The Tale of the Sun and Moon is the eighth chapter of The Book of Lost Tales Part One, in Christopher Tolkien's series The History of Middle-earth. It gives J.R.R. Tolkien's earliest and most detailed account of the making of the Sun and Moon in Arda, long preceding the corresponding chapter of The Silmarillion.
The chapter follows "The Flight of the Noldoli", and is followed by "The Hiding of Valinor".
Chapter synopsis[]
Gilfanon is a new guest to the Cottage of Lost Play. He and Ælfwine request that Lindo continue telling tales, and so Lindo narrates of the Gods' creation of the celestial bodies.
The tale[]
After the kinslaying, the destruction of the Two Trees by Ungoliant, and the dangerous egress of the Noldoli from the Great Lands, the Valar hold an unsuccessful hunt for Melko (Melkor). They and the Maiar are of bitter heart. Lórien and Vána try to revive the Two Trees with song and magic substances, but fail. The Valar become set on providing a new light for the Earth, and so by sole use of the remaining "silver light" from Silindrin, Aulë undertakes the immense task of contriving the Sun, as a floating spherical ship, with the help of Varda. Its course, specifically determined by Manwë, is set among the skies.
- "Then did the Gods name that ship, and they called her Sári which is the Sun, but the Elves Ûr which is fire; but many other names does she bear in legend and in poesy. The Lamp of Vána is she named among the Gods in memory of Vána's tears and her sweet tresses that she gave; and the Gnomes call her Galmir the gold-gleamer and Glorvent the ship of gold, and Bráglorin the blazing vessel, and many a name beside; and her names among Men no man has counted them."
- —page 187 (1984 Houghton Mifflin publication)
The Moon is also put in the skies, a crystalline "island" shaped after a rose from withered Silpion, and ridden by Tilion. An explanation is given for the cycles of the Moon's radiance. Urwendi (later Arien), Tolion's lover, seeks likewise to pilot the Sun, and is allowed to.
When the tale finishes, Lindo, tired of story-telling for the moment, asks Vairë to then tell Ælfwine of the Hiding of Valinor.
Editor's commentary[]
Christopher Tolkien gives extensive notes and commentary on changes to plot-points, concepts in the tale, and names, and also presents his father's 1923 poem "Why the Man in the Moon came down too soon".
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Die Verhaal van die Son en die Maan |
| Albanian | Tregimi i Diellit dhe Hënës |
| Amharic | የፀሀይ እና ጨረቃ ታሪክ |
| Arabic | حكاية الشمس والقمر |
| Armenian | Արեւի եւ Լուսնի հեքիաթը |
| Asturian | El Cuentu del Sol y la Lluna |
| Azerbaijani | Günəş və Ayın nağılları |
| Basque | Eguzkia eta Ilargiaren istorioa |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Казка пра Сонца і Месяц |
| Bengali | দ্য সূর্য ও চন্দ্রের কাহিনী |
| Bosnian | Priča o suncu i mjesecu |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Приказката за слънцето и Луната |
| Cambodian | រឿងនិទាននៃព្រះអាទិត្យនិងព្រះច័ន្ទ |
| Catalan | La història del Sol i de la Lluna |
| Cebuano | Ang sugilanon sa adlaw ug bulan |
| Chinese | 太阳和月亮的故事 |
| Corsican | A storia di u Sole è di a Luna |
| Croatian | Priča o Suncu i Mjesecu |
| Czech | Příběh Slunce a Měsíce |
| Danish | Historien om Solen og Månen |
| Dutch | Het Verhaal van de Zon en de Maan |
| Esperanto | La rakonto pri la Suno kaj Luno |
| Estonian | Päike ja kuu lugu |
| Filipino | Ang Kuwento ng ang Araw at Buwan |
| Finnish | Tarina aurinko ja kuu |
| French | Le Conte du Soleil et de la Lune |
| Galician | O conto do Sol e da Lúa |
| Georgian | ამბავი მზისა და მთვარისა |
| German | Die Geschichte von Sonne und Mond |
| Greek | Η ιστορία του ήλιου και της Σελήνης |
| Gujarati | સૂર્ય અને ચંદ્રની વાર્તા |
| Hawaiian | Ka moʻolelo o ka Lā a me ka mahina |
| Hebrew | סיפורו של השמש והירח |
| Hindi | द सूर्य और चंद्रमा की कहानी |
| Hmong | Lub taleas ntawm lub hnub thiab lub hli |
| Hungarian | A Nap és a Hold meséje |
| Icelandic | Saga sólar og Tungls |
| Indonesian | Kisah Matahari dan Bulan |
| Irish Gaelic | Scéal na Gréine agus na Gealaí |
| Italian | Il racconto del Sole e della Luna |
| Japanese | 太陽と月の物語 |
| Kannada | ದಿ ಸೂರ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಚಂದ್ರನ ಕಥೆ |
| Kazakh | Күн мен Ай туралы ертегі (Cyrillic) Kün men Ay twralı ertegi (Latin) |
| Korean | 태양과 달의 이야기 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Күндө, айда жомогу |
| Laotian | ເລື່ອງຂອງດວງອາທິດແລະດວງຈັນ |
| Latin | In fabula est Solis et Lunae perscrutandis |
| Latvian | Stāsts par sauli un mēness |
| Lithuanian | Pasakojimas apie saulę ir Mėnulį |
| Luxembourgish | D'Geschicht vun der Sonn an de Mound |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Приказната за Сонцето и Месечината |
| Malagasy | Ny tantaran'ny masoandro sy ny volana |
| Malayalam | സൂര്യന്റെയും ചന്ദ്രന്റെയും കഥ |
| Malaysian | Kisah Matahari dan Bulan |
| Maltese | Il-storja Tax-xemx u Qamar |
| Marathi | द सूर्य आणि चंद्र यांच्या कथा |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Нар ба сарны түүх |
| Nepalese | द सूर्य र चन्द्रको कथा |
| Norwegian | Fortellingen om Solen og Månen |
| Occitan | L'istòria del Solelh e de la Luna |
| Pashto | د لمر او چاند تاریخ |
| Persian | داستان خورشید و ماه |
| Polish | Opowieść o Słońcu i Księżycu |
| Portuguese | O conto do Sol e da Lua |
| Punjabi | ਦ ਸੂਰਜ ਅਤੇ ਚੰਦ ਦੀ ਕਹਾਣੀ |
| Romanian | Povestea soarelui și a lunii |
| Russian | История Солнца и Луны |
| Samoan | Le tala o le la Ma le Masina |
| Sardinian | Su Istòria de su Sole e de sa Luna |
| Scottish Gaelic | Sgeulachd na grèine agus na gealaich |
| Serbian | Прича о сунцу и мјесецу (Cyrillic) Priča o suncu i mjesecu (Latin) |
| Sicilian | La Storia di lu Suli e di la Luna |
| Sindhi | سج ۽ چنڊ جو داستان |
| Sinhalese | සූර්යයාගේ හා චන්ද්රයාගේ කතාව |
| Slovak | Príbeh Slnka a Mesiaca |
| Slovenian | Zgodba o Soncu in Luni |
| Somali | Qorraxda iyo dayaxa sheekada |
| Spanish | El cuento del Sol y de la Luna |
| Swahili | Hadithi ya Jua na Mwezi |
| Swedish | Sagan om Solen och Månen |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Ҳикояи офтоб ва моҳ |
| Tamil | சூரியன் மற்றும் சந்திரனின் கதை |
| Tatar | Кояш һәм ай турында хикәя |
| Telugu | సూర్యుడు మరియు చంద్రుల కథ |
| Thai | เรื่องราวของดวงอาทิตย์และดวงจันทร์ |
| Turkish | Güneş ve ay masalı |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Казка про Сонце і Місяць |
| Urdu | سورج اور چاند کی داستان |
| Uzbek | Қуёш ва Ойнинг ҳикояси (Cyrillic) Quyosh va Oyning hikoyasi (Latin) |
| Vietnamese | Câu chuyện của mặt trời và Mặt Trăng |
| Welsh | Hanes yr Haul a'r Lleuad |
| Yiddish | די מייַסע פון די זון און לבנה |
| Yoruba | Awọn Itan ti Sun ati Oṣupa |