Lord of the Rings
Costume Designs

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Wizards:

" Five Wizards (Istari) appeared in Middle-earth around the year 1100 of the Third Age. They were believed to be sent by the Valar to give limited aid to the inhabitants of Middle-earth" (Hardy 58).

Wizards:

The Istari that appeared in Middle-earth were meant as guides. Benevolent, wise and full of counsel for the other inhabitants of the planet--this is how they are seen by others. Yet, this is a vision that Saruman gives up once he sets his sights on the Ring. With this obsession, he is untrue to his Order.

Elves:

" The elves are the oldest race in Middle-earth. They are not subject to death through aging, though they can be killed or may choose to accept human mortality by marrying one of humankind. They are noble, grateful figures (not diminutive as in our later traditions) with remarkable capacities for sight and hearing and a deep love for nature, especially trees" (Hardy 10). Legolas of Mirkwood, Elrond of Rivendail, Galandriel of Lothlorien

Ringwraiths:

Ringwraiths, a.k.a. The Nazgul are: "nine beings, slaves of the Nine Rings and the chief servants of Sauron. Originally Men, three of them Black Numenoreans, the Nazgul were each given one of the Nine Rings by Sauron in the Second Age and, being desirous of power, were easily corrupted."

"As with others corrupted by the Rings, they were invisible to normal eyes, and could be seen only by their black clothing" (Foster 360).

Mankind:

Dunedain, Gondor, Mark

"In most ways Men were inferior to Elves. They were subject to aging and disease, less resistant to the extremes of nature, less perceptive of the minds of others and the messages of the Vlar, blind to the future, and less skilled in lore and crafts. Yet Men have unquenchable ambition, and they have the ultimate freedom of the Gift of Men. In the End, they may approach Iluvatar and dwell with him."

Uruk-Hai:

"Strain of Orcs bred by Sauron . . . The Uruk-hai were used as soldiers more than other strains, because, unlike other Orcs, they were almost as tall as Men, had straight, strong legs, and did not weaken in sunlight. Uruks were black and slanty-eyed" (Foster 512).

Dwarves:

"Intended by Aule to endure the power of Melkor, Dwarves were short (four and a half to five fee tall), stocky, strong, resistant to fire, and hardier than any other race. Unswerving and proud, Dwarves could not be dominated by evil and never forgot a wrong or a debt" (Foster 129).

Orcs:

"Orcs were bred in mockery of Elves, and like Elvers, they were fierce warriors and did not die naturally. However, in all else they were different. Although Orcs varied from tribe to trive, they tended to be short, squat, and bow-legged, with long arms, dark faces, squinty eys and long faces" (Foster 388).

Hobbits:

Buckland, Bree, and Shire

Hobbits "although comfort-loving, provincial, and distrustful of the outside world, were in times of danger courageous, skillful, and releatively undaunted by great terrors" (Foster 256).

Mankind:

Easterlings

"The Easterlings were short and broad; they were dark of skin, eye, and hair. Their culture was rather primitive" (Foster 135). They were followers of Sauron.

Costume Designer

Ngila Dickson discusses her experiences with the various cultures of Middle-earth.