Q: Were There Guilds in Middle-earth?
ANSWER: Readers who ask if there were guilds in Middle-earth are most often thinking of the collective societies of tradesmen and specialists that rose up across Europe in the Middle Ages. These guilds were chartered and often played active roles in the governance of the cities where they were formed. Guilds became so powerful that, much like trade unions, they acquired collective bargaining and representative powers which allowed them to establish and maintain standards of quality, training, and performance.
There are no explicit references to any such guilds in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth but some readers, intimately familiar with the history of professional societies, have pointed out similarities between the small number of special societies that Tolkien names and guilds or collegia. A collegium was a Roman society of self-recognized colleagues who shared special skills and/or knowledge. The modern word college developed its strict academic association after the rise of universities in the Middle Ages.
There are, to the best of my knowledge, six named societies in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books:
The Maidens of Yavanna (in Quenya named the Yavannildi or in Sindarin the Ivonwin) were the leading women among each group of Eldar who were given special charge of the “white corn” that was used to make lembas. The leader of the Maidens, whether Queen or humble Elf-wife, was called Massanie (in Quenya) or Besain (in Sindarin), which meant “lady” or “bread-giver”. Galadriel bestowed the gift of lembas upon the members of the Fellowship of the Ring to sustain them in their journey.
The Gwaith-i-Mirdain are the only special group named in The Silmarillion. These specialists were the Ring-makers of the Noldor who lived in Eregion in the Second Age. Celebrimbor was their leader.
The Guild of Weapon-smiths is named in the essay on Numenor that Christopher Tolkien published in Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth. The text implies that this special guild existed from the very founding of Numenor, as its early purpose was to preserve the craft of making weapons (especially swords).
The Guild of Venturers or Venturers Guild was an exploratory society founded by Aldarion while he was still King’s Heir in Numenor. They may have been nothing more than a seaman’s guild or organization, although Aldarion was their first leader. They had a Guildhouse on Aldarion’s ship Eämbar. According to a note the Guild of Venturers was founded in Second Age year 750 (the same year in which Eregion was founded). At some point the Guild of Venturers fell out of favor with the Kings of Numenor; a note says that Eämbar was confiscated and moved from Tol Uinen in the Bay of Romenna to Andúnië, where the ship was lost with all its records in the Downfall of Numenor.
The Lambengolmor or “Masters of (spoken) Tongues” are named in “The Lhammas”, a pre-Lord of the Rings work that discusses the philological history of the Elvish language. Pengolod, never a character in any published story, became most closely associated with the Lambengolmor in the notes and essays that pertain to Elvish linguistics. The society was founded by Fëanor in Valinor. Another member was Rúmil of Tirion. According to one note, Pengolod (who was born in Beleriand) was the last member of the society to leave Middle-earth, sailing over Sea after the War of the Elves and Sauron.
The White Council might not seem like a special society or guild but it was composed mostly of the Elven-wise, who were lords of the Eldar; and they were also the chief loremasters of the Eldar, preserving much ancient knowledge and writing the most important books.
In addition to these named groups we might add a few other groups which, though not said to comprise guilds or societies may have served similar purposes.
The Healers of Gondor and Rohan, also referred to by the Old English name of leeches (which meant “physician”), seem to have been accorded a special status. In Minas Tirith they had the Houses of Healing.
The Lampwrights of Minas Tirith (and probably other cities) had their own street. Like many craftsmen of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as across Medieval Europe, the masters of the craft probably stayed close together in the city to share resources. The merchants who supplied them with raw materials would have found it easier to make deliveries.
The Stonewrights of Erebor were apparently responsible for building roads, fountains, houses, and other structures. Gloin tells Frodo of their works in Dale and Erebor when they dine together at Rivendell, and Gimli specifically mentions to Legolas that he will offer the service of stonewrights to Aragorn to rebuild Minas Tirith. Stonewrights were probably the same group as the masons mentioned in Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth.
The Toywrights are never mentioned by this name or any other but the toy market of Dale clearly implies there is a group of craftsmen who specialize in making toys for which the city is famous.
Shipwrights would have been found in Lindon (at the Grey Havens, where Cirdan and his people built ships), in Gondor (at least in Pelargir but possibly other cities), and in Lake-town/Esgaroth, although perhaps the latter would have been called boatwrights. A single craftsman would not be able to make these great water vessels alone, so they must have worked together in groups.
Smiths — also called “wrights” — would have made all things of metal. Blacksmiths may have comprised only one type of smith. Historically the blacksmiths of Europe worked with heavy metals, whereas whitesmiths worked with precious metals. In smaller communities the smiths probably worked alone but in larger towns and cities they might have shared resources and training, assisting in larger projects. Other specialized groups included armourers (such as would have made all the chain-mail and helms mentioned throughout the story) and (by implication because spurs are mentioned) spurriers.
Professions that Tolkien mentioned which may or may not have required collaborative efforts include ropers, cartwrights, minstrels (and/or loremasters), and woodwrights. Of course, there must have been many other professions. Whether they had streets or guild-houses or special societies is anyone’s guess. Tolkien was vague about such details because they were not necessary for his tale-telling and because he wanted to leave many things to the imaginations of his readers.
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