The Eye

2024-05-16T03:26:06Z

Lorehouse: Added some links, I hope

{{disambig-two|the seventh episode of ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]''|emblem of [[Mordor]]|[[Eye of Sauron]]}}
{{currentevent}}
{{episode infobox
| name=The Eye
| image=[[File:The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power - The Eye.jpg|250px]]
| caption=
| director=[[Charlotte Brändström]]
| writer=[[J. D. Payne]] [[Patrick McKay]] and [[Jason Cahill]]<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11609046/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm|articlename=The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV Series), The Eye (2022), Full Cast & Crew|dated=|website=IMDB|accessed=3 December 2022}}</ref> (written by)
| screenplay=
| basedon=
| producer=
| starring=
| narrator=
| cinematography=
| editing=
| music=[[Bear McCreary]] Main Title by [[Howard Shore]]
| animator=
| studio=[[Amazon Studios]]
| distributor=
| released=[[7 October]] [[2022]]
| runtime=
| country=
| language=
| budget=
| gross=
| website=
| imdb_id=
| gallery=The Rings of Power (TV series)
| previous=[[Udûn (episode)|Udûn]]
| next=[[Alloyed]]
}}

{{Quote|[[Men|Survivors]] of a [[Mount Doom|cataclysm]] try to find [[Pelargir|safety]]; the [[Harfoots]] confront [[Mystics|evil]]; [[Durin VI|Durin]] is torn between [[Elrond|friendship]] and [[Durin III|duty]]; [[Adar (The Rings of Power)|Adar]] considers a new [[Mordor|name]].|Official Synopsis, [[Amazon Studios]]}}

'''The Eye''' is the seventh episode of [[Amazon Studios]]'s television series, ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]'', released on [[7 October]], [[2022]].

== Synopsis ==
===Southlands===
[[Galadriel]] wakes up in the aftermath of the [[Mount Doom|Orodruin]] eruption covered in ash and lit in a fiery red glow. The ash-covered dead surround her and cries fill the air. She finds [[Theo]] in the smoke. [[Isildur]] is seen attempting to pull Valandil out from under a collapsed roof. Valandil informs him that Ontamo was in the building when it collapsed. [[Miriel]] helps Isildur lift the roof, freeing Valandil and revealing the body of their friend. As the three attempt to rescue people from a burning building, the structure collapses, trapping Isildur inside, presumably dead. As the Southlanders and Númenóreans retreat, [[Elendil]] asks for news of his son. It becomes clear that Miriel has lost her sight.
Galadriel dispenses wisdom to Theo on their journey to the Númenórean camp, and receives some from him in turn. As the Númenóreans try to gather their horses into camp, Berek fights against his lead. Elendil is convinced to let him go but states that he should never have let "the elf" on board. Galadriel and Theo arrive at camp and are reunited with [[Bronwyn]], [[Arondir]], [[Halbrand]], and all the others. Elendil consults Miriel and they prepare to return to Númenor, leaving behind a garrison to find a place for the Southlanders to resettle safely. Miriel wears her eyes bandaged. She declares that Númenor will return, much to the dismay of Elendil. They set sail across the sea again.
Galadriel and Halbrand ride for Lindon to cries of "Strength to the King!" from the Southlanders. Galadriel bequeaths her Númenórean blade to Theo.

===Harfoots===
The [[Harfoots]] arrive at the [[Grove]] to find glowing rocks presumably shot from a volcano in the ground. [[The Stranger]] attempts to do something to the blighted tree, and the Harfoots gather around, believing he is going to save the tree like he saved them from the wolves in an earlier episode. Instead it drops a large limb on [[Elanor]] and Dilly and the Harfoots view a confused Stranger with suspicion. [[Sadoc]] encourages the Stranger to leave, and he does.
They awake the next morning to find the grove entirely restored and a bumper crop. While harvesting snails or crawdads in a stream, [[Poppy]] finds an enormous man-footprint. [[The Mystics]] have been tracking the Harfoots and find evidence of The Stranger's passage through the Grove. When Nori tries to point them in the wrong direction, they loom over her. [[Largo]] threatens them with a torch but they magically redirect the fire to burn the Harfoots' wagons. Largo then encourages and supports the Harfoots to pick up their pieces and carry on. Nori, Poppy, Goldie, Malva and Sadoc all support going to warn the stranger that the Mystics are coming for him.

===Khazad-dûm===
[[Elrond]] pleads his case before Durin III, offering grain, meat, and timber from the Elven forests for 500 years in exchange for [[Mithril]] mines. Durin III rejects the offer, saying he will not risk dwarven lives in the elves pursuit of eternal life. Durin IV breaks the news to Elrond, who leaves his sample of Mithril on the table beside the diseased Lindon leaf. As the two items lay side by side, the blight flows away and the leaf is restored. Encouraged by Disa, Durin IV yells for Elrond to come back.
Durin IV takes Elrond to a blocked mineshaft and they share friendly conversation as Durin breaks through to reveal a chamber filled with veins of mithril. Elrond gasps in awe and turns to look back on is friend, only to find that King Durin III has caught them. The king has Elrond thrown out and disowns his son when the younger Durin says he views Elrond as a brother.
Disa inspires Durin IV with the promise that he will one day be king, no matter what his short-sighted father says. Durin III throws the now-golden Lindon leaf into the Mithril pit and orders it sealed up. As the leaf lands on the lava and burns, a [[balrog]] erupts out of the depths.

===Mordor===
The Southlands, choked in ash and flame, is now the abode of orcs, evil men, and [[Adar]]. Adar declares that it is no longer the Southlands, and a title card on the screen burns away the name "Southlands" and transforms it into "[[Mordor]]".

== Cast ==
=== Credited ===
:''In order of appearance'' (in episode credits)
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Actor !! Role
|-
| [[Morfydd Clark]] || [[Galadriel]]
|-
| [[Tyroe Muhafidin]] || [[Theo]]
|-
| [[Maxim Baldry]]|| [[Isildur]]
|-
| [[Alex Tarrant]] || [[Valandil (The Rings of Power)|Valandil]]
|-
| [[Cynthia Addai-Robinson]]|| [[Tar-Míriel|Queen Regent Míriel]]
|-
| [[Anthony Crum]] || [[Ontamo]]
|-
| [[Megan Richards]] || [[Poppy Proudfellow]]
|-
| [[Markella Kavenagh]] || [[Elanor Brandyfoot|Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Daniel Weyman]] || [[The Stranger]]
|-
| [[Sara Zwangobani]] || [[Marigold Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Beau Cassidy]] || [[Dilly Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Dylan Smith]] || [[Largo Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Lenny Henry|Sir Lenny Henry]]|| [[Sadoc Burrows]]
|-
| [[Thusitha Jayasundera]] || [[Malva Meadowgrass|Malva]]
|-
| [[Maxine Cunliffe]] || [[Vilma]]
|-
| [[Robert Aramayo]] || [[Elrond]]
|-
| [[Owain Arthur]] || [[Durin IV|Prince Durin IV]]
|-
| [[Peter Mullan]] || [[Durin III|King Durin III]]
|-
| [[Sophia Nomvete]] || [[Disa|Princess Disa]]
|-
| [[Lloyd Owen]] || [[Elendil|Captain Elendil]]
|-
| [[Nazanin Boniadi]] || [[Bronwyn]]
|-
| [[Ismael Cruz Córdova]] || [[Arondir]]
|-
| [[Charlie Vickers]] || [[Halbrand]]
|-
| [[Joseph Mawle]] || [[Adar (The Rings of Power)|Adar]]
|-
| [[Geoff Morrell]] || [[Waldreg]]
|-
| [[James Munro]] || [[Dwarves|Dwarf Lord One]]
|-
| [[Michael Jones|Mike Jones]] || [[Dwarves|Dwarf Lord Two]]
|-
| [[Jed Brophy]] || [[Orcs|Hunter Orc]]
|-
| [[Robert Strange]] || [[Orcs|Other Orc]]
|-
| [[Edith Poor]] || [[Mystics|The Nomad]]
|-
| [[Kali Kopae]] || [[Mystics|The Ascetic]]
|-
| [[Bridie Sisson]] || [[Mystics|The Dweller]]
|}

== Trivia ==
Below is a list of trivia from Amazon's "X-Ray" feature that accompanied the episode.
* Scene 2 - "Most of the details and elaborations told herein are derived from '[[The Lord of the Rings]]', its prologue entitled '[[Concerning Hobbits]]', and its [[Appendices]], [[Appendix A|A]] through [[Appendix F|F]], where the intrepid traveler may journey to discover even farther horizons."

== Production ==

== Differences ==

== Reception ==

{{references}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nWfER50CLE&ab_channel=RingsandRealms Episode analysis on Rings & Realms] (with [[Corey Olsen]])
* [https://bearmccreary.com/the-lord-of-the-rings-episode-107/ Scoring The Eye] by [[Bear McCreary]]

{{rop-episodes}}

{{title}}

[[Category:The Rings of Power (TV series) episodes|07]]

[[fi:Silmä (jakso)]]

The Eye

2024-05-16T03:12:06Z

Lorehouse: Completed the synopsis of the episode

{{disambig-two|the seventh episode of ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]''|emblem of [[Mordor]]|[[Eye of Sauron]]}}
{{currentevent}}
{{episode infobox
| name=The Eye
| image=[[File:The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power - The Eye.jpg|250px]]
| caption=
| director=[[Charlotte Brändström]]
| writer=[[J. D. Payne]] [[Patrick McKay]] and [[Jason Cahill]]<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11609046/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm|articlename=The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (TV Series), The Eye (2022), Full Cast & Crew|dated=|website=IMDB|accessed=3 December 2022}}</ref> (written by)
| screenplay=
| basedon=
| producer=
| starring=
| narrator=
| cinematography=
| editing=
| music=[[Bear McCreary]] Main Title by [[Howard Shore]]
| animator=
| studio=[[Amazon Studios]]
| distributor=
| released=[[7 October]] [[2022]]
| runtime=
| country=
| language=
| budget=
| gross=
| website=
| imdb_id=
| gallery=The Rings of Power (TV series)
| previous=[[Udûn (episode)|Udûn]]
| next=[[Alloyed]]
}}

{{Quote|[[Men|Survivors]] of a [[Mount Doom|cataclysm]] try to find [[Pelargir|safety]]; the [[Harfoots]] confront [[Mystics|evil]]; [[Durin VI|Durin]] is torn between [[Elrond|friendship]] and [[Durin III|duty]]; [[Adar (The Rings of Power)|Adar]] considers a new [[Mordor|name]].|Official Synopsis, [[Amazon Studios]]}}

'''The Eye''' is the seventh episode of [[Amazon Studios]]'s television series, ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power]]'', released on [[7 October]], [[2022]].

== Synopsis ==
===Southlands===
Galadriel wakes up in the aftermath of the [[Mount Doom|Orodruin]] eruption covered in ash and lit in a fiery red glow. The ash-covered dead surround her and cries fill the air. She finds Theo in the smoke. Isildur is seen attempting to pull Valandil out from under a collapsed roof. Valandil informs him that Ontamo was in the building when it collapsed. Miriel helps Isildur lift the roof, freeing Valandil and revealing the body of their friend. As the three attempt to rescue people from a burning building, the structure collapses, trapping Isildur inside, presumably dead. As the Southlanders and Númenóreans retreat, Elendil asks for news of his son. It becomes clear that Miriel has lost her sight.
Galadriel dispenses wisdom to Theo on their journey to the Númenórean camp, and receives some from him in turn. As the Númenóreans try to gather their horses into camp, Berek fights against his lead. Elendil is convinced to let him go but states that he should never have let "the elf" on board. Galadriel and Theo arrive at camp and are reunited with Bronwyn, Arondir, Halbrand, and all the others. Elendil consults Miriel and they prepare to return to Númenor, leaving behind a garrison to find a place for the Southlanders to resettle safely. Miriel wears her eyes bandaged. She declares that Númenor will return, much to the dismay of Elendil. They set sail across the sea again.
Galadriel and Halbrand ride for Lindon to cries of "Strength to the King!" from the Southlanders. Galadriel bequeaths her Númenórean blade to Theo.

===Harfoots===
The Harfoots arrive at the grove to find glowing rocks presumably shot from a volcano in the ground. The Stranger attempts to do something to the blighted tree, and the Harfoots gather around, believing he is going to save the tree like he saved them from the wolves in an earlier episode. Instead it drops a large limb on Nori and Dilly and the Harfoots view a confused Stranger with suspicion. Sadoc encourages the Stranger to leave, and he does.
They awake the next morning to find the grove entirely restored and a bumper crop. While harvesting snails or crawdads in a stream, Poppy finds an enormous man-footprint. The Mystics have been tracking the Harfoots and find evidence of The Stranger's passage through the Grove. When Nori tries to point them in the wrong direction, they loom over her. Largo threatens them with a torch but they magically redirect the fire to burn the Harfoots' wagons. Largo then encourages and supports the Harfoots to pick up their pieces and carry on. Nori, Poppy, Goldie, Malva and Sadoc all support going to warn the stranger that the Mystics are coming for him.

===Khazad-dûm===
Elrond pleads his case before Durin III, offering grain, meat, and timber from the Elven forests for 500 years in exchange for Mithril mines. Durin III rejects the offer, saying he will not risk dwarven lives in the elves pursuit of eternal life. Durin IV breaks the news to Elrond, who leaves his sample of Mithril on the table beside the diseased Lindon leaf. As the two items lay side by side, the blight flows away and the leaf is restored. Encouraged by Disa, Durin IV yells for Elrond to come back.
Durin IV takes Elrond to a blocked mineshaft and they share friendly conversation as Durin breaks through to reveal a chamber filled with veins of mithril. Elrond gasps in awe and turns to look back on is friend, only to find that King Durin III has caught them. The king has Elrond thrown out and disowns his son when the younger Durin says he views Elrond as a brother.
Disa inspires Durin IV with the promise that he will one day be king, no matter what his short-sighted father says. Durin III throws the now-golden Lindon leaf into the Mithril pit and orders it sealed up. As the leaf lands on the lava and burns, a balrog erupts out of the depths.

===Mordor===
The Southlands, choked in ash and flame, is now the abode of orcs, evil men, and Adar. Adar declares that it is no longer the Southlands, and a title card on the screen burns away the name "Southlands" and transforms it into "Mordor".

== Cast ==
=== Credited ===
:''In order of appearance'' (in episode credits)
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! Actor !! Role
|-
| [[Morfydd Clark]] || [[Galadriel]]
|-
| [[Tyroe Muhafidin]] || [[Theo]]
|-
| [[Maxim Baldry]]|| [[Isildur]]
|-
| [[Alex Tarrant]] || [[Valandil (The Rings of Power)|Valandil]]
|-
| [[Cynthia Addai-Robinson]]|| [[Tar-Míriel|Queen Regent Míriel]]
|-
| [[Anthony Crum]] || [[Ontamo]]
|-
| [[Megan Richards]] || [[Poppy Proudfellow]]
|-
| [[Markella Kavenagh]] || [[Elanor Brandyfoot|Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Daniel Weyman]] || [[The Stranger]]
|-
| [[Sara Zwangobani]] || [[Marigold Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Beau Cassidy]] || [[Dilly Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Dylan Smith]] || [[Largo Brandyfoot]]
|-
| [[Lenny Henry|Sir Lenny Henry]]|| [[Sadoc Burrows]]
|-
| [[Thusitha Jayasundera]] || [[Malva Meadowgrass|Malva]]
|-
| [[Maxine Cunliffe]] || [[Vilma]]
|-
| [[Robert Aramayo]] || [[Elrond]]
|-
| [[Owain Arthur]] || [[Durin IV|Prince Durin IV]]
|-
| [[Peter Mullan]] || [[Durin III|King Durin III]]
|-
| [[Sophia Nomvete]] || [[Disa|Princess Disa]]
|-
| [[Lloyd Owen]] || [[Elendil|Captain Elendil]]
|-
| [[Nazanin Boniadi]] || [[Bronwyn]]
|-
| [[Ismael Cruz Córdova]] || [[Arondir]]
|-
| [[Charlie Vickers]] || [[Halbrand]]
|-
| [[Joseph Mawle]] || [[Adar (The Rings of Power)|Adar]]
|-
| [[Geoff Morrell]] || [[Waldreg]]
|-
| [[James Munro]] || [[Dwarves|Dwarf Lord One]]
|-
| [[Michael Jones|Mike Jones]] || [[Dwarves|Dwarf Lord Two]]
|-
| [[Jed Brophy]] || [[Orcs|Hunter Orc]]
|-
| [[Robert Strange]] || [[Orcs|Other Orc]]
|-
| [[Edith Poor]] || [[Mystics|The Nomad]]
|-
| [[Kali Kopae]] || [[Mystics|The Ascetic]]
|-
| [[Bridie Sisson]] || [[Mystics|The Dweller]]
|}

== Trivia ==
Below is a list of trivia from Amazon's "X-Ray" feature that accompanied the episode.
* Scene 2 - "Most of the details and elaborations told herein are derived from '[[The Lord of the Rings]]', its prologue entitled '[[Concerning Hobbits]]', and its [[Appendices]], [[Appendix A|A]] through [[Appendix F|F]], where the intrepid traveler may journey to discover even farther horizons."

== Production ==

== Differences ==

== Reception ==

{{references}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nWfER50CLE&ab_channel=RingsandRealms Episode analysis on Rings & Realms] (with [[Corey Olsen]])
* [https://bearmccreary.com/the-lord-of-the-rings-episode-107/ Scoring The Eye] by [[Bear McCreary]]

{{rop-episodes}}

{{title}}

[[Category:The Rings of Power (TV series) episodes|07]]

[[fi:Silmä (jakso)]]

Talk:The Eye

2024-05-16T03:08:11Z

Lorehouse: /* Rewatch summaries */ Reply

== Rewatch summaries ==

I'm rewatching ROP before season 2 and writing summaries here. It is very challenging to restrain snarky comments, interesting notes, and general observations and opinions so I may add some in these discussions at time. Durin III's beard has horrible mouse whiskers. Nori hands the Stranger the most glorious, symmetrical Hobby Lobby apple I've ever seen in my life. Halbrand's hair is the worst in this episode. I don't know what was going on in wigs while they were filming this but it doesn't fit his forehead quite right.
I do think there's some interesting Babylonian/Akkadian type imagery going on in the dwarven realm. Also Disa continues to be a glorious queen. [[User:Lorehouse|Lorehouse]] ([[User talk:Lorehouse|talk]]) 02:55, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

:Between the Mystics acting in Weird Sister fashion and Disa playing a bit of a Lady Macbeth to Durin IV, this whole episode has some Macbeth undercurrents that make me very uncomfortable for our "good guys". [[User:Lorehouse|Lorehouse]] ([[User talk:Lorehouse|talk]]) 03:07, 16 May 2024 (UTC)
::Also I remember how disappointed I was that the Balrog looks so exactly like the one in the Jackson films. I'd hoped for creativity. [[User:Lorehouse|Lorehouse]] ([[User talk:Lorehouse|talk]]) 03:08, 16 May 2024 (UTC)

Talk:The Eye

2024-05-16T03:07:31Z

Lorehouse: /* Rewatch summaries */ Reply

Talk:The Eye

2024-05-16T02:55:02Z

Lorehouse: /* Rewatch summaries */ new section

The Eye

2024-05-15T23:48:35Z

Lorehouse: /* Southlands */ early summary

High King of the Noldor

2024-04-27T20:37:11Z

Lorehouse: /* First Age */

{{sources}}
{{disambig-more|High King|[[High King (disambiguation)]]}}
[[File:Christopher Tolkien - The Realms of the Noldor and the Sindar.jpg|250px|thumb|''The Realms of the Noldor and the Sindar'' by [[Christopher Tolkien]]]]
{{quote|If there lay no grievance between us, lord, still the kingship would rightly come to you, the eldest here of the house of [[Finwë]], and not the least wise.|[[Maedhros]] in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', "[[Of the Return of the Noldor]]"}}
The '''High King of the Noldor''' was the head of the [[House of Finwë]] in [[Middle-earth]]. Its bearer was the nominal overlord of all the [[Noldor]]in realms, but had little practical authority due to the disunity of the Noldor. The [[House of Fëanor]] acknowledged the Kingship but paid it little heed, following their own agenda under the general leadership of [[Maedhros]].

==Earlier Kings==
{{main|King of the Noldor}}
[[File:Marya Filatova - Refusal - Maedhros.jpg|thumb|''Refusal - Maedhros'' by [[Marya Filatova]]]]
The founder of the [[House of Finwë]] and first '''[[King of the Noldor]]''' was [[Finwë]], the lord of the [[Tatyar]] who led his people in the [[Great Journey]] from [[Cuiviénen]] into [[Aman|the West]] to dwell in [[Valinor]]. He was slain by [[Morgoth]] at [[Formenos]].

His eldest son [[Fëanor]] succeeded to the Kingship and led the [[Rebellion of the Noldor]] to Middle-earth to avenge his father's death and recover the [[Silmarils]] from Morgoth.<ref>{{S|Darkening}}</ref> Fëanor died before establishing a realm, and the claim to the kingship passed to his eldest son [[Maedhros]], who was captured by Morgoth.

[[Fingon]], son of [[Fingolfin]], rescued Maedhros from his captivity in a daring raid on [[Thangorodrim]]. Out of gratitude to Fingon, and regret that Fëanor had abandoned the other Noldor in [[Araman]], Maedhros surrendered his house's claim to the Kingship to Fingolfin. At that time, Maedhros said: "''If there lay no grievance between us, lord, still the kingship would rightly come to you, '''the eldest''' here '''of the house of Finwë''', and not the least wise.''" Thus the Kingship passed from the [[House of Fëanor]] to the [[House of Fingolfin]], fulfilling the [[Doom of Mandos]] that the [[Sons of Fëanor]] would become the ''Dispossessed'', and the two Houses made peace. However, not all of the seven Sons of Fëanor accepted this in their hearts.<ref>{{S|Return}}</ref>

==History==
===First Age===
'''[[Fingolfin]]''' became the first High King of the Noldor, ruling from [[Hithlum]] as the "King of the North," mostly during the [[Siege of Angband]]. When Morgoth broke the leaguer in the [[Dagor Bragollach]] and slew many Noldor, Fingolfin rode in wrath to the gates of [[Angband]] and died in single combat with Morgoth.<ref name=Ruin>{{S|18}}</ref>

Fingolfin was succeeded by his eldest son '''[[Fingon]]''', whose short reign was consumed by endless war. He and Maedhros formed an [[Union of Maedhros|alliance]] that brought together all the realms of the Noldor to make a [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad|final assault]] on Morgoth. The attempt ended in the slaughter of the Noldor and Fingon's death at the hands of [[Gothmog (balrog)|Gothmog]], Lord of Balrogs.<ref name=Fifth>{{S|Fifth}}</ref>

Fingon's brother '''[[Turgon]]''' succeeded him, but he was High King in name only, as it was not possible for the "Hidden King" to rule the other Noldor from his [[Gondolin|Hidden City]], the location of which was unknown even to his own kin. When [[Maeglin]] betrayed this secret to Morgoth, the city swiftly [[Fall of Gondolin|fell]] and Turgon with it.

Gondolin was the last of the Noldorin realms in Beleriand and Turgon was the last son of the [[House of Fingolfin]]. With his death, the Kingship passed to the [[House of Finarfin]], which was by this time reduced to a single dynast: '''[[Gil-galad|Ereinion Gil-galad]]''', the young son of [[Orodreth]]. Gil-galad had been sent to take refuge with [[Círdan]] after the fall of [[Minas Tirith]] in the aftermath of the Dagor Bragollach, and thus survived the ruin of the Noldor. Gil-galad was acclaimed High King when news of Turgon's death reached the [[Isle of Balar]], to which he and Círdan had fled from the fall of the [[Falas]].<ref>{{S|23}}</ref> Gil-galad lived to see the end of the [[War of the Jewels]] and held the Kingship throughout the [[Second Age]], far longer than any of his predecessors.

===Second Age===
After the cataclysmic [[War of Wrath]] that ended the [[First Age]] and destroyed Beleriand, the surviving [[Noldor]] who did not depart for the [[Undying Lands]] established the realms of [[Lindon]] and later [[Eregion]] in northwestern Middle-earth. In Lindon, Gil-galad was acknowledged as the "High King of the Elves of the West".<ref>{{App|B}}</ref> He was the chief enemy of [[Sauron]] in the [[Dark Years]], at the end of which he appointed Elrond as his vice-regent in [[Eriador]].<ref>{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref>

After the [[Downfall of Númenor]], Gil-galad and [[Elendil]] formed the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] to destroy Sauron. In the ensuing [[War of the Last Alliance|war]] Gil-galad commanded the Elven forces, save for the host of [[Silvan Elves]] under [[Amdír]] and [[Oropher]]. After the Last Alliance broke into Mordor and [[Siege of Barad-dûr|besieged Barad-dûr]] for seven years, Sauron personally came forth and fought Gil-galad and Elendil. The battle ended in the deaths of all three, but Sauron's spirit and malice endured through the power of his [[One Ring]].<ref>{{UT|6b}}</ref>

===Legacy===
Gil-galad was the last High King of the Noldor, for he fathered no children. With his death, the [[House of Finwë]] was extinguished in the male line in Middle-earth. The only living descendants of Finwë remaining in Middle-earth at the dawn of the Third Age were [[Galadriel]], [[Celebrían]], [[Elrond]], and the descendants of [[Elros]], who were counted among the race of Men.<ref>{{App|A1i}}</ref><ref group="note">[[Maglor]]'s fate is unknown, so he may have been alive during the Third Age. Even if so, he was not seen again after end of the First Age.</ref>

==List of High Kings==

# '''[[Fingolfin]]''' reigned {{FA|7}} to {{FA|456|n}} (449 years)
# '''[[Fingon]]''' reigned {{FA|456}} to {{FA|472|n}} (16 years)
# '''[[Turgon]]''' reigned {{FA|472}} to {{FA|510|n}} (38 years)
# '''[[Gil-galad|Ereinion Gil-galad]]''' reigned {{FA|510}} to {{SA|3441}} (3,521 years)

==Other versions of the legendarium==
In the published version of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', Gil-galad is said to be the son of Fingon.<ref>{{S|18}}</ref> However, in some of Tolkien's later notes, Gil-galad is said to be the son of Orodreth and thus a junior member of the [[House of Finarfin]],<ref>{{PM|XI5}}</ref> and Turgon's closest living relative in the male line (excluding the dispossessed House of Fëanor). Turgon's claim to the title of High King would be [[Gil-galad#Parentage|problematic]] if Gil-galad were descended from Fingon, but the issue is resolved through descent from Orodreth, which may explain the change.

==See also==
*For other and earlier rulers of the Noldor, see [[King of the Noldor]].

{{References|Notes}}
[[Category:Elven titles]]
[[Category:Noldor]]
[[Category:Rulers in Beleriand]]
[[Category:Rulers in Middle-earth]]
[[de:Hoher König der Noldor]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/elfes/noldor/haut_roi_des_noldor]]
[[fi:Noldorin Korkea Kuningas]]

In Western Lands beneath the Sun

2024-04-27T18:55:19Z

Lorehouse: /* Portrayal in adaptations */

[[File:Matěj Čadil - In western lands.jpg|thumb|''In Western Lands beneath the Sun'' by [[Matěj Čadil]]]]
'''In Western Lands beneath the Sun''', possibly written by [[Bilbo Baggins]], is a song sung by [[Sam Gamgee]] on [[14 March]] {{TA|3019}}<ref>{{App|Great}}</ref> in the [[Tower of Cirith Ungol]]. Sam had just climbed to the top of the stairs in the tower but could not find [[Frodo Baggins]]; he felt he was not actually at top of the tower but he was unable to discover any way that led upwards. Defeated, Sam bowed his head. Suddenly, to his surprise, he began to sing. At first he only recited childish tunes and rhymes, but then a new song arose in him:

==Lyrics==
<poem style="font-style:italic;margin-left:20px;">
In western lands beneath the Sun
the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
the merry [[finches]] sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie
in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high,
beyond all mountains steep,
above all shadows rides the Sun
and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
nor bid the Stars farewell.
</poem>

Sam began to sing the line "Beyond all towers strong and high" again but stopped abruptly when he thought he could hear a faint answering voice. The voice stopped but then he heard the footsteps of [[Snaga (orc of Mordor)|Snaga]] approaching. Sam's voice, obviously not that of an [[Elves|Elf]], had attracted the [[Orcs|orc]], who came to shut Frodo up. Snaga brought in a ladder which enabled him to reach the final chamber above, soon to be followed by Sam.<ref>{{RK|VI1}}</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
Donald Swann wrote music for this song, which can be found in the book ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'';<ref>{{RGEO|Lands}}</ref> it is also found on the accompanying CD of the latest version.

Stephen Oliver also wrote music for the song for the BBC Radio dramatisation. It was sung in the story by Bill Nighy (billed as William Nighy) and on the BBC Record by wine critic, Oz Clarke.

In [[Paul Corfield Godfrey]]'s opera ''[[Beren and Lúthien, Op. 47 (Opera)|Beren and Lúthien]]'', this poem is given to the titular characters, with Lúthien singing the first stanza and Beren the second as she discovers him in [[Sauron]]'s lair<ref>https://www.paulcorfieldgodfrey.co.uk/beren-and-luthien</ref>.

==See also==
* [[Poems in The Lord of the Rings|Poems in ''The Lord of the Rings'']]

{{references}}
[[Category:Poems in The Return of the King]]
[[Category:Songs]]

In Western Lands beneath the Sun

2024-04-27T18:54:39Z

Lorehouse: /* Portrayal in adaptations */

[[File:Matěj Čadil - In western lands.jpg|thumb|''In Western Lands beneath the Sun'' by [[Matěj Čadil]]]]
'''In Western Lands beneath the Sun''', possibly written by [[Bilbo Baggins]], is a song sung by [[Sam Gamgee]] on [[14 March]] {{TA|3019}}<ref>{{App|Great}}</ref> in the [[Tower of Cirith Ungol]]. Sam had just climbed to the top of the stairs in the tower but could not find [[Frodo Baggins]]; he felt he was not actually at top of the tower but he was unable to discover any way that led upwards. Defeated, Sam bowed his head. Suddenly, to his surprise, he began to sing. At first he only recited childish tunes and rhymes, but then a new song arose in him:

==Lyrics==
<poem style="font-style:italic;margin-left:20px;">
In western lands beneath the Sun
the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
the merry [[finches]] sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie
in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high,
beyond all mountains steep,
above all shadows rides the Sun
and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
nor bid the Stars farewell.
</poem>

Sam began to sing the line "Beyond all towers strong and high" again but stopped abruptly when he thought he could hear a faint answering voice. The voice stopped but then he heard the footsteps of [[Snaga (orc of Mordor)|Snaga]] approaching. Sam's voice, obviously not that of an [[Elves|Elf]], had attracted the [[Orcs|orc]], who came to shut Frodo up. Snaga brought in a ladder which enabled him to reach the final chamber above, soon to be followed by Sam.<ref>{{RK|VI1}}</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
Donald Swann wrote music for this song, which can be found in the book ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'';<ref>{{RGEO|Lands}}</ref> it is also found on the accompanying CD of the latest version.

Stephen Oliver also wrote music for the song for the BBC Radio dramatisation. It was sung in the story by Bill Nighy (billed as William Nighy) and on the BBC Record by wine critic, Oz Clarke.

In [[Paul Corfield Godfrey]]'s opera ''[[Beren and Lúthien (opera)|Beren and Lúthien]]'', this poem is given to the titular characters, with Lúthien singing the first stanza and Beren the second as she discovers him in [[Sauron]]'s lair<ref>https://www.paulcorfieldgodfrey.co.uk/beren-and-luthien</ref>.

==See also==
* [[Poems in The Lord of the Rings|Poems in ''The Lord of the Rings'']]

{{references}}
[[Category:Poems in The Return of the King]]
[[Category:Songs]]

In Western Lands beneath the Sun

2024-04-27T18:54:24Z

Lorehouse: /* Portrayal in adaptations */

[[File:Matěj Čadil - In western lands.jpg|thumb|''In Western Lands beneath the Sun'' by [[Matěj Čadil]]]]
'''In Western Lands beneath the Sun''', possibly written by [[Bilbo Baggins]], is a song sung by [[Sam Gamgee]] on [[14 March]] {{TA|3019}}<ref>{{App|Great}}</ref> in the [[Tower of Cirith Ungol]]. Sam had just climbed to the top of the stairs in the tower but could not find [[Frodo Baggins]]; he felt he was not actually at top of the tower but he was unable to discover any way that led upwards. Defeated, Sam bowed his head. Suddenly, to his surprise, he began to sing. At first he only recited childish tunes and rhymes, but then a new song arose in him:

==Lyrics==
<poem style="font-style:italic;margin-left:20px;">
In western lands beneath the Sun
the flowers may rise in Spring,
the trees may bud, the waters run,
the merry [[finches]] sing.
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
and swaying beeches bear
the Elven-stars as jewels white
amid their branching hair.

Though here at journey's end I lie
in darkness buried deep,
beyond all towers strong and high,
beyond all mountains steep,
above all shadows rides the Sun
and Stars for ever dwell:
I will not say the Day is done,
nor bid the Stars farewell.
</poem>

Sam began to sing the line "Beyond all towers strong and high" again but stopped abruptly when he thought he could hear a faint answering voice. The voice stopped but then he heard the footsteps of [[Snaga (orc of Mordor)|Snaga]] approaching. Sam's voice, obviously not that of an [[Elves|Elf]], had attracted the [[Orcs|orc]], who came to shut Frodo up. Snaga brought in a ladder which enabled him to reach the final chamber above, soon to be followed by Sam.<ref>{{RK|VI1}}</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
Donald Swann wrote music for this song, which can be found in the book ''[[The Road Goes Ever On (book)|The Road Goes Ever On]]'';<ref>{{RGEO|Lands}}</ref> it is also found on the accompanying CD of the latest version.

Stephen Oliver also wrote music for the song for the BBC Radio dramatisation. It was sung in the story by Bill Nighy (billed as William Nighy) and on the BBC Record by wine critic, Oz Clarke.

In [[Paul Corfield Godfrey]]'s opera''[[Beren and Lúthien (opera)|Beren and Lúthien]]'', this poem is given to the titular characters, with Lúthien singing the first stanza and Beren the second as she discovers him in [[Sauron]]'s lair<ref>https://www.paulcorfieldgodfrey.co.uk/beren-and-luthien</ref>.

==See also==
* [[Poems in The Lord of the Rings|Poems in ''The Lord of the Rings'']]

{{references}}
[[Category:Poems in The Return of the King]]
[[Category:Songs]]

Digital Tolkien Project

2024-04-18T13:42:04Z

Lorehouse:

The '''Digital Tolkien Project''' (often abbreviated as DTP) is a scholarly project focused on [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] from both a corpus linguistic and digital humanities perspective. Started and run by [[James Tauber]], the project has collaborated with various Tolkien scholars and is supported by many volunteers. The main and ongoing work at the project is [[Wikipedia:XML|XML]] markup of Tolkien's work to allow them to be used for computer-assisted analysis. The DTP also works to create a thorough citation scheme that allows specific paragraphs to be cited, and differentiates the words of J.R.R. Tolkien from the commentary of an editor, such as [[Christopher Tolkien]].

Among the projects of the DTP is the goal to identify the textual variations within the various print editions of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', as well as to trace the development of the legendarium through the various iterations found in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' series and allow for easy comparison between versions over time. On the Digital Tolkien Twitter account as well as on the [https://delvings.digitaltolkien.com/ Little Delvings] page, the DTP shares interesting charts and graphs with information about the texts.

The [https://search.digitaltolkien.com/?terms= '''Search Tolkien'''] feature allows users to find words or strings of words in many of the works and letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. It also shows the relative frequency of the term found in the text. <ref>https://twitter.com/DigitalTolkien/status/1629917821521084417</ref>

The [https://glossary.digitaltolkien.com/ '''Glossary'''] tool allows users to see what books a word occurs in, search by tags such as language, reading level, grammatical features, and whether or not it appears in [[The Ring of Words]]<ref>https://glossary.digitaltolkien.com/entry/mithril.html</ref>.

==External links==
* [https://digitaltolkien.com Official website]
* [https://www.youtube.com/@digitaltolkien/ Digital Tolkien Youtube]

{{references}}

[[Category:Websites]]

James Tauber

2024-04-18T13:32:01Z

Lorehouse:

{{template:stub}}
{{author infobox
| name=James Tauber
| born=[[19 November]] [[1973]]
| died=
| education=[[Wikipedia:Lancaster University|Lancaster University]]
| occupation=Software developer
| location=
| website=[http://www.jtauber.com/ Official website]
}}
'''James Tauber''' is a Tolkien scholar, linguist, teacher, and software developer at [[Signum University]], holding a Master of Arts from Lancaster University, where his thesis was on linguistic variation in Tolkien<ref>https://www.academia.edu/117597517/Linguistic_Variation_in_Tolkien</ref>. He is the founder and chief of the [[Digital Tolkien Project]], specializing in text markup and computer-aided literary and linguistic analysis. He is a scholar of Tolkien's invented languages, with a book chapter in [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781399529167/html/ ''Reading Fictional Languages''] on the use of these languages in the text of [[The Lord of the Rings]]<ref>https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781399529167-010/html</ref> as well as an expert in Tolkien's writing style.

James co-hosts [[The Rings of Power Wrap-up]] podcast with [[Sara Brown]] and [[Alan Sisto]], and has been a guest host on [[The Prancing Pony Podcast]].

==External Links==
*[https://jtauber.com/ James Tauber's] personal website.
*[https://digitaltolkien.com/ Digital Tolkien Project]
*[https://www.youtube.com/@digitaltolkien/ Digital Tolkien Youtube]

{{references}}

James Tauber

2024-04-17T21:45:54Z

Lorehouse:

{{template:stub}}
{{author infobox
| name=James Tauber
| born=[[19 November]] [[1973]]
| died=
| education=[[Wikipedia:Lancaster University|Lancaster University]]
| occupation=Software developer
| location=
| website=[http://www.jtauber.com/ Official website]
}}
'''James Tauber''' is a Tolkien scholar, linguist, teacher, and software developer at [[Signum University]]. He is the founder and chief of the [[Digital Tolkien Project]], specializing in text markup and computer-aided literary and linguistic analysis. He is also a scholar of Tolkien's invented languages, with a book chapter in [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781399529167/html/ ''Reading Fictional Languages''] on the use of these languages in the text of [[The Lord of the Rings]]<ref>https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781399529167-010/html</ref> as well as an expert in Tolkien's writing style. He also holds a Master of Arts from Lancaster University, where his thesis was on linguistic variation in Tolkien<ref>https://www.academia.edu/117597517/Linguistic_Variation_in_Tolkien</ref>.

He co-hosts [[The Rings of Power Wrap-up]] podcast and has been a guest host on [[The Prancing Pony Podcast]].

==External Links==
*[https://jtauber.com/ James Tauber's] personal website.
*[https://digitaltolkien.com/ Digital Tolkien]

{{references}}

James Tauber

2024-04-11T16:03:59Z

Lorehouse: Cited book chapter

{{template:stub}}
'''James Tauber''' is a Tolkien scholar, linguist, and software developer at [[Signum University]]. He is the founder and chief of the [[Digital Tolkien Project]], specializing in text markup and computer-aided literary and linguistic analysis. He is also an expert on Tolkien's invented languages, with a book chapter in [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781399529167/html/ ''Reading Fictional Languages''] on the use of these languages in the text of [[The Lord of the Rings]]<ref>https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9781399529167-010/html</ref>.

He co-hosts [[The Rings of Power Wrap-up]] podcast and has been a guest host on [[The Prancing Pony Podcast]].

==External Links==
*[https://jtauber.com/ James Tauber's] personal website.
*[https://digitaltolkien.com/ Digital Tolkien]

{{references}}

Cottage of Lost Play

2023-08-17T19:37:18Z

Lorehouse: broke the giant paragraph up. Would like to revisit it eventually and extend it

{{disambig-two|a location|chapter in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]''|[[The Cottage of Lost Play]]}}
{{stub}}
[[File:Amani Warrington - Cottage of Lost Play.jpg|thumb|''Cottage of Lost Play'' by [[:Category:Images by Amani Warrington|Amani Warrington]]]]

The '''Cottage of Lost Play''', also known as "Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva", formerly known as the '''Cottage of the Children''' and '''Cottage of the Play of Sleep''', was a house upon [[Tol Eressëa]] in the city of Kortirion, where [[Lindo]] and his wife [[Vairë (wife of Lindo)|Vairë]] dwelt, and where [[Eriol]] (Ælfwine) learnt stories of old. In old times, this building was built by the Eldar, and was guarded "secretly and jealously by the Eldar so that no harm came nigh it, and that yet might the children playing therein in freedom know of no guardship." Later on, Lindo and his wife devised a plan to take under their care the children (the remainder of those who found Kôr and remained with the Eldar for ever.

The Cottage of Lost Play was located on the western slope of a little hill at the very centre of the island and was down a long winding lane. It was described as a "tiny dwelling, whose many small windows were curtained snugly, yet only so that a most warm and delicious light, as of hearts content within, looked forth." The cottage itself was white and had a thicket of white lilac on one side, and a mighty yew tree on the other. Inside the cottage was of great spaciousness and great delight. In the great hall there were three great fires, one located at the far end of the dining table, and one on either side. Far off in the Hall of Play Regained was a gong named Tombo, the Gong of the Children, which rang once when the children of the cottage were summoned to eat, and three times when they were summoned to the Room of Logs. In the Room of Logs was the Tale-fire blazing, which was a magic fire that burned year-round and because of its magic aided storytellers. <ref>{{HM|LT1}}</ref>

{{references}}
[[Category:Buildings]]
[[Category:Locations in The Book of Lost Tales]]
[[Category:Tol Eressëa]]

Trotter

2023-07-29T02:32:14Z

Lorehouse: In some drafts, he had wooden shoes rather than wooden feet.

{{hobbit infobox
| name=Trotter
| image=[[File:Afalstein - Tolkien's Notes - Trotter.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Tolkien's Notes - Trotter" by [[:Category:Images by Afalstein|Afalstein]]
| pronun=
| othernames=
| titles=
| position=
| location=
| affiliation=
| language=
| birth=
| birthlocation=
| rule=
| death=
| deathlocation=
| age=
| notablefor=Wooden feet
| family=
| parentage=
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=
| gender=Male
| height=
| hair=
| eyes=
| clothing=
| weapons=
| steed=
}}
In the [[The History of The Lord of the Rings|earliest drafts]] of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', the character who became [[Aragorn]] was called '''Trotter''' instead of [[Strider (Aragorn)|Strider]] and was a [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] instead of [[Man]]. His name was derived from the fact that he had wooden feet or wore wooden shoes after being tortured in [[Mordor]].

In some drafts Trotter's real name was '''[[Peregrin Took|Peregrin]] [[Boffin Family|Boffin]]''' and was a cousin of [[Bilbo Baggins]]. He was present at the [[Council of Elrond]] and appointed as a member of the [[Fellowship of the Ring]].<Ref name=comp>{{HM|RC}}</ref>{{rp|xxii}}

Trotter eventually became a Man whose true name was [[Aragorn]]. While in [[Lothlórien]], Tolkien rejected ''Aragorn'' in favor of ''[[Elfstone]]'' and briefly ''[[Ingold]]''.<ref name=comp/>{{rp|xxiv}} However, the name "Trotter" continued an alias for Aragorn until the drafting of ''The Lord of the Rings'' was almost complete, not being changed to "Strider" until [[1948]], in changes to the drafts of the last chapters.<ref>{{SD|Ic}}, pp. 12-3</ref><ref>{{SD|VIII}}, pp. 76-8</ref>

{{references}}
[[Category:Hobbits]]

Riddle-game

2023-07-29T02:28:41Z

Lorehouse: Father Francis Xavier was listed as a niece when he would have been a nephew.

[[File:Ted Nasmith - The Riddle Game colour sketch.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Ted Nasmith]] - ''The Riddle Game'']]
'''Riddle-game''' was an ancient game of the [[Hobbits]], used as a means of settling disputes. The players continued to ask each other riddles until one failed to provide a correct answer.

==History==
The origins of the game are not known, save that it was very ancient and its rules were agreed by the [[Authorities]] and respected as sacred.<ref group="note">[[Robert Foster]] in ''[[The Complete Guide to Middle-earth]]'' interprets this by saying that the rules "were held among the guardianship of the [[Valar]]"</ref> According to [[Frodo]], riddles of similar folk were asked by other folk besides hobbits, although Bilbo and Gollum knew the same ones.<ref>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|What has roots as nobody sees, Is taller than trees, Up, up it goes, And yet never grows?<ref group="note">"Mountain" is the answer.</ref>|[[Gollum]]<ref name="HRiddles"/>}}

The most famous riddle-game was the one in which [[Bilbo Baggins]] and [[Gollum]] competed. If Gollum failed to answer a riddle, he would show Bilbo out of the [[Misty Mountains]]. However, if Bilbo lost, Gollum would eat him. The two exchanged several riddles, and Gollum's knowledge of the answers suggested to [[Gandalf]] years later that he had possibly been a hobbit once. At last, strapped for riddles to ask the loathsome creature, Bilbo, touching [[The One Ring|the ring]] he had found in the tunnels, asked "What have I got in my pocket?".

Gollum assumed it to be a riddle, and while he had the right to reject it, his attempt to answer bound him to the rules of the game.<ref>{{FR|Ring}}</ref> Knowing it was an improper question, he was given three guesses, but he guessed incorrectly nonetheless. Reneging on his promise, Gollum plotted to use his "Precious" to murder and eat Bilbo, but when he found it missing, he too late guessed the right answer to Bilbo's "riddle".<ref name="HRiddles">{{H|Riddles}}</ref>

==Other riddles==

Riddles also appear in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. [[Théoden]] described a [[Ere iron was found or tree was hewn|poem recited by Gandalf]] as a riddle,<ref>{{TT|III8}}</ref> and Gollum yet again provides [[The cold hard lands|a riddle]].<ref>{{TT|IV2}}</ref><ref>[[Verlyn Flieger]], "[http://books.google.com/books?id=B0loOBA3ejIC&pg=PA527&lpg=PA527&dq=Ere+iron+was+found+or+tree+was+hewn&source=bl&ots=hiJzeIbaXi&sig=g0Et2UDoSyXUNrSHIMVyaIPQCfA&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjsqK_f5N3QAhXCDCwKHa-TBowQ6AEIRzAG#v=onepage&q=Ere%20iron%20was%20found%20or%20tree%20was%20hewn&f=false Poems by Tolkien: ''The Lord of the Rings'']", in [[Michael D.C. Drout]] (ed), ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment]]''</ref>

==Inspiration==

In a letter, [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] made the following comment concerning the riddles appearing in ''[[The Hobbit]]'': "There is work to be done here on the sources and analogues".<ref>{{L|25}}, p. 32</ref> [[Douglas A. Anderson]] has claimed to having identified possible inspirations behind eight out of nine riddles;<ref>{{HM|AH}}</ref> [[José Manuel Ferrández Bru]] has noted a resemblance between the remaining riddle ("Voiceless it cries") with a riddle published by [[Wikipedia:Cecilia Böhl de Faber|Cecilia Böhl de Faber]]. While admitting that the similarity between the two riddles is "surely a mere coincidence", Ferrández Bru also speculates that Tolkien may possibly have read or heard the poem in his youth through Father [[Francis Xavier Morgan]], Böhl de Faber's great-nephew.<ref>[[José Manuel Ferrández Bru]], "'Wingless fluttering': Some Personal Connections in Tolkien's Formative Years", in {{TS|8}}, p. 54</ref>

==See also==
*''[[The Riddles of The Hobbit]]'' by [[Adam Roberts]]

==External links==
*[http://sacnoths.blogspot.se/2013/07/a-possible-riddle-source-time.html A Possible Riddle-Source ("Time")] by [[John D. Rateliff]]

{{references|n}}
[[Category:Activities]]

Sara Brown

2023-07-29T02:26:03Z

Lorehouse: fixed a capitalization error

{{template:stub}}
'''Sara Brown''' is a Tolkien scholar and Language & Literature Department Chair at [[Signum University]]. She has a PhD from Salford University with a thesis entitled ''From Abjection to Alchemy in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth Legendarium''.

She also co-hosts [[The Tolkien Experience]] and [[The Rings of Power Wrap-up]] podcasts and serves on the editorial board of [[Mallorn (journal)]].

==Awards==
*[[2023]]: '''[[Tolkien Society Awards| Tolkien Society Award]]: Best Article'''

==External Links==
*[https://signumuniversity.org/people/sara-brown/ Sara Brown] on Signum University website.

[[Category:British people]]
{{DEFAULTSORT: Brown, Sara}}

James Tauber

2023-07-29T02:24:53Z

Lorehouse: created page for James Tauber

{{template:stub}}
'''James Tauber''' is a Tolkien scholar, linguist, and software developer at [[Signum University]]. He is the founder and chief of the [[Digital Tolkien Project]], specializing in text markup and computer-aided literary and linguistic analysis. He is also an expert on Tolkien's invented languages, with a forthcoming book chapter on the use of these languages in the text of [[The Lord of the Rings]]

He co-hosts [[The Rings of Power Wrap-up]] podcast and has been a guest host on [[The Prancing Pony Podcast]].

==External Links==
*[https://jtauber.com/ James Tauber's] personal website.
*[https://digitaltolkien.com/ Digital Tolkien]

Racism

2023-07-17T03:35:21Z

Lorehouse: /* Dwarves as Jews */

{{sources}}
{{quote|For years, Tolkien scholars have waged a fight on two fronts: against an academic establishment that for the most part refused to take the author's work seriously, and against white supremacists who have tried to claim the professor as one of their own.|David Ibata, ''Chicago Tribune''<ref>http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/movies/chi-030112epringsrace,0,341461.story</ref>}}

[[File:The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Haradrim.jpg|thumb|225px|''[[Haradrim]]'' from [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]]]
[[Image:John Howe - Easterlings.jpg|thumb|''Easterlings'' by [[John Howe]]]]

Some fans and critics of Tolkien's works could observe several ambiguously '''Racist and race-based elements'''; these go further into stereotyping or the symbolism of good versus evil in the Tolkien's [[legendarium]]. Though the latter is the more established and valid area of study, as early as the first edition of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' the topic of 'race' has been discussed, including by [[C.S. Lewis]].{{fact}}

In the [[The Lord of the Rings Foreword|Foreword]] to the revised edition of ''The Lord of the Rings'', Tolkien cautioned strongly against viewing it as an allegory, saying that he disliked allegory himself. Furthermore, according to his own claims, Tolkien denounced Hitler, Nazi beliefs, "race-doctrine" and apartheid and praised the Jews, calling them a "gifted people"<ref>{{L|30}}, p.37</ref> (see below). Tolkien can therefore be described as an author whose messages, allegories (or lack-thereof), and agendas as being set aside from the social-political domain and entirely focused within a fantasy-fiction context.

[[Christine Chism]] mentions the issue of racism in the ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment|J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia]]'', where she distinguishes accusations as falling into three categories: intentional racism, unconscious [[Wikipedia:Eurocentrism|Eurocentric]] bias, and an evolution from latent racism in Tolkien's early work to a conscious rejection of racist tendencies in his late work.{{fact}}

[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]] has done much to perpetuate recent popular interest in, as well as criticism of Tolkien's writings.{{fact}}

==Indications==

===Orcs===
The mostly white Free Peoples of Middle-Earth doing battle with the hordes of beast-like orcs is seen by some as an indication of racism.{{fact}}

Of the orcs, the [[Uruk-Hai]] are described as "black"<ref>{{FR|Bridge}}</ref> and a smaller orc, a tracker, is described as "black-skinned".<ref>{{RK|Shadow}}</ref> All orcs are often described as "slant-eyed" and the Uruk-Hai at least refer to the Rohirrim as 'white skins.' Tolkien described Orcs as ''"...squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes; in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types"''<ref>{{L|210}}</ref>

While Tolkien's statement comparing Orcs to the "Mongol-types" may be interpreted as racist, he does put a disclaimer, "(to Europeans,)" before "least lovely", at least recognizing Western cultural bias and also pointing out that they were "degraded and repulsive versions" of "Mongol-types", not actual "Mongol-types". It is worth noting that some Orcs use crooked or bent swords (Tolkien also uses the term scimitar, which is historically associated with the Middle-East).<ref>{{TT|Departure}}</ref>

Orcs however, are not men. Unlike the wicked men who serve the Enemy, who might have been enslaved or beguiled, orcs are portrayed as irredeemably evil, or at least having a redemption outside the scope of the narrative. The origin of orcs is not clear, but they may be products of Morgoth's sorcery, or the descendants of tortured and ruined elves or men. Regardless of their origins they are not presented as a natural race.<ref>{{S|3}}</ref>

===Light vs. Dark===
Some critics have declared that there is racism in Tolkien's works through his use of the words such as "light" and "white" vs. "dark" or "black". For instance, in 2002, John Yatt in ''The Guardian'' wrote: "White men are good, 'dark' men are bad, orcs are worst of all."<ref>''The Guardian'' (2 December 2002)</ref> Other critics such as [[Tom Shippey]] and [[Michael D.C. Drout]] disagree with such clear-cut generalizations of Tolkien's "white" and "dark" men into good and bad.

The whole of Tolkien's legendarium contains a conflict between "light" (The Trees, the [[Silmarils]]) and "darkness" (the literal absence of light). Morgoth's standard was ''"sable unblazoned"'' (that is, plain black). ''"Mordor"'' means "black land" in Sindarin. If one were to analyse this through a racial lense, the ongoing clash may be interpreted as containing racial symbolism of light skinned versus dark skinned peoples, although Eol, father of Maeglin was known as the Dark Elf, and the Moriquendi were called the Elves of Darkness. Both these terms refer to remaining outside the light of the two trees, not to skin tone. The [[Black Númenóreans]] are likewise named because of the color of their allegiance to Sauron and their heraldry, not their skin tone. Considering this, Tolkien's assignment of Good and Evil to "light" and "dark" cannot simply be dismissed as racial undertones within the broader narrative.

But white is not associated only with Good. [[Saruman]] the White has the [[White Hand]] as his symbol. Similarly black is not only associated with evil as Gondor uses a black standard bearing the White Tree, and the Guards of the Citadel of Minas Tirith wore black chain mail. In [[The Peoples of Middle-earth]], three Númenórean ships are followed by a boat with black sails. One of the mariners explains to a native of Middle-earth, scared that the black sails indicate doom, that the blackness is in fact a thing of beauty, the night sky of Elbereth (who kindled the stars). Indeed, Tolkien states that one of Morgoth's (literally, the ''Black Enemy'') victories was in associating darkness and night with fear and evil.{{fact}}

===Evil Men===
One potentially racist element in Middle-Earth is that the majority of the men who serve Sauron are the dark-skinned peoples of the [[Easterlings (First Age)|Easterling]]s and [[Southrons]]. They come from the South and East of Middle-Earth, corresponding with Asia and Africa in the loose connection between Middle-Earth geography and that of the real world.
The Easterlings are aligned with Morgoth or Sauron with the exception of Bór's folk. They are described as being of fairly dark skin complexion, swarthy and exceedingly cruel. The Southrons (or Haradrim) are described as black-skinned, cruel and evil, and are apparently at least inspired by Indian cultures with traits such as fighting on [[Mumakil]]-back.

In some cases, people having the slightest blood relation to enemies, like [[Freca]] and [[Wulf]], who are related to the [[Dunlendings]], are presented as evil themselves, as if evilness is hereditary. Some of these are also called "swarthy" (dark). Bill Ferny is said to be swarthy, and this can be traced to his Dunlending ancestry.

While the Easterlings and the Haradrim are dark-skinned people in the service of the Enemy, the [[Woses]] are primitive, small, and alien compared to other peoples (their chief Ghan-buri-Ghan only wears a grass skirt) yet they are valuable allies (in ''The Return of the King''). While Tolkien does not mention their skin colour, they were considered monsters by the Rohirrim who hunted them as animals, which the narrative explicitly condemns. However in the First Age they were counted as ''Edain'', or noble Men, and were allies of the Elves.

However, not all enemies are non-white. Noteworthy examples are Saruman, [[Gríma]], [[Gollum]], and at least two of the [[Nazgûl]]. Also [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins]] and the [[ruffians]] are white-skinned characters who ravage and take over [[the Shire]]. Indeed, while during the timeframe of Lord of the Rings those enslaved and serving Sauron are darker skinned people from the South and East, during the history of Middle-Earth many of the white races of man and even some Elves were fooled and coerced by the Enemy.

Tolkien also wrote that the [[Blue Wizards]], who do not appear in '''The Lord of the Rings'' narrative, were sent into the South and East lands to spread dissent and resistance against Sauron. While he wrote on one occasion (as given in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'') that they failed, on another occasion (as given in ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'') he wrote that they were successful, making Sauron's hold on these lands throughout the centuries significantly weaker than it should have been. This prevented Sauron from overwhelming the West with his armies and ultimately contributed to his defeat in the War of the Ring. This means that Southrons and Easterlings resisting Sauron were meant to exist, only that their stories remain untold.

===Racism in Middle-earth===
Tolkien portrays racism within the "heroic" races as unabashedly negative. Elves and Dwarves distrust each other. Some Elves hunted the Petty-dwarves as animals, as did the Rohirrim to the [[Woses]].<ref>{{RK|Ride}}</ref> The friendship between [[Legolas]] and [[Gimli]] is portrayed as unusual but commendable,<ref>{{App|Later}}</ref> and several scenes illustrate them learning to understand and respect each other's cultural differences. When [[Gimli]] meets [[Galadriel]] and hears her speak the names of [[Mirrormere|Kheled-zaram]], [[Kibil-nala]], and [[Khazad-dum]] in his own tongue, he is described as feeling as if he had''"looked into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding."'' Later, when he originally asks for nothing of Lady Galadriel, although she had given every other member of the [[Fellowship]] a gift, she says, ''"Let none say again that Dwarves are grasping and ungracious!"''<ref>{{FR|Mirror}};{{FR|Farewell}}</ref>

It is notable that there is apparently racism within the ranks of Orcs as the Uruk-hai held themselves as superior to the common Orcs, whom they called ''snaga'' (slave).

The point-of-view characters of the book -- the hobbits -- are themselves of a race that is frequently described as being overlooked, under-estimated, and lightly regarded by the other races of Middle-earth, yet they often demonstrate far greater courage and nobility than the races who denigrate them. They are not without prejudice, however, and Gandalf is shown reprimanding Frodo for his comments on [[Barliman Butterbur]].

The Númenóreans of Gondor fell to infighting because of a supposed need for racial purity, especially concerning the ancestry of their king (the [[Kin-strife]]), and grew weaker as a result. In this affair, the villain was the pure-blooded Númenórean [[Castamir]] while the hero was the half-Númenórean [[Eldacar (King of Gondor)|Eldacar]].

===Dwarves as Jews===

Tolkien himself compared Dwarves to Jews:

''Tolkien: "The dwarves of course are quite obviously-"''

''D. Gueroult: "wouldn't you say that in many ways they remind you of the Jews?"''

''Tolkien: "[pausing] Their words are Semitic obviously, constructed to be Semitic."''<ref>"J.R.R. Tolkien 164 Interview" at https://youtu.be/bzDtmMXJ1B4?t=631</ref>

One may interpret this comment in many ways. It should be noted that he only made an explicit connection between the dwarf-language [[Khuzdul]] to Semitic languages. In another letter, he makes the same comparison, but this time it is explicitly about both peoples being dispossessed of their lands, forced to wander the world, and adopt the languages of other lands: both were "at once natives and aliens in their habitations, speaking the languages of the country, but with an accent due to their own private tongue…" <ref>{{L|176}}</ref>

Throughout the books, Tolkien paints a mostly positive picture of the dwarves ([[Gimli]] of course is brave and honourable, and "few Dwarves ever served the enemy willingly", contrary to the tales of Men<ref name="Other">{{App|Other}}</ref>) and elsewhere he made explicitly positive statements about the Jewish people.

However, one of the weaknesses of the Dwarves was their greed for gold and other riches, amplified by the [[Seven Rings]].<ref>{{S|Rings}}</ref> Some see a connection between this and the stereotype of the Jewish usurer. It is also possible to draw a connection between the bearded Dwarves and the beards of Orthodox Jews. This, though, has more of an origin in Norse mythology than Jewish stereotypes.

===Númenóreans===

Tolkien has divine beings blessing or gifting peoples or persons and their descendants, having thus the concept of the [[chosen people]] who differ from others — in Tolkien's case, the Dúnedain (literally "Men of the West") of Númenor. It should be also noted that according to Theosophy, Ariosophy and Nazism<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan_race#Occultism</ref>, the Aryan race is supposedly descended from [[Atlantis]].<ref>Alfred Rosenberg, [[Wikipedia:The_Myth_of_the_Twentieth_Century|The Myth of the Twentieth Century]]</ref>

Although gifted, many of Tolkien's Númenóreans are evil. In the Appendices to the Return of the King, Númenórean fleets sail to Middle Earth, where they conquer and subjugate native peoples in what may be a commentary on European imperialism. The Númenóreans ultimately cause their own downfall by following the teachings of Morgoth, conducting human sacrifices, and making war on Valinor. At least three of the Nazgûl are Númenóreans.

==Counterindications==
Tolkien's defenders assert that many criticisms of racism and elitism leveled at ''The Lord of the Rings'' and other writings are oversimplifications and generalizations, and do not take account of everything the author may have written concerning these matters.

*The symbolism of light as good and dark as evil is a prehistoric dichotomy present in a great many cultures, Western and otherwise. It is also a part of [[Christianity]] (John 8:12 Jesus Christ said, "I am the Light of the World, Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."). Variations such as the Manicheeist heresy and further the ancient religion of Persia - Zoroastrianism.

*Tolkien was English, and wanted to make a mythology for England. Therefore he wrote ''The Lord of the Rings'' according to his people's point of view. He could not make his protagonists, say, Incan or Japanese, or even put the setting anywhere else than (an alternative) North-western Europe, in spirit if not in actuality.

*Tolkien only made precise ''geographic'' correspondences of Third Age Middle-earth locations to those in the real world. For example, [[Hobbiton]] was at the latitude of Oxford. The Shire was based upon, but ''was not actually'' rural England, since "the lands have changed" since then. Tolkien made no precise correspondences regarding the ''peoples'' concerned. Though the Hobbits were based upon rural English folk, they were not literally ancient Englishmen. He never said that Harad was Africa, nor the Eastlands Asia, nor their inhabitants ancestors of Africans or Asians. ''The Silmarillion'' presents tales of a time when the Earth's lands were different from that in the Third Age.

*Not only the East and South are associated with evil, and neither were they always so. In the First Age, evil came from the North when Morgoth based himself in [[Angband]]. Also, all Men and Elves first awoke in the East. Boromir is introduced as a "man of the South" without qualification (actually South-west).

*The white but darker-skinned Dunlendings themselves are descendants of the [[Edain]] (through the [[House of Haleth]]), therefore distant though unrecognized relatives of the Dunedain of Numenor, and their ancestors grew hostile to the Dunedain due to the latter despoiling their forests. The mostly benign and hearty men of Bree are descended from Dunlendings.

*In the War of the Ring, the human enemies are not truly evil, since they are described as deceived, enslaved or exploited. Sam sees a dead warrior of Harad and wonders if he was truly evil — or rather deceived or coerced to go to war (see below). The Dunlendings are persuaded by Saruman to attack Rohan, playing on their grievances due to Gondor giving what they considered their land to the Eotheod, the ancestors of the Rohirrim. Earlier, Sauron persuaded their ancestors to fight against the Numenoreans, the cause of their relocation from forests into the hills.

*Tolkien does not actually mention the physical features of the Easterlings in ''The Lord of the Rings''; however the Easterlings of ''The Silmarillion'' are described as either sallow or swarthy.<ref>{{S|Fingolfin}}</ref> There is no certainty that the Easterlings of the First Age are the same people as those of the Third Age though: in fact, many of the "white" Men of Eriador are indicated to be descendants of the First Age Easterlings.

*Tolkien first describes the Haradrim in ''The Lord of the Rings'' as tall, dark, and looking fierce and nasty (according to [[Gollum]]), with long black hair, painted faces and gold earrings and ornaments. Later a warrior of Harad who falls at Sam's feet has black plaits of hair braided with gold. Notably, the author does not describe them as black, nor their hair as kinky, nor give them any other typical sub-Saharan African features.<ref>{{TT|Herbs}}</ref>

*All the "superior" people, be they Elves, Edain or Dunedain, have no direct analogues in peoples of the real world. If the Dunedain could be put somewhere, they would belong in [[Atlantis]], since Numenor was Middle-Earth's counterpart to Plato's Atlantis. The Rohirrim, who have been parallelled to blond and fair Europeans, are "inferior" to them, being Middle Men, in their view.

*Kings, princes, heirs and noblemen as protagonists is not necessarily an advocation of blood nobility, since it is a theme and concept common in myths and fairy-tales. Also, [[Samwise Gamgee]] represents the common man, and sees insights that more "noble" characters apparently do not, such as the true situation of the human enemies. Tolkien states that Sam is the chief hero of the whole book.<ref>{{L|131}}</ref> Sam himself is twice referred to as having "brown hands",<ref>{{TT|Stairs}};{{RK|Tower}}</ref> leading some to argue that Sam is "non-white".<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=https://askmiddlearth.tumblr.com/post/106609134600/sam-gamgees-brown-hands|articlename=Sam Gamgee’s Brown Hands|website=[http://askmiddlearth.tumblr.com Ask About Middle-Earth]}}</ref>

*The blood of Númenor ran nearly true in the character of [[Faramir]],<ref>{{RK|MT}}</ref> a man whom Tolkien described as "modest, fair-minded and scrupulously just, and very merciful",<ref>{{L|244}}</ref> yet he chose to marry [[Éowyn]], who was a woman of [[Rohan]] and therefore undoubtedly of the race of [[Middle Men]].<ref>{{RK|Steward}};{{TT|Window}}</ref>

*There are no truly "perfect" peoples in Tolkien's writings, save perhaps the [[Vanyar]]. Given that Tolkien loved trees and nature in general, having his Numenoreans wantonly cut down trees for ships is decidedly negative. The Noldor rebelled against the Valar and killed their fellow Elves.

==''The Lord of the Rings'' and Fascism==

In Italy, ''Lord of the Rings'' is considered fascist by some groups and Italian fascist organisations are allegedly using the book for recruiting.<ref>http://www.johnreilly.info/ata.htm</ref> According to Italian website [http://www.caltanet.it/frm/cinema/ Caltanet], [[Wikipedia:Alleanza Nazionale|Alleanza Nazionale]], a right-oriented Italian political party, had taken a picture from ''Fellowship of the Ring'' movie to promote a speech by his leader, [[Wikipedia:Gianfranco Fini|Gianfranco Fini]].<ref>http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1001628604</ref>

Tolkien's works have also been embraced by self-admitted racists such as the British National Party.<ref>The Sunday Times - [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article804465.ece The BNP has declared Lord of the Rings essential reading. They’re not the only extremists to get the wrong idea]</ref>

However, Tolkien himself stated in a letter to his son in 1943 that ''My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning the abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs)-or to 'unconstitutional' Monarchy.''<ref>{{L|52]], p. 67</ref>. Thus this makes any notion of Tolkien being fascist defunct.

==Relevant Passages from the text==
{{quote|It is not unlikely that they <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Orcs]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosions always delighted them|''[[The Hobbit]]'', "Over-Hill and Under-Hill"}}

{{quote|It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil at heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace.|''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit]]"}}

==Tolkien on Racism==
{{quote|I must say that the enclosed letter from Rütten & Loening is a bit stiff. Do I suffer this impertinence because of the possession of a German name, or do their lunatic laws require a certificate of 'arisch' origin from all persons of all countries? ... Personally I should be inclined to refuse to give any ''Bestätigung'' (although it happens that I can), and let a German translation go hang. In any case I should object strongly to any such declaration appearing in print. I do not regard the (probable) absence of all Jewish blood as necessarily honourable; and I have many Jewish friends, and should regret giving any colour to the notion that I subscribed to the wholly pernicious and unscientific race-doctrine.|[[Letter 29]] — Tolkien's German publishers had asked whether he was of Aryan origin}}

{{quote|Thank you for your letter... I regret that I am not clear as to what you intend by ''arisch''. I am not of Aryan extraction: that is Indo-Iranian; as far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any related dialects. But if I am to understand that you are enquiring whether I am of '''Jewish''' origin, I can only reply that I regret that I appear to have no ancestors of that gifted people.|[[Letter 30]] (Tolkien's unsent response to his German publishers. Since he mentioned two drafts existing it is assumed that the other one was sent.)}}

{{quote|There was a solemn article in the local paper seriously advocating systematic exterminating of the entire German nation as the only proper course after military victory: because, if you please, they are rattlesnakes, and don't know the difference between good and evil! (What of the writer?) The Germans have just as much right to declare the Poles and Jews exterminable vermin, subhuman, as we have to select the Germans: in other words, no right, whatever they have done.|J.R.R. Tolkien — September 23, 1944}}

{{quote|I have the hatred of apartheid in my bones; and most of all I detest the segregation or separation of Language and Literature. I do not care which of them you think White.|From a [[Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford]] in [[1959]]}}

{{quote|As for what you say or hint of ‘local’ conditions: I knew of them. I don't think they have much changed (even for the worse). I used to hear them discussed by my mother; and have ever since taken a special interest in that part of the world. The treatment of colour nearly always horrifies anyone going out from Britain, & not only in South Africa. Unfort[unately], not many retain that generous sentiment for long.|[[Letter 61]] — Written to Christopher Tolkien who was stationed in South Africa during World War II}}

{{quote|Anyway, I have in this War a burning private grudge—which would probably make me a better soldier at 49 than I was at 22: against that ruddy little ignoramus Adolf Hitler (for the odd thing about demonic inspiration and impetus is that it in no way enhances the purely intellectual stature: it chiefly affects the mere will). Ruining, perverting, misapplying, and making for ever accursed, that noble northern spirit, a supreme contribution to Europe, which I have ever loved, and tried to present in its true light.|[[Letter 45]]}}

==External links==

*[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2012/11/29/is-it-true-there-is-racism-in-the-lord-of-the-rings/ Is It True There is Racism in The Lord of the Rings?] by [[Michael Martinez]]
*[http://tolkien.slimy.com/faq/External.html#Racist Portion of a Tolkien FAQ attempting to give an answer to the matter]
*[http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jan/08lord.htm Critique of the Lord of the Rings as an 'epic rooted in racism' by Dr Shapiro]
*[http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-030112epringsrace,0,4574891.story 'Lord' of racism? Critics view trilogy as discriminatory] by Chicago Tribune
{{references}}
[[Category:Debates]]
[[category:Tolkien criticism]]

Digital Tolkien Project

2023-06-12T00:31:12Z

Lorehouse: A page giving a brief summary of the ongoing research at the Digital Tolkien Project

The '''[https://digitaltolkien.com Digital Tolkien Project]''' (DTP) is a scholarly project focused on [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] from both a corpus linguistic and digital humanities perspective. Started and run by [[James Tauber]], the project has collaborated with various Tolkien scholars and is supported by many volunteers. The main and ongoing work at the project is digital markup of Tolkien's work to allow them to be used for computer-assisted analysis. The DTP also works to create a thorough citation scheme that allows specific paragraphs to be cited, and differentiates the words of J.R.R. Tolkien from the commentary of an editor such as [[Christopher Tolkien]].

Among the projects of the DTP is the goal to identify the textual variations within the various print editions of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', as well as to trace the development of the legendarium through the various iterations found in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' series and allow for easy comparison between versions over time. On the Digital Tolkien Twitter account as well as on the [https://delvings.digitaltolkien.com/ Little Delvings] page, the DTP shares interesting charts and graphs with information about the texts.

The [https://search.digitaltolkien.com/?terms= '''Search Tolkien'''] feature allows visitors to find words or strings of words in many of the works and letters of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] and see their relative frequency per 10,000 tokens. [https://twitter.com/DigitalTolkien/status/1629917821521084417]

The Silmarillion

2023-06-11T23:02:36Z

Lorehouse: /* External links */

{{book
| title=The Silmarillion
| image=[[File:The Silmarillion 1977.png|275px]]
| author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| editor=[[Christopher Tolkien]]
| publisherUK=[[George Allen and Unwin]]
| publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
| date=[[15 September]] [[1977]]
| format=Hardcover; paperback; deluxe-edition; audio-book
| pages=365
| isbn=0048231398
| precededby=[[The Lord of the Rings]] (1954-55)
| followedby=[[Unfinished Tales]] (1980)
}}
{{quote|The Silmarillion is the history of the War of the Exiled Elves against the Enemy, which all takes place in the North-west of the world (Middle-earth). Several tales of victory and tragedy are caught up in it; but it ends with catastrophe, and the passing of the Ancient World.|J.R.R. Tolkien in [[Letter 131]] to [[Milton Waldman]].}}

'''''The Silmarillion''''' is a book which is a collection of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s works, edited and published posthumously by his son [[Christopher Tolkien]] and published in [[1977]], with assistance from fantasy fiction writer [[Guy Gavriel Kay]].

It covers the history of the world of [[Arda]] from the birth of [[Eä]] to the end of the [[Third Age]]. The bulk of the book consists of the ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', which is mainly concerned with the deeds of the [[Noldor]] and the tales of the [[First Age]] of [[Middle-earth]].

==Contents==
* Foreword
* Preface to the Second Edition
* [[Letter 131|From a Letter by J.R.R. Tolkien]]

* Part I: '''[[Ainulindalë|''Ainulindalë'': The Music of the Ainur]]'''

* Part II: '''[[Valaquenta|''Valaquenta'': Account of the Valar and Maiar according to the lore of the Eldar]]'''

* Part III: '''[[Quenta Silmarillion|''Quenta Silmarillion'': The History of the Silmarils]]'''
#"[[Of the Beginning of Days]]"
# "[[Of Aulë and Yavanna]]"
# "[[Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor]]"
# "[[Of Thingol and Melian]]"
# "[[Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië]]"
# "[[Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor]]"
# "[[Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor]]"
# "[[Of the Darkening of Valinor]]"
# "[[Of the Flight of the Noldor]]"
# "[[Of the Sindar]]"
# "[[Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor]]"
# "[[Of Men]]"
# "[[Of the Return of the Noldor]]"
# "[[Of Beleriand and its Realms]]"
# "[[Of the Noldor in Beleriand]]"
# "[[Of Maeglin]]"
# "[[Of the Coming of Men into the West]]"
# "[[Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin]]"
# "[[Of Beren and Lúthien]]"
# "[[Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad]]"
# "[[Of Túrin Turambar]]"
# "[[Of the Ruin of Doriath]]"
# "[[Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin]]"
# "[[Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath]]"

* Part IV: '''[[Akallabêth|''Akallabêth'': The Downfall of Númenor]]'''

* Part V: '''''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'''''

* Tables
** ''Genealogies''
** ''The Sundering of the Elves''
* Note on Pronunciation
* Index of Names
* Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names
* [[Map of Beleriand and the Lands to the North|''Map of Beleriand'']]

==Inscriptions==
There is an inscription in the [[Tengwar]] characters in the title page, it reads:

:"''The tales of the First Age when Morgoth dwelt in Middle-earth and the Elves made war upon him for the recovery of the [[Silmarils]] to which are appended the downfall of Númenor and the history of the [[Rings of Power]] and the Third Age in which these tales come to their end.''"

==Overview==
''The Silmarillion'' is supposedly (by some readers) translated from [[Bilbo]]'s three-volume ''[[Translations from the Elvish]]'', which he wrote while at [[Rivendell]].

It consists of five parts. The first, ''[[Ainulindalë]]'', tells of the creation of [[Eä]], the ''World that Is''. The second part, ''[[Valaquenta]]'', gives a description of the [[Valar]] and [[Maiar]], powerful beings of Eä. The next section, ''[[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', which forms the bulk of the collection, chronicles the history of the events before and during the [[First Age]], including the wars over three jewels, the [[Silmarils]], that gave the book its title. The fourth part, ''[[Akallabêth]]'', relates the history of the [[Downfall of Númenor]] and its people, which takes place in the [[Second Age]]. The final part, ''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]'', is a brief account of the circumstances which led to and were presented in ''The Lord of the Rings''.

These five parts were initially separate works, but it was J.R.R. Tolkien's express wish that they be published together. Because Tolkien died before he could complete a full rewrite of the various legends, his son Christopher used material from his father's older drafts to fill out the book.

The book explores a wide array of themes inspired by many ancient, medieval, and modern sources, including the Finnish epic ''[[Kalevala]]'', the Hebrew Bible, Norse sagas, Greek mythology, Celtic mythology, and [[World War I]]. For instance the [[Valar]], the angelic beings of Ëa, mirror the Olympian Gods of Greek Myth. The archaic style and ''gravitas'' of the ''Ainulindalë'' resembles that of the Old Testament. The island civilization of [[Númenor]] is reminiscent of [[Atlantis]] — one of the names Tolkien gave that land was ''Atalantë'', although he gave it an [[Elvish]] etymology.

==Etymology==
''Silmarillion'' is [[Quenya]] plural genitive of the word "Silmaril", therefore it means "of the Silmarils".

It could be either a contraction of the full title ''Quenta Silmarillion'' ("Tale of the Silmarils") or also a plain Genitive which (as in Ancient Greek) signifies reference. This genitive is translated in English with "about" or "of" constructions; the titles of the chapters in ''The Silmarillion'' are examples of this genitive in poetic English (''Of'' the Sindar, ''Of'' Men, ''Of'' the Darkening of Valinor etc), where "of" means "about" or "concerning". In the same way, ''Silmarillion'' can be taken to mean "Of/About the Silmarils".{{fact}}

==History of composition==
The earliest drafts of ''The Silmarillion'' date back to as early as 1925, when Tolkien wrote a '[[Sketch of the Mythology]]'. However, the concepts for characters, themes, and specific stories were developed starting in 1917 when Tolkien, then a British officer stationed in France during [[World War I]] was laid up in a military field hospital with trench fever. At the time, he called his collection of nascent stories ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]''. These stories comprised an English mythology intended to explain the origins of English history and culture (as Greek mythology explains the origins of Greek history and culture).

Tolkien admitted that elements from that work "infiltrated" to anything he was writing, even the ''[[Roverandom]]'' and [[the Father Christmas Letters]],<ref name=rc>{{HM|RC}}, p. lxxii</ref> While writing ''[[The Hobbit]]'', although he didn't intend it to be part of his [[legendarium]], he borrowed [[Elrond]] and a reference to [[Gondolin]], and "its shadow was deep on the later parts". The legendarium "was kept out of ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham|Farmer Giles]]'' with an effort".<ref>{{FR|Foreword|50}}, p. 22</ref><ref name=L124>{{L|124}}</ref>

Many years after the war, encouraged by the success of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', Tolkien submitted an incomplete but more fully developed version (see: [[Quenta Silmarillion (Lost Road)]]) to [[Allen and Unwin]], but they rejected the work as being obscure and "too Celtic". The publisher instead asked Tolkien to write a sequel to ''The Hobbit'', which became his significant novel ''The Lord of the Rings''.

But Tolkien never fully abandoned ''The Silmarillion'' which he regarded as the most important of his works, seeing in its tales the genesis of [[Middle-earth]] and later events as told in ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. The influence was too big while writing, and as he said in the Foreword, "the story was drawn irresistibly towards the older world"; while starting as a sequel of ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' became the continuation and ''completion'' of his legendarium.<ref name=L124/>

He renewed work on ''The Silmarillion'' after completing ''The Lord of the Rings'', when he greatly desired to publish the two works together. But when it became clear that would not be possible, Tolkien turned his full attention back to preparing ''The Lord of the Rings'' for publication.

In the late 1950s he again began work on ''The Silmarillion'', but much of his writing from this time is concerned not as much with the narratives themselves as with the theological and philosophical underpinnings of the work. During this time he wrote extensively on such topics as the nature of evil in Arda, the origin of Orcs, the customs of the Elves, the nature and means of Elvish rebirth, and the "flat" world and the myth of the Sun. Serious doubts had entered about some of the fundamental aspects of the work that had gone back to the earliest versions of the stories, and it seems that he felt the need to solve these problems before he could produce the "final" version of ''The Silmarillion''. In any event, with one or two exceptions, he never did much work on the narratives in the remaining years of his life.

===Posthumous editions===
For several years after his father's death, Christopher Tolkien compiled a ''Silmarillion'' narrative. Christopher's intentions seem to have been mostly to use the latest writings of his father's that he could, and to keep as much internal consistency (and consistency with ''The Lord of the Rings'') as possible. As explained in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher drew upon numerous sources for his narrative, relying on post-LoTR works where possible, but ultimately reaching back as far as the 1917 ''Book of Lost Tales'' to fill in portions of the narrative which his father had planned to write but never addressed. In later chapters of the "Quenta Silmarillion" which had not been touched since the early 1930s he had to construct a narrative practically from scratch, with the assitance of [[Guy Gavriel Kay]]. The final result, which included genealogies, maps, an index and the first-ever released Elvish word list was published in 1977.

Due to Christopher's extensive explanations (in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') of how he compiled the published work, much of ''The Silmarillion'' has been debated by the hardcore fans. Christopher's task is generally accepted as very difficult given the state of his father's texts at the time of his death: some critical texts were no longer in the Tolkien family's possession, and Christopher's task compelled him to rush through much of the material. Christopher reveals in later volumes of ''The History of Middle-earth'' many divergent ideas which do not agree with the published version. Christopher Tolkien has suggested that, had he taken more time and had access to all the texts, he might have produced a substantially different work. But he was compelled by considerable pressure and demand from his father's readers and publishers to produce something publishable as quickly as possible.

In October 1996, Christopher Tolkien commissioned illustrator [[Ted Nasmith]] to create full-page full-colour artwork for the first illustrated edition of ''The Silmarillion''. It was published in 1998, and followed in 2004 by a second edition (ISBN 0618391118) featuring corrections and additional artwork by Nasmith.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Christopher Tolkien published most of his father's Middle-Earth-related writings as the 12-volume ''History of Middle-earth'' series.

In addition to the source material and earlier drafts of several portions of ''The Lord of the Rings'', these books greatly expand on the original material published in ''The Silmarillion'', and in many cases diverge from it. There is much that Tolkien intended to revise but only sketched out in notes, and some new texts surfaced after the publication of ''The Silmarillion''.

==Publication history and gallery==
:''Please see [[The Silmarillion/Publication history and gallery|Publication history and gallery]].''

==See also==
* ''[[Unfinished Tales]]''
* ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' series
* [[:Category:Images from The Silmarillion|Images from ''The Silmarillion'']], illustrated by [[Ted Nasmith]]

==External links==
*[http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/reference/silmsummaries/home.php ''Silmarillion'' chapter summaries]
*[http://middle-earth.xenite.org/2014/08/26/is-there-a-definitive-edition-or-printing-of-the-silmarillion/ Is There a Definitive Edition or Printing of ''The Silmarillion''?] by [[Michael Martinez]]
*[http://digitaltolkien.com/2019/09/02/silmarillion-textual-variants-in-print-part-one.html Silmarillion Textual Variants in Print] by [[James Tauber]]

;Reviews
* [http://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/23/books/tolkien-silmarillion.html ''New York Times'' Review]
* [http://archive.thetablet.co.uk/article/24th-september-1977/9/discovering-new-worlds-the-sihnariffion-j-r-r-tolk Discovering new worlds The Simarillion J. R. R. Tolkien, ''The Tablet'' Review]
*[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cuQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9e0FAAAAIBAJ&hl=pt-PT&pg=1105%2C1530763 Review] by [[William Ready]]

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[[Category:The Silmarillion| ]]
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The Tolkien Experience

2023-06-11T23:01:22Z

Lorehouse: /* Tolkien Experience Podcast */

[[File:The Tolkien Experience Podcast.jpg|right|250px]]
'''The Tolkien Experience''' is a two-fold project by Luke Shelton, that encompases the '''Tolkien Experience Project''' and '''Podcast''', both focused on collecting the experiences by fans and scholars.

==Tolkien Experience Project==
"It is an attempt to catalogue the experience of different Tolkien fans and share them in a public forum to grow community around Tolkien's work!"<ref>{{webcite|author=Luke Shelton|articleurl=https://luke-shelton.com/tolkien-experience-project/|articlename=Tolkien Experience Project|website=[https://luke-shelton.com/ luke-shelton.com]|accessed=18 May 2023}}</ref>

Fans who wish to participate must answer five questions:
#How were you introduced to Tolkien's work?
#What is your favorite part of Tolkien's work?
#What is your fondest experience of Tolkien's work?
#Has the way you approach Tolkien's work changed over time?
#Would you ever recommend Tolkien's work? Why/Why not?

==Tolkien Experience Podcast==
Hosted by Luke Shelton, Sara Brown and Sarah Westvik. "The TEP is an attempt to bring the fan and scholarly communities together around our shared passion: the works of J.R.R. Tolkien! Each episode features a notable scholar or member of the fan community sharing their responses to the original Tolkien Experience Project questions".<ref>{{webcite|author=Luke Shelton|articleurl=https://luke-shelton.com/tolkienexperiencepodcast/|articlename=Tolkien Experience Podcast|website=[https://luke-shelton.com/ luke-shelton.com]|accessed=18 May 2023}}</ref>

The guests are asked the same five questions from the Project, but a sixth is added:
:6. What Tolkien work, project, or community are you currently working on that we should know about?

The podcasts has currently 53 episodes, in which scholars, podcasters, artists and others::
<div style="-moz-column-width: 400px; -webkit-column-width: 400px; column-width: 400px; -moz-column-gap: 15px; -webkit-column-gap: 15px; column-gap: 15px; -webkit-column-rule: 1px solid #cccccc; -moz-column-rule: 1px solid #cccccc; column-rule: 1px solid #cccccc;">
#[[Dimitra Fimi]]
#[[Janet Brennan Croft]]
#[[Andrew Higgins]]
#[[James Tauber]]
#[[Shaun Gunner]]
#[[Corey Olsen]] (part 1)
#Corey Olsen (part 2)
#Mina Lukic
#Dawn Walls-Thuma
#Margaret Killjoy
#Una McCormack
#[[John Garth]]
#[[Cliff Broadway]]
#[[Jeremy Edmonds]]
#Mary Clay Watt
#[[William Fliss]]
#Myla Malinalda
#Maria Alberto
#Elvella
#[[Amy H. Sturgis]]
#[[Anke Eißmann]]
#Megan Fontenot
#Season 1 Finale
#[[Marcel Bülles]]
#Diverse Tolkien
#[[Bruce Hopkins]]
#Molly Ostertag
#Chris Vaccaro
#Willie 'Knewbettadobetta' Jenkins
#[[Jenny Dolfen]]
#[[Verlyn Flieger]]
#[[Ralph Bakshi]]
#Putri Prihatini
#[[Kristine Larsen]]
#Erik Mueller-Harder
#Joel Merriner
#Mariana Rios Maldonado
#[[Anna Smol]]
#Elizabeth King
#Aurélie Brémont
#[[Nerd of the Rings|Matt from "The Nerd of the Rings"]]
#Season 2 Finale
#Season 2 Bonus Episode
#[[Ted Nasmith]]
#Brian D. Egede-Pedersen
#Sonali Chunodkar
#Alicia Fox-Lenz
#Panel on the Music of ''The Rings of Power''
#??
#Panel on Tolkien, Adaptation, and ''[[The Rings of Power]]''
#[[Brian Sibley]]
#[[Laura Martin-Gomez]]
#[[Donato Giancola]]
</div>

==External links==
*'''[https://luke-shelton.com/ Main website]'''
*[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2ebpgGctifGbItNCuGOehOiSHXS-89-V Podcast playlist at YouTube]
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[[Category:Fandom]]
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