Our friend, C.E. High, has penned another interesting article about Tolkien’s special hidden realms. From Gondolin to Doriath, Part One explores the hidden realms of the First Age. Enjoy!
J.R.R. Tolkien had a fascination with hidden kingdoms and cities. As one reads through his works they can be seen everywhere, throughout the ages and in a variety of forms. Many things these hidden realms have in common and all have their own symbolism; many are bastions of hope against an ever present dark foe, others are places that are ignorant of any darkness and simply exist in bliss and wonder and are overlooked. Some are tucked away in a valley or at the base of a mountain range; while others are deep in dense and impenetrable forests either with natural or supernatural defenses. Some are carved straight out of the stone or delved deep into the earth, and others…well a few even existed right out in the open.
Tolkien’s love of things being tucked away and only talked about in rumor or in private circles is fascinating. He wove it into almost all of his stories and made the reader feel like they were in on a secret that no one else was. Almost everything that was hidden for Tolkien was noble and good; by contrast everything that was evil was right out in the open. Tolkien made a situation where evil was ever present and out in plain sight, things that were good needed to be kept hid and held onto tightly; and many of his stories involved characters whose actions were motivated by wanting to save or destroy these precious hidden things.
Our friend C.E. High recently sent us an interesting take on making The Silmarillion into a trilogy of movies. While the odds of that happening are almost nil, it’s still fun to think about how it could be done. Which stories would make the best cinematic exposé in terms of both content and characters? What would have to be cut to keep the storyline cohesive? Have a look at C.E.’s essay, then let us know what your Silmarillion trilogy would look like!
The Silmarillion as a Movie Trilogy – by C.E. High
It’s an idea that has been capturing the minds of fans since the days of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and probably before that too; will Peter Jackson or anyone make The Silmarillion into a motion picture? After the success of The Lord of the Rings franchise, the natural question was “When will he make The Hobbit?” Ten years, eleven Oscars and a few green light hitches later, we have just been treated to the second Middle-earth film trilogy. Old fans are loving the opportunity to delve back into the world of Tolkien again, new fans are discovering it for the first time and at the end of it all, naturally (and hopefully), we still want more. Eyes have already been looking toward The Silmarillion – Tolkien’s posthumously released life’s work telling the story of the First and Second Ages of the world, the awakening of the Elves, Dwarves, and Humans, and the events that ultimately create the world that we know from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Two original John Blanche illustrations are due to go to auction at Sotherby’s in London on the 9th of December 2014.
These beautiful illustrations are of ‘The Battle of the Five Armies’, from The Hobbit and ‘The Destruction of Numenor’, from The Silmarillion.
The Battle of Five Armies. Published in-Ratspike by GW Books and Tolkien Bestiary by Mitchell Beazley Publishers and The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien
Downfall of Numenor. A scene by John Blanche from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Published in Tolkien Bestiary Mitchell, Beazley Publishers.
If you’re interested in owning one, or both, of these unique illustrations you can find out more information on their Facebook page – John Blanche Gallery of Illustrations
This quizz came up on my Facebook feed yesterday, so just for fun, I thought I’d share it here with all of you. The Silmarillion is my favourite of all of Tolkien’s books, so I was interested to see how it worked out. I got Ëarendil 🙂
Let us know who you are in the Silmarillion via our comments section below or here on our Message Boards.
– Comprehending and Conceptualizing the Ainulindalë in the real world
Ever read Dante Alighieri’s La Vita Nuova?
That passion. That love. All the emotions in just a few cleverly-constructed sentences.
Transform that text into music and you get Patrick Cassidy’s Vide Cor Meum; and you might just start to comprehend what the Music of the Ainur may have sounded like.
No discords of Melkor. At first.
Just all the Ainur signing in unison before the seat of Ilúvatar – the glory, the majesty, love and subtleties of nostalgia.
This quizz came up on my Facebook feed yesterday, so just for fun, I thought I’d share it here with all of you. The Silmarillion is my favourite of all of Tolkien’s books, so I was interested to see how it worked out. I got Ëarendil 🙂
Welcome to The Great Hall of Poets, our regular monthly feature showcasing the talent of Middle-earth fans. Join us by the hearth and enjoy!