Illustrated Blog Posts

Before there was this: At the Green Dragon Inn, Bywater - Miriam Ellis There was this: Which came after this: None of which would have happened if it hadn't been for this: Gandalf is on his way to the Shire for a much-needed rest when he experiences one of the most pivotal more-than-chance meetings in Middle-earth history. He is at Bree, worrying about what Smaug might do to this place: And this place: Thorin Oakenshield is also thinking about Smaug when he encounters Gandalf

Who knows the age of the salt-scrubbed branches, worn shells, and smoothed bits of glass we pass by as we stroll along a seashore? By the time Frodo Baggins is setting out on his quest, J.R.R. Tolkien's "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife" has been drifting the waves of time for more than 5000 years. It has an unmistakable quality of antiquity, which makes its sharp edges all the more surprising. The tragedy at the eye of this stormy epic is the colossal failure of a ma

With the power of his pen, J.R.R. Tolkien seemed to take a special joy in letting us know that the eagles can come unexpectedly. It's not a promise, but the possibility conveys hope. The great eagles are the dragon-fighters of the First Age, the steeds of Maiar, the rescuers of hobbits. They whisk folk off to the higher places, giving that valuable eagle's eye view which suggests that life may not be quite what it seems from the vantage point of the Road. Manwë Sulimo - Miria

If only he had been given Bilbo's long years, J.R.R. Tolkien could have written an unforgettable female hobbit adventure, but at least we know that such quests took place. In the opening pages of The Hobbit , an excited Mr. Baggins exclaims, "Not the Wandering Wizard" - Miriam Ellis "Not the Gandalf who was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures? Anything from climbing trees to visiting elves - or sailing in ships, sailing to