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Geek out with An Encyclopedia of Tolkien by David Day

in Book Reviews on 10/15/19 by Janna Leave a Comment

Christmas came early this year for Tolkien super fans. An Encyclopedia of Tolkien: The History and Mythology That Inspired Tolkien’s World is the all-in-one Tolkien resource you need on your bookcase. The latest from Tolkien scholar David Day, it’s 544 glorious pages of illustrations, charts, genealogies, and dictionaries, all bound in gorgeous etched leather. Did your eyes just light up at “charts and genealogies?” *pushes up glasses* Mine too! It’s time to geek out, Middle Earth style.

Source

Review + Mediocre photography by yours truly

An Encyclopedia of Tolkien starts off with a dictionary. It’s not as exhaustive as one might hope, but it still has great and new information. There’s detailed entries for significant people, places, things, and events, plus info about the possible or confirmed historical sources Tolkien drew from. Whilst perusing you’ll discover juicy tidbits such as:

  • Details of the Witch King of Angmar were partially inspired from Shakespeare, specifically Macbeth and Julius Caesar. Which is ironic, since Tolkien hated Shakespeare (page 337!).
  • Tolkien based the character of Treebeard the Ent after his good friend CS Lewis.
  • The epic of Beren and Luthien was based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but with the female/male roles reversed and a happier ending.
  • Athelas, or kingsfoil, is basically basil.

Scattered throughout are over 200 black and white illustrations, and two gorgeous paintings on the inside covers. My meager iphone camera skills do not do them justice.

Then we get to the best part, CHARTS. Can’t keep your Elven genealogies straight? There’s a flow chart for that. Wondering who the Valar counterparts are in the Norse and Greek pantheon? That graph is on page 450! There’s also chronologies (37,000 years worth!), battle plans, and tables of various flora and fauna.

The Mythology behind it all

Included at the end of the book is a section with the three primary ring legends that inspired, in part, The Lord of the Rings. Includes the Norse Völsunga Saga, the German Nibelungenlied and Wagner’s The Ring of Nibelung. Besides being fascinating epics on their own, it’s illuminating seeing the bits and pieces that Tolkien took, adapted, and in many cases improved upon. Except incest. Tolkien kept in all the incest. Looking at you, Turin and Niënor.

An Encyclopedia of Tolkien is available now!

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About Janna

Current Obsessions: Lord of the Rings. Peanut M&M's. Quoting The Office. Playing online Scrabble. The Scottish Highlands. Eating my feelings. Watching videos of my kids after they've gone to bed. Traveling as far and as often as possibly. Seeing movies by myself. Coming up with reasons not to exercise (the dog ate my sports bra, guys).

A stay-at-home twin mom by day, avid reader and relaxer by night. I write to keep my brain cells from shriveling up and dying, and to make myself laugh. Follow @janna_rpw and watch my twitter account gather dust.

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