References by Title

Angrim by oshun

As the father of the tragic Gorlim, Angrim embodies both the nobility and the tragedy of the early houses of the Edain.

Published on 1 February 2019.

Angrod by oshun

Angrod, the golden son of Finarfin and frequent companion of Aegnor, helped unravel peace among the Noldor.

Published on 1 October 2010.

Annael by Silver Trails

Annael was the foster-father of Tuor and a Sindarin Elf who played a minor but important role in his life.

Published on 27 July 2023.

Answers from Old Sources: Elven Food by darthfingon

Tolkien's early Elvish word lists reveal details about what Elves ate.

Published on 1 April 2009.

Ar-Gimilzôr by oshun

In Ar-Gimilzôr, we see the first signs of the divisiveness and decline of Númenor into two factions. This month's biography details this prequel to Númenor's cataclysmic fall.

Published on 1 December 2020.

Ar-Pharazôn by Russandol

In honor of Akallabêth in August, this bio explores the history, evolution, and some of the questions surrounding of Ar-Pharazôn, one of Arda's darkest characters. Originally featured August 2009.

Published on 6 March 2021.

Arakáno by oshun

J.R.R. Tolkien never fully communicated how he intended Arakáno to fit into the Silmarillion, but his notes provide us with some clues about this fourth child of Fingolfin.

Published on 1 May 2011.

Aranwë by oshun

Father of Voronwë of Gondolin, we know almost nothing about Aranwë aside from tantalizing textual and linguistic clues that might reveal his identity.

Published on 1 September 2015.

Aredhel by oshun

One of the few named women to follow the Noldor into exile, the willful Aredhel plays an essential role in the history of the First Age.

Published on 1 September 2008.

Arien by Silver Trails

The story of Arien, the Maia who guides the Sun, changed as the legendarium evolved.

Published on 1 December 2015.

Arthad by oshun

One of Barahir's twelve companions, Arthad embodies the stoic bravery that characterizes the House of Bëor.

Published on 1 December 2019.

Arvedui by oshun

A character who bridges the stories of The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, Arvedui was the Dúnedain king who first attempted to unite Arnor and Gondor under a single crown.

Published on 1 October 2014.

Arwen Undómiel by oshun

Largely relegated to the margins of the story, Arwen nonetheless represents a strength that is "intellectual, psychological, and spiritual," as well as serving as a symbol of the simultaneous waning of one people and rise of another. Arwen presents the usual thorny questions of how women are presented in the legendarium, compounded by a well-known film depiction that stretches the bounds of the canon.

Published on 1 October 2014.

As I Say and As I Do: Negotiating Transformational Impulses in Tolkien-Based Fanfiction by Dawn Walls-Thumma

Data from the 2020 Tolkien Fanfiction Survey shows that, while authors and readers of Tolkien-based fanfiction are growing more comfortable with perceiving their work as having a critical purpose, they are still more likely to describe fanfiction as literary criticism when the process is not depicted as a challenge to Tolkien's authority as the author.

Published on 2 June 2021.

Asfaloth by oshun

The glorious mount of Glorfindel appears to be more than a mere horse, recalling other famous steeds in the legendarium.

Published on 1 January 2019.

Aulë by oshun

One of the Ainur, the demi-gods of Tolkien legendarium, Aulë is said to have been created by the thought of Eru Ilúvatar. He ranks third in importance among the Valar, following only Manwë and Ulmo. Usually referred to in The Silmarillion as Aulë the Smith or Aulë the Maker, he is given the name Mahal by the Dwarves.

Published on 1 May 2008.

Azaghâl by oshun

The leader of the renowned Dwarven army that saved the lives of the Elven host at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Azaghâl appears only briefly in the published material but in scenes of cinematic scope. This biography reviews what we know of Azaghâl and what remains open for fans to explore.

Published on 1 November 2014.

Barahir by oshun

Barahir in many ways embodies the unrelenting and inescapable tragedy that plagues The Silmarillion. But through his son Beren and a legacy that passes through to the Third Age, Barahir also fits into Tolkien's essential concept of eucatastrophe.

Published on 1 May 2017.

Becoming Bookverse: Jackson's Films as an Initiation Point for Tolkien's Book Fandom by Dawn Walls-Thumma

As the debut of Amazon's Rings of Power series approaches, fans wonder how their Tolkien fandom communities will be changed by the new show. Using Tolkien Fanfiction Survey data, this article makes the case that, while Tolkien-based media franchises bring new fans to the fanfiction fandom, the stories those fans write become almost wholly book-based.

Published on 26 March 2022.

Beleg Cúthalion by oshun

Beleg Cúthalion is one of the most storied of the Sindarin characters in The Silmarillion.

Published on 1 July 2008.

Beleriand in Beowulf by Simon J. Cook

Beowulf offers an Anglo-Saxon view upon the world of the old homeland, before migration to the British Isles and conversion to Christianity. The poet takes history as a process of forgetting. In the world of the poem, knowledge of heaven above was forgotten a long age before, while what is beyond the western ocean is in the process of being forgotten.

Published on 12 July 2023.

Bëor by oshun

As the first Mortal to encounter the Noldor in the legendarium, Bëor and his story establish a pattern that will be followed in the relations between Elves and Mortals in the millennia to come.

Published on 1 July 2015.

Beowulf in Beleriand by Angelica

Basic historical background on the Anglo-Saxon people that Tolkien studied.

Published on 1 June 2009.

Beregar of Númenor by oshun

The father of Erendis and grandfather of Tar-Ancalimë, Beregar is one of the few men in the legendarium who is defined primarily by his relationship to important women.

Published on 1 May 2015.

Beren by oshun

Following up on our three-part biography of Lúthien Tinúviel, this month's biography of Beren discusses his early life, the evolution of his character in the legendarium, and his particular importance as a prototype for Aragorn and the small, simple heroes who would come to characterize Tolkien's later work.

Table of Contents

Published on 1 June 2020.