The word “paradise” originates in Persian, meaning “an enclosed garden.” I gave this set to a couple living on the Welsh-English border who hosted me during a conference in 2011. There is an interesting connection between my design and the Númenor-Atlantis illustration above the fireplace, even though this was my first visit to their home. Being told that my host’s other Tolkien illustrations were inspired by Persian art, I began delving into Persian history for the concept of the Returning King. In those days I was hilariously unhappy with finding dual or opposite meanings in the same symbol, before I understood what such paired inversions were communicating to an ancient audience.