Old English, Old Norse, Gothic: Sources of Inspiration and Creativity for JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings LOG IN REGISTER Search... Content Advanced Search MENU Download Old English, Old Norse, Gothic: Sources of Inspiration and Creativity for J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Old English, Old Norse, Gothic: Sources of Inspiration and Creativity for J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Author(s): Susan Robbins Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Philology Published by: Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas Švietimo akademija Keywords: philology; reconstruction; inspiration; creativity; legendarium. Summary/Abstract: J. R. R. Tolkien was a philologist for over 40 years, and a professor and researcher of Anglo-Saxon and related old Northern European languages at Oxford University. Tolkien’s research into old languages, his delight in individual words – especially names, and his application of his specialty in Old English were addressed in his scholarship and lectures, and also incorporated in his mythology and stories of Middle-earth. Tolkien’s application of academic philological research gives a feel of familiarity and authenticity to many of the peoples and cultures of Middle-earth. Tolkien thought this was especially the case in his creation of names, place-names, and fantastic creatures, as well as in the depictions of certain cultural practices. He applied his expertise in the direct use of Old English and Old Norse, both in known words, and in the philological methods of deriving modern equivalents. Ents, orcs, hobbits, mathoms, smials, éored, etc., all come from Old English. He also applied his research into Old Norse and Gothic by infusing into his mythology of Middle-earth certain aspects of ancient northern European culture, ethics, and worldview, notably from Beowulf, the Elder Edda, and other poems, sagas, and legends. I show that he worked in three ways: first, from extant words in the early Germanic languages to the creatures and names of Middle-earth; second, using the rules of comparative philology to constructions that solved philological puzzles or contradictions; and third, from using episodes, themes and other descriptive motifs from the early medieval literature in appropriate contexts in Middle-earth. Finally, I conclude that hobbits, as anachronisms in Middle- earth, are images of modern readers of the medieval literature, and metaphorically open that literature to us. Details Contents Journal: Žmogus ir žodis Issue Year: 17/2015 Issue No: 3 Page Range: 66-71 Page Count: 11 Language: English Back to list Related Content Beauty in Language: Tolkien’s Phonology and Phonaesthetics as a Source of Creativity and Inspiration for the Lord of the Rings Beauty in Language: Tolkien’s Phonology and Phonaesthetics as a Source of Creativity and Inspiration for the Lord of the Rings 2013 THE BIBLICAL SYMBOL OF LIGHT IN J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S THE SILMARILLION AND THE LORD OF THE RINGS THE BIBLICAL SYMBOL OF LIGHT IN J.R.R. TOLKIEN’S THE SILMARILLION AND THE LORD OF THE RINGS 2017 About CEEOL is a leading provider of academic e-journals and e-books in the Humanities and Social Sciences from and about Central and Eastern Europe. In the rapidly changing digital sphere CEEOL is a reliable source of adjusting expertise trusted by scholars, publishers and librarians. Currently, over 1000 publishers entrust CEEOL with their high- quality journals and e-books. CEEOL provides scholars, researchers and students with access to a wide range of academic content in a constantly growing, dynamic repository. Currently, CEEOL covers more than 2000 journals and 690.000 articles, over 4500 ebooks and 6000 grey literature document. CEEOL offers various services to subscribing institutions and their patrons to make access to its content as easy as possible. Furthermore, CEEOL allowsp ublishers to reach new audiences and promote the scientific achievements of the Eastern European scientific community to a broader readership. Un-affiliated scholars have the possibility to access the repository by creating their personal user account Contact Us Central and Eastern European Online Library GmbH Basaltstrasse 9 60487 Frankfurt am Main Germany Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main HRB 53679 VAT number: DE300273105 Phone: +49 (0)69-20026820 Fax: +49 (0)69-20026819 Email: [email protected] Connect with CEEOL Join our Facebook page Follow us on Twitter 2020 © CEEOL. ALL Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions of use ICB - InterConsult Bulgaria ver.1.5.1027.