Father Christmas Letters: 1940 - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Estelyn Telcontar · 01-05-2012, 07:10 AM

Here there be penguins! Not at the North Pole, you say?! Yes, it's possible. Tolkien drew a delightful picture of the North Polar Bear dancing with four penguins, and the letter to Priscilla explains how they came to be there. Nearly 50 came as "evacuees", not to escape the war but to experience it. Of course the real World War II is not raging at the North Pole (though it affects FC and his friends - people who have lost their homes are mentioned), but the rumours of goblin fighting had reached the South Pole.

I wish I had been able to find an image of this picture - it's basically a simple line drawing, almost cartoonish, yet quite charming and evocative. NPB is shown with more "normal" polar bear proportions: shorter, wider and fluffier.

For those of you who have the "Artist and Illustrator" book, you can look up the picture there - image number 70 (page 76).

01-05-2012, 07:10 AM	#1
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Father Christmas Letters: 1940 Here there be penguins! Not at the North Pole, you say?! Yes, it's possible. Tolkien drew a delightful picture of the North Polar Bear dancing with four penguins, and the letter to Priscilla explains how they came to be there. Nearly 50 came as "evacuees", not to escape the war but to experience it. Of course the real World War II is not raging at the North Pole (though it affects FC and his friends - people who have lost their homes are mentioned), but the rumours of goblin fighting had reached the South Pole. I wish I had been able to find an image of this picture - it's basically a simple line drawing, almost cartoonish, yet quite charming and evocative. NPB is shown with more "normal" polar bear proportions: shorter, wider and fluffier. For those of you who have the "Artist and Illustrator" book, you can look up the picture there - image number 70 (page 76). __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'