I didn't realize Beleriand was a seperate land.

[Coelacanth]

I'm not sure how I missed this for so long, but I had read the Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, and even Unfinished Tales multiple times, and it wasn't until I started reading the History of Middle Earth that I realized that the setting of the Silmarillion was a seperate place from the rest of Middle Earth. I guess when I read about the drowning of Beleriand, and maybe even the changes that took place after the downfall of Numenor, I suppose I just thought that those events were meant to explain why the land looked different in later times. Even the migration of the elves I misunderstood as them coming from a foreign land into the regions of Middle Earth i was familiar with. I completely missed the fact that they crossed over the Misty Mountains and through Eriador and over Ered Luin in order to get to Beleriand. When i was reading the History of Middle Earth and Christopher Tolkien started talking about how Beleriand and the East of Middle Earth that I knew were seperate places in a casual way as something that was already evident, my mind was blown lol. I hadn't ever really studied the maps too closely, which may partly explain how I missed it, as well as changes in names like Ered Lindon becoming Ered Luin, but after I learned about it i was amazed to see how the west edge of the third age map coincided with the east edge of the map of Beleriand. I was curious if I'm the only one who completely missed this detail. Also, I'm posting this so that if anyone did miss this fact for any length of time, don't feel bad, you can know that you're not alone in it, and I'm pretty confident that it flew over my head far longer than for anyone else lol.

 

[Eljorahir]

Finally, it's good to know there are at least two of us.!

I posted this on another thread a few years ago:

After reading LOTR many times and The Silmarillion the first few times, I remember spending time holding Tolkien's maps of Beleriand and Eriador side by side, trying to figure out how the features of Beleriand were remade into the features of Eriador during the geographic catastrophe, "The War of Wrath". I thought the River Sirion probably became the River Anduin. (They both had a big waterfall and many "mouths".) It wasn't until later that I realized the extent of the flooding of the continent.

😀

 

[Amalcarin]

Well, you may be glad to know there are at least three of us. Many years ago, when I took The Children of Húrin into my hands for the first time (having only read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) and looked at the map (which lacks Ossiriand and Ered Luin), I thought that Minas Tirith on the map was the Minas Tirith and Doriath was what was going to become Mordor.

 

[Erurávennë]

For me, I don't quite remember, but there was some confusion.
I recommend someone reading the Silmarillion for the first time to have the maps that go with it next to them the whole time if they really want to understand what is going on. I think I gradually understood Beleriand's relation to Middle-earth this way. At least that is how I approached it. I figure if I am going to commit to a long complex narrative I might as well understand it. Maybe have a genealogy or take notes if you wish too... 😅

 

[Coelacanth]

Well, you may be glad to know there are at least three of us. Many years ago, when I took The Children of Húrin into my hands for the first time (having only read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) and looked at the map (which lacks Ossiriand and Ered Luin), I thought that Minas Tirith on the map was the Minas Tirith and Doriath was what was going to become Mordor.

The Children of Hurin was actually the first thing I ever read of Tolkien's, before even the Hobbit or LOTR. I had watched the movies, but suffice to say I didn't understand a lot of what was going on lol. Although it does work as a standalone story too. I just didn't understand the context around it.

Finally, it's good to know there are at least two of us.!

I posted this on another thread a few years ago:

After reading LOTR many times and The Silmarillion the first few times, I remember spending time holding Tolkien's maps of Beleriand and Eriador side by side, trying to figure out how the features of Beleriand were remade into the features of Eriador during the geographic catastrophe, "The War of Wrath". I thought the River Sirion probably became the River Anduin. (They both had a big waterfall and many "mouths".) It wasn't until later that I realized the extent of the flooding of the continent.

😀

Nice, nice. At least you took the time to try comparing the maps. I just assumed they were the same place and that a bunch of things changed over time lol.

For me, I don't quite remember, but there was some confusion.
I recommend someone reading the Silmarillion for the first time to have the maps that go with it next to them the whole time if they really want to understand what is going on. I think I gradually understood Beleriand's relation to Middle-earth this way. At least that is how I approached it. I figure if I am going to commit to a long complex narrative I might as well understand it. Maybe have a genealogy or take notes if you wish too... 😅

True, that's a good idea. Sometime afterwards i tried to keep a copy of the map of Beleriand beside me on one of my readthroughs of the Silmarillion and follow along with it. It's a bit harder for me to do, because whenever I'm reading something and then stop to consult something else, it throws me out of my comprehension a bit, like stopping to read footnotes mid sentence and things like that, but I think it did ultimately help me to appreciate Beleriand more.

 

[Vardarianna]

I noticed right away that the eastern mountains on the fold out map of my hardcover Silmarillion had the same name of Ered Luin as the western mountains of my Lord of the Rings map. The geography was different, but I went into reading the Silmarillion knowing that the land of Beleriand had disappeared by the time of the 3rd age. I referred to the map a lot in my first Silmarillion read.