Tolkien Gleanings #218
* Those with a small dragon-hoard to hand may be able to swop it for Tolkien’s calligraphic transcripts of the poems “Namarie” and “A Elbereth Gilthoniel”, along with his notes…
“… As a ‘divine’ or ‘angelic’ person Varda/Elbereth could be said to be ‘looking afar from heaven’ (as in Sam’s invocation); hence the use of a present participle. She was often thought of, or depicted, as standing on a great height looking towards Middle-earth, with eyes that penetrated the shadows, and listening to the cries for aid of Elves (and Men) in peril or grief. Frodo (I 208) and Sam both invoke her in moments of extreme peril. The Elves sing hymns to her. There is said to be no religion in The L.R., but if this is not ‘religion’, what is it?…” (Tolkien)
* Also recently at auction in the UK, the original of Eric Fraser’s map of Middle-earth. The map was “…drawn by Eric Fraser in connection with the 1981 BBC radio adaptation. It appears, however, to be entirely unpublished”. Looks to me like it was made to be a double-page pull-out for the BBC’s flagship Radio Times magazine, anticipating a listing of programme dates in small type as a side-column. Now sold.
* Now on YouTube in full, Neil Gaiman’s recent major Tolkien Lecture 2024 in Oxford, in which he talks about “Libraries and the Fantastic”.
* The Catholic Herald podcast this week talks with Holly Ordway about Tolkien and faith.
* The new book Fantasy Aesthetics: Visualizing Myth and Middle Ages, 1880-2020 (July 2024) has Tolkien scholar Thomas Honegger on “Visualising the Elves throughout the Centuries”. Also a chapter suggesting William Morris has had an enduring influence on fantasy visuals, and another on the challenges of fantasy map-making. I find the book can be freely had in open-access from the publisher as a single .PDF file.
* Happening this weekend, the 3rd Faith, Art and Myth Congress in Argentina, 19th-21st July 2024. Centred around Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Chesterton.
* And finally, Warwick Castle Hotel re-opens with a full-size…
“Animatronic Knight and Horse which comes to life. […] The 60-room Warwick Castle Hotel officially opens on 22nd July 2024. Blending beautifully into the castle’s surroundings, the exterior of the hotel resembles a medieval long hall, with a rough-cast render, timber cladding and shingle roof tiles.”
Sounds like a possible location for a small select Tolkien conference, especially given Tolkien’s Warwick connections in his youth?