Abby Epplett, Historian

This week, I am taking a short break from the Appendixes to share my next set of character illustrations. I have designed eight variations on Elves: Vanyar (Valinor), Ñoldor (Rivendell), Ñoldor (Wandering), Ñoldor (Lothlórien), Teleri (Lothlórien), Teleri (Mirkwood), Teleri (The Shire), and Teleri (Lindon). While most of the physical traits and clothing of the Elves appear throughout the Legendarium, and are accessible through online databases, I have used my own knowledge of clothing history, an understanding of Middle-earth botany, real-world genetics, and creative license when creating these prototypical characters.

This post will be divided into three sections to explain how I used a combination of textual evidence, evolutionary theory, and historical fashion to illustrate the three breeds of Hobbits that will serve as my basis for designing future characters. In the first segment, I will discuss the evolutionary theories of the Hybrid-and-Replacement Model, Assimilation Model, and Convergent Evolution, relating these real-world theories about human history to descriptions presented in the first section of the Prologue, “1 Concerning Hobbits”, that appears in The Lord of the Rings: Part One, The Fellowship of the Ring . In the second segment, I review the physical descriptions of Hobbits overtly presented in the text along with making inferences based on this text and The Hobbit . Finally, I will describe the real-world 16 th and 17 th century cultures that inspired the outfits for these characters, including the Ottoman Empire, the Netherlands, and the Sámi. The Lord of the Rings