Art inspired by The Silmarillion and other writings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
My themed works which are scattered in the other sections of the gallery, here gathered on one page, with more explanation and quotations, and presented according to the Silmarillion timeline. Illustrations, portraits, concepts, sketches and animations.
Images are resized and cropped, mostly. Click on a preview to enlarge. Digital painting & drawing, unless stated otherwise. No Ai.
Zielony kolor to tekst w języku polskim (Green text is in Polish)
An idea for Melkor "clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire", as he appears over Arda for the first time. Photoshop over a pencil drawing on paper, 2017.
The Great Journey
To the West!
Ingwë and the Vanyar during the Great March West to Aman (Valinor)
The Age of Stars. The Eldar, the Elves of the Great Journey: the Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri have entered Beleriand. The Teleri were the largest group and so walked in two hosts, led by brothers Elwë and Olwë. One day Elwë got lost in the forest of Nan Elmoth and couldn't be found for years. When the Vanyar and the Noldor left the shores of Middle-earth, the Teleri were still searching for their lost leader. But with time the Elves in the host of Olwë grew impatient, eager to see the light of the Trees of Aman and so forced him to move on, too.
Leaving mortal shores (2008)
The Age of Stars, Sun yet has to be made. Olwë in Beleriand is looking across the sea towards the Undying Lands. Soon he will lead his people West beyond the sea, leaving his lost brother behind:
Two lords they had, for their numbers were very great: Elwë Singollo, which signifies Greymantle, and Olwë his brother. The hair of Olwë was long and white, and his eyes were blue; (...).
J. R. R. Tolkien, Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion: "Of the Coming of the Elves", p. 163
Leaving mortal shores (2008/2022)
Done in Painter 9.5 in 2008, updated in Photoshop 2022
The Oath of the Fëanorians
After the Darkening of Valinor, when Morgoth and Ungoliant killed the two Trees and so deprived the Blessed realms of their Light, then slain king Finwë and stole the Silmarils, many of the Noldor went back to Middle-earth to avenge their slain king and get back the stolen Silmarils. Before the departure Fëanor, now the king of the Noldor, and his seven sons swore a terrible oath to pursue anyone who would withheld the Silmarils from the Fëanorians, no matter if it would be a foe or a friend.
"Then Fëanor swore a terrible oath. His seven sons leapt straightway to his side and took the selfsame vow together, and red as blood shone their drawn swords in the glare of the torches. They swore an oath which none shall break, and none should take, by the name even of Ilúvatar, calling the Everlasting Dark upon them if they kept it not; and Manwë they named in witness, and Varda, and the hallowed mountain of Taniquetil, vowing to pursue with vengeance and hatred to the ends of the World Vala, Demon, Elf or Man as yet unborn, or any creature, great or small, good or evil, that time should bring forth unto the end of days, whoso should hold or take or keep a Silmaril from their possession."
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 9: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"
The full text of the oath is missing in The Silmarillion, but has been published in the "Annals of Aman", The History of Middle-earth vol 10. Here is the beginning of it, with translation into Quenya by Milan Rezac. The animation is from 2005, the sound from 2016 (all the voices are mine).
Is the oath repeated by others or by unnatural forces born in that moment? Who knows.
English and Polish subtitiles. Włącz polskie napisy.
The text of the oath in the English original and its Quenya translation by Milan Rezac are avaliable at elvish.org. The tengwar script frame around the animation is the Quenya version of the oath.
A foreshadowing: Maedhros and Fëanor, son and father portraits morphing with Maedhros in flames. This is a portrait of Fëanor from the moment when he led the Noldor out of Tirion in Valinor, while the scene with Maedhros in flames leading an army - the "Let the Havens Burn" illustration - takes place already in Middle-earth and much later in time. Yet both moments lead to tragic events in the history of the Elves.
The portraits of Fëanor and of Maedhros have been done from the same sketch, thus the similarity. Visually inspired by the art of Ayami Kojima.
Losgar
The landing of the Host of Fëanor in Losgar
The Noldor went out of Valinor in three hosts, following Fëanor and his half brothers Fingolfin and Finarfin. After hearing a herald of the Valar, Finarfin and his people got back, but the two older brothers continued the journey. At night, in the cold realm of Araman, when they all camped on the shore, Fëanor betrayed his half-brother by stealing all their ships and leaving him and his followers behind.
"It has been told that Fëanor and his sons came first of the Exiles to Middle-earth, and landed in the waste of Lammoth, the Great Echo, upon the outer shores of the Firth of Drengist."
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 13: "Of the Return of the Noldor"
"The ships were anchored off the shore (...) In the night Fëanor, filled with malice, aroused Curufin, and with him and a few of those most close to Fëanor in obedience he went to the ships and set them all aflame; and the dark sky was red as with a terrible dawn."
- "The Shibboleth of Fëanor", The History of Middle-earth vol. XII
Inspired by the burning of ships in The Silmarillion and it's story variation from The History of Middle-earth vol. XII.
"Atar" means "father" in Quenya. "Atarinkë" - "Little Father" - is Curufin's "mother-name" given in Quenya. First done manually in Painter 9.5 in January 2009, re-edited and updated with video editing software in December 2009 (updated February 2023).
The first animation draft 7/8.01.2009, done manually in Corel Painter 9.5 (drawing on layers) - Maedhros:
Concepts, more details and clips in the Losgar section of my Arda archive at sirielle.weebly.com
Crossing of the Helcaraxë
Lost in Helcaraxë
Then Fingolfin seeing that Fëanor had left him to perish in Araman or return in shame to Valinor was filled with bitterness; but he desired now as never before to come by some way to Middle-earth, and meet Fëanor again. (...) and finding no other way they endured at last the terror of the Helcaraxë and the cruel hills of ice. Few of the deeds of the Noldor thereafter surpassed that desperate crossing in hardihood or woe."
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 9: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"
Noldor lost in the Grinding Ice of Helcaraxë, looking for a way to cross the wicked labyrinth.
Animation test 2012/2015. Still images and stop motion animation based on the "Lost in Helcaraxë" illustration.
Vertical video variants - the animation 2015:
& work in progress drawing steps video
Lost in Helcaraxë - Freezing Unknown Noldo lost in the Grinding Ice of Helcaraxë. Inspired by The Silmarillion.
Alternative version of the Lost in Helcaraxë illustration in the color gallery. (Photoshop, 2012)
Morgoth with Silmarilli
"There he delved anew his vast vaults and dungeons, and above their gates he reared the threefold peaks of Thangorodrim, and a great reek of dark smoke was ever wreathed about them. There countless became the hosts of his beasts and his demons, and the race of the Orcs, bred long before, grew and multiplied in the bowels of the earth. Dark now fell the shadow on Beleriand, as is told hereafter, but in Angband Morgoth forged for himself a great crown of iron, and he called himself King of the World. In token of this he set the Silmarils in his crown."
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 9: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"
Morgoth wearing his irown crown with the Silmarils, concept variants: b&w 2017 and the original in color 2010.
The First Age of Sun
In Beleriand
On the way to Thangorodrim
Findekáno (Fingon) in the Iron Mountains, searching for an entry into Angband. Photoshop 2016.
"Therefore he dared a deed which is justly renowned among the feats of the princes of the Noldor: alone, and without the counsel of any, he set forth in search of Maedhros; and aided by the very darkness that Morgoth had made he came unseen into the fastness of his foes. High upon the shoulders of Thangorodrim he climbed, and looked in despair upon the desolation of the land; but no passage or crevice could he find through which he might come within Morgoth's stronghold"
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 13: "Of the Return of the Noldor"
The First Snow - Pierwszy Śnieg (Painter 9.5, 2008)
"Snowflakes were lazily drifting before his eyes. He wanted to reach out, to catch them, to hold them in his hand, but... He had only one hand. The attempts to hold his shawl with the stump nearly ended with the garment falling. All he could do was to reach out with the stump or...
"Płatki śniegu leniwie przepływały przed oczami. Chciał wyciągnąć rękę, złapać je, trzymać w dłoni, ale... Miał tylko jedną dłoń. Próby podtrzymania szala kikutem omal nie skończyły się upadkiem szaty na śnieg. Cóż, pozostało wyciągnąć kikut, lub...
Celegorm of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, painted with dark hair for Rhapsody the Bard (Painter 9.5, 2009).
The original monochromatic variant above and in rusty hues below (2014):
In The History of Middle-earth (HoME) J.R.R. Tolkien describes Celegorm as having long, golden or gleaming hair and calls him fair-haired in Old English. This information is missing from The Silmarillion, edited and published by Christopher Tolkien after J.R.R. Tolkien's death. The 'gleaming hair' reappear in the book Beren and Lúthien, again edited and published by Christopher Tolkien (2017). It seems it was the editor's choice to omit this information, not the final idea of JRRT himself, but it leaves room for interpretation. I follow the original blond hair description, but in this portrait I gave him dark hair for a friend who imagines him this way.
The quotation from The History of Middle-earth vol.5:
Then Celegorm arose amid the throng (p. 169). In QS this is followed by 'golden was his long hair'. In the Lay at this point (line 1844) Celegorm has 'gleaming hair'; his Old English name was Cynegrim Faegerfeax ('Fair-hair'), IV. 213. The phrase was removed in The Silmarillion text on account of the dark hair of the Noldorin princes other than in 'the golden house of Finarfin' (see I. 44); but he remains 'Celegorm the fair' in The Silmarillion p. 60.
J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings: the Commentary to “On Beren and Tinúviel”
Defenders of Gondolin
The Fall of Gondolin / The Silmarillion: Tuor, Ecthelion & Glorfindel (Photoshop, 2022)
Illustration with 2 ideas for Glorfindel's armor "damascened with cunning gold": plate cuirass and scales.
The scale armor variant illustration for "Aiglos" #25 (Photoshop, 2022)
Maedhros son of Fëanor arriving at the Havens of Sirion, inspired by The Silmarillion.
"Now when first the tidings came to Maedhros that Elwing yet lived, and dwelt in possession of the Silmaril by the mouths of Sirion, he repenting of the deeds in Doriath withheld his hand. But in time the knowledge of their oath unfulfilled returned to torment him and his brothers, and gathering from their wandering hunting-paths they sent messages to the Havens of friendship and yet of stern demand. Then Elwing and the people of Sirion would not yield the jewel which Beren had won and Lúthien had worn, and for which Dior the fair was slain; and least of all while Eärendil their lord was on the sea, for it seemed to them that in the Silmaril lay the healing and the blessing that had come upon their houses and their ships. And so there came to pass the last and cruellest of the slayings of Elf by Elf; and that was the third of the great wrongs achieved by the accursed oath."
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 24: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
"Let the Havens Burn" illustration in motion: Maedhros and Fëanor, son and father portraits morphing with Maedhros in flames.
Traditional media, A5. Inspired by The Silmarillion.
In Aman
Finarfin, Idril Celebrindal and Anairë
Aman: Finarfin, Idril Celebrindal and Anairë from The House of Fëanor by Deborah Judge: "In Valinor, Nedanel sculpts, Anairë teaches lore, Finarfin regrets, Idril claims her birthright, and the world changes." A shaded variant of the illustration for Aiglos #23. Photoshop 2018.
Finarfin from the illustration to The House of Fëanor.
Nerdanel
Illustration to The House of Fëanor by Deborah Judge, for Aiglos #23. Photoshop 2018.
The Second Age of Sun
Gil-galad
The Scion of Kings
Ereinion Gil-galad, the sixth and the last High King of the Noldor in Eriador.
Colored version of the "Scion of Kings" - Ereinion Gil-galad as the son of Fingon after The Silmarillion (top) and the son of Orodreth after The History of Middle-earth vol. XII (bottom). Originally b&w illustration to a polemics on Gil-galad's parentage in the 20th jubilee issue of the Polish Tolkienists almanac "Aiglos". Heraldry in the back represents the fathers, while the emblem on the shield is Gil-galad's own. Gil-galad's epessë Ereinion means "Scion of Kings" - thus the title - he is is literally a scion of kings by the unsolved parentage question and by the given honorific title. Painter & Photoshop 2015/2019.
The two main parentage ideas, including family trees: The Silmarillion vs. The History of Middle-earth
Gil-galad as King of Diamonds. Painter & Photoshop 2015.
The son of Orodreth version & various color variants are in the Gil-galad subgallery.
Celebrimbor
Celebrimbor experimenting with rings of power. Not the rings of power, yet, but clearly involving the light of Eärendil. Gwaith-i-Mírdain, Eregion, II Age of Arda. Inspired by LotR & The Silmarillion (Photoshop, 2024). T.b.c.
Illustrations for 10th anniversary of the Hobbiton Forum
the oldest Polish J.R.R. Tolkien fans online community
updated & animated 2020
Music from "Księga Zaginionych Pieśni" by DTH ("Pieśń Minstrela", "Tolk Folk", "Eldalie"), with excerpts of "Dwarf and Orc" by Glass Hammer and "The Lord Of The Rings - The Return Of The King" o.s.t. by Howard Shore.
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