Maps of the Fantasy Realms
The Hobbit is the story of a journey and “the one thing you need if you are setting out on a journey... is a map” (Sibley 28). In The Hobbit, Gandalf gives Thorin his grandfather’s map of the Lonely Mountain (Sibley 12). The map had secret moon-runes that revealed location of a secret door into the mountain which lead to the eventual defeat of Smaug the dragon (Sibley 13). Tolkien not only used maps as a plot device, he included maps in the books. This concept is not unique to Tolkien.
In the fantasy genre, some authors choose to include maps of the world in which their story takes place. These maps serve to add a layer of reality to the world. In journey stories, they also allow the reader to follow the protagonist's journey visually. These maps are a relatively new addition to the fantasy genre but some of the most popular fantasy books of the twentieth century have included maps. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit both featured maps that were exemplary of the style and purpose of maps in fantasy books.
The purpose of a map in a book differs from the purpose of real world maps. The purpose of the majority of maps in the real world is navigation (Kraak 48). But the purpose of maps in fantasy novels is to “give concreteness to a wholly imagined world” (Brogan 151). While at first these two purposes seem to contradict each other, the way that maps aid in visualization of the layout of the world crosses the real world-imaginary world mapping boundaries. Maps make spatial data accessible in a visual representation (Kraak 41). In a fantasy novel, there is spatial information about the world that the novel takes place in, and a map can help the reader visualize that information.
Maps in books have only become a possibility relatively recently. During the Victorian Era it became economically feasible to print images, like maps, in books (Brogan 150). The fantasy genre was a perfect place to put maps because fantasy novels introduce the reader to an unknown world. Maps and illustrations aid in familiarizing the reader with that unknown world. One of the first books to include a map was Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (Brogan 150). Since then, many books have included maps, for example, The Wizard of Oz series, Winnie the Pooh, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings (Brogan 150). These maps had a distinct style that stems from their presence in books.
There are size and color limitations when maps are included in books. When maps are scaled down not all of the information can be displayed (Kraak 42). Small scale maps can show the whole region at once but they have to leave out some of the smaller places and names (Sibley 48). When maps are put in books they have to be very small to fit into the dimensions of the pages. In The Hobbit, the maps were originally printed in black and red rather than in full color (Sibley 14). This was much more affordable to print. The maps in The Hobbit also included runes which gave them an authentic look (Sibley 13).
Maps in books have only become a possibility relatively recently. During the Victorian Era it became economically feasible to print images, like maps, in books (Brogan 150). The fantasy genre was a perfect place to put maps because fantasy novels introduce the reader to an unknown world. Maps and illustrations aid in familiarizing the reader with that unknown world. One of the first books to include a map was Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (Brogan 150). Since then, many books have included maps, for example, The Wizard of Oz series, Winnie the Pooh, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings (Brogan 150). These maps had a distinct style that stems from their presence in books.
There are size and color limitations when maps are included in books. When maps are scaled down not all of the information can be displayed (Kraak 42). Small scale maps can show the whole region at once but they have to leave out some of the smaller places and names (Sibley 48). When maps are put in books they have to be very small to fit into the dimensions of the pages. In The Hobbit, the maps were originally printed in black and red rather than in full color (Sibley 14). This was much more affordable to print. The maps in The Hobbit also included runes which gave them an authentic look (Sibley 13).
Karen Wynn Fonstad’s maps of Middle-Earth were drawn in a “pictorial style”. When maps are drawn in this way they can’t show every hill or tree, “only a general impression” (Fonstad xi). For example, the mountains are represented as little drawings of mountains; the other kinds of terrain are also represented using small illustrations. The maps in The Lord of the Rings also were created with pictorial representations of the terrain, were printed in black and red, and were drawn with strong lines (which print well) (Sibley 7).
In my maps, I was not limited by space, printing or color. I did use some of the features that came from the printing limitations but I also did things that were not done in books, like thematic maps and color. I used strong inked lines to draw the landforms, similar to the maps in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and in other maps in fantasy books. I, however, used color, because I could, and because it added interesting detail to the map. For example, I colored Mordor gray to show the volcanic ash that covers the ground in Mordor.
In my maps, I was not limited by space, printing or color. I did use some of the features that came from the printing limitations but I also did things that were not done in books, like thematic maps and color. I used strong inked lines to draw the landforms, similar to the maps in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and in other maps in fantasy books. I, however, used color, because I could, and because it added interesting detail to the map. For example, I colored Mordor gray to show the volcanic ash that covers the ground in Mordor.
Most maps in fantasy novels are topographic, that means that they only show the landforms. One of my maps is topographic, but the rest are thematic, meaning that they layer the occurrence of a phenomenon over a topographic map. I drew a topographic map Middle-Earth and then I layered things like journeys, or events over the original map. While topographic maps are presented with a book are useful, I wanted my maps to be informative on their own. That is why I put information from the books, beyond the locations, on the maps
Tolkien thought that maps were incredibly important to his novels. Tolkien first showed his skill at mapmaking by mapping the enemy trenches in the Battle of the Somme, during World War 1 (Sibley 5). This real world map was just a precursor to the maps that he created for his novels. When The Hobbit was first shown to the publisher George Allen and Unwin, the Thror’s map was included in the manuscript (Sibley 14).
Tolkien thought that maps were incredibly important to his novels. Tolkien first showed his skill at mapmaking by mapping the enemy trenches in the Battle of the Somme, during World War 1 (Sibley 5). This real world map was just a precursor to the maps that he created for his novels. When The Hobbit was first shown to the publisher George Allen and Unwin, the Thror’s map was included in the manuscript (Sibley 14).
At first there were suppose to be five maps, that Tolkien would draw, tracing Bilbo’s journey drawn with multiple colors. The publishers decided that printing with that many colors, they said that he could print two maps as endpapers in two colors and they requested that he re-draw and re-letter the maps so that they would print better (Hammond 91). Tolkien decided that he would only include two maps, one of the Wilderland and also Thror’s map of the Lonely Mountain (Sibley 6). Tolkien drew several versions of Thor’s map. He had wanted to place it in chapter one or three, were it came up in the story. He had also wanted to print the moon-runes on the back of the next page so that when the page was held up to the light the runes could be read through the page. The publishers rejected this idea as too costly and insisted that it be printed as a endpaper (Hammond 92-4).
The world of Middle-Earth was expanded beyond the Wilderland in The Lord of the Rings (Sibley 6). Tolkien’s first detailed map of Middle-Earth was edited, changed and expanded as the story of Middle-Earth was written (Sibley 6). Tolkien had serious difficulty creating maps for The Lord of the Rings within the parameters that would make it possible to put it in the books and include all of the things that Tolkien felt were important (Sibley 7). Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien, drew the final maps that were published in the The Lord of the Rings (Sibley 7).
Tolkien’s maps are an interesting and extensive example of maps in fantasy books. They fit stylistically and the history of the maps’ creations illustrate the limitations caused by printing in books. But most importantly, the maps allow the reader to follow the journey in a visual format. Journeys are key story-lines in fantasy novels. But most importantly, the maps inspire the imagination, or at least they inspired mine.
The world of Middle-Earth was expanded beyond the Wilderland in The Lord of the Rings (Sibley 6). Tolkien’s first detailed map of Middle-Earth was edited, changed and expanded as the story of Middle-Earth was written (Sibley 6). Tolkien had serious difficulty creating maps for The Lord of the Rings within the parameters that would make it possible to put it in the books and include all of the things that Tolkien felt were important (Sibley 7). Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien, drew the final maps that were published in the The Lord of the Rings (Sibley 7).
Tolkien’s maps are an interesting and extensive example of maps in fantasy books. They fit stylistically and the history of the maps’ creations illustrate the limitations caused by printing in books. But most importantly, the maps allow the reader to follow the journey in a visual format. Journeys are key story-lines in fantasy novels. But most importantly, the maps inspire the imagination, or at least they inspired mine.
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