Hidden Beleriand

In the first round of the Tolkien Mailing Competition of 2022/2023, participants of the international Quendi category were asked to make a picture of a rarely depicted place of their choice from Beleriand.

Ezen a héten kezdődik meg az idei Tolkien Levelező Verseny, de addig is, amíg készülnek az újabb kreatív alkotások, van még bőven mit közzétennünk a korábbi évekből. Ebben a tavalyi feladatban a Quendi kategória versenyzőinek Beleriand ritkán ábrázolt (és a Tolkien Gateway-en is kép nélkül maradt) vidékeit kellett megrajzolniuk, megfesteniük.

To be exact, this was the task:

The beauties of Beleriand were lost and drowned at the end of the First Age. Their memories are kept in song and tales, paintings, and tapestries, but not all of them are equally represented. Many glorious halls and the backgrounds of great deeds are depicted often: other places are less popular. We should not let them be forgotten!

Choose any named place/thing from the map of Beleriand in The Silmarillion which has no picture on Tolkien Gateway (either no picture at all or just a bit of the map): it can be a river, a hill, a forest, an area, anything mentioned on the map.

Look up its description from The Silmarillion and quote at least one relevant sentence of it here. And make a picture of it! You can use any technique (paint, draw etc.), include characters or stick to the landscape, but there should be at least one element of the description clearly recognisable on the picture (like the type of the trees, other places in the background or the colour of the water).

As the most interesting bits in this task are the choice of the place and the attributes depicted, we did not make a selection, but want to show you all the creative ideas of our competitors.

The Port of Eglarest by Daeron Vardamir (Renzo Caimotto)

“But the realm of Nargothrond extended also west of Narog to the River Nenning, that reached the sea at Eglarest [...] and with the aid of the Noldor the havens of Brithombar and Eglarest were built anew. Behind their great walls they became fair towns and harbours with quays and piers of stone. Upon the cape west of Eglarest Finrod raised the tower of Barad Nimras to watch the western sea [...].”

Chapter XIV: Of Beleriand and its Realms

Linaewen by Zita Harmat

“It was a hollow land, surrounded by mountains and great coast-cliffs higher than the plains behind, and no river flowed thence; and there was a great mere in the midst of Nevrast, with no certain shores, being encircled by wide marshes. Linaewen was the name of that mere, because of the multitude of birds that dwelt there, of such as love tall reeds and shallow pools.”

Chapter XIV: Of Beleriand and its Realms

The Britiach by Tengwestiendil (Geraldine Choquehuanca)

“Then Eöl rode off in haste, and he was filled with hatred of all the Noldor; for he perceived now that Maeglin and Aredhel were fleeing to Gondolin. And driven by anger and the shame of his humiliation he crossed the Fords of Aros and rode hard upon the way that they had gone before; but though they knew not that he followed them, and he had the swiftest steed, he came never in sight of them until they reached the Brithiach, and abandoned their horses. Then by ill fate they were betrayed; for the horses neighed loudly, and Eöl’s steed heard them, and sped towards them; and Eöl saw from afar the white raiment of Aredhel, and marked which way she went, seeking the secret path into the mountains.”

Chapter XVI: Of Maeglin

Nimbrethil by Pamuhihőke

This picture was chosen as the cover art for the Summer 2023 issue of the Lassi Laurië!

“With the aid of Círdan Eärendil built Vingilot, the Foam-flower, fairest of the ships of song; golden were its oars and white its timbers, hewn in the birchwoods of Nimbrethil, and its sails were as the argent moon.”

Chapter XXIV: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath

Taur-im-Duinath by Luca Gál

“But south of the Andram, between Sirion and Gelion, was a wild land of tangled forest in which no folk went, save here and there a few Dark Elves wandering; Taur-im-Duinath it was named, the Forest between the Rivers.”

Chapter XIV: Of Beleriand and its Realms

We credited the artists either by competiton nicknames or real names or both, according to their preference expressed when signing up for the competition. Quotes were added by the organisers in the cases were the competitors missed this part of the task.