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ith the coming of Elves and Men into Middle-Earth, Eru Ilúvatar's vision was almost complete. However, they had to go through many hardships before they could find any peace, and though a peace is achieved in The Silmarillion, any reader of Tolkien knows that true peace is not achieved until the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth. However, during the time of The Silmarillion, Elves and Men achieved a great deal and thwarted the evil that threatened to overwhelm Middle-Earth. The story of Fëanor, however, begins after the Elves have returned out of Middle-Earth to Valinor. Fëanor was one of the greatest of the Elves, and he was the greatest craftsmen. He created the Silmarils, the most beautiful gems in all the world, and he infused in them light from the Two Trees of Valinor. After the destruction of the trees, the beauty of their light lived on ever after only in the Silmarils. The fate of the Silmarils and the fate of Middle-Earth were forever intertwined. What became of the Silmarils is the basis for many of the stories later in The Silmarillion. The two other stories I have here are bound up with the fate of the Silmarils. The story of Beren and Lúthien is one of the longest stories, and it is a beautiful story of love and loyalty beyond death and the ends of the world. It is one of the few times where Elf and Man marry; if they had not married, the great Kings of the West would never have come into being, and The Lord of the Rings would be sorely lacking. The story of Beren and Lúthien begins with Beren falling in love with Lúthien after seeing her dancing in a wood. Eventually, she falls in love with him too, and they seek permission to marry. The adventure that follows is, at least in my opinion, the most beautiful love story ever written. 
The final story is of Eärendil the Mariner. His wife is a descendent of Beren and Lúthien, and it is his fate to seek the straightway to the West that was lost to all but the Elves who seek rest after the toil of Middle-Earth. This is another story of undying love and relentless determination to seek the necessary help for Middle-Earth to escape the dominion of the evil Morgoth. The fate of all Elves and men rests in the hands of Eärendil and his wife Elwing; their sons, Elros and Elrond, are well known to readers of Tolkien, and without this fated journey, the ways of Middle-Earth would never have come to be. The end of this story also finds the final resting place for one of the Silmarils, as it becomes the brightest star in the sky for all in Middle Earth to turn to in the darkness.