Sirielle Art - Portfolio of Karolina Węgrzyn

Mountains of Araman | 2018

Quenta Silmarillion
The History of the Silmarils

Events from the Quenta Silmarillion in chronological order, mostly.

The Age of Stars

The Eldar, the Elves of the Great Journey: the Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri march West to the Undying Lands.

Ingwë and the Vanyar during the Great March West | 2024

Leaving mortal shores (Painter 2008 / Photoshop 2022)

Olwë on the shore of Beleriand looking across the sea towards the Undying Lands. Soon he will lead his people West, leaving his lost brother behind:

"Two lords they had, for their numbers were very great: Elwë Singollo, which signifies Greymantle, and Olwë his brother. The hair of Olwë was long and white, and his eyes were blue; but the hair of Elwë was grey as silver, and his eyes were as stars; he was the tallest of all the Elven-folk."

- J. R. R. Tolkien, Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion: "Of the Coming of the Elves"

Test of the colors in the world before the Sun and the Moon | 2024

Fëanor with Silmarili (Silmarils) | 2013

"Then Fëanor swore a terrible oath. His seven sons leapt straightway to his side and took the selfsame vow together, and red as blood shone their drawn swords in the glare of the torches."

– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 9: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"

Fëanor leading Noldor out of Tirion | 2010

A foreshadowing: Maedhros and Fëanor, son and father portraits morphing with Maedhros in flames. Fëanor from the moment when he led the Noldor out of Tirion in Valinor, and Maedhros in flames leading an army at the "Let the Havens Burn" illustration, which takes place in Middle-earth much later in time. Both moments lead to tragic events in the history of the Elves.
(The portraits of Fëanor and of Maedhros have been done from the same sketch, thus the similarity.)

Losgar | 2009

Animation inspired by the burning of the ships - Fëanor betrayed his half-brother Fingolfin by stealing all their ships and leaving him and his followers behind.

"The ships were anchored off the shore (...) In the night Fëanor, filled with malice, aroused Curufin, and with him and a few of those most close to Fëanor in obedience he went to the ships and set them all aflame; and the dark sky was red as with a terrible dawn."

- "The Shibboleth of Fëanor", The History of Middle-earth vol. XII

First done manually in Painter 9.5 in January 2009, re-edited and updated with video editing software in December 2009 (updated February 2023).

Maedhros addresses his father and brother in Quenya: "Atar" means "father", while "Atarinkë" - "Little Father" - is another name of Curufin.

"Lost in Helcaraxë" | Photoshop, 2014

"Then Fingolfin seeing that Fëanor had left him to perish in Araman or return in shame to Valinor was filled with bitterness; but he desired now as never before to come by some way to Middle-earth, and meet Fëanor again. (...) and finding no other way they endured at last the terror of the Helcaraxë and the cruel hills of ice. Few of the deeds of the Noldor thereafter surpassed that desperate crossing in hardihood or woe."

– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 9: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"

Lost in the labyrinth of ice | 2012/2015

Still images and stop motion animation based on the "Lost in Helcaraxë" illustration.

The Age of Sun

Morgoth with stolen Silmarils concept | Photoshop, 2010

"Dark now fell the shadow on Beleriand, as is told hereafter, but in Angband Morgoth forged for himself a great crown of iron, and he called himself King of the World. In token of this he set the Silmarils in his crown."

– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 9: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"

"On the way to Thangorodrim" | Photoshop, 2016

Findekáno (Fingon) in the Iron Mountains, searching for an entry into Angband.

"Therefore he dared a deed which is justly renowned among the feats of the princes of the Noldor: alone, and without the counsel of any, he set forth in search of Maedhros; and aided by the very darkness that Morgoth had made he came unseen into the fastness of his foes. High upon the shoulders of Thangorodrim he climbed, and looked in despair upon the desolation of the land; but no passage or crevice could he find through which he might come within Morgoth's stronghold"

– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion, Chapter 13: "Of the Return of the Noldor"

The First Snow | Painter 2008

Maedhros healing after Thangorodrim.

"Snowflakes were lazily drifting before his eyes. He wanted to reach out, to catch them, to hold them in his hand, but... He had only one hand. The attempts to hold his shawl with the stump nearly ended with the garment falling. All he could do was to reach out with the stump or...

Put his face towards it, as towards the Sun"

From "The First Snow", inspired by The Silmarillion. The whole text available at The Silmarillion Writers' Guild

Lúthien Tinúviel | 2013

Celegorm son of Fëanor (dark haired version) | Painter 2009

Defenders of Gondolin | Photoshop 2022

The Fall of Gondolin: Tuor, Ecthelion & Glorfindel

Glorfindel of the Golden Flower wore a green mantle embroidered in threads of gold and armor damascened with gold.

Ecthelion of the Fountain was clad in armor overlaid with silver and had a shining helmet adorned with a spike of steel pointed with a diamond and a shield shimmering with a studs of crystal.

Tuor of the Wing wore armor overlaid with silver and had helmet adorned with two swan-wings built of metal and jewels. A white swan’s wing on blue field, his houses device, was wrought on his shield. Instead of a sword he prefered to wield a great battle axe named Dramborleg.

Two ideas for Glorfindel's armor "damascened with cunning gold": plate cuirass (above) and scales:

The scale armor variant (Photoshop, 2022), done for "Aiglos" #25

Armor color WiP (Photoshop, 2023)

The XII Houses of Gondolin in the Maps gallery

"Let the Havens Burn" 2008/2010

Maedhros arriving at the Havens of Sirion

"Now when first the tidings came to Maedhros that Elwing yet lived, and dwelt in possession of the Silmaril by the mouths of Sirion, he repenting of the deeds in Doriath withheld his hand. But in time the knowledge of their oath unfulfilled returned to torment him and his brothers (...) And so there came to pass the last and cruellest of the slayings of Elf by Elf; and that was the third of the great wrongs achieved by the accursed oath."

– J.R.R. Tolkien,The Silmarillion, Chapter 24: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"

The Second Age of Sun

Gil-galad the "Scion of Kings" | 2019

Colored version of the "Scion of Kings" with Gil-galad as son of Fingon at the top (after The Silmarillion) and the son of Orodreth in the bottom (after "The History of Middle-earth" vol. XII). Originally b&w illustration to a polemics on Gil-galad's parentage in the 20th jubilee issue of the Polish almanac "Aiglos". Heraldry in the back represents the fathers, while the emblem on the shield is Gil-galad's own. Gil-galad's epessë Ereinion means "Scion of Kings", thus the title - he is is literally a scion of kings by the unsolved parentage question and by the given honorific title. Painter & Photoshop 2015/2019.

Parentage of Gil-galad with family tree diagrams | 2024

Gil-galad as King of Diamonds

Celebrimbor

Celebrimbor | Photoshop 2024

Celebrimbor experimenting with rings of power. Not the rings of power, yet, but clearly involving the light of Eärendil. Gwaith-i-Mírdain, Eregion, II Age of Arda. Inspired by LotR & The Silmarillion.

Tar-Míriel

Tar-Míriel, known as Ar-Zimraphel, the last queen of Númenor.
A character from Akallabêth / The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien.

(Traditional media on paper, 2020)

Tolkien Fandom

Tolkien Fandom - Tolk Folk | Photoshop, 2020

Updated version of the 2011 illustration for 10th Anniversary of Hobbiton Forum, focused on the Tolk Folk convention representation at the forum, with - depending on your interpretation - Tolk Folk cosplayers or real characters from Arda gathered around a bonfire.
Hobbiton is the oldest J.R.R. Tolkien fans forum in Poland.

Tolkien Fandom animation to songs by DTH, a musical project connected both to the Hobbiton forum and the Tolk Folk convention. With excerpts from music by Glass Hammer and Howard Shore, details in description at YT. Art based on 10th anniversary of the Hobbiton forum, repainted in 2020 and animated in 2022 for 20th anniversary of the forum.

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