Admin Post: March 2018 Challenge: Middle-earth Museum

[dawn_felagund]

In the Germanic tradition he admired, Tolkien gave us many named objects in his stories: knives, helmets, lamps, jewelry, and--of course--swords. However, much more ordinary, nameless objects also existed, and imagining what these looked like, how they were used, and how they differed among cultures is something many fanworks creators delight in doing. This month's challenge asks you to stroll the halls of an imaginary Middle-earth Museum and choose one (or more!) objects to inspire the creation of a fanwork.

Lists of the objects can be found below. You can select the object you want to use. More than one participant can select the same object, and you can select multiple objects if you want. You can use the name, the linked image, or both, and you can use the object in any way you want to inspire your fanwork.

Fanworks for this challenge will be due on April 10, 2018 in order to receive a stamp. As always, we recognize the March and April are busy months for Tolkien-themed challenges, and we encourage you to combine our challenge with Back to Middle-earth Month, Feanorian Week, and Legendarium Ladies April.

Feel free to comment with the objects you will be using, if you want to (this is not required).

If you're new to our challenges, find the SWG challenge guidelines here.

And last but definitely not least, I want to show my huge appreciation for Lyra (oloriel), who not only does 95% of the beautiful stamps each month but found all of the objects for this month's challenge. Thank you, Lyra, for all that you do to make these challenges a success!

Clothing

• Fortuny silk caftan (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Gucci dress (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Cape (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Tunic with Dionysian Ornament (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Pocket (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Haute couture white gown (Givenchy)


• Abaya style suit (Utsav Fashion)


• Enamel & gilt wedding belt (Michael Backman Ltd.)


• Wedding outfit (Tarun Tahiliani)


• Wealthy Viking (National Museums Scotland)


• Viking trader ensemble (VendelRus)


• Salmon skin boots (CNN Travel/ Shiraoi Ainu Museum)

Arms and armour

• Leaf decor dagger (Czerny’s)


• Sickle sword (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Suit of Armour (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Shield (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Short sword (Yataghan) (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Bow (British Museum)


• Sawfish sword (Martel Maides Auctions)


• Ngulu sword (Cleveland Museum of Art)


• Tibetan short sword (Hermann Historica)


• Corinthian helmet (Phoenix Ancient Art)


• Armour of a heavy cavalryman (Royal Armouries, Leeds)


• chainmail shirt and trousers (Czerny’s International Auction House)


• spear of Oromë (Cedarlore Forge)


• axe (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Jewellery

• Ear ornament (winged runner) (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Headdress


• Sapphire ring (University of York)


• Circlets (Abigail Adam)


• polar bear claw necklace (SkullStore.ca)


• Pectoral ornament (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Musical instruments

• Pipa (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Sgra-Snyan (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
  
• Guqin (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Guitar (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Transverse flute (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Shô (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Walking stick flute/oboe (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Furniture

• Chest (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Screen (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Side Chair (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Wardrobe (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Low table (Asian Art Museum)


• Armchair (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Round end table (Paulus Fine Furniture)


• Sideboard with mirror (Terry Bostwick Studio)


• Mahogany bed (The Harp Gallery)


• Cobbler chair (The Harp Gallery)

Household Objects

• Ibex Amphora (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Glass garland bowl (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• bowl with wheel-cut facets (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Oil lamp (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Ukidama lamps (Cheeky Tiki and Blue Blue)


• Mirror (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Water basin (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Warming pan (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Tiffany Inkwell (Tiffany Studios/ MFA Boston)


• Tiles (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Basket (Asian Art Museum)

Sculpture

• Gold Horus (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Yuny and his wife Renenutet (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Seated Female (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Veiled and masked Dancer (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Marble seated harp player (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Horse with bridle (Asian Art Museum)

Toys

• Paddle doll (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Wood doll with silk dress (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Cart and driver (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Model sporting boat (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Tools

• Small harpoon (British Museum)


• Long harpoon (British Museum)


• Loom (Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum)


• Sickle (DeWit)

Transportation

• Bronze chariot (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Royal Whip and Goad (Metropolitan Museum of Art)


• Saddle (Asian Art Museum)


• Boat (Obihiro Centennial Museum)

Comments

[heartofoshun]

Waaay too many choices! They're making me anxious. I barely got started and my head was spinning and I only made it through a little more than half of the clothing choices! I'll get back to them just for entertainment. But it's sort of like turning me loose in a museum and saying 'Here are your choice!' (I know, I know! Theoretically, one can take as much time as one needs.

Abaya style suit (Utsav Fashion)

The hell with stories! I think I want to get married again so I can buy that suit and wear it. (When else could I wear something that gorgeous!) It looks like something Pande's Mélamírë would wear in her stories set in the East of Middle-earth.

[dawn_felagund]

If you want me to throw a few at you that I think would fit your verse, let me know! I haven't looked at all of them yet either, but every one I click on (even some of the names!) takes my imagination off with it.

The suit is gorgeous! I agree it would be perfect for Mélamírë.

[zdenka]

Oh wow, those images are gorgeous.

[dawn_felagund]

I haven't looked at them all (Lyra did all the prompts on this one) but every one I've looked at has inspired something ... even just the names of some of them.

I have no idea how long it took her to build this list but ... *standing ovation*

[lynndyre]

I'm falling down a rabbit hole of antique furniture augh!

There are so many things here that I want to play with - this is a great challenge. :D

[dawn_felagund]

I agree! (This one was Lyra's idea and all of the prompts are her doing too, so I'm getting the rare pleasure of a challenge I didn't make! :D)

[oloriel]

You still had to do the dirty work of explaining the challenge and making a banner! I just had way too much fun with Tumblr and the Met's search function.

[independence1776]

Ooh. That screen is calling to me, but I'll definitely be browsing the rest of the list first before deciding.

[dawn_felagund]

I haven't even finished look through everything ... but Lyra did a phenomenal job on this one!

[hhimring]

There's some fabulous stuff there! Lyra has done you proud, indeed.
Orome's spear is really impressive as a fanwork.
And for some reason I love that paddle doll especially, although whether it spawns a fic remains to be seen.

[oloriel]

I hadn't actually meant to include anything that had been created specifically with Tolkien's works in mind, but that spear was irresistible. (The circlets too, in a way.)

I do hope the doll - or any other prompt - spawns a fic! :D

[hhimring]

I've begun to think that the doll might be Ancalime's...

The circlets are gorgeous. Clearly, Greek goddesses shop on Etsy!

[oloriel]

That sounds promising!

Everyone seems to shop on Etsy, except for us poor pennyless writers ;)