Images of Middle-Earth
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The works of J. R. R. Tolkien have served as the inspiration to painters, musicians, film-makers and writers, to such an extent that he is sometimes seen as the "father" of the entire genre of high fantasy.


Art and illustration

The earliest illustrations of Tolkien's works were drawn by the author himself. The 1937 American edition of ''The Hobbit'' was illustrated by professional draughtsmen. Tolkien was very critical of this work, and in 1946 he rejected illustrations by Horus Engels for the German edition of the ''Hobbit'' as "too ' Disnified' for my taste: Bilbo with a dribbling nose, and Gandalf as a figure of vulgar fun rather than the Odinic wanderer that I think of".''The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien'', ed. Humphrey Carpenter (London: Allen and Unwin, 1981), #107 to Sir
Stanley Unwin Stanley Unwin may refer to: * Stanley Unwin (comedian) (1911–2002), South African-born comedic writer and performer * Stanley Unwin (publisher) Sir Stanley Unwin, KCMG (19 December 1884 – 13 October 1968) was a British publisher, who founde ...
, 7 December 1946.
In 1948, Milein Cosman was invited by Tolkien's publishers to submit illustrations for ''
Farmer Giles of Ham ''Farmer Giles of Ham'' is a comic medieval fable written by J. R. R. Tolkien in 1937 and published in 1949. The story describes the encounters between Farmer Giles and a wily dragon named Chrysophylax, and how Giles manages to use these to ...
''. Tolkien felt her impressionistic style did not suit the story, and she was replaced by Pauline Baynes, who later also supplied the illustrations for '' The Adventures of Tom Bombadil'' (1962) and '' Smith of Wootton Major'' (1967). In 1968, Tolkien was sent a number of a suite of illustrations of ''The Lord of the Rings'', mostly in coloured ink, by the English artist
Mary Fairburn Mary Fairburn (born 13 June 1933) is an English artist and musician, best known for her illustrations for ''The Lord of the Rings'', by J. R. R. Tolkien, which in 1968 were seen and admired by the author. Her illustrations, unknown until 2012, wer ...
; Tolkien said of her pictures: "They ... show far more attention to the text than any that have yet been submitted to me.... I am beginning to ... think that an illustrated edition might be a good thing." For various reasons the project went no further, and Fairburn's illustrations were unknown until 2012. Crown Princess Margrethe (now Queen Margrethe II) of Denmark, an accomplished and critically acclaimed painter, was inspired to create illustrations to ''The Lord of the Rings'' in the early 1970s. In 1977, Queen Margrethe's drawings were published in the Danish translation of the book, redrawn by the British artist Eric Fraser. Tim and Greg Hildebrandt were well-known Tolkien illustrators in the 1950s and 1960s. The British artist
Jimmy Cauty James Francis Cauty (born 19 December 1956), also known as Rockman Rock, is an English artist and musician, best known as one-half of the duo The KLF, co-founder of The Orb and as the man who burnt £1 million. He is married to artist and mu ...
created a best-selling poster of The Lord of the Rings (1976) and The Hobbit (1980) for the retailer Athena. Well-known Tolkien illustrators of the 1990s and 2000s are John Howe, Alan Lee, and
Ted Nasmith Ted Nasmith (born 1956) is a Canadians, Canadian artist, illustrator and architectural rendering, architectural renderer. He is best known as an illustrator of J. R. R. Tolkien's works ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmaril ...
— Lee for illustrated editions of ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'', Nasmith for illustrated editions of ''The Silmarillion'', and Howe for the cover artwork to several Tolkien publications. Howe and Lee worked as concept artists in the creation of
Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
's film trilogy. In 2004, Lee won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction on the film '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''. Other artists who have found inspiration in Tolkien's works include
Inger Edelfeldt Inger Edelfeldt (born 14July 1956) is a Swedish author, illustrator and translator. Many of her books are for young adults and children. Personal life Edelfeldt was born in Stockholm in 1956. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a house ...
who illustrated the covers of Swedish translations of several of his books,
Anke Eißmann Anke Katrin Eißmann (born 1977 in Dillenburg) is a German illustrator and graphic designer known for her illustrations of J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. She studied visual communication at Bauhaus University in Weimar and at the Colchester Instit ...
,
Michael Hague Michael Hague (born September 8, 1948) is an American illustrator, primarily of children's fantasy books. Biography Among the books he has illustrated classics such as ''The Wind in the Willows'', '' The Wizard of Oz'', ''The Hobbit'' and the stor ...
, Tove Jansson (of Moomin fame, illustrator of Swedish and Finnish translations of '' The Hobbit''), Paul Raymond Gregory,
Tim Kirk Tim Kirk is both a professional artist and an American fan artist. He worked as a senior designer at Tokyo DisneySea, as an Imagineer for the Walt Disney company. He began his professional art career during the mid-1970s as an illustrator at ...
, Angus McBride who illustrated Iron Crown's Tolkien-based role-playing games,
Jef Murray Jeffrey Patrick Murray (March 17, 1960 – August 3, 2015) was an American fantasy artist and author best known for his illustrations of works by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. His paintings, illustrations, stories, poems, and essays appear regular ...
,
Colleen Doran Colleen Doran is an American writer-artist and cartoonist. She illustrated hundreds of comics, graphic novels, books and magazines, including the autobiographical graphic novel of Marvel Comics editor and writer Stan Lee entitled ''Amazing Fant ...
, Jenny Dolfen who has made watercolour paintings of scenes from ''The Silmarillion'', and
Peter Xavier Price Peter Xavier Price (born 1985 in Epsom, Surrey) is a British artist, illustrator and academic historian. As an artist, he is known primarily for his illustrations of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, particularly ''The Silmarillion'' and ''The Lord ...
. Works of several of these artists were exhibited in an "Images of Middle-earth" exhibition of some 170 artworks organised by Davide Martini of the Greisinger Museum of Switzerland; it toured Italy between 2003 and 2005.


Film

The ''Narnia'' film trilogy adapted from the novel series by Tolkien's friend
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
were produced due to the popularity of ''The Lord of the Rings''. George R. R. Martin acknowledged Tolkien influenced his ''Game of Thrones'' TV series and
novels A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
about medieval fantasy, while speaking about a movie about Tolkien's life. An early draft for
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
's 1977 ''Star Wars'' film is said to have included an exchange of dialogue between
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
and Luke Skywalker taken directly from the conversation between Gandalf and Bilbo in Chapter 1 of ''The Hobbit'', where Gandalf/Kenobi says "Good morning!" and Bilbo/Luke replies asking whether he means he's having a good morning, or is wishing him one, or that all mornings are good. Gandalf/Kenobi answers "All of them at once". The plagiarised dialogue was dropped, but Lucas modelled the monk-like Kenobi on Gandalf; the film author Chris Taylor identifies several further elements of ''Star Wars'' that in his view could have been modelled on Middle-earth. While working on a ''Star Wars'' animated series, Dave Filoni noted that Peter Jackson visited him and his mentor George Lucas to discuss Tolkien's works and to ask for advice. According to the ''Star Wars'' website, Darth Vader is compared by Filoni to the Balrog rather than Sauron, and the Prancing Pony bar may have inspired the Mos Eisley cantina, the introduction of Han Solo suggestively matching that of Strider (Aragorn). As for the prequel trilogy, it notes that Saruman influenced Count Dooku, and volcanic Mordor, whether Tolkien's or Jackson's, influenced the volcanic planet Mustafar.


Literature


Fantasy

Many authors have found inspiration in Tolkien's work. Following the success of '' The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' in the 1960s, publishers were quick to try to meet a new demand for literate fantasy in the American marketplace. Shippey, Tom, "Literature, Twentieth Century: Influence of Tolkien", in
Michael D. C. Drout Michael D. C. Drout (; born 1968) is an American Professor of English and Director of the Center for the Study of the Medieval at Wheaton College. He is an author and editor specializing in Anglo-Saxon and medieval literature, science fiction a ...
, ''
J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia The ''J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment'', edited by Michael D. C. Drout, was published by Routledge in 2006. A team of 127 Tolkien scholars on 720 pages cover topics of Tolkien's fiction, his academic works, hi ...
''.Taylor & Francis, 2007 (pp. 378-382).
Ursula Le Guin's '' Earthsea'' series, beginning with '' A Wizard of Earthsea'' in 1968, was one of the first fantasy series influenced by Tolkien. Patricia A. McKillip's ''
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld ''The Forgotten Beasts of Eld'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Patricia A. McKillip, and illustrators Peter Schaumann in 1974, and Alicia Austin in 1981, first published by Atheneum Publishers in 1974, and by Magic Carpet Books in 1996. I ...
'' and Jane Yolen's ''The Magic Three of Solatia'' were two examples of Tolkien-inspired fantasies for young adults written in the mid-1970s. Ballantine, under the direction of editor
Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
, published public domain and relatively obscure works under the banner of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series, aimed at adult readers who enjoyed Tolkien's works. Lester Del Rey, however, sought for new books that would mirror Tolkien's work, and published Terry Brooks' '' The Sword of Shannara'', David Eddings's ''
Belgariad ''The Belgariad'' is a five-book fantasy epic written by David Eddings, following the journey of protagonist Garion and his companions, first to recover a sacred stone, and later to use it against antagonist Torak. It was a bestseller from the fir ...
'', and
Stephen R. Donaldson Stephen Reeder Donaldson (born May 13, 1947) is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for ''The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant'', his ten-novel fantasy series. His work is characterized by psychological complexity ...
's '' The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever''. Guy Gavriel Kay, who had assisted
Christopher Tolkien Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English academic editor, becoming a French citizen in later life. The son of author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien edited much of his father' ...
with the editing of ''The Silmarillion'', later wrote his own Tolkien-influenced fantasy trilogy, ''
The Fionavar Tapestry ''The Fionavar Tapestry'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, published between 1984 and 1986. The novels are partly set in our own contemporary world, but mostly in the fictional world of Fionavar. It is the stor ...
'', complete with dwarfs and mages.
Dennis L. McKiernan Dennis Lester McKiernan (born April 4, 1932) is an American writer best known for his high fantasy '' The Iron Tower''. His genres include high fantasy (set in various fictitious worlds), science fiction, horror fiction, and crime fiction. His p ...
's Silver Call duology was intended to be a direct sequel to ''The Lord of the Rings'' but had to be altered. The ''
Iron Tower The Iron Tower (german: Eisenturm) is a mediaeval tower dating to the early 13th century, and modified in the 15th century, which with the Wood Tower and the Alexander Tower is one of three remaining towers from the city walls of Mainz, Germany. ...
'' trilogy, highly influenced by Tolkien's books, was then written as backstory. Fantasy series such as Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' and Orson Scott Card's ''
The Tales of Alvin Maker ''The Tales of Alvin Maker'' is a series of six alternate history fantasy novels written by American novelist Orson Scott Card, published from 1987 to 2003 (with one more planned), that explore the experiences of a young man, Alvin Miller, who r ...
'' were "undoubtedly" influenced by Tolkien. reviewed in Due to a loophole in Russian copyright law, Russian writers were able to publish fantasy novels set in Tolkien's Arda.
Nick Perumov Nick Perumov (russian: link=no, Ник Перумов) is the pen name of Nikolay Daniilovich Perumov (russian: link=no, Николай Даниилович Перумов; born 21 November 1963), a Russian fantasy and science fiction writer. Bi ...
's '' The Ring of Dark'' (Russian '' Кольцо Тьмы'') takes place after the events of ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1980, the term " fantasy" became synonymous with the general aspects of Tolkien's work: multiple races including dwarves and elves, a quest to destroy a magical artifact, and an evil that seeks to control the world. The plot of Novelist Pat Murphy's 1999 '' There and Back Again'' intentionally mirrors that of ''The Hobbit'', but is transposed into a science-fiction setting involving space travel. J. K. Rowling's ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
'' series has been seen as having been influenced by Tolkien's work; in particular, the wizard Dumbledore has been described as partially inspired by Tolkien's Gandalf. S.M. Stirling's "Emberverse" series, published starting in 2004, includes a character obsessed with ''The Lord of the Rings'' who creates a post-apocalyptic community based upon the Elves and Dúnedain of Middle-earth. The same plot point was used by the Russian writer Vladimir Berezin in his novel ''Road Signs'' (from the Universe of Metro 2033).
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
, best known for horror novels, has acknowledged Tolkien's influence on his novel '' The Stand'' as well as his fantasy series '' The Dark Tower''. Several other prominent fantasy writers, including George R. R. Martin, Michael Swanwick, Raymond E. Feist, Poul Anderson, Karen Haber, Harry Turtledove, Charles De Lint, and Orson Scott Card, have all acknowledged Tolkien's work as an inspiration for their own fantasy work.


Graphic novels

Cartoonist Jeff Smith was influenced by Tolkien, and the mythologies that inspired his works. His epic 1,300-page graphic novel, '' Bone'' has been characterized by him as " Bugs Bunny meets ''The Lord of the Rings''. It's a really long fairy tale with some fantasy elements but a lot of comedy."


Parody

The first commercially published parody of Tolkien's work was the 1969 '' Bored of the Rings'', by '' The Harvard Lampoon''. The BBC produced a parody radio serial, ''Hordes of the Things'', in 1980. ''
The Last Ringbearer ''The Last Ringbearer'' (russian: Последний кольценосец, italic=yes, ''Posledniy kol'tsenosets'') is a 1999 fantasy fan-fiction book by Russian author Kirill Eskov. It is an alternative account of, and an informal sequel to ...
'' is a 1999 fantasy novel by the palaeontologist Kirill Eskov in the form of a
parallel novel A parallel novel is an in-universe (but often non-canonical) pastiche (or sometimes sequel) piece of literature written within, derived from, or taking place during the framework of another work of fiction by the same or another author with resp ...
showing the war from the perspective of the people of Sauron's land of Mordor, under the notion that the original is a "history written by the victors".


Radio plays

Three
radio plays Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
based on ''The Lord of the Rings'' have been made, broadcast in 1955–1956, 1979 and 1981 respectively. The first and last ones were produced by the BBC. Tolkien heavily criticised the 1955-56 production.


Music

Numerous songs and other musical works, in a wide range of idioms, have been inspired by Tolkien's fiction.


Hard rock and heavy metal

Jack Bruce wrote a song called "To Isengard" on his first solo album "
Songs for a Tailor ''Songs for a Tailor'' is the 1969 debut solo album by the Scottish musician, composer and singer Jack Bruce, who was already famous at the time of its release for his work with the supergroup Cream. Originally released on the Polydor label in ...
" (1969). Progressive rock acts which have composed songs based on Tolkien's characters and stories include
Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
("Rivendell"),
Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
("Nimrodel", "The White Rider"), Mostly Autumn (''Music Inspired by The Lord of the Rings'' CD, 2001),
Glass Hammer Glass Hammer is an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee, created and led by Steve Babb and Fred Schendel. Babb and Schendel, who founded the band in 1992, are the only constant members in the lineup, having surrounded the ...
('' The Middle-Earth Album'', 2001),
Bo Hansson Bo Hansson (10 April 1943 – 23 April 2010) was a Swedish musician best known for his four instrumental progressive rock studio albums released throughout the 1970s. Early life and musical career Hansson spent his early life in a remote vil ...
('' Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings'', 1970), and the indie rock band Gatsbys American Dream. The hard rock and classic metal band Led Zeppelin wrote several songs inspired by Tolkien's works including " The Battle of Evermore", " Misty Mountain Hop", and "
Ramble On "Ramble On" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1969 album '' Led Zeppelin II''. It was co-written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and was recorded in 1969 at Juggy Sound Studio, New York City, during the band's second concert ...
", (with debate about some parts of "
Stairway to Heaven "Stairway to Heaven" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album (often titled ''Led Zeppelin IV'') ...
").
Tom Rapp Thomas Dale Rapp (March 8, 1947 – February 11, 2018) was an American singer and songwriter who led Pearls Before Swine, an influential psychedelic folk rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Described as having "a slight lisp, gentle v ...
set most of The Verse of the
One Ring The One Ring, also called the Ruling Ring and Isildur's Bane, is a central plot element in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1954–55). It first appeared in the earlier story ''The Hobbit'' (1937) as a magic ring that grants the w ...
("Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky...") to music as "Ring Thing" in
Pearls Before Swine A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living animal shell, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pea ...
's second album, '' Balaklava'' (1968).
Bob Catley Robert Adrian Catley is an English singer and musician, best known by his stage name as Bob Catley. He is the lead singer of the British rock band Magnum. He is also a solo artist. Biography Early years (1947–1972) Born in Aldershot on ...
, lead singer of the British prog rock band Magnum, released a solo album titled '' Middle Earth''. Punk quartet Thrice released a song called "The Long Defeat" about Tolkien's philosophies. The East Texas-based rock band Hobbit has produced multiple albums inspired by Tolkien's work. Among the heavy metal artists influenced by Tolkien are Blind Guardian, who composed numerous songs relating to Middle-earth, including the whole of the concept album ''
Nightfall in Middle Earth ''Nightfall in Middle-Earth'' is the sixth studio album by German power metal band Blind Guardian. It was released on 28 April 1998 through Virgin Records. It is a concept album based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Silmarillion'', a book of tales ...
'', based on '' The Silmarillion''. The album was "adored" by fans of Tolkien and metal, but despised as escapist by grunge fans. The symphonic black metal band
Summoning Evocation is the act of evoking, calling upon, or summoning a spirit, demon, deity or other supernatural agents, in the Western mystery tradition. Comparable practices exist in many religions and magical traditions and may employ the use of mi ...
states that most of its songs are based on Middle-Earth, with focus on the orcs and dark forces.
Battlelore Battlelore are a Finnish heavy metal band from Lappeenranta, founded in 1999 by guitarist Jyri Vahvanen and bassist Miika Kokkola. The name derives from the union of the words 'battle' and 'folklore'. Many of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R ...
's lyrics are about Middle-earth characters and events in ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion'', as well as medieval literature and the ''Kalevala'', as is their pseudo-medieval stage show, in which each member is dressed as "ferocious warriors", "dirty thieves" or "beautiful female elves". The Italian group Ainur (named for Tolkien's Ainur) released Middle-earth themed albums named ''Children of Hurin'' (2007) and ''Lay of Leithian'' (2009). Bands and musicians who have used Tolkien's legendarium for their stage names include the progressive rock band
Marillion Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...
(from ''The Silmarillion''). Gorgoroth take their name from an area of Mordor,
Burzum Burzum (; ) was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black m ...
take their name from the Black Speech of Mordor,
Cirith Ungol In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and ...
take their name from the pass on the western path of Mordor, the dwelling of the spider
Shelob Shelob is a fictional demon in the form of a giant spider from J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. Her lair lies in Cirith Ungol ("the pass of the spider") leading into Mordor. The creature Gollum deliberately leads the Hobbit protago ...
and
Amon Amarth Amon Amarth () is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Tumba, formed in 1992. The band takes its name from the Sindarin name of Mount Doom, a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Their lyrics mostly deal with Viking mythology and hi ...
take their name after an alternative name for Mount Doom. Lead singer of Dimmu Borgir, Shagrath, takes his stage name from ''The Lord of the Rings'', after an orc captain.


Jazz

Australian jazz musician and composer,
John Sangster John Grant Sangster (17 November 1928 – 26 October 1995) was an Australian jazz composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as a composer although he also worked with Graeme Bell, Humphrey Lyttelton and Don Burrows. H ...
, made six albums of musical responses to Tolkien's work. He recorded ''The Hobbit Suite'' (1973, Swaggie Records – S1340), and ''Double Vibe: Hobbit'' (1977); the first of these, with a selection from the second, was released on CD in 2002 (Swaggie CD 404). The later four double albums, ''The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Interpretation, v. 1, 2 and 3'' (1975–77), and ''Landscapes of Middle-earth'' (1978), have been re-released on CD, 2002-06: Move Records MD 3251, 3252, 3253, and 3254.


Folk

Sally Oldfield Sally Patricia Oldfield (born 3 August 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She is the sister of composers Mike and Terry Oldfield. Early life Born in Dublin, Ireland, Oldfield was raised in the Roman Catholic faith of her mother, Maureen. Sp ...
's first solo album, ''
Water Bearer Aquarius is an equatorial constellation of the zodiac, between Capricornus and Pisces. Its name is Latin for "water-carrier" or "cup-carrier", and its old astronomical symbol is (♒︎), a representation of water. Aquarius is one of the old ...
'' (1978) was inspired by Tolkien's works, particularly "Songs of the Quendi", which quote from his poems. The folk group The Hobbitons, part of the Dutch chapter of the Tolkien Society, released a CD in 1996 with 16 tracks of settings of Tolkien's poems. The Irish singer Enya contributed a song " May it Be" for ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001) movie soundtrack. It was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...
. She released a song entitled "Lothlórien", on her 1991 album '' Shepherd Moons''. In 2001, bluegrass and
anti-folk Anti-folk (sometimes referred to as unfolk) is a music genre that emerged in the 1980s in response to the remnants of the 1960s folk music scene. Anti-folk music was made to mock the perceived seriousness of the time's mainstream music scene, a ...
artist Chris Thile released an instrumental album titled '' Not All Who Wander Are Lost'', referencing Gandalf's words to Bilbo and Bilbo's poem about Aragorn. One of the songs on the album is "Riddles in the Dark", sharing the title of one of the chapters in ''The Hobbit''. The Celtic foursome Broceliande's album ''The Starlit Jewel'' sets to music selected songs by Tolkien. Other folk rock and new age musicians inspired by Tolkien include
Za Frûmi Za Frûmi is a Swedish music group that was formed in 2000. The Group creates dark, fantasy-inspired music. History Za Frûmi came about in 2000 and was formed by Simon Heath, Donald Persson, Simon Kölle; Donald Persson left in 2001. This kind o ...
(singing in Orkish), Nickel Creek, David Arkenstone and
Lyriel Lyriel are a German Heavy metal music, heavy metal band who formed in autumn of 2003 in Gummersbach. Originally playing folk metal, they turned more towards symphonic metal, symphonic and gothic metal. Lyriel has recorded five studio albums and pu ...
, among others. The Spanish
Neoclassical Dark Wave Neoclassical dark wave is a subgenre of dark wave music that is characterized by an ethereal atmosphere and soprano vocals as well as strong influences from classical music. Historical context In the middle of the 1980s, the bands Dead Can Dan ...
band Narsilion derived its name from Tolkien's song "Narsilion" about the creation of the Sun and Moon.


Classical / film score

Donald Swann set music in the British art-song tradition to a collection of seven of Tolkien's lyrics and poems, published as ''
The Road Goes Ever On ''The Road Goes Ever On'' is a 1967 song cycle that has been published as a book of sheet music and as an audio recording. The music was written by Donald Swann, and the words are taken from poems in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, ...
''. The work was approved by Tolkien himself, who collaborated on the published book, to which he provided notes and commentary. The songs were recorded by William Elvin (bass-baritone) with Swann on piano, and released in 1967 on an LP by Caedmon Records. The Norwegian classical composer
Martin Romberg Martin Romberg (born 3 January 1978) is a Norwegian classical composer. He is one of the most active orchestral composers of his generation in Scandinavia. He is mostly known for his J.R.R Tolkien and fantasy literature inspired orchestral and c ...
has written three full-scale symphonic poems, Quendi (2008), Telperion et Laurelin (2014), and Fëanor (2017), inspired by passages from the Silmarillion. The works were premiered in
Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...
. Romberg has also set Tolkien's Elven language poems to music in his work "Eldarinwë Liri" for girls' choir. The work premiered in 2010 with the Norwegian Girls Choir and Trio Mediæval at the Vestfold International Festival.
Johan de Meij Johannes Abraham "Johan" de Meij (; born November 23, 1953 in Voorburg) is a Dutch conductor, trombonist, and composer, best known for his '' Symphony No. 1'' for wind ensemble, nicknamed ''The Lord of the Rings'' symphony. Biography Johan de ...
's Symphony No. 1, "The Lord of the Rings", for concert band, is in five movements, each illustrating a personage or an important episode from the novel: Gandalf, Lothlorien, Gollum, Journey in the Dark (The Mines of Moria /The Bridge of Khazad-Dum), and Hobbits. The symphony was written between March 1984 and December 1987, and was premièred in Brussels on 15 March 1988. It has been recorded four times, including in an orchestral version, orchestrated by
Henk de Vlieger Henk de Vlieger (born 1953 in Schiedam) is a Dutch percussionist, composer and arranger. Since 1984 he has been a permanent member of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra as percussionist. In May 2011 he was appointed artistic advisor t ...
. It won Sudler Composition Award in 1989. Jacqueline Clarke's setting ''Tinuviel'' (1983), for countertenor solo, SATB choir, and piano accompaniment has been published in score. Leonard Rosenman composed music for the Ralph Bakshi animated movie, while
Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer and conductor noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' film trilogies. ...
composed the Music of ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series. Paul Corfield Godfrey has written a large number of works based on Tolkien, the most significant of which is the four-evening cycle on '' The Silmarillion'' but also including three operas based on ''The Lord of the Rings'': ''Tom Bombadil'' (one act), ''The Black Gate is closed'' (three acts) and ''The Grey Havens''. as well as several sets of songs. His third symphony, ''Ainulindalë'', is based on the opening chapter of ''The Silmarillion'', and there is a half-hour setting of ''The Lay of Eärendil'' based on Bilbo's song at Rivendell. The
Tolkien Ensemble The Tolkien Ensemble (founded in 1995) is a Danish ensemble which created "the world's first complete musical interpretation of the poems and songs from ''The Lord of the Rings''". They published four CDs from 1997 to 2005, in which all the poe ...
published four CDs from 1997 to 2005 with the aim to create "the world's first complete musical interpretation of the poems and songs from ''The Lord of the Rings''". The project was given approval by both the
Tolkien Estate The Tolkien Estate is the legal body which manages the property of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien, including the copyright for most of his works. The individual copyrights have for the most part been assigned by the estate to subsidiary enti ...
and HarperCollins Publishers. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark gave permission to use her illustrations in the CD layout. Aulis Sallinen, one of the leading
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
composers of Finland, composed his Seventh Symphony named "The Dreams of Gandalf" in 1996, from music initially meant to accompany a ballet. Australian musician, Patrick Flegg, late husband of Tolkien illustrator
Mary Fairburn Mary Fairburn (born 13 June 1933) is an English artist and musician, best known for her illustrations for ''The Lord of the Rings'', by J. R. R. Tolkien, which in 1968 were seen and admired by the author. Her illustrations, unknown until 2012, wer ...
, composed a piano suite, ''Anduin: The Mighty River'', recorded by Wendy Rowlands (2001). Canadian composer Glenn Buhr has written a three-movement tone poem ''Beren and Lúthien'' which he has recorded with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as part of his CD ''Winter Poems''.


Games

Many model-based games, trading card games, board games and video games are set in Middle-earth, most depicting scenes and characters from ''The Lord of the Rings.'' In a broader sense, many fantasy role-playing games such as '' Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)'' and ''
DragonQuest ''Dragonquest'' is a science fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the sequel to ''Dragonflight'', set seven years later and the second book in the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' series. ''Dragonquest'' was first published ...
'' feature Tolkienesque creatures and were influenced by Tolkien's works. '' The Legend of Zelda'' was inspired by ''The Lord of the Rings'' books, as well as other dungeon crawler and
action-adventure game The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...
s. The books themselves have been reproduced in video game form repeatedly, though without necessarily reflecting the power of Tolkien's storytelling. Early miniature wargames include ''The Ringbearer'' (1975).
Games Workshop Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are ''Warhammer Age of Sigmar'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''. Founded in 1975 by John Peake (gam ...
have made ''
The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game ''Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game'', previously marketed as ''The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Strategy Battle Game'', ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Strategy Battle Game'', ''The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies Strategy Battle Game ...
'' (2001), which, while part of the film trilogy's merchandise, combines elements from both the books and films.Stevenson, Sean. 2013
Gaming in the World of J.R.R. Tolkien
Armchair General "Armchair general" is a derogatory term for a person who regards themselves as an expert on military matters, despite having little to no actual experience in the military. Alternatively, it can mean a military commander who does not participat ...
Early board games included ''Battle of Five Armies'' (1975) and the series of ''Middle Earth Games'' from
Simulations Publications, Inc. Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship ''Strategy & Tactics'', in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an enormous number of games and introduced innovati ...
in
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, containing the games ''
War of the Ring ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' (strategic, covering all three books), ''Gondor'' (tactical, covering the siege of Minas Tirith) and ''Sauron'' (covering the decisive battle of the Second Age). More recent games include a game simply entitled '' Lord of the Rings'' (2000) and ''
War of the Ring ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...
'' (2004, strategic, covering all three books). Among role-playing and card games based on Middle-earth, Iron Crown Enterprises made ''
Middle-earth Role Playing ''Middle-earth Role Playing'' (MERP) is a 1984 role-playing game based on J. R. R. Tolkien ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' under license from Tolkien Enterprises. Iron Crown Enterprises (I.C.E.) published the game until they lost the ...
'' game (1982–1999) and ''
Middle-earth Collectible Card Game Middle-earth Collectible Card Game (MECCG) is an out-of-print collectible card game released by Iron Crown Enterprises in late 1995. It is the first CCG based on J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, with added content from ICE's ...
'' (1995–1999).
Decipher, Inc. Decipher, Inc. is an American gaming company based in Norfolk, Virginia, US. They began with three puzzles called "Decipher" then moved on to party games and ''Pente'' sets, but since 1994 produced collectible card and role-playing games. The ...
created ''
The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
) and '' The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'' (2002), both based on the Jackson films. '' The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game'' (2011) is made by Fantasy Flight Games under their "Living Card Game" line. '' Adventures in Middle-earth'' (2016) is a D&D-compatible role-playing game released by Cubicle 7.


Fan works

The first piece of Middle-earth fanfiction was published in 1959. Broadening Internet access and a surge of interest driven by the Jackson films resulted in a large amount of Tolkien-inspired fanworks being produced in online communities beginning in the early 2000s. Tolkien-inspired fan works include the
fan films A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more ...
'' The Hunt for Gollum'' and ''
Born of Hope ''Born of Hope: The Ring of Barahir'' (often referred to as simply ''Born of Hope'') is a 2009 British fantasy adventure fan film directed by Kate Madison and written by Paula DiSante (as Alex K. Aldridge) based on the appendices of J. R. R. To ...
'', the novel ''
The Last Ringbearer ''The Last Ringbearer'' (russian: Последний кольценосец, italic=yes, ''Posledniy kol'tsenosets'') is a 1999 fantasy fan-fiction book by Russian author Kirill Eskov. It is an alternative account of, and an informal sequel to ...
'', and over 80,000 others listed on
Archive of Our Own Archive of Our Own (often shortened to AO3) is a nonprofit open source repository for fanfiction and other fanworks contributed by users. The site was created in 2008 by the Organization for Transformative Works and went into open beta in 2009. ...
in 2022. In 2004, sites for Tolkien-derived works were estimated to be 10% of all fanfiction websites, and, in 2019, Tolkien fanfiction was one of the most popular categories for works based on books on both Archive of Our Own and FanFiction.net. The study of Middle-earth fanworks has been largely neglected by Tolkien scholars and
fan studies Fan studies is an academic discipline that analyses fans, fandoms, fan cultures and fan activities, including fanworks. It is an interdisciplinary field located at the intersection of the humanities and social sciences, which emerged in the early ...
scholars alike, and much of the studies which have been done are qualitative, focusing on a few selected fan works.


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * *


Further reading

* Iwanitzky, Nikolaus. ''The Reception of J.R.R. Tolkien's Works in Song Lyrics''. Verlag Dr. Kovač: Hamburg, 2017.


External links


Ardalambion — Languages of Tolkien

A Bibliography of Scholarly Studies of J. R. R. Tolkien and His Works
by Michael D.C. Drout {{DEFAULTSORT:Works Inspired By J. R. R. Tolkien Works based on Middle-earth