My Tolkien paper 1/ Tolkien and the Anglo-Saxon (read for oral trad. content)

Among all of the influences which the work of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is attributed to, that of the Anglo-Saxon language and history is one of the most prominent. When compared with old forms of literature and myth, the Old English style shows itself frequently throughout the entire collection of Tolkien’s works, whether it be in names of people, places or things. His vast interest in this field of study is essential to look at to understand his message to modern society. Tolkien, a man in the wrong century, was greatly influenced by the Anglo-Saxon as portrayed in the way he lived his life, through his education and teaching, and through the themes and ideas in his works.
At a young age J.R.R. Tolkien already had a taste for languages, so strong that he constructed several of his own, the first of which was elvish. He made up all of the languages used in the Middle-Earth of The Silmarillion, which are rooted in the old Northern European language. This interest of course stemmed from Tolkien having grown up in Great Britain, thought the history of the nation is what ruled his patriotism. He learned how to read Old English and several other ancient European languages. In school, he is remembered as having talked some of his professors into translating ancient Norse in their spare time.
Tolkien’s interest in philology led him to first start work for the New English Dictionary, and in Oxford he became a tutor. Later he worked at Leeds, and eventually became a Professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1925 at Oxford. Here he taught a required Anglo-Saxon class and is as always, much remembered for his speaking style and great lectures. Later on he rose to the position of Merton Professor of English.
While Tolkien did not publish many of his most famed works during his lifetime, he became a renowned in his field. Through his lectures, his translations and some of his early books and critical pieces, he earned for himself a reputation for being one of the greatest English scholars of his time. We see his love for Old English in his lectures on Beowulf, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’w Son,” Exodus and Gawain and the Green Knight, to name a few. These pieces also show the incredible amount of history and linguistics studied by Tolkien as a scholar.
“When he lectured, he did so in the dramatic manner of an Anglo-Saxon bard in a mead hall. W.H. Auden wrote to Tolkien: ‘What an unforgettable experience it was for me as an undergraduate, hearing you recite Beowulf. The voice was the voice of Gandalf.’” (booksfactory)
Anglo-Saxon themes run rampant through Tolkien’s works. When Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, he tried to think of himself translating the story from another language. Norman F. Cantor mentioned that, “Tolkien claimed that he imagined first the language, then the story of the long journey and quest (epic) in that language” (Tompkins). The Anglo-Saxon language that he based his writing on, was spoken until
the Norman Invasion in 1066. The language later evolved to Middle English, spoken in Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales, and then to Modern English around Shakespeare’s time.
Tolkien’s use of runes is an interesting form of writing as well in that though they were firstly Germanic, then later evolved and were used all over Europe. The spread of the Christian faith and Roman/Latin alphabet diminished the use of runes though the so-called, “pagans” continued to use them. The Druid religion especially relied on them, though this led to their persecution by the Christians (Smith 3). In his books, Tolkien used the Anglo-Saxon Runes in The Hobbit for maps and graphics and more importantly for the dwarves. The moon-runes are particularly fun and fascinating, for they are only visible when the moon-light shines upon them, sometimes at a specific time and date.
In the Middle-earth books, Tolkien uses the race of dwarves to symbolize the Anglo-Saxon culture. They are the race that loves gold and riches, they are rough and loud and valiant. They have the mead-halls and are the conquerors of the Celts (the reason for the tension between the dwarves and the elves the books). These are all attributes apparently shared by the Anglo-Saxons, which also occur in the literature of their time period.
“Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” by Tolkien, is one of the most renowned essay’s (lectures) on Beowulf, the first English epic and the most celebrated poem of Old Engish. In the essay, he staunchly protects the book against all critics who would look it from a merely historical and factual view point. He says that only literary
and philological critics could be given any credit when commenting on 17th century Beowulf because it is a work of art, not a historical document.
The Anglo-Saxon themes in Tolkien’s writing are most prominent in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. A strong Anglo-Saxon theme runs through the books as they describe a world of epic heroes, forgotten glories and quests for the triumph of good over evil. Mead-halls, funeral songs and epic battles are prevalent in the books, as they frequented the Anglo-Saxon history. Also an interesting topic; Bilbo the hobbit steals a goblet from the dragon in the book, The Hobbit. A similar occurance happens in Beowulf when a cup is also stolen from a dragon. While Tolkien never said that Bilbo and the dragon was based on the story of Beowulf and the dragon, he did mention that, “Beowulf is among my most valued sources” (Carpenter, 31).Looking through the events in Tolkien’s books, it is easy to spot the stories repeated here and there from many forms of Old English literature.
Tolkien’s creation of Arda and the language used there is definitely related to Beowulf. The name of Beorn, the shape-shifting character in The Hobbit, is used in Beowulf and means warrior or hero. Of course it also comes out of Norse mythology and means “bear.” “Middan-geard,” out of Beowulf means “Middle-Earth,” which is also referenced in Exodus. Orc-neas, meaning “Evil Shades” in Old English, is the root word for the Middle-Earth creature, the orc. The people of Rohan were given Anglo-Saxon names such as Eowyn and Folcwine and the dwarves of course were also gifted with such titles.
The most important elements and characters are also shown in these sources. “Lo! We have heard how near and far over middle-earth Moses declared his ordinances to men…” (Exodus, 21) This is the first line of The Old English Exodus, translated by Tolkien. Can it be any more apparent how much influence Old English had on Tolkien’s work? Also, the line from Exodus, “I am that I am,” shows up in The Hobbit when Gandalf says, “I am Gandalf and that is me,” when he turns up at Bilbo’s door. This important Christian document in the skilled hands of Tolkien turns into a beautiful translation that is very different than the Exodus we get in today’s religious learning. This version is rife with the Anglo-Saxon tradition, just reading it directly from Old English puts the reader back in a time of valor, battles and ritual.
While Tolkien uses ancient languages such as Norse, Greco-Roman and Norm, Anglo-Saxon takes the cake when it comes to the most used source for his works. Looking at all of his work, Tolkien’s skill at manipulating the language and history to fit his own myths is fascinating. He is a true genius as is recognized by scholars the world over when it comes to philology. His delicacy with the words such as keeping “dwarfs” and “elfen,” to what he thought should be their true form: “dwarves” and “elven,” is amazing to see because it shows how important the language is to him. Even the personalities and relationships that he gives to his fantasy races is all derived from the historical races of the cultures he’s basing them on: Celt, Anglo-Saxon, and of course Modern English society. Tolkien’s work with Old English literature and myth gives him
the qualification to take it and twist it so that modern day people can get a taste of a vanished and valuable culture.