Tolkien in Nature

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Ents, Elves, and Eriadors: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien by Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans

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Book Review by LOTRfanMiguel I love fantasy novels as much as the next guy. When I get wrapped up in the lore of an author– especially when that author is J. R. R. Tolkien– I try to learn as much as I can, and that’s why this time around I dived into Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans’ Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien . In this book, the two scholars really get into the nitty gritty of Tolkien's love for nature manifested within Tolkien’s work, especially The Lord of the Rings . Dickerson and Evans’  main argument throughout the book is as follows: through his writings, Tolkien establishes a formula for environmental stewardship, and from this, we can add ways to preserve and conserve nature to the greater conversation of environmentalism. Although their argument is no surprise to Tolkien fans, these authors really shine in the depth of their research and their application to our world. All this being said, the book was far from perfect in th
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The Revelation of the River Daughter

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Hey y'all, LOTRfanMiguel here to show some art I've been working on. Pictured above, I used collage and acrylic paint on canvas in order to portray Tom Bombadil's discovery of Goldberry, the daughter of the River. As we all know, Tolkien  bathes Goldberry in waves of similes evoking imagery of nature including reeds, beads of dew, flowers, and water. Just look at this quote from page 134 of The Fellowship of the Ring : "Her long yellow hair rippled down her shoulders; her gown was green, green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew; and her belt was of gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue eyes of forget-me-nots. About her feet in wide vessels of green and brown earthenware, white water-lilies were floating so that she seemed to be enthroned in the midst of a pool." I wasn't really sure how to portray the river daughter herself, so I took on an abstract approach, portraying her as a blinding light, radiating past Bombadil
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A Real Dragon: Tolkien’s commentary within the malicious hearts of his beasts

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We’ve all heard Tolkien talk about dragons. We’ve read about them, watched, them, and (probably) love them. They are honestly probably the most prolific part of fantasy…for any author. But in case you have been under a rock, here’s an image: With four legs and claws, a terribly long jaw and snake-like tongue. He had near-impenetrable armor, and yet was flexible and evasive when necessary. He may be winged, with gusts of wind strong enough to topple an army. And he could flatten even the largest men with his tail. Worse, he was full of true evil. Malice running through his veins, he was brought joy only by destruction and the sorrow of his foes. They may curse you and drag you under their spell even after you die, forcing one to succumb to the dark desires manifested in their hearts. Tolkienian dragons hoard, with no reason other than to steal away what is most valuable, and hide it in the darkness. Now Tolkien gave his first big talk about dragons to a bunch of kids. And according
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