Namárië, Christopher Tolkien

"As strange as it may seem, I grew up in the
world he (my father) created.
For me, the cities of The Silmarillion
are more real than Babylon."

RIP Christopher Tolkien. Namárië, as the Noldor might say ("farewell" in Quenya, though the word can be analyzed as na + márië, being a blessing and meaning literally "to goodness.")
 
We owe this man so much: The Silmarillion, The Book of Unfinished Tales, Beren And Lúthien, and much else, all of which amount to releasing to the world the vast and vastly complex history of Middle-earth of which The Lord of the Rings is only the tip of the iceberg. Though I did not not agree with him on everything, namely his disparagement of Peter Jackson's LOTR movies, Christopher Tolkien embodied the selfless drive and unrelenting moral dignity that is the heart of his father's work. Imagine dedicating your life to another's work, and to protecting others – for as his father served in the trenches of World War I, Christopher Tolkien served in the Royal Air Force in World War II. He will be missed, for all the above reasons and for his steady presence at the vanguard of all things Middle-earth.

The Guardian: “Christopher Tolkien has died at the age of 95. The Tolkien Society sends its deepest condolences to Baillie, Simon, Adam, Rachel and the whole Tolkien family. Tolkien, who was born in Leeds in 1924, was the third and youngest son of the revered fantasy author and his wife Edith. He grew up listening to his fathers tales of Bilbo Baggins, which later became the children’s fantasy novel, The Hobbit. He drew many of the original maps detailing the world of Middle Earth for his father’s The Lord of the Rings when the series was first published between 1954 and 55. He also edited much of his father’s posthumously published work following his death in 1973. Since 1975 he had lived in France with Baillie."

Namárië, and rest well in the Halls of Mandos.