DOCSLIB.ORG

Fate, Fatalism, and Free Will in the Northern Elegy and JRR Tolkien

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Fate, Fatalism, and Free Will in the Northern Elegy and JRR Tolkien Volume 14 Number 3 Article 11 Spring 3-15-1988 Wyrd and Will: Fate, Fatalism, and Free Will in The Northern Elegy and J.R.R. Tolkien Steven Mark Deyo Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Deyo, Steven Mark (1988) "Wyrd and Will: Fate, Fatalism, and Free Will in The Northern Elegy and J.R.R. Tolkien," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 14 : No. 3 , Article 11. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol14/iss3/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Notes Tolkien’s admiration for the literature and myth of the pagan North. Discusses how the concepts of loyalty to lord, battle-ethic, wyrd and free will appear in Arda, but transmuted by Tolkien’s Christian viewpoint. Additional Keywords Free will and determinism; Military ethics in J.R.R. Tolkien; Norse mythology—Influence on J.R.R. olkienT This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol14/iss3/11 MYTHLORE 53: Spring 1988 P a g e 5 9 Wyrdand Tate, Tatalism and Tree W ill in the Northern Clegy and J. R .R . Tolkien Steven M ark Deyo "Where will wants not, a way opens."1 These Tolkien notes the theme of Northern heroism words of Eowyn summarize a Rohirric view of life: broached in the first words of Beowulf. resourcefulness, resolution, and courage ip.the face of adversity. Tolkien’s playful reformulation of the famil­ Lopbeebum pceal in mae$f>a gehpcepe man iar proverb, "Where there’s a will, there’s a way," is jef>eon put in the mouth of a noble maiden caught up in her Saxonic people’s battle ethic. Like her household war­ [By praiseworthy deeds shall a man thrive among riors mustered to battle the dark forces of would-be many people]7 overlords Sauron and Saruman, Eowyn longs to prove her loyalty by fighting to the death beside her sworn and, in the poem’s last words, elegizing Beowulf lord Theoden. That she wins a battle, but not death himself: and rather love, is only one instance where Tolkien reaffirms the nobility of the Northern war ethic, but He pcepe pypulb cyninga tempers it with a necessarily Christian worldview. manna milbupx onb mon5p«epupx leobum li5opx onb lopjeopnopx. He is right to do so; ours is the reward. In his [He was of earthly kings monumental 1936 essay on Beowulf criticism, "Beowulf. mildest of men and most gentle, The Monsters and the Critics," Tolkien asked: kindest to his people and most eager for praise.] Shall we or shall we not consign the Praise, for the Northern warrior, was a palpable heathen ancestors to perdition?... [What has thing won by generous deeds while living, and by Ingeld to do with Christ?] The author of prowess on the battlefield before death. Beowulf showed forth the permanent value of that pietas which treasures the memory of ppa pceal man bon, |>onne he aex £u|>e gejan man’s struggles in the dark past, man fallen J>ence5 longpumne lop: na ymb hip lip and yet not saved, disgraced but not ceapa8. dethroned.2 [So must a man do, when he thinks to obtain in This thought links perfectly with Tolkien’s con­ was long-lasting praise: he will have no care for his cept of mythopoeia — what I call his "theology of life.] creativity" — the motivation behind his secondary creation and story-spinning: While this ultimate loyalty to the warrior’s liege- lord, this allegiance-to-the-death, may strike a modern ... Although now long estranged, and gentrified civilization such as ours as perhaps Man is not wholly lost nor wholly changed. "hypermacho" or smacking of a "martyr complex," Dis-graced he may be, yet is not de-throned, such were the facts of Germanic civilization, beset by and keeps; the rags of lordship once he owned: dragons and hostile foes. To the Saxon, the lord was ... though we dared to build all. Without a mihtig drihten, a mighty lord to lead the Gods and their houses out of dark and light, defense, a tribe was open to assault and destruction and sowed the seed of dragons — ’twas our right on any number of fronts. AUegiance to one’s sworn (used or misused). That right has not decayed: lord was a safeguard against society’s very elimina­ we still make by the law in which we’re made.3 tion. The firm circle of spears, the stalwart shieldwall of defense, must remain unbroken; else one, then It says in Scripture, and Tolkien would agree, many, then the lord, and finally all will fall. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever [HIncep hleojjpobe, heaf>ojeonj cyninj: is admirable — if anything is excellent or praisewor­ "Me 6ip ne bajaS eapxan, ne hep bpaca ne pleojeS, thy — " (and this includes loyalty, courage and bold­ ne hep 8ippe healle hopnap ne bypnaS; ness in service of one’s good lord, whether fealty ac hep pop]> bepaft (peophgeniiSlan kept by Christian or Northern pagan) "let us think on pypbpeapu puplic.] Fujelap pingafi, these things."4 The songs of the Saxon scops can gyllefc gpceghama: gu8pubu hlynneS, teach us much about heroism, if we will enter the pcylb pcepxe oncpyS. Mu pcyne8 J>ep mona elegies, and let our hearts be "wounded with sweet pa8ol unbep polcnum, nu apipaS peabaeba, words."5 For Tolkien, in his essay "The Monsters and 8e 8ipne polcer ni8 ppemman pilla8. the Critics," cautioned modern-day man regarding Ac onpacnigeao nu, pigenb mine! Beowulf: Habba6 eoppe [h]lenca[n], hicjeaf) on ellen, ]>inba5 on opbe, pepa8 onmobe!" He is a man, and that, for him and many, is sufficient tragedy.... For the mon­ [Hnaef spoke, the warlike young king: sters do not depart, whether the gods go or "Neither is this the eastern dawn, nor here flies a come. A Christian was (and is) still like h is' dragon, fore-fathers, a mortal hemmed in a hostile nor are this hall’s gables flaming; world.6 nay, here approach mortal enemies in ready armor. Birds are crying, The Northern Battle Ethic wolf is yelping; spear clashes, shield answers shaft. As this moon arises MYTHLORE 53: Spring 1988 wandering behind the clouds, so arise woeful rush back to defend their leader, Gandalf, against the deeds, that will end this people’s well-known enmity. Balrog of Moria. Boromir pays his debt to Frodo (for Yea, awaken now, my warriors! trying to take the Ring) by defending the hobbits Grasp your mailcoats, think upon valor, Merry and Pippin to his death. Merry and Eowyn make bear yourselves proudly, be resolute!"] a last stand over Theoden as the Nazgul lord makes his daunting onslaught on the body of the King of the The underlying message of pagan beliefs Rohirrim. And Sam goes berserk — "in the Northern expressed in the above passage from Finn and Heng­ sense"13 — in his rush on Shelob, defending his est, and the succeeding one from The Battle of Mal- fallen master Frodo against the evil creature’s attack. don, is that "Good men die together" while "Cowards flee and die alone." Since death will one day come to But in each of these episodes, especially those in all, it is best to remain loyal to the end, and in The Lord of the Rings, the Northern heroic ethic is battle-prowess win long-lived praise. True, there is subtly changed. Tolkien does not allow Aragorn and something in the Northern ethic which implies, "Let us Boromir to fall in utter and final loyalty at Gandalf’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die"8; but in the lack side. Merry and Eowyn are prepared to die with of greater purpose, the ethic lends nobility and mean­ Theoden, but receive a different victory. And the mis­ ingfulness to the Saxon society and individual. sion of the Ring’s destruction would have failed if Sam had only remained at his master’s side. The meaningfulness of this battle ethic grows all the more intense, the more literally it is understood. For Tolkien, loyalty is ever paramount; but loyalty In The Battle of Maldon, Beorhtwold prepares to die in alone is insufficient. Loyalty is but a steppingstone to a desperate last stand and exhorts his comrades in a duty. In the above instances, loyalty to any one indi­ strong summary of the heroic code: vidual would have courted disaster; Boromir’s fer­ vency for his own people and his own glory nearly Hi£e peed J>e heapbpa heopre J>e cenpe betrayed Frodo’s errand.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Nodal Structure in Tolkien's Tales of the First Age?
    Volume 13 Number 4 Article 16 6-15-1987 A Nodal Structure in Tolkien’s Tales of the First Age? Nils Ivar Agøy Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Agøy, Nils Ivar (1987) "A Nodal Structure in Tolkien’s Tales of the First Age?," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 13 : No. 4 , Article 16. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol13/iss4/16 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Identifies nodes”“ or “stable images,” which persist in “staying more or less the same among endlessly changing plotlines” as Tolkien developed his narratives of the First Age. Additional Keywords Tolkien, J.R.R. The Book of Lost Tales—Motifs; Tolkien, J.R.R.
    [Show full text]
  • TERMS for ​BEOWULF Wyrd
    TERMS FOR BEOWULF ​ Wyrd: a concept in Anglo­Saxon culture roughly corresponding to fate or an individual’s destiny ​ (derived from weorþan, which means “to become.” ​ ​ Comitatus: The bond / contract between the Chieftan/Lord and his vassals. The Lord’s vassals ​ are a band of loyal/noble followers; men who have sworn to defend the Chieftan with their lives in exchange for protection, victory, and spoils. TRADITIONALLY, in this relationship, the vassals promise at least 40 days of military service, money for the Lord’s eldest daughter’s dowry, money if the Lord’s eldest son is knighted, money if the lord goes on a crusade, money for the Lord’s ransom if he is captured, advice if asked. Symbel – a rite of Anglo­Saxon paganism – sometimes referred to as a “drinking rite.” It is a ​ symbolic ritualistic celebration. During this celebration, attendees are seated by order/rank of importance. The ritual begins with a FORESPEECH in which the host welcomes his guests and provides context/reason for the gathering. It is followed by the POURING, which is when the Lady of the house pours mead to the men – in order of rank. She starts by pouring mead into the horn. This act represents the idea of “watering the world tree” and bringing the past to the present. Once the POURING is complete, the FULLS commences. The FULLS is a series of boasts about the three most important gods to the situation at hand. The FULLS is followed by the MINNI, which is a toast to dead ancestors. Next comes the GIFT­GIVING when the host presents important/worthy attendees with gifts to recognize them.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hidden Meaning of the Lord of the Rings the Theological Vision in Tolkien’S Fiction
    LITERATURE The Hidden Meaning of The Lord of the Rings The Theological Vision in Tolkien’s Fiction Joseph Pearce LECTURE GUIDE Learn More www.CatholicCourses.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Lecture Summaries LECTURE 1 Introducing J.R.R. Tolkien: The Man behind the Myth...........................................4 LECTURE 2 True Myth: Tolkien, C.S. Lewis & the Truth of Fiction.............................................8 Feature: The Use of Language in The Lord of the Rings............................................12 LECTURE 3 The Meaning of the Ring: “To Rule Them All, and in the Darkness Bind Them”.......................................14 LECTURE 4 Of Elves & Men: Fighting the Long Defeat.................................................................18 Feature: The Scriptural Basis for Tolkien’s Middle-earth............................................22 LECTURE 5 Seeing Ourselves in the Story: The Hobbits, Boromir, Faramir, & Gollum as Everyman Figures.......... 24 LECTURE 6 Of Wizards & Kings: Frodo, Gandalf & Aragorn as Figures of Christ..... 28 Feature: The Five Races of Middle-earth................................................................................32 LECTURE 7 Beyond the Power of the Ring: The Riddle of Tom Bombadil & Other Neglected Characters....................34 LECTURE 8 Frodo’s Failure: The Triumph of Grace......................................................................... 38 Suggested Reading from Joseph Pearce................................................................................42 2 The Hidden Meaning
    [Show full text]
  • Gandalf: One Wizard to Lead Them, One to Find Them, One to Bring Them And, Despite the Darkness, Unite Them
    Mythmoot III: Ever On Proceedings of the 3rd Mythgard Institute Mythmoot BWI Marriott, Linthicum, Maryland January 10-11, 2015 Gandalf: One Wizard to lead them, one to find them, one to bring them and, despite the darkness, unite them. Alex Gunn Middle Earth is a wonderful but strangely familiar place. The Hobbits, Elves, Men and other peoples who live in caves, forests, mountain ranges and stone cities, are all combined by Tolkien to create a fantasy world which is full of wonder, beauty and magic. However, looking past these fantastical elements, we can see that Middle Earth has many similarities to the society in which we live. The different races of Middle Earth have distinct and deep differences and often keep themselves separate from one another because of mutual distrust or dislike. Due to these divisions, only one person, one who does not belong to any particular race or people, can unite them for the coming war: Gandalf the Wizard who embodies the qualities needed to be an effective leader in our world. As Sue Kim points out in her book Beyond black and White: Race and Postmodernism in Lord of the Rings, Tolkien himself declared that, “the desire to converse with other living things is one of the great allurements of fantasy” (Kim 555). Given this belief, it is no surprise that Tolkien,‘fills his imagined worlds with a plethora of intelligent non human races and exotic ethnicities, all changing over time: Elves, Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, Ents, Trolls, Orcs, Wild Men, talking beasts and embodied spirits’ (Kim 555). This plethora, as Kim puts it, makes Gandalf an important literary tool for Tolkien because to believe that such a varied mix of people, creatures, races and ethnicities live in complete harmony would feel false and perhaps too convenient.
    [Show full text]
  • Boromir's Defense Mechanism in Lord of the Rings
    BRIGHT: A Journal of English Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature Vol. 3 No. 2, 2020 pp. 23-32 E-ISSN: 2599-0322 Boromir’s Defense Mechanism in Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of The Ring Sukma Eka Satya Ginalih [email protected] Universitas Komputer Indonesia Nungki Heriyati [email protected] Universitas Komputer Indonesia ABSTRACT The objective of this research is to analyze Boromir’s defense mechanism and his characterization. This research applies several theory and method which encompasses characterization, psychoanalysis, and defense mechanisms. It is also aims to examine the types of defense mechanism used by the character. Data are collected from scenes of the film, dialogues, gestures, responses and facial expressions of the character. The field of the study are around the scene of the films of which the character appeared. Some limited history are also studied, collected from the film and biography from other sources. The result of the research shows that the character is considered as a representation of psychological state of human being. It shows the way human defend him/herself when facing problem. In the analysis, the character uses several defense mechanisms which is Reaction formation, Denial, and Displacement that made the character resist the tempation to harm his companion and being reckless. Keywords: characterization, psychoanalysis, defense mechanism. INTRODUCTION Lord of The Rings is an epic fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien. As the sequel to the first novel, The Hobbits, Lord of The Rings tells about the journey of Frodo Baggins which is Bilbo’s nephew to vanquish Sauron’s ring.
    [Show full text]
  • TOLKIEN‟S the SILMARILLION: a REEXAMINATION of PROVIDENCE by David C. Powell a Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Dorothy
    TOLKIEN‟S THE SILMARILLION: A REEXAMINATION OF PROVIDENCE by David C. Powell A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida August 2009 Copyright by David C. Powell ii ABSTRACT Author: David C. Powell Title: Tolkien‟s The Silmarillion: A Reexamination of Providence Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Thomas Martin Degree Master of Arts Year 2009 Christian providence in the primary (real) world operates as the model for the spiritual movement of Eru/Illuvatar in Tolkien‟s secondary (imaginative) world. Paralleling the Christian God, Illuvatar maintains a relationship with his creation through a three-fold activity: preservation, concurrence, and government. Preservation affirms Eru‟s sovereignty as Creator, and concurrence guarantees creaturely freedom, while paradoxically, government controls, guides, and determines those wills in Time. The union of these three activities comprises the providential relationship of Illuvatar in Tolkien‟s imaginary world. The following thesis endeavors to carry the argument for providence into The Silmarillion with a declarative and analytical detail that distinguishes Illuvatar‟s providence from other temporal manifestations. Finally, the analysis reveals not only the author‟s authentic orthodox perspective, but Illuvatar‟s role in the imaginative world emerges as a reflection of Tolkien‟s authorial role in the real world. iv TOLKIEN‟S THE SILMARILLION: A REEXAMINATION OF PROVIDENCE ABBREVIATIONS . .vi INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER ONE: PRESERVATION . 7 CHAPTER TWO: CONCURRENCE . 17 CHAPTER THREE: GOVERNMENT . 50 WORKS CITED . 66 NOTES . .71 v ABBREVIATIONS Aspects “Aspects of the Fall in The Silmarillion.” Eric Schweicher.
    [Show full text]
  • Rulesheet-The-Blood-Of-Gondor.Pdf
    TM Difficulty Level = 6 fallen face and sat for a moment. He rose slowly, In a great victory for Gondor, the city of Osgiliath has carefully eying the road and surrounding terrain. No been retaken and the river Anduin is once more under the enemy had been seen since the evening before, a fact Steward’s control. Alongside the Lords Boromir, Faramir, that troubled him. Above, grey clouds pressed close, and Alcaron, the heroes fought bravely to recapture the and a light rain had begun to fall. In the late afternoon ancient city. light, the forest seemed to have lost its color; ashen and sullen it seemed to watch their every movement in the With the defeated forces of orcs and evil men retreating exposed space. eastward, Lord Alcaron had urged Boromir to pursue the scattered enemy. “Don’t let a single one of them return to Then a look of decision crossed Faramir’s face, and foul the Pelennor again!” Alcaron pleaded. “We should he thoughtfully returned to the company. “We’ve taken hunt them. Pursue them until their black bones break on this folly far enough,” he said. “There is an unkind the mountains.” Flush with the confidence of victory change in the forest.” He paused a moment, glancing and swayed by the nobleman’s passion, Boromir agreed into the trees. “The lands so near to the Morgul Valley and asked his brother to take on this endeavor with his have been under His sway for too long. It’s unsafe to rangers. Faramir reluctantly consented. proceed.” Alcaron moved to protest, but Faramir would not abide.
    [Show full text]
  • Tolkien's Unnamed Deity Orchestrating the Lord of the Rings Lisa Hillis This Research Is a Product of the Graduate Program in English at Eastern Illinois University
    Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 1992 Tolkien's Unnamed Deity Orchestrating the Lord of the Rings Lisa Hillis This research is a product of the graduate program in English at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Hillis, Lisa, "Tolkien's Unnamed Deity Orchestrating the Lord of the Rings" (1992). Masters Theses. 2182. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2182 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THESIS REPRODUCTION CERTIFICATE TO: Graduate Degree Candidates who have written formal theses. SUBJECT: Permission to reproduce theses. The University Library is receiving a number of requests from other institutions asking permission to reproduce dissertations for i,\1.clusion in their library holdings. Although no copyright laws are involved, we feel that professional courtesy demands that permission be obtained from the author before we allow theses to be copied. Please sign one of the following statements: Booth Library of Eastern Illinois University has my permission to lend my thesis to a reputable college or university for the purpose of copying it for iqclusion in that institution's library or research holdings. Date I respectfully request Booth Library of Ef\i.stern Illinois University not allow my thes~s be reproduced because --------------- Date Author m Tolkien's Unnamed Deity Orchestrating the Lord of the Rings (TITLE) BY Lisa Hillis THESIS SUBMITIED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DECREE OF Master .of Arts 11': THE GRADUATE SCHOOL.
    [Show full text]
  • Clashing Perspectives of World Order in JRR Tolkien's Middle-Earth
    ABSTRACT Fate, Providence, and Free Will: Clashing Perspectives of World Order in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth Helen Theresa Lasseter Mentor: Ralph C. Wood, Ph.D. Through the medium of a fictional world, Tolkien returns his modern audience to the ancient yet extremely relevant conflict between fate, providence, and the person’s freedom before them. Tolkien’s expression of a providential world order to Middle-earth incorporates the Northern Germanic cultures’ literary depiction of a fated world, while also reflecting the Anglo-Saxon poets’ insight that a single concept, wyrd, could signify both fate and providence. This dissertation asserts that Tolkien, while acknowledging as correct the Northern Germanic conception of humanity’s final powerlessness before the greater strength of wyrd as fate, uses the person’s ultimate weakness before wyrd as the means for the vindication of providence. Tolkien’s unique presentation of world order pays tribute to the pagan view of fate while transforming it into a Catholic understanding of providence. The first section of the dissertation shows how the conflict between fate and providence in The Silmarillion results from the elvish narrator’s perspective on temporal events. Chapter One examines the friction between fate and free will within The Silmarillion and within Tolkien’s Northern sources, specifically the Norse Eddas, the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf, and the Finnish The Kalevala. Chapter Two shows that Tolkien, following Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy, presents Middle-earth’s providential order as including fated elements but still allowing for human freedom. The second section shows how The Lord of the Rings reflects but resolves the conflict in The Silmarillion between fate, providence, and free will.
    [Show full text]
  • Tolkien's Treatment of Dragons in Roverandom and Farmer Giles of Ham
    Volume 34 Number 1 Article 8 10-15-2015 "A Wilderness of Dragons": Tolkien's Treatment of Dragons in Roverandom and Farmer Giles of Ham Romuald I. Lakowski MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Lakowski, Romuald I. (2015) ""A Wilderness of Dragons": Tolkien's Treatment of Dragons in Roverandom and Farmer Giles of Ham," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 34 : No. 1 , Article 8. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol34/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract An exploration of Tolkien’s depictions of dragons in his stories for children, Roverandom and Farmer Giles of Ham. Draws on “On Fairy-stories,” the Beowulf lecture, the Father Christmas letters, and a little-known “Lecture on Dragons” Tolkien gave to an audience of children at the University Museum in Oxford, as well as source Tolkien would have known: Nennius, The Fairy Queene, and so on.
    [Show full text]
  • The Celeblain of Celeborn and Galadriel
    Volume 9 Number 2 Article 5 6-15-1982 The Celeblain of Celeborn and Galadriel Janice Johnson Southern Illinois University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Johnson, Janice (1982) "The Celeblain of Celeborn and Galadriel," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 9 : No. 2 , Article 5. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol9/iss2/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Reviews the history of Galadriel and Celeborn as revealed in unpublished materials as well as The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s Letters, and Unfinished alesT , and examines variations and inconsistencies. Additional Keywords Tolkien, J.R.R.—Characters—Celeborn; Tolkien, J.R.R.—Characters—Galadriel; Patrick Wynne This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R.
    [Show full text]
  • Rędende Iudithše: the Heroic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith
    University of San Diego Digital USD Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses and Dissertations Fall 12-22-2015 Rædende Iudithðe: The eH roic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith Judith Caywood Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/honors_theses Part of the European Languages and Societies Commons, and the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Digital USD Citation Caywood, Judith, "Rædende Iudithðe: The eH roic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith" (2015). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 15. https://digital.sandiego.edu/honors_theses/15 This Undergraduate Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Rædende Iudithðe: The Heroic, Mythological and Christian Elements in the Old English Poem Judith ______________________ A Thesis Presented to The Faculty and the Honors Program Of the University of San Diego ______________________ By Jude Caywood Interdisciplinary Humanities 2015 Caywood 2 Judith is a character born from the complex multicultural forces that shaped Anglo-Saxon society, existing liminally between the mythological, the heroic and the Christian. Simultaneously Germanic warrior, pagan demi-goddess or supernatural figure, and Christian saint, Judith arbitrates amongst the seemingly incompatible forces that shaped the poet’s world, allowing the poem to serve as an important site for the making of a new Anglo-Saxon identity, one which would eventually come to be the united English identity. She becomes a single figure who is able to reconcile these opposing forces within herself and thereby does important cultural work for the world for which the poem was written.
    [Show full text]