Illustrated World of Tolkien Read online

  To Lucy Pessell and Sarah Vaughan

  BILBO BAGGINS

  LIDIA POSTMA

  GANDALF

  LIDIA POSTMA

  AN INTRODUCTION DAVID DAY

  The Illustrated World of Tolkien is a gallery of some of the finest Tolkien-inspired art from a unique and exclusive picture library that has been created over the last 40 years. It began with the 1979 publication of A Tolkien Bestiary: the first fully illustrated reader’s guide to Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. A Tolkien Bestiary appeared just two years after the posthumous publication of J R R Tolkien’s The Silmarillion: a book that for the first time gave readers of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings some indication of the immense scope of Tolkien’s mythology and cosmology.

  In 1992, A Tolkien Bestiary was updated and expanded with new illustrators in the more comprehensive Tolkien: the Illustrated Encyclopaedia. Then again, in 2002, another gathering of artists resulted in the creation of The World of Tolkien: Mythological Sources of Lord of the Rings.

  In 2013, the decision was made to begin what became a comprehensive, yet compact, six-volume reference library on J.R.R Tolkien’s Middle-earth and the Undying Lands in a uniformly designed series of handsome flexi-bound books. In this exciting new format, beyond providing comprehensive texts, the library is gorgeously illustrated by a combination of established artists and fresh new talents, packaged in attractive and collectible editions.

  The Illustrated World of Tolkien is curated from all of these nine books. And here, with the large format provided by The Illustrated World of Tolkien, we can not only celebrate some of the finest Tolkien-inspired art gathered over the past 40 years, but also provide the opportunity to celebrate the artists themselves. And indeed, give voice to the artists themselves by providing them with this avenue to share their own stories, sources of inspiration, and reveal something of their lives.

  With The Illustrated World of Tolkien, you won’t need to be an expert in Elvish to find your way around Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. It has been written and organized in a way that is both informative and accessible to the general reader. The book is mostly written for those who have read at least one of the books – or have seen the movies and wish to read the books. It is also, of course, for those who know Tolkien well, and just wish to immerse themselves in art that celebrates Tolkien’s world.

  Quite by serendipity, this reference library series strongly resembles another collectible series of beautiful, illustrated books that inspired Tolkien’s childhood fascination with fairy tales and myths. This was Andrew Lang’s famous Fairy Book series (1889-1910) that introduced the young Tolkien to “the nameless North of Sigurd of the Völsungs, and the prince of all dragons.” Like Andrew Lang’s famous multi-volume Fairy Books of Many Colours, each of our collectible, illustrated reference library books is distinguished by a different colour.

  It has been one of the great pleasures of my life that in the making of many beautiful books, I have collaborated with so many wonderful artists. This is certainly true with this book. However, the broad range of my writing extends from fantasy and mythology, to poetry and children’s literature, to history, ecology and natural history. And in each, I have worked with and been published with many of the remarkable artists and illustrators. From the extraordinary and outrageous like Ralph Steadman and Gerald Scarfe, to living legends like impressionist Feliks Topolski and the great wildlife artist, Maurice Wilson. And beyond the array of artists in this Tolkien reference collection, I also number as friends and colleagues two of the most celebrated Tolkien illustrators: Alan Lee and John Howe. Alan Lee and I have produced two beautiful books: Castles in 1984 and Tolkien’s Ring in 1994. With John Howe, I toured the castles of the Rhine in the making of the documentary Looking for the Hobbit – The Lost God of the Rhine in 2014.

  For the purposes of The Illustrated World of Tolkien, we decided to produce a book of illustrations unique to this series, and independent of the images appearing in the popular media of films and motion pictures. In this book, I am pleased to be able to reveal a treasure trove of illustrations of Tolkien’s world that has grown and gathered over the last four decades. The aim is to reveal something of the imaginative sweep and splendour of Tolkien’s epic world. But it is also to involve the reader to discover something of the artist’s experience, inspiration and vision in the creation of these works of art.

  In The Illustrated World of Tolkien we celebrate both the art and the artist.

  THE GREY HAVENS

  MICHAEL FOREMAN

  TUOR AND VORONWË SEEK GONDOLIN

  KIP RASMUSSEN

  PERMISSION KIP RASMUSSEN

  I am a family therapist by trade and have spent most of my career trying to help people and their families with all kinds of emotional struggles. But, like millions of others, I turn to the works of Tolkien to recharge. I love The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit but, for me The Silmarillion ranks as one of the pre-eminent works of art ever created. I was so struck by it that I craved seeing the images in paint. At first, I was very hesitant because I wasn’t an experienced painter but still wanted to do justice to the mighty work. Then I found some encouragement in the words of the great man himself:

  “The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands wielding paint and music and drama.”

  —J R R Tolkien, Letter 131 to Milton Waldman (1951)

  So there it was: permission to paint his work. That was enough for me. I’ll paint it to my life’s end.

  DO NOT LAUGH J R R TOLKIEN

  “Do not laugh! But once upon a time (my crest has long since fallen) I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic, to the level of romantic fairy-story – the larger founded on the lesser in contact with the earth, the lesser drawing splendour from the vast backcloths – which I could dedicate simply to: to England; to my country. It should possess the tone and quality that I desired, somewhat cool and clear, be redolent of our ‘air’ (the clime and soil of the North West, meaning Britain and the hither parts of Europe: not Italy or the Aegean, still less the East), and, while possessing (if I could achieve it) the fair elusive beauty that some call Celtic (though it is rarely found in genuine ancient Celtic things), it should be ‘high’, purged of the gross, and fit for the more adult mind of a land long now steeped in poetry. I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd.”

  IN THE BEGINNING

  ERU CREATES THE AINUR

  MAURO MAZZARA

  THE CREATION OF ARDA

  PAULINE MARTIN

  THE CREATION OF ARDA

  The creator-god of Tolkien’s world of Arda, was Eru “The One”, known to the Elves as Ilúvatar (“Allfather”). Arda is the High Elven (Quenya) name for Tolkien’s fictional world, encompassing the mortal lands of Middle-earth and the immortal Undying Lands of Aman. Arda, Tolkien insisted, is not another planet, but our world: the planet Earth. As the author himself explained: “The theatre of my tale is this earth, the one in which we now live, but the historical period is imaginary.” The connection is made clear in the name: Arda is connected to the Old High German Erda and Gothic airþa, both of which translate as “Earth”.

  Eru was in part inspired by the Judeo-Christian creator-god, Yahweh/Jehovah, although there are important differences in conception.

  In the beginning, Tolkien tells us that in his cosmogony (creation myth), Eru’s “thoughts” took the form of entities known as the Ainur, or “Holy Ones”, vastly powerful spirits that
are comparable to the Judeo-Christian angels and archangels.

  Eru commands the Ainur to sing in a celestial choir, thereby revealing his vision of “what was, and is, and is to come.” Eru creates and wakens first the Elves and then Men (just as Yahweh/Jehovah creates Adam). Like the God of the Bible, Eru is conceived of as making decisive interventions in world history, such as the destruction of the fleet of King Ar-Pharazôn and the re-embodiment of Gandalf after his death in Moria.

  In most other respects, however, the early Judeo-Christian world is very unlike Tolkien’s world. Tolkien purposely created a world that is without formal religion, and Eru is far from being the vengeful, jealous deity of the Old Testament (it is Melkor/Morgoth who perhaps takes on these aspects).

  THE ART OF CREATION DAVID DAY

  In 1979, the British artist Pauline Martin created this calming, lyrically beautiful watercolour of the Vision of Creation “like a globed light in the Void”. Some thirty-seven years later, the Italian artist Mauro Mazzara imagines a titanic Eru Ilúvatar as the Creator commanding all the elemental forces of the universe in his spectacular interpretation of the Music of the Ainur. In these two stunning and stylistically distinct visions of the Creation of Arda, no better perspective can be gained on how the art of illustrating Tolkien’s cosmos has evolved over the last four decades.

  THE AINUR

  As Tolkien informs us, the Ainur, many of whom subsequently enter the created world of Arda, are “beings of the same order of beauty, power and majesty as the gods of higher mythology.” Indeed, those Ainur who enter Arda become known as the Valar and the Maiar, taking physical forms comparable to the gods of ancient Greek, Roman and Germanic mythology. And although the inhabitants of Tolkien’s world do not quite worship these “gods”, the beliefs they hold surrounding these angelic powers are much closer to those of the ancient Greeks, Romans and Germanic peoples than they are to the fierce monotheism of the ancient Israelites.

  THE VALAR

  The Valar were the fourteen ruling Powers of Arda, angelic beings who, after the creation of Arda, enter into its “circles” and shape various aspects of it. Many of the Valar are associated with a particular realm, such as the sea, starry night sky, rocks and mountains and plants and animals. Most form male-and-female pairs (“spouses”) and a few are siblings. Except in Tolkien’s earliest writings, they do not have offspring.

  Tolkien did not conceive of his Valar as gods, even if they sometimes seem to be perceived as such by Elves, Men and others. They are not worshipped (even if they are revered or called upon), and there are few mythological stories attached to their names. They are above all manifestations of good creative power, nurturing order and stability in a world that is constantly threatened by the evil powers of disorder and chaos, manifested in Morgoth and Sauron.

  Nonetheless, in creating his “pantheon”, Tolkien was clearly influenced by both the Greco-Roman gods (and occasionally heroes) and Norse gods.

  THE LAMPS OF THE VALAR DAVID DAY

  Šárka Škorpíková’s idyllic watercolour of the Isle of Almaren, in the midst of a great lake in Middle-earth, was the first dwelling-place of the Valar. Šárka provides a utopian vision of the Spring of Arda: a peaceful pastoral age when the world was illuminated by the sacred light of Illuin, one of two sacred Lamps of the Valar. This vision is in stark contrast to Linda Garland’s nightmarish scene portraying the toppled ruin of Ormal, the second of the two titanic Lamps of the Valar in The Destruction of the Lamps. Both Lamps were cast down and extinguished by the mighty rebel Vala, Melkor, and the world was rocked and broken open by a mighty tumult that followed. Almaren was utterly destroyed and Middle-earth was plunged into darkness and chaos that lasted for many ages.

  ILLUIN

  ŠÁRKA ŠKORPÍKOVÁ

  THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LAMPS

  LINDA GARLAND

  AULË AND YAVANNA

  JAROSLAV BRADAC

  AULË AND YAVANNA

  In Tolkien’s Valarian god Aulë the Smith, the Maker of Mountains, we have the counterpart of the Greek god Hephaestus (the Roman Vulcan). Both are capable of forging untold wonders from the metals and elements of the Earth. Both are smiths, armourers and jewellers. Like Hephaestus, Aulë is depicted as a true craftsman and artisan, someone who creates for the joy of making, not for the sake of possession or gaining power and dominion over others.

  Aulë is also the maker of Tolkien’s race of Dwarves. These in their origins are very like the race of automatons created by Hephaestus, who appeared to be living creatures, but in fact were machines similar to robots designed to help in the smithy with the beating of metal and the working of the forges. In Tolkien, Aulë creates the Dwarves because he is impatient for pupils who can carry out his knowledge and craft. However, they are given true life and independent minds only at the command of Eru Ilúvatar. Among the Norsemen, Aulë’s counterpart as the smith to the gods and heroes is Völundr. Among the Anglo-Saxons, he is Wayland.

  In Tolkien’s legendarium, Yavanna is the Valarian queen of the Earth (Kementári) who watches over all living things. In the form of a woman, she is described as tall and clothed in green, though “Some there are who have seen her standing like a tree under heaven, crowned with the Sun; and from all its branches there spilled a golden dew upon the barren earth.” Her younger sister is Vána, the Ever Young, who brings forth blossoming flowers, and she is the spouse of Aulë.

  Yavanna has a direct parallel in the Greco-Roman pantheon, in the earth-mother goddess Demeter/Ceres. In Demeter’s grief for her daughter Persephone (who bears some resemblance to Vána), which causes nature to go into hibernation, there is a parallel with the Sleep of Yavanna. After the destruction of the Two Lamps, the queen of the Earth walks “in the shadow of Middle-earth, grieving because the growth and promise of the Spring of Arda was stayed” and causes the animals and plants to go into a slumber that lasts many years.

  IMAGINING THE “GODS” DAVID DAY

  In A Tolkien Bestiary, it was decided that each of the major races or humanoid groupings were to be given a distinctive artist throughout the book. The challenging task of creating convincing images of the angelic spirits of Tolkien’s Ainur, Valar and Maiar was assigned to Jaroslav Bradac, a talented Czech artist who previously created a remarkable artist’s portrayal and film of Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf. His Ainur were revealed as archetypal elemental powers and his Valar were akin to the ancient pagan Greco-Roman gods; while his Maiar convincingly resembled demigods and nature spirits.

  THE POWER OF NARRATIVE FICTION KIP RASMUSSEN

  Among the great miracles of existence is the power of narrative fiction. Like music, humour, poetry and the other creative arts, the acts of fiction transform the lives of both the creators and those who partake of the art. Why should we care so much about characters, lands and events which have never existed? I don’t have the definitive answer to this question, but I do know that the work of Tolkien has struck at a level in my life that is both elemental and expansive.

  As an illustrator, it is impossible to recount all the myriad inspiring elements of Tolkien’s work. Reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings was riveting. There were so many wonderful aspects to fire the spirit, from the bucolic Hobbiton to the mountainous redoubt of Rivendell to the malevolent forest of Mirkwood to the great city of Minas Tirith. Smaug and Bard, Aragorn and Arwen, Éowyn and the Witch-king; there is so much to imagine and illustrate.

  But if these books were riveting, for me, The Silmarillion was life altering. Everything we love about The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is there, but in greater measure: more gods, Dragons, Balrogs, Elves, warriors, Orcs, Ents, Dwarves and lords of destruction. Sauron is only a servant of the first dark lord. And the wars; conflicts so massive that the Battle of the Pelennor Fields might not have been counted among the First Age battles worth numbering. And we should not forget the origin stories. When we wonder where something in The Lord of the Rings originated, we find that Tolkien wrote a marvelous story whi
ch answers this question. Who would write a tale in which two married gods dispute the mastery of trees resulting in the origin story of the Ents? It is almost beyond belief that many ardent Tolkien fans justifiably count Tolkien as a genius but have not read what I consider to be his greatest work. It is one of my fondest wishes to help fans of Tolkien to experience The Silmarillion. This is why I paint.

  DIVINE SPIRITS DAVID DAY

  Although Jaroslav Bradac’s Valar were definitive portrayals of the powers of Arda throughout the pages of A Tolkien Bestiary, they did not by any means remain as uncontested interpretations of these entities. One need only look at Kip Rasmussen’s evocative and idyllic Aulë and Yavanna Look Over Their Creations to see a very different but entirely convincing portrayal of these divine archetypal spirits of the mountains and forests of Arda, or, taking another tact, Mauro Mazzara’s volcanic portrait of Aulë the Maker of Mountains to recognize how much Tolkien was inspired by the Greco-Roman smith god Vulcan-Hephaestus.

  AULË AND YAVANNA LOOK OVER THEIR CREATIONS

  KIP RASMUSSEN

  AULË, MAKER OF MOUNTAINS

  MAURO MAZZARA

  A CHALLENGE MAURO MAZZARA

  Since I was a kid I have been influenced by the amazing fantasy movies of that time: Willow, The Neverending Story, and so on. As a teenager I finally discovered fantasy literature. Luckily there weren’t smartphones then, so I grew up a very hungry reader.