References by Title

Orodreth by Tarion Anarore

Orodreth is often remembered (or forgotten) for his milder-mannered and soft-spoken nature, though other sources paint a more varied picture.

Published on 1 December 2014 .

Oromë by oshun

Among the many evocative and fascinating of Tolkien’s characters, the Vala Oromë uniquely tempts one to note the resemblances between the Professor’s invented mythology and real world myth and legend.

Published on 1 October 2011 .

Ossë by Dawn Walls-Thumma

One of the longest-enduring characters in the legendarium, Ossë evolved over the decades from a perilous character adjacent to Melkor himself to a figure both dangerous and benevolent.

Published on 3 March 2022 .

Ox Bones and Silver Ladles: The Construction of the Ainulindalë by Dawn Walls-Thumma

The deus faber and demiurgic motifs of creation mythology are used in the Ainulindalë, selected and manipulated by Tolkien to advance ideas that rest at the foundation of the legendarium.

Published on 10 April 2021 .

Passing Ships by Simon J. Cook

The arrival and departure of ships across the Great Sea carries mythic significance for the peoples of Middle-earth. The image of ships crossing out of and back into a mysterious West appears as well in Beowulf and is alluded to in Tolkien's tower analogy in his lecture "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," where the tower allows those who climb it to observe the passage of the ships.

Published on 20 June 2024 .

Pengolodh by Dawn Felagund

A biography of Pengolodh, emphasizing what he would have known of the history he wrote about and how that impacts interpreting The Silmarillion for fanfiction.

Published on 1 March 2016 .

Plato in Númenor by Angelica

History of the Atlantis myth that inspired Tolkien's Númenor.

Published on 1 August 2009 .

Point of View and In-Universe Authorship of the "Silmarillion" by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Who wrote The Silmarillion? This paper briefly discusses the evidence from Morgoth's Ring that supports the idea that that "Silmarillion" narrator is Elven.

Published on 16 April 2022 .

Power and Choice in the Second Age: A Political Primer by S.R. Westvik

Fantasy fiction is often conceived to aid escapism in a world as complex and threatening as ours is. It is also an important tool for reflecting on and critiquing our political and societal norms and deficits, serving as a great lens to understand politics, power, choice, order, and justice. Through the lens of political science, underused in Tolkien studies, this paper describes and evaluates the broad themes of the domestic and international political landscape of early Second Age in Middle-earth, examined through a framework of power and choice. With a specific focus on Númenor as a rising power, the paper will also address diverse themes of great power politics, foreign policy, technology and weaponry, ideology, and alliance systems.

Published on 1 March 2020 .

Quennar i Onótimo by Himring

One among Tolkien's several fictional loremasters, Quennar was briefly an intermediary between Rúmil and Pengolodh and later attested as the loremaster who wrote on the reckoning of time by the Elves, a role that overlaps with the medieval historiography familiar to Tolkien.

Published on 1 September 2018 .

Radagast the Brown by oshun

One of the Istari or Wizards, Radagast is a blink-or-you-miss-him character with particular connections to animals and nature.

Published on 1 August 2016 .

Review of "The Battle of Maldon" by Narya

The most recent posthumous volume of Tolkien's work contains some of his translations, lectures, and fanfiction of Old English texts.

Published on 23 June 2023 .

Review of "The Fall of Númenor" by Lyra

The Fall of Númenor conveniently compiles the majority of Tolkien's Second Age materials in a single volume alongside delightful new art from Alan Lee, making it an immensely useful publication.

Published on 16 February 2023 .

Review of "The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien" by Grundy

The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien is a collection that pays homage not only to the extraordinary achievement of Christopher Tolkien's work on the legendarium but that acknowledges him as a person and scholar whose impact ranged beyond the borders of Middle-earth.

Published on 15 July 2022 .

Review of "Tolkien and Diversity" by daughterofshadows

The recent Tolkien Society Seminar proceedings "Tolkien and Diversity" explore both cultural identity and the international fan community and how Tolkien's fanworks and fandom represent marginalized identities.

Published on 8 July 2023 .

Rían by Robinka

Having a name does not guarantee having a role in the legendarium, let alone being an important character. Representing that assemblage of characters, our heroine here today is Rían – the wife of Huor and the mother of Tuor.

Published on 1 January 2016 .

Rochallor by oshun

Rochallor is the great warhorse of Fingolfin High King of the Noldor who carried his master to his final, desperate confrontation with Morgoth.

Published on 1 February 2012 .

Rúmil of Tirion by oshun

Rúmil of Tirion is a Noldorin loremaster of great repute, notable among a people recognized for their creativity, avidity for knowledge, and love of words.

Published on 1 April 2013 .

Saeros by Robinka

As one of the very few negatively portrayed Elves in the entire legendarium, Saeros was responsible for the outcome that became another twist in Túrin’s complicated fate and another factor of his impending catastrophe.

Published on 1 February 2017 .

Salmar-Noldorin by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Salmar appeared early in the legendarium in a muddled variety of roles only to disappear swiftly, known in the published text as the artificer of the horns of Ulmo, the Ulumúri.

Published on 8 April 2023 .

Samwise Gardner's Birthday by Lindariel

A two-part series about holidays celebrated on April 6, these articles discuss canonical foods that might have been used to celebrate Sam's birthday, investigates their history, and offers recipes to try at home.

Table of Contents

Published on 1 August 2020 .

Sauron by Marta

At first glance Sauron does not appear to have much depth as a character. He works rather well as a villain, but we are rarely given a reason to think of him as more than that. As with many of Tolkien's characters, however, they really come into their own in Tolkien's so-called minor works.

Published on 1 August 2008 .

Seafaring Heroes and Villains: The Role of the Sea in Tolkien's Legendarium by oshun

Tolkien's seafarers and shipbuilders explore, challenge, define, and reframe his world throughout its fictional history, and Tolkien's use of the sea and sea-longing in particular hearkens to Germanic themes of exile and longing.

Published on 17 May 2018 .

Seeing Stones in Dark Towers by Simon J. Cook

As inscribed above the western doors of the Mines of Moria, that magical illustration of Elf-Dwarf collaboration, the name of the game is treachery. From Frodo’s far-seeing dream of Orthanc in his first night in the house of Tom Bombadil, the post draws in the person of Frodo Baggins the image of the Stone by which the will of the Necromancer enters a Tower.

Published on 7 March 2024 .

Shelob by Lindariel

The daughter of the monstrous Ungoliant, Shelob is one of the myriad links between the First and Third Ages. This biography considers her origins, appearance, evolution, and uniquely sinister ability to spin darkness.

Published on 1 January 2020 .