Tuor in the Rainbow Cleft and Tolkien's Gifts of Beauty
- Miriam Ellis
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion is full of heartbreak and darkness. Some readers have told me they even find it difficult to get through. But here and there, the author gives us glimpses of such sublime beauty that one may have to put the book down, just to try to absorb what Tolkien is describing. Tuor in the Rainbow Cleft is just such a scene, and it was like working with a golden paintbrush and paint made of jewels creating this new depiction.
I am in such sympathy with Tuor. His young life is filled with tragedy, but his fostering amongst the Grey Elves, his immense and stunning quest to the sea and to Gondolin, his unique fate, and his fatherhood of Eärendil make him one of the greatest heroes of the First Age. It is such epic storytelling when, wandering alone, Tuor encounters the two elves who tell him how to make his way into Cirith Ninniach, and that cleft with its sparkling waters and rainbows is a pinnacle of sub-creation. What a joy to paint this, and to get to show the gulls who, presently, will lead Tuor up out of the cleft and to safety from the tide, just in time.
Tuor carries his short bow and you can see his axe handle and arrows on his left hip while his small harp is slung over his shoulder. I had to do quite a bit of thinking about how to attire him. No doubt, during his enslavement, he would have been in rags, but by the time he follows the bubbling spring to the Gate of the Noldor, he has been living in his cave for four years in hiding. He is a hunter, and we can see a leathern belt, straps, and archery bracers, but I had to suppose that in those long years, he might have encountered some Grey Elves who took pity on him and provided him with a simple cowled tunic and hose. This shadowy attire is also my nod to his childhood amongst the elves.
I have painted fewer Men than any of the other beings in Middle-earth, but the thread that runs down to the voyage of Eärendil is my favorite in The Silmarillion. It poses big questions and treats of the highest things. There is tragedy, of course, but there is also this level of splendor.
In my forthcoming book, A Shire Walking-Party, I had the space to write at length about Tolkien saying that it was the natural beauty of our earth that inspired his conception of Middle-earth. When I think of Tolkien, the boy, who lost his father and mother and whose extended family was a source of conflict rather than solidarity, and then Tolkien, the young man, thrown into the horrors of war, I am so encouraged by his insistence on searching for beauty.
He knew all about the pains of life, and was keenly aware of the misery that men make for themselves and for others, but he had an inner vision that could see beyond the darkness. In the Cirith Ninniach he gives us a glimpse of glory, and C.S. Lewis readers might even like to look at this painting when thinking of that author's remarkable quote, "A cleft has opened in the pitiless walls of the world, and we are invited to follow our great Captain inside."
At first, all Tuor sees is a looming rockface at the end of his long journey. It takes the elves to show him there is a way inside, through the tunnel, and into this place of wonder. Tolkien's gifts at such scenes are impossible to overstate, and I hope you'll visit again soon to see a few more scenes I will be bringing out from my favorite part of The Silmarillion. In the meantime, please enjoy this sparkling dash with Tuor through the Cirith Ninniach via this video short.
