Textile Arts and Tolkien

[Estelyn Telcontar]

What occurs to you when you see this topic? I would guess that most people first think of Arwen’s banner, and many of them might shrug and dismiss it as unimportant. Nowadays, Éowyn’s sword is definitely held in higher honour as a sign of female strength than Arwen’s needle is! However, I’ve been encountering numerous references to various textile arts in Tolkien’s works, and I’d like to explore their significance. First I want to find out which needlecrafts are mentioned and how they are used; then discuss Tolkien’s attitude toward them; and finally discover the deeper meaning behind them.

Weaving is the craft I’ve found referred to most often, and some lines from “Mythopoeia” sparked the idea for this thread. Tolkien’s poem places the craft in close conjunction to mythology and sub-creativity.

…the elves …light and dark on secret looms entwined.

There is no firmament,
only a void, unless a jewelled tent
myth-woven and elf-patterned;

Blessed are the timid hearts that…
…upon a clumsy loom
weave tissues gilded by the far-off day…

…in fantastic banners weave the sheen
heraldic emblems of a lord unseen.

The Silmarillion has at least two important references to textile crafts – Vairë the Weaver is one of the Valier, and Lúthien uses spinning, weaving, and rope-twisting her hair to escape captivity, rescue Beren, and reclaim a Silmaril from Melkor.

In LotR, both Elves and Men show evidence of craftsmanship; Galadriel and her maidens weave cloaks and make rope, and the most beautiful statement about arts and crafts that I have ever heard comes from one of the Elves:

We put the thought of all that we love into all that we make.

We find tapestries in the Golden Hall of Edoras, and even the everyday clothing of Hobbits is described as being expressive of their nature. Oh, and there was that banner made by Arwen (we are not told which technique she uses, but can assume that it was woven and embroidered) for Aragorn…

Interestingly, the only really evil female characters Tolkien uses in his tales of Middle-earth, Ungoliant and Shelob, are spiders who also weave their webs, though with a different purpose than the good uses of the art, namely to ensnare.


What does Tolkien’s use of the textile arts and crafts say about his attitude toward them? We are not told whether both Elven genders practiced them, but the direct references are to females. That mirrors his personal experience, we can suppose – I’m sure needlework was a skill which he did not possess, and would not have desired. Still he speaks of textile crafts with obvious respect, honouring them with deeper meaning and connecting them with his own creative craft, the weaving of tales. Contrary to today’s prevalent attitude, he does not belittle this art form, but gives it great significance. It is never depicted as passive or weak, but shows strength and symbolic depth.

We find an attitude of wholeness towards arts and crafts reflected in Tolkien’s writing, and indeed that is not unexpected. The Arts and Crafts movement (which was also known elsewhere as Art Nouveau, for example) took place in his early, formative years, and it can be assumed that the idea of making one’s whole surroundings artistic was one that coincided with his own thoughts. We can see the influence of that style, based on natural motives, in his own drawings and paintings – but that is a subject for another thread.


What depths of meaning can be found in the textile arts in Tolkien’s works? The weaving of Story (capital intentional) includes past, present and future. Memory is preserved, a function we see especially in tapestries such as those in the Golden Hall. The hope of a better future is given shape, as in Arwen’s banner. Both past and future are made tangible and visible.

I find it very interesting that Vairë the Weaver is the spouse of Námo/Mandos, the keeper of the Houses of the Dead. Both have the special function of preserving memory; here is what the Sil says about Vairë:

Vairë … weaves all things that have ever been in Time into her storied webs, and the halls of Mandos that ever widen as the ages pass are clothed with them.

The magical use of textile arts is seen most clearly in Lúthien’s story, but there is an echo of it in the Elven cloaks and ropes, which seem magical at least to the humans involved.


Where have you found references of textile arts in Tolkien’s works, and what do you think of them? Have they influenced you in your creativity? I look forward to reading what others have to say!

[Kuruharan]

I am inclined to believe that the attitudes adopted toward weaving etc. in the books have the nature of some kind of cultural heirloom that Tolkien took and wove into the stories (note use of hilarious humor, har har ).

I think it may have been something that he just was not personally interested in, but it was something that made the world more authentic.

I think there are some comments in Letter 211 that are relevant.

I do not know the detail of clothing. I visualize with great clarity and detail scenery and "natural" objects, but not artefacts.

[Formendacil]

A thought came to me that in real life, historical artefacts of cloth tend to have more significance than those of weaponry. Does anyone remember George Washington's sabre, or William the Conqueror's sword? No, it is Betsy Ross (that is name, right Americans?)'s original American flag, or the Bayeux Tapestry.

In much the same way, Arwen's banner might have had the same lasting place in the memories of the Gondorian people as Anduril did. Certainly, when Aragorn came up the Anduin to the Pelennor, it was not the sword of Elendil that people recognised as symboling the return of the king, or even the Elendilmir of Valandil, but rather the banner of the king.

I kind of like to think of Arwen as, among other things, the Betsy Ross of middle-earth.

[davem]

On the July page of the 1978 Silmarillion Calendar there are three Numenorean objects. The title is 'Numenorean tile & textiles'. One of the 'textiles' is reproduced in Artist & Illustrator, & described as a 'Numenorean Carpet'.

I suppose Vaire

Vairë the Weaver..., who weaves all things that have ever been in Time into her storied webs, and the halls of Mandos that ever widen as the ages pass are clothed with them."

may have had her source in the Norns:

the Norse Fates. Like the Fates of Greek religion and mythology,

. Belief in the Norns was of great importance in Germanic religion and life. It was said that no one, not even the gods, could escape their fate. The Norns were usually three in number—Urth or Wyrd (the past), Verthandi (the present), and Skuld (the future). The three weird sisters of destiny in Shakespeare's Macbeth are probably Scottish equivalents of the Norns.

What the connection between weaving & fate in Me is, exactly, is something I'm not sure has been explored, but it does seem that the creations of various weavers either depicts or gives a helping hand to 'fate'. (see: http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/Dumm...bcat-ARTS.html But...

In 'Laws & Customs' its stated that 'The nissi, Elven women

are more often skilled in the tending of fields & gardens, in playing upon instruments of music , & in the spinning, weaving, fashioning & adornment of all threads & cloths;

While the neri, Elven males, are

more skilled as smiths & wrights, as carvers of wood & stone, & as jewellers. It is they for the most part who compose musics & make the instruments, or devise new ones.

This seems very similar to the situation with Ents & Entwives

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thanks for those thoughts so far! Arwen as Betsy Ross makes me smile.

I appreciate the HoME quotes, davem, since I haven't yet read that volume. That does shed some light on the subject of gender specialties. I agree, looking into the connection between fate and weaving could be very interesting!

I've begun reading Hammond and Scull's J.R.R. Tolkien, Artist and Illustrator and am finding some interesting thoughts on his artistic background there. They agree that his art works show evidence of influence by the Arts and Crafts movement and that his writing shows his agreement with the ideas as well.

It seems clear, too, that he agreed with the underlying philosophy of Morris and his followers, which looked back to a much earlier time: that the 'lesser' arts of handicraft embodied truth and beauty no less than the 'fine' arts of painting and sculpture. One looks for the latter almost in vain in Tolkien's writings (Leaf by Niggle excepted), but finds a wealth of references to crafts.

The woven tapestries in the Golden Hall are one of the examples they cite.

I won't hijack this thread for a closer look at Tolkien's art work, which deserves one specifically devoted to that topic, but I like finding the connections that show us how important the crafts, including textile arts, were considered by him.

[Bêthberry]

I was reading about the Venice Biennale this year and the installation artist Kim Sooja, who also goes by the name kimsooja. She works with cloth and fabric as witness to human life and death. I'm mulling over some possible ideas as they relate to Tokien's use of coverings, clothes and banners but I thought I would share a review of her work. Who knows--something might stimulate others as well.

Being and Sewing

[Angry Hill Troll]

Good topic, Estelyn!

Another example of needlework, is Míriel, the mother of Fëanor:

...her hands were more skilled to make things fine and delicate than any other hands even among the Noldor. By her the craft of needles was devised; and if but one fragment of the broderies of Míriel were seen in Middle-earth it would be held dearer than a king’s realm; for the richness of her devices and the fire of their colours were as manifold and as bright as the wealth of leaf and flower and wing in the fields of Yavanna.

The quote above is from HoME X; a shorter and less descriptive version appears in the published Silmarillion. I particularly like the line that one fragment of tapestry would be worth more than a kingdom (!) -- quite a stunning comparison.

It seems (in my opinion) that Fëanor inherited his skill and creativity from his mother, for Finwë is not described as having the level of creative genius as Míriel or Fëanor, nor are any of the children of Finwë and Indis.

One version of the story of Finwë and Míriel, has Míriel reembodied after Finwë’s death, not to return to live among the Noldor, but to work with Vairë, “...to record in web and broidery all the histories of the Kin of Finwë and the deeds of the Noldor.”

Interestingly, Míriel resembled her son in other ways, too.

Then Vairë said to Mandos: ‘The spirit of Míriel hath dwelt with me, and I know it. It is small, but it is strong and obdurate: one of those who having said this I will do make their words a law irrevocable unto themselves.

This sounds like a certain Oath made by someone we know!