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Tolkien Artwork

Album (820) Thread 'Tolkien Artwork'
Server Room Gremlin said:
I could see it either way.

Prequel: He just doesn't know how to react to this.

Knork incident: He gets annoyed.

Sequel: He's just so done that he's not even visibly annoyed anymore.
Click to expand...
Maitimo: How long will it take people to realize that I just have ONE HAND??!!

Maitimo: *momentarily forgets he lacks a hand and tries to grab something with his right hand*

Maitimo: ...

Maitimo: A long time, apparently.
 
Finno: Here, let me give you a hand with that! *helpfully picks the object up*

…

*Seeing the visible annoyance on Maitimo’s face, he puts the object down and backs away slowly.*
 
Tolkien's drawing of Mordor from "The Silmarillion (Illustrated by the Author)" and a couple of questions from me...

I can't quite discern the lettering: Is that "Orod Nauor"? I assume this is just an early name for Orodruin?

Looking at this drawing closely my brain can't quite decide if Tolkien has drawn a column of smoke or a tower/smokestack on Mount Doom. Did he ever contemplate the impractical idea of having a tower on Mount Doom?

Tolkien's drawing of Mordor and a zoom-in for the mountain of fire




For comparison, Christopher's map for Unfinished Tales:
 
It does appear to be Nauor or Nauoor. This might be where we get Sammath Naur, so this makes sense.

It looks like a column of smoke to me. But this could be a tower or smokestack. This looks like it's early in its development, when it was meant to be more light-hearted like The Hobbit. Perhaps there WAS a smokestack.

Other objects of note:
The mountain seems to be in a different location as well; more on the northern border.

I see the old spelling of Kirith. Is there more to the name Ered Lithui? It almost looks like there's no space, and one or two letters after it.

The Ephel Dúath (why is Ephel rather than Ered, BTW?) are shaped a touch differently. They have larger valleys between the ranges and a large gap there at the bottom.
 
ZehnWaters said:
Is there more to the name Ered Lithui? It almost looks like there's no space, and one or two letters after it.
Click to expand...
Ya, it looks like Eredlithui written as a single word. The final u and i are connected cursive style with the dot for the final i floating way up high.

Also, that ring of mountains due west of Lake Nurnen looks interesting, like a dormant volcanic caldera with a giant upheaval mountain in the center...a perfect locale for Mordor's version of Gondolin, maybe.
 
I believe that's a geographic feature, not an "o" on the map, and Tolkien skipped over it in putting in the letters of "naur". There are other examples of this practice on his part.

"Naur" being "fire" leads to "Mountain of Fire" "Fire Mountain"; Gandalf uses the word in his fire-making spell, when the Company is attacked by wargs in Hollin:


Translating essentially as "Fire be for the saving of us! Fire against the wolf-horde!"

As we're supposed to be posting artwork here, I include a vintage button I have, featuring the spell around the perimeter:

The central words are English: "Go Go Gandalf" (hey, it is from the 60s, after all 😄).
 
A collapsed caldera, perhaps. And there's a thought: an Elven city right next to Mordor. Hidden.

There's also a river or road leading from Baraddur down to Nurnen.
Squint-eyed Southerner said:
I believe that's a geographic feature, not an "o" on the map, and Tolkien skipped over it in putting in the letters of "naur". There are other examples of this practice on his part.
Click to expand...
Ah, yes that looks to be the case now.
lol Nice. "Go Go Gandalf Ranger!" *'90s electric guitar riff*
 
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