Mumak

"But wherever the mumakil came there the horses would not go, but blenched and swerved away; and the great monsters were unfought, and stood like towers of defence, and the Haradrim rallied about them."

-- The Return of the King, Chapter 6: The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

My attempt at one of the Mumakil. Tolkien does not remark on them being armored, except in their own nigh impenetrable hide, though the one Sam encounters in Ithilien is said to have "trappings of scarlet and gold," so just as a way of changing things up (and an excuse to draw from those magnificently ornate mughal elephant armors) I wanted to draw one heavily draped in huge sheets of mail, scale, and woven fabrics, almost skirting the ground (which is, I think, smarter than leaving the underbelly of this huge creature that obviously took an enormous amount of time and resources to train and feed exposed, no matter how thick skinned they are) the howdah on his back is drawn from simpler persian and carthaginian designs; just a walled platform big enough for about nine or ten.

I'm really fond of the idea that each individual Mumak functions almost like a warship, with it's own mahout, it's own small crew of archers and javelin throwers (probably lead by a great champion) and, importantly, it's own decorations, trophies, and "history" (like the way the crewmen of the "HMS Surprise" in the master and commander books have names for the cannons), I was thinking the shields that flank the walls of the howdah are prizes from defeated enemies.

I picture the mahout, rather than the musclebound, goth punk-looking dudes in the movie, to be smaller than the warriors in the perch, and un armored (almost completely naked infact, an odd tendency of real mahouts, even often enough in wartime) placing the emphasis instead on the close, even spiritual bond of trust between him and his mumak (also true of real mahouts and their elephants, according to tradition) it doesnt seem especially practical does it, having this gigantic armored monster and the only one who can drive it is sitting up there, bare torso exposed to arrows? I put up one sheild for him, and I'd think he'd have one on the opposite side aswell, that way the only place you might get a shot at him is from straight on, which, if you find yourself there, you'll wish you hadnt.

Part of my Weekly Tolkien Sketchblog

P.S. He doesnt have two trunks, I just couldnt decide which position i liked better