^ Yes need to make a video at some point, that tells the story from the Noldor's perspective. This one is more the Sindar/Teleri perspective. A good question (you are also right, it's a bit mysterious). I assume Morgoth, who marred Arda (the so called Morgoth's Ring) has most likely to do with it. My interpretation is, that the Edain fled from Morgoth influence to the west (maybe they somehow heard about that the elves once went west too). Those who stayed were the Easterlings and maybe the Haradrim, who are always strongly influenced by Morgoth and later Sauron. E.g. Ulfang the Easterling comes to the far west too, but is in secret allied with Morgoth. But ofc. Bór the Easterling is not, so not all Easterlings are allied with him, maybe that was the reason for them to leave the east and go west too, because they got pressured there by cults and tribes close to Morgoth. (Ofc it is also not clear if those "Easterlings" actually were the same Easterlings that we know later. There is a lot of space east of Beleriand at this time. Tolkien does mention their language, but on the other side men were only about 400 years old at this time from the mythologies perspective.) It's a difficult topic too ^^

[@Belgarath03]

Excellent lore video, thoroughly enjoyed it. it brings everything together very nicely in one place, thankyou very much.

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you too, happy you enjoyed it :) Yes everything at one place it a good description. Originally I didn't plan it, to cover that much Elven lore ^^

[@shaylenwayne9284]

I feel like I need a notepad watching this

[@patrickhidalgo4659]

Another amazing video. Keep up the great content!!😁👍🏽

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you, happy you liked it :)

[@leomcgahan6026]

Love these long videos on more obscure characters

[@WoollyMittens]

I'm here for the rrrrrrrroling or the rrrrrrr's

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha good news then: there are a lot of them here :D

[@Red1Green2Blue3]

its so irritating.

[@matthutchings1988]

RRRRAZORRR SHARRRP RRROCKS!

[@macmaasi79]

@John Matrix not the English pronunciations...

[@figjam9530]

German fellow goes rrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[@edpistemic]

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I love the detail here and I love your Sindarin pronunciation! SUBBED! :)

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

haha thank you :) happy you enjoy my videos and pronunciation ^^

[@lindsaypeterson9772]

I really enjoy your videos keep giving us more.

[@Akechi910]

Man I dunno how the 1hr and 35min passed, I loved it so much, great work man :)

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

That's a huge compliment. Thank you, much appreciated :) Would not have thought that people would watch the whole thing, but its average view duration is also really high.

[@leonlim007]

LOVE IT! I like long detailed videos like this~

[@ThePhilosophersGames]

Thank you :)

[@Phil-wt3uf]

I agree ur content and detail is amazing much appreciated