“Many reviewers seem to assume that Middle-earth is another planet!”
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Letter 211, 14 October 1958
John Garth aptly started the Introduction chapter of The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien with a quote from Tolkien’s letter to Rhona Beare, written on 14 October 1958. This line followed Tolkien’s explanation about the origin of Middle-earth; a modernization or alteration of an old word for the inhabited world of Men. The world “middle”, according to the same letter, is because the world is thought of vaguely as set amidst the encircling Seas between ice of the North and the fire of the South. Tolkien also added the Old English and Medieval English versions of the word “middle” (middan-geard, midden-erd), further emphasizing his notion that Middle-earth is based on his own world.
“Tolkien based Middle-earth on places he knew or visited” is not a new knowledge among dedicated Tolkien readers, scholars or not. However, there is a difference between knowing the fact and actually “walking” through these places, experiencing their connection in the way Tolkien did when he ventured to these locations; making numerous notes, buying postcards, drawing pictures, and slowly building Middle-earth. None of us can replicate Tolkien’s exact experiences, even among those who can afford traveling. That’s where The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien: The Places That Inspired Middle-earth came to play.
This book is split into sections based on specific locations and geographical features, such as rural areas, the seas, mountains, rivers, cave systems, and forests. Specific chapters, like Four Winds and The Land of Lúthien, do not focus on just one geographical feature, but describes multiple influences that possibly formed Tolkien’s depictions of Middle-earth geography and transformations, especially the ones that happened in the First and Second Age.
Just like in his previous notable work Tolkien and the Great war, Garth’s writing showed results of deep, meticulous research, combined with lively narration. Instead of describing dry facts as they are, Garth created a “sense of change with passing times” with the way he wrote. Reading Middle-earth legendarium makes us going in a journey and exploring memories of the past, and The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien combines descriptions of places with biographical records, Tolkien’s quotes from letters and interviews, and descriptions from books like The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion to create a complete experience in exploring Tolkien’s real life inspiration.
We started the journey at England to the Shire chapter with Tolkien’s mother, Mabel Tolkien, as she rented the 5 Gracewell Road, a cottage in a little hamlet called Sarehole, later became Tolkien’s major inspiration for the Shire. Garth described how little Tolkien and his brother, Hillary, would play in the mill meadow with its huge sentinel oaks, explore the sandpit, or “disappear into a wonderful dell with flowers and blackberries.” Then we move to possible influences for other things Hobbit-related, like Icelandic turf houses and even Boffin’s Bakery, Oxford’s grandest cake shop during its heyday and a “fit inspiration for the surname of a prominent Hobbit family.”
Just like how Bilbo and Frodo got captivated by stories of the past or from distant lands, so did Tolkien, and this is the feeling Garth evoked in us as readers. Suddenly, we step into pages about Tolkien’s influences in the next chapter, Four Winds. From Germanic culture and mythology in the North to Anglo-Saxon wonder-tales, to Celtic traditions and even Greece and Rome. Garth started by describing Tolkien’s attraction toward the tale of Sigurd in Andrew Lang’s The Red Fairy Book (1890), and afterward, we travel to different places, mythologies, and cultures that had likely inspired Tolkien.
When Bilbo and Frodo started their adventures to grander yet more perilous environments, readers get the same feeling when moving to next chapters. Garth became more specific in his writings, with chapter names such as The Shore and the Sea, Roots of the Mountains, Rivers, Lakes, and Waterlands, and Tree-woven Lands. Some places not only inspired Tolkien, but also became parts of his memories. Special mentions were given to places like the Cornish coast and the valley of Lauterbrunnen, which inspired Tolkien’s sea-related themes and the image of Rivendell, respectively. The presence of trees and forests in his works inspired a rich chapter in his book, where Garth’s explanations range from Tolkien’s early “fairy poems” to forests he saw in his childhood and young age, and forest-related inspiration from the saga of Volsungs to Arthurian legends.
We cannot separate “the sense of changes with passing time” in Tolkien’s writings from the Ancient Imprints, a perfect literal inspiration for this chapter name. Garth aptly started the chapter with a mention to Tolkien’s The Lost Road, which literally depicted time-traveling theme, and noting Tolkien’s enjoyment of occasional “alliance of Philologia and Archaeologia”. We travel to the rich archeological findings and old sites that might have lent Tolkien inspiration like the Rollright Stones, the White Horse of Uffington, and Whitby Abbey. More than describing these places as dry facts, we explore them with Garth’s rich narration and detailed information, mimicking moments when we follow Tolkien’s characters encountering ancient ruins and remains, breathing stories from the past to them.
As the time and chapter progress, we arrive on chapters Places of War and Craft and Industry. World War One has no doubt shaped Tolkien’s experiences, memories, and inspiration. Tolkien and the Great War describes this connection in great detail, but these two chapters are still packed with enough detailed information for general readers and serious academics who are already familiar with certain facts, like Tolkien’s disappointment of how Shakespeare executed the prophesied coming of “Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill” in Macbeth, the signs of wartime shell shock that could be seen on Frodo, or how the dragons that attacked Gondolin were inspired by tanks he saw in Somme. Garth’s explanation and cross-references with Tolkien’s other works (and other authors and poets) give readers the taste of complicated way Tolkien drew his references; something that cannot be concluded in straightforward way and packed as simple, shareable “fun facts”.
The book is made more special with its gorgeous illustrations and photos, including the beautiful cover art by Flo Snook that depicts Lauterbrunnen. Some of Tolkien’s artworks are featured in the book, like his painting of Rivendell, his 1915 painting The Shores of Faery that reflects his early conception of Valinor, and his 1914 painting Cove near the Lizard, which he made during his formative visit to Cornwall. These illustrations breathe life into the book and add to the feelings akin to actual exploration.
The book should not become your only reference in understanding Tolkien’s works. Garth never overstated the facts in the book, but each chapter contains a lot of cross references to other chapters, showing how Tolkien’s inspiration sources and creative process could not be contained within the limitations of every chapter’s title (not to mention the detailed notes). Some information about certain places only show the most threadbare possible connection to Tolkien’s works, while others seem to have no direct connection. Garth added them to acknowledge the elements that became parts of Tolkien’s conscious creative process throughout the years.
In his interview video with Signum University to talk about the book, Garth asked every reader to visit these places “with open mind”. It is easy to label a place (say, a forest) as “Tolkienesqe”, but when it comes to history and actual creative inspiration, it is important to cross-check, study multiple sources, and be open to perspectives from different academic fields. This book is a great bridge between the world of academic studies and general readership, providing rich information worthy of academic references while giving general readers a stepping stone for their own research.
The field of Tolkien studies is as rich, deep, and wild as the forests that became his frequent inspiration, and there are always new things to learn or wonderful things to revisit with fresh perspectives. With its rich description, detailed research, and gorgeous illustrations and photos, The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien is a perfect addition to this forest.
“Another process of his imaginative life was forming: the ability to visualize unreal places perfectly, and the tendency to project the world he inhabited onto one he only imagined.”
The Worlds of J. R. R. Tolkien, chapter England to the Shire, page 12
Review in Indonesian here.
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