Abby Epplett, Historian

Hobbits loved straightforward rules as long as these supported their interests of food, music, walks, and other simple but fun activities. Their society appeared to be governed by three sets of regulations: written laws similar to those in a medieval feudalist government; unwritten social norms similar to those found in the European Middle Ages, Regency period, and Victorian period; and animal-like behaviors not exhibited by the other “races” in Tolkien’s legendarium. While the rules maintained social order and allowed the hobbits to enjoy their favorite things, including walks, conversation, and smoking, these also excluded some individuals from social participation and upward mobility, not unlike the exclusion of individuals in the Real World. This also created the opportunity for individuals with social power and understanding to subvert the rules to their own advantage, perhaps leading to positive changes.

My discussion of each chapter will begin with a summary essay highlighting three to five key features presented in the text, while subsequent essays will dive deeper into additional topics. In contrast to the authoritative and comprehensive work, The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull , which lends insight to the “literary and historical influences” on the text with special focus on European history, linguistics, and events in Tolkien’s own life, I will compare the cultures of Middle-earth to those in the Real World as I have done throughout this series. Of course, that impressive textbook and other Tolkien-focused works will be excellent resources in understanding Tolkien’s worldview and how it affected his “translation” of the text.

In August 2024, I went on a five-day trip to Cape Cod, MA where I visited many museums and cultural organizations, along with quick history stops and trails. My seventh stop was John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum in Hyannis, MA, a village of Barnstable. Located down the street from Cape Cod Maritime Museum , the museum showcased the life and presidency of U.S. President #35 and his family.

This week, I introduce the rest of the Maiar, each of whom represents part of the environment or a craft. This was no different than deities in real-world religions and mythologies, where ancient people believed that the sun, moon, and sea were sentient, while agriculture was controlled by a god, and smithing was taught to humans by a higher power. Many polytheist cultures have multiple gods with overlapping areas of rule. I have chosen to focus on those who appear to be the most popular and most powerful based on scholarly research. Many academic articles are written by researchers from outside the culture that they describe and accordingly may contain errors, which are passed along to me. Additionally, cultures with large populations and cultures from the West are overrepresented, meaning that I can easily find high quality research on these gods but not gods from smaller and non-Western religions. I have done my best to include a variety of religions in this essay but do con...

For the second part of Appendix E, Tolkien focused on the writing systems used for Middle-earth languages. Real-world languages use a wide range of systems that can be grouped into “families”, including those descended from Egyptian hieroglyphs, such as variations on the Latin alphabet; East Asian systems based on Chinese characters; Indian and Southeast Asia systems based on the ancient Brahmi script; pre-Columbian languages from Mexico and Central America; and writing systems created by Indigenous Americans to preserve their own languages after European colonization.

On the same day I visited Alden House National Historic Site, I went down the street in Duxbury, MA to see the Art Complex Museum . This small contemporary art museum combined unique architecture and internationally renowned artists with the work of local creators. The visit started outside the building, as sculptures stood on the grounds. I recognized Five Shaker Houses as the work of George Greenamyer , whose sculpture Glace Bay stands outside Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA . Art Complex Museum began in 1971 to house the collection of Charles “Carl” Augustus Weyerhaeuser, Jr. , his wife Edith, and their family. In fact, their son Charles Weyerhaeuser served as museum director since 1973 until a few days ago, when the role transitioned to Peter Mello, who previously managed WaterFire Providence . The collection included European and American prints, Shaker furniture, and Asian art, including a Japanese tea house. The grounds encompass over thirteen acres,...

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.

Last night — June 13, 2024, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. — I attended the webinar How NOT to Make Films: 15 Years of Failures, Mishaps, and Lessons Learned hosted by documentarian Adam Mazo and educator Dr. Mishy Lesser , co-founders of Upstander Project , and moderated by N. Bruce Duthu , a professor at Dartmouth. For a portion of the talk, they were joined by special guest speaker Ben Pender-Cudlip , a filmmaker and cinematographer. I appreciated how each speaker described their cultural and ancestral background before speaking so the audience could better understand their point of view. Mazo and Dr. Lesser are Ashkenazi Jewish, Duthu is from Houma Nation in Louisiana, and Pender-Cudlip has British ancestry. Dr. Lesser and Mazo created their first film, Coexist , in 2014 to bring awareness to communities in Rwanda twenty years after a genocide. Mazo had first visited Rwanda in 2006 and returned to attend workshops. Dr. Lesser wrote a teacher’s guide to accompany the fil...

Yesterday — December 5, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. EST — I attended a celebration of the Phi Beta Kappa Society’s 247 th anniversary, which was held in the form of the presentation The Power of Story: Perspectives from the National Women’s History Museum . I have been a member of Phi Beta Kappa (ΦBK) since 2018. The organization was founded in 1776, the same year the the United States declared independence from Great Britain, and describes itself as “America’s most prestigious academic honor society”. The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) was founded in 1996 as a nonprofit, online organization “dedicated to uncovering, interpreting, and celebrating women’s diverse contributions to society”. I had first heard about this organization during Day 1 of the Historic New England Summit back in early November. This collaboration between ΦBK and NWHM was a first for the organizations. Solai Sanchez , Associate Director of Chapter and Association Relations and Membership Engagement a...

At last, I complete my twenty-three post series on my trip to the Dominican Republic in June 2023. This sequel to yesterday’s posts shares more quick history stops on the streets of the capital, Santo Domingo, including a college building turned into a hotel, ruins of a monastery, and a poetic park. Monasterio de San Francisco On the north side of Ciudad Colonial and bordered by four roads (Calle Restoración, Calle Hostos, Calle Juan Isidro Pérez, Calle Duarte) was Monasterio de San Francisco [Monastery of San Francisco]. With construction ordered by Frey Nicolás de Ovando in 1508 and lasting until 1560, the monastery was the first of its kind in the Americas. The building currently stands in ruins, much like the first European style hospital in the Americas, nearby Templo y Hospital San Nicolás de Bari . Near the ruins was a plaque dedicated to the 50 th anniversary of the Dominican Civil War of 1965, when the American military overthrew the supporters of democra...

This is the penultimate post to the series on my trip to the Dominican Republic in June 2023! I spent several days in the capital, Santo Domingo, and visited many historic sites. The streets, or calles in Spanish, of Ciudad Colonial and nearby neighborhoods were filled with informative signage about churches, historic figures, and art.

During my visit to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, back in June 2023, I visited Parque Nacional Los Tres Ojos [The Three Eyes National Park] and saw Faro a Colón [Lighthouse to Columbus] along the way. The park is a great way to enjoy the outdoors not far from the city. While the lighthouse is not located in a safe space for foreign tourists, visitors can park briefly on the side of the road to get a picture. History of Faro a Colón Plans for a lighthouse dedicated to Columbus and built in Santo Domingo were in the works since 1931. In fact, Scottish architect Joseph Lea Gleave won a contest as a twenty-three year old for designing the best lighthouse for the spot. Despite early enthusiasm for the lighthouse, progress stalled when the consortium of countries who supported the idea did not lend financial support. A foundation was laid during the Trujillo Era, but no more progress was made. Gleave died in 1965, long before his lighthous...