The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum


Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page

Go Back   The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum > Announcements and Obituaries > The Barrow-Downs
User Name
Password
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-09-2011, 03:30 PM   #1
Bęthberry
Cryptic Aura
 
Bęthberry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 6,158
Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.
Underground Salt Cathedral and Carvings

This does not have a direct Tolkien reference but it strikes me that this typifies what must have been his sense of work and beauty.

There is a very large salt mine in the Polish town of Wieliczka that was founded in the 13th century and still operated as a working salt mine until 2007. It now produces salt from brine but is mainly a tourist site, in fact a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Salt once was a crucially important commodity, as witnessed by the salt houses in cities of the old Hanseatic League. Yet the miners not only produced the commercial product, they also devoted their labour to producing beauty. They carved incredible images of historic, mythic, and religious figures and included chapels with altars for religious devotion.

Here's a link to the site for more info: Wieliczka Salt Mine

I have some pictures of a green dragon and other carvings which I think resonate with Tolkien's vision of art, but I have to figure out how to post them here.

A dragon carved from green salt. No date for this, so I don't know if it is modern or earlier.



Dwarves, based I think on Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.



One last one showing some of the older carvings in the cathedral, with the altar. And, yes, the chandeliers are made of salt.

__________________
I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.

Last edited by Bęthberry; 09-09-2011 at 05:24 PM. Reason: adding pictures
Bęthberry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2011, 03:36 PM   #2
Galadriel55
Blossom of Dwimordene
 
Galadriel55's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,294
Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.
Wow! Great link, Bethberry! Thanks!

Some of those pictures look like Menegroth.
__________________
You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera
Galadriel55 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2011, 05:29 PM   #3
Bęthberry
Cryptic Aura
 
Bęthberry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 6,158
Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.
Some more pictures that aren't on the website I linked to.







This one is a religious theme, with Jesus showing his wounds to Doubting Thomas.

__________________
I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.
Bęthberry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2011, 05:59 PM   #4
Legate of Amon Lanc
A Voice That Gainsayeth
 
Legate of Amon Lanc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 7,606
Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galadriel55 View Post
Some of those pictures look like Menegroth.
I thought exactly the same when I saw these!

Amazing pictures, Bethberry - amazing discovery. Now I have one good destination for visit.

Also the other set of pictures you posted - the reliefs - look very Dwarvish (the king is obviously a bust of either Dáin and/or Théoden).

P.S. The setting with the Dwarves could also be Aglarond (possibly after being "upgraded" by them). And the dragon in the first pic really looks quite Tolkien-esque in some way - maybe it's Chrysophylax? Although it has slightly more "evil" expression.
__________________
"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories
Legate of Amon Lanc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2011, 06:43 PM   #5
Galadriel55
Blossom of Dwimordene
 
Galadriel55's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: The realm of forgotten words
Posts: 10,294
Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc View Post
Also the other set of pictures you posted - the reliefs - look very Dwarvish
I thought exactly the same when I saw them!

I could see the dragon as Smaug... or maybe a decoration for the Green Dragon

The salt chandeliers are definitely from Moria. That's how they kept it alight!
__________________
You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera
Galadriel55 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2011, 07:16 PM   #6
Bęthberry
Cryptic Aura
 
Bęthberry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 6,158
Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.Bęthberry is wading through snowdrifts on Redhorn.
I'm glad you both like the pictures, Gal55 and Legate. They are such a testament to the human desire for beauty.

Legate, if you ever do visit the site, please give us a report. It would be really interesting to hear what it means to experience the mine.
__________________
I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.
Bęthberry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2011, 04:49 AM   #7
Legate of Amon Lanc
A Voice That Gainsayeth
 
Legate of Amon Lanc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In that far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 7,606
Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.Legate of Amon Lanc is spying on the Black Gate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galadriel55 View Post
I thought exactly the same when I saw them!

I could see the dragon as Smaug... or maybe a decoration for the Green Dragon

The salt chandeliers are definitely from Moria. That's how they kept it alight!
Yes, the chandeliers I probably like the most of all. They are definitely something a Dwarf-hold (whichever of them) is equipped with. And the dragon really could be a decoration for the inn.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bęthberry View Post
Legate, if you ever do visit the site, please give us a report. It would be really interesting to hear what it means to experience the mine.
Of course I would! And, I mean, it isn't that far for me, so if I sometime want to make an interesting trip...
__________________
"Should the story say 'he ate bread,' the dramatic producer can only show 'a piece of bread' according to his taste or fancy, but the hearer of the story will think of bread in general and picture it in some form of his own." -On Fairy-Stories
Legate of Amon Lanc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2011, 04:59 AM   #8
Lalaith
Blithe Spirit
 
Lalaith's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,876
Lalaith is a guest at the Prancing Pony.Lalaith is a guest at the Prancing Pony.
These pictures brought back a lot of memories, for I visited this mine back in the early 90s. It was a most strange and beautiful place: I remember a lovely tableau - all out of salt - of the marriage of a Hungarian princess to a Polish king.
And yes, when I walked through the tunnels of rock which opened up into great, brightly-lit halls, I remember thinking "Moria."
__________________
Out went the candle, and we were left darkling
Lalaith is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:24 PM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.