Dan, I really loved the way you covered the Dreams of Ulmo, actually the separate dreams of Finrod and Turgon. It really makes sense that Finrod's dream was something he felt was uniquely given to him by Ulmo so that he would not seek to combine kingdoms with Turgon. If he were to join Turgon in Gondolin, who would help Beren? Maybe Ulmo had foresight about that too.

Why thank you very much for the followup and expansion on my comment! That's fantastic to see how as embedded in this world, you're still willing to let your mind be molded/changed. Did I laugh at your further distinction of dark elves in this 'verse in comparison to others? Yes. Yes I did. The artwork you have of the dwarven places is just glorious. You know your comment about Tolkien changing his mind leads me to, not for the first time, wonder what people like Star Wars would do if they had a creator like him... they can barely deal with one change that wipes out a distinct era of content. How would they ever cope with the evolution of changes from print to print? It's funny, though, that it wandered away from science and yet the latest publication was one that applied sciences. Thanks for the summaries!

Thanks so much for this playlist and especially the periodic summaries that remind me of everything I was supposed to remember! A Trilogy Geek since 1967

The Flat World Arda is fascinating to read about in The Book of Lost Tales and obviously, Tolkien knew, created a lot of problems in Tolkien's world-building. It was important that Fingolfin could see the ships burning in the distance, so he could realize what his brother Feanor had done to him and his people. They would have had to Cross the Helcaraxe anyway and maybe not much would change after that. However, knowing that Fingolfin could be treated that way and not seek revenge or use it as an excuse to divide the Noldor realm into two kingdoms makes him one of my favorite characters in the Legendarium. All aided a bit by a flat Arda concept.😁

Excellent video; particularly the parts pulled from the Nature of Middle Earth!

Really good and helpful explanations, awesome video to watch

Thanks for the recap!

The Girdle of Melian is indeed manifested in the realm of Doriath (quite literally: the Encircled Land) and as you say because Melian and Thingol live there but I would posit that Melian would not have done this alone if were not for Thingol by her side. Melian is a Maia but she lacks the one thing that all of her rank and higher lack: the power of creation and animation. It is this intrinsic ability fired by a unbreakable bond of love that gives Melian cause and power to sustain the Girdle for almost an Age of Middle Earth; it embeds her in the Theme of the Song of Arda when she and Thingol bring Luthien in to being. We shouldn`t forget that all that Valar, and their people the Maiar, do is only in accordance with the themes of the Song of Arda - they cannot act beyond the role or raiment the have taken on while manifest in Middile Earth. In terms of ranking Melian the Maia is extremely potent but not nearly as much as Sauron is and she is barely powerful enough to contain or contend with even a reduced Valar like Melkor who has belittled himself, as Morgoth, divesting his power in to his minions and perversions of both Illuvatar & Yavanna`s creations. So to suggest otherwise is silly because Tolkien, like all good world builders, sets out clearly the rules that work within it because that doesn`t stifle his story telling but instead tests his creativity in making his canon of works believable. With regard to the similar shrouds or shields against the evils of Morgoth and Sauron; we shouldn`t forget, for example, that it is stated clearly in the Silmarillion that Galadriel learnt much from Melian while lodged in Menegroth before Nargothrond was full wrought. And it is likely she grew to understand the fundamentals of Melian`s Girdle around the Realm of her Lord and husband, consequently. But it wasn`t until Galadriel possessed the Ring of Power: Nenya, was she able to manifest a petty version of what Melian made and sustained in her love for Thingol. When Thingol died she drew in her expended energies and passed to the land Aman unseen by the Elves, except her daughter whom she bid farewell with a warning, before, presumably, she took up again her position tending the gardens of Lorien again.

That soundtrack is sexy

As for The Girdle of Melian, I think it was a obviously a girdle of love that existed only to protect Thingol, Melian, and Luthien, and to do that, it had to protect Menegroth and Doriath. So when Luthien and Beren left and Thingol was killed by the Dwarves, the girdle was lifted and Melian eventually left to sail West. Using it to keep Morgoth's forces from advancing doesn't even make sense to me. Did Melian ever leave Doriath? Why would you think this "girdle" could become a semi-girdle? What in the lore makes you think that?

Please up “The Silmarillion” Explaining

What happened to the black locks dwarfs

"trend towards trying to force the legendarium to be less inconsistent with modern science" This I believe is a mistake. Tolkien set to write mythology. We would never try to force the Norse World Tree into our scientific reality, nor pinpoint a map location for Mount Olympus. I see it folly to try to make Arda round just so our physics can make sense there. Personally, I quite enjoy the reshaping of the world and how very mythic an element it is.