One of my Christmas traditions is to buy myself a gift – the official Tolkien calendar for the coming year. As a big fan of this artist's work, I love celebrating each month's change with a new piece of art from Middle-earth. With each new year comes a new set of stunning illustrations, themed around one of Tolkien's books, and it always feels like a lovingly crafted book. gift for gamer and those who like to have fun.
This year, Harper Collins decided to base the calendar on the three “Great Tales” of Middle-earth that Tolkien wrote as precursors to the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They form the basis of the later parts of The Silmarillion and are better known by their colloquial names: “The Children of Hurin”, “Beren and Lúthien” and “The Fall of Gondolin”.
Each year, the Tolkien Calendar adds work from some of the most influential artists and illustrators in the Tolkien field. This year it features the work of Alan Lee, who helped illustrate some of the early publications of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and Christopher Tolkien's The First Age. Lee also assisted Peter Jackson with concept art for the timeless film adaptation. The artist even provides a foreword that gives insight into how he created the images for Tolkien's books.
“I don’t always like the idea of illustrating novels,” says Lee. “But JRR Tolkien's works seem closer in spirit to the myths and legends I loved as a child. They are very visual, but the descriptions are poetic – uncomplicated and memorable, rather than detailed and descriptive. For me, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of books, and this is what I strive for in illustrations.”
If you haven't previously delved into the stories of the First Age of Middle-earth, the three Great Tales will likely pique your interest. I know there are a lot of dark moments in The Lord of the Rings, but what surprised me when I first read The Silmarillion was How everything became dark. The Children of Hurin, for example, feels oddly Shakespearean, involving a cursed family, a giant dragon-slug, and even incest. like game of thrones. The father is literally imprisoned by Morgoth (the Dark Lord before Sauron) and forced to watch his family go through torture before he is finally allowed to die.
Beren and Lúthien are not so gloomy. It was partly inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's marriage. It tells the story of a man named Beren who falls in love with Lúthien, the most beautiful elf to ever grace Arda. He asks Thingol, High King of the Elves, for her hand and mockingly replies that the price will be one of the Silmarils from Morgoth's crown. This story is often mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, and it has many parallels with the romance of Aragorn and Arwen.
The Fall of Gondolin is action-packed and marks a turning point in the war of the Elves against Morgoth. The hidden city of Gondolin, one of the last strongholds of the Elves, is discovered by the forces of evil, and a massive battle begins. My favorite moment from the story graces the cover of this year's calendar: Glorfindel fights the Balrog alone – a battle in which he wins but later dies (a bit like Gandalf). In the books, Glorfindel returns to life in The Lord of the Rings and takes Arwen's place, saving Frodo from the Ringwraiths of the Fellowship.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings about how amazing the First Age of Middle-earth is. I buy the official Tolkien calendar every year and never regret it. There's something akin to self-care about celebrating each month with a new Tolkien illustration.
Each new page has a caption – a quote from one of the books that inspired the illustrations you'll be looking at next month. If you haven't purchased a physical calendar yet, one can make a really nice decoration—and let's not forget that it has practical uses, too. Instead of a shared digital calendar on your phone, a shared calendar with people you actually live with can feel more personal and heartfelt.
Not to mention, you are directly supporting Tolkien's work, his estate, and the longtime artists who helped keep his world alive in our hearts for so long. All this and you won't even spend $20.
For more useful gifts and memorabilia for the nerd, check out our reviews best tabletop role-playing games, best lego setsAnd best board games.
