From Imagination To Faërie: Tolkien’S Thomist Fantasy (2022) By Yannick Imbert, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by John Wm. Houghton, of From Imagination to Faërie: Tolkien’s Thomist Fantasy (2022) by Yannick Imbert

Theology And Tolkien: Practical Theology (2023), Edited By Douglas Estes, Lisa Coutras

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Lisa Coutras, of Theology and Tolkien: Practical Theology (2023), edited by Douglas Estes

Gifted Amateurs And Other Essays On Tolkien, The Inklings, And Fantasy Literature (2023), By David Bratman, Douglas Charles Kane

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Douglas C. Kane, of Gifted Amateurs and Other Essays on Tolkien, the Inklings, and Fantasy Literature (2023), by David Bratman

Translating And Illustrating Tolkien (2023) Ed. By Will Sherwood, Arden R. Smith

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Arden R. Smith, of Translating and Illustrating Tolkien (2023), ed. by Will Sherwood

Middle-Earth’S Middleman: Exploring The Contradictory Positionalities Of Faramir In J.R.R. Tolkien’S 'The Lord Of The Rings', Kelsey A. Fuller-Shafer

Journal of Tolkien Research

In the large pantheon of characters in The Lord of the Rings, Faramir stands out for his position of unbelonging, and is usually analyzed comparatively to other characters rather than in-depth in his own right. However, more focused considerations of Faramir can articulate the breadth of Tolkien’s influences that were incorporated into Middle-earth as well as the ways in which those influences conflicted with Tolkien's own moral compass, and thus needed to be openly challenged and modified. Those internal conflicts can be interrogated throughout Faramir’s contradictory positions within the literature, history, and societies that Middle-earth represents. His positioning in a …

Pity, Power, And Tolkien's Ring: To Rule The Fate Of Many (2023) By Thomas P. Hillman, Marilyn R. Pukkila

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Marilyn R. Pukkila, of Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many (2023) by Thomas P. Hillman

“Éowyn It Was, And Dernhelm Also”: Reading The ‘Wild Shieldmaiden’ Through A Queer Lens., Sara Brown

Journal of Tolkien Research

The Éowyn we first meet in 'The Two Towers' is a woman who has been traumatised by the loss of her parents at a young age, the recent loss of her cousin Théodred, the apparent weakening of her uncle Théoden, and her inability to escape the lascivious gaze of Wormtongue. Marginalised by her gender and by social expectation, her desire to find purpose in her life as a shieldmaiden is repeatedly thwarted. Seeking to reclaim control over her life and to make her own choices, she rides out with the Rohirrim not as Éowyn, but as Dernhelm.

Past scholars have …

Tolkien: Uomo, Professore, Autore (2023), Ivano Sassanelli

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Ivano Sassanelli, of Tolkien: Uomo, Professore, Autore (2023)

Tolkien And The Relation Between Sub-Creation And Reality (2023), Edited By Guiseppe Pezzini And Eden O'Brien, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by John Wm. Houghton, of Tolkien and the Relation between Sub-Creation and Reality (2023), edited by Guiseppe Pezzini and Eden O'Brien

Sauron: Weirdly Sexy, Robert T. Tally Jr.

Journal of Tolkien Research

A popular meme depict Galadriel and Frodo admitting that Sauron is "weirdly sexy," a humorous allusion to The Rings of Power’s Halbrand. The show's controversial revelation of Halbrand as Sauron highlights the differences between Tolkien’s construction of Second and Third Age Sauron as an attractive or admirable leader compared to Peter Jackson’s portrayal of him as a monster or disembodied fiery eyeball. This, in turn, has implications for the geopolitical order of Middle-earth in which many people legitimately might wish to be on Sauron’s side. Acknowledging Sauron's "sexiness" may allow us to see Tolkien's world system in a new …

The Holy Thorn Of Glastonbury And The Two Trees Of Valinor, Giovanni Carmine Costabile

Journal of Tolkien Research

An old wooden church in Glastonbury rose on the site of the Abbey church taking its place after a fire burnt it. This old church is traditionally considered to have been the eldest church in England, founded by Joseph of Arimathea after landing upon the British shore. Such a legend, probably spread after the Norman Conquests by the Abbey monks who needed to fund the monastery, also relates that Joseph planted his staff upon the highest hill in Glastonbury, and the staff grew branches and roots, transforming into a wonderful thorn tree which, unlike common thorns, bloomed twice a year, …

George R.R. Martin And The Fantasy Form (2019) By Joseph Rex Young And Tweaking Things A Little: Essays On The Epic Fantasy Of J.R.R. Tolkien And G.R.R. Martin (2023), By Thomas Honegger, Andrew Higgins

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by Andrew Higgins of George R.R. Martin and the Fantasy Form (2019) by Joseph Rex Young and Tweaking Things a Little (2023) by Thomas Honegger

The Tale Of ‘Aldarion And Erendis’: Not Just A Medieval Love Story, Sara Brown

Journal of Tolkien Research

J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife’, published in the Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, is a cautionary tale of a failed marriage that also serves as an indicator of the moral decline of Númenor in the Second Age of Middle-earth. In this relationship is the beginning of the Downfall, heralding the shadow of evil that will entangle events into the Third Age. This paper explores the significance of this story to the history of Middle-earth, as well as its possible roots in medieval texts such as the Prose Edda and the Icelandic Laxdaela Saga.

The Ring Cycle: Journeying Through The Language Of Tolkien’S Third Age With Corpus Linguistics, Michael Livesey

Journal of Tolkien Research

This article explores the journey taken by the One Ring across J.R.R. Tolkien’s Third Age writings. It employs a digital humanities approach to analyse linguistic patterns in Tolkien’s use of the word ring, across The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Specifically, the article employs corpus linguistic methods to track shifts in the quantities and qualities of the Ring’s appearance across these texts. It uses techniques of keyness and collocation analysis to trace transformations in these quantities/qualities, including: a) the Ring’s transition from a central to a peripheral place in the Third Age’s narrative arc; and b) …

What Does It Mean To Talk About Tolkien And Diversity? A Look Within And Without The Legendarium, Yvette Kisor

Journal of Tolkien Research

“What Does It Mean to Talk about Tolkien and Diversity? A Look within and without the Legendarium” considers racial diversity by focusing on the structure of Tolkien’s universe, both how it is modelled on ancient and medieval concepts like the Great Chain of Being and the Declining Ages of Man, but also remakes those models. In addition, it considers responses to racial structures perceived in Tolkien’s work.

Echoes Of The Spanish Civil War In Tolkien’S Legendarium, Alexander Retakh

Journal of Tolkien Research

The Spanish Civil War had a profound effect on the literature of the 1930s and 40s; however, it has been almost neglected in Tolkien studies. This article examines both Tolkien's potential views of the Civil War and their effect on his writings of the late 1930s such as the emerging story of Numenor. The dearth of primary sources can be rectified by studying the position on the War taken by other British Catholic intellectuals. Very likely Tolkien viewed the Civil War primarily as a religious conflict and was shaken by the highly publicized cases of anti-clerical violence. The combination of …

Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography (2023) By Holly Ordway, Tom Emanuel

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Tom Emanuel, of Tolkien's Faith (2023) by Holly Ordway

J.R.R. Tolkien's Utopianism And The Classics (2023) By Hamish Williams, Dennis Wilson Wise

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Dennis Wilson Wise, of J.R.R. Tolkien's Utopianism and the Classics (2023) by Hamish Williams.

Tolkien’S Animals: A Bibliography, Kris Swank

Journal of Tolkien Research

Bibliography of scholarly and popular science research on Tolkien’s various animal species includes more than 100 English-language entries from literary, mythological, cultural, historical, philological, psychological, religious, and scientific perspectives. Includes entries on animal sentience/personhood, general surveys of animals, and analysis of specific species: bats, bears (including Beorn), birds, cats, cryptids, deer, dogs (including wolves and foxes), dragons, elephants, horses, sea-life, and spiders.

The Deer-Maid Motif In The Children Of Húrin, Kris Swank

Journal of Tolkien Research

The story of Túrin Turambar goes back to the end of the First World War, and Tolkien continued to work on it through the 1950s. Later versions repeatedly describe Túrin’s sister Niënor figuratively—as or like—a hunted deer, especially after her enchantment by the dragon Glaurung. Tolkien identified Sigurd the Volsung, Oedipus, and the Finnish Kullervo as sources for Túrin, however, the motif of a maiden enchanted as a deer does not derive from those sources. The Irish story of Oisín’s mother, Sadhbh or Saav, who was transformed into a fawn by an evil druid, shares several analogous …

Sam's Song In The Tower: The Significance Of 'Merry Finches' In J.R.R. Tolkien's _Lord Of The Rings_, Jane Beal Phd

Journal of Tolkien Research

In The Lord of the Rings, Samwise Gamgee climbs the Tower of Cirith Ungol to try to rescue his master and friend, Frodo Baggins, who has been taken captive by Orcs. When Sam is near despair because he cannot find Frodo, Sam sings a song that makes reference to “merry finches.” What is the significance of this phrase in his lyrics? To answer this question, my essay first explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s ornithological knowledge, especially of finches in England, which is readily demonstrated from a letter he wrote to his son, Christopher Tolkien (July 7, 1944), about his observations of bullfinches …

"Tolkien's Eagles: Aves Ex Machina", Deidre Dawson

Journal of Tolkien Research

Many studies of Tolkien’s Eagles have emphasized their role as a narrative device (the deus ex machina) or spiritual symbol and have focused primarily on their intervention in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This essay argues for a more comprehensive interpretation, and demonstrates that the Eagles function as essential characters throughout Tolkien’s legendarium, beginning with the earliest stories. The importance of eagles in mythology, folklore and literature is highlighted to show how Tolkien combined his deep knowledge of these subjects with his attention to the biology and anatomy of actual eagles to create his own …

Introduction To The Special Issue On Tolkien's Animals, Kris Swank

Journal of Tolkien Research

Introduction to the Special Issue on Tolkien's Animals

The Hen That Laid The Eggs: Tolkien And The Officers Training Corps [Expanded], Janet Brennan Croft

Journal of Tolkien Research

J.R.R. Tolkien, sharing an experience with many young men of his class and education, participated in the Officers Training Corps while at King Edward’s School. Because of this program, Tolkien and many of his fellow junior officers in the Great War were already familiar with the procedures of drill and camp and with basic tactics of war games in all kinds of weather. The atmosphere of the training camps of World War I would not have taken them entirely by surprise, but would have been somewhat reminiscent of the great summer encampments of OTC units from around the country—though of …

“Fruit Of The Poison Vine”: Defining And Delimiting Tolkien’S Orcs, Sara Brown

Journal of Tolkien Research

Fantasy author NK Jemisin has commented that “Orcs are fruit of the poison vine that is human fear of ‘the Other’.” Indeed, we would have every reason to fear Tolkien’s Orcs and their difference. Every way in which they are presented, including the etymology of their species name, the fear and horror they evoke, even the food that they consume, denotes their alterity. Their skin colour, their language, and their behaviour all encourage a reading that is rooted in racialism and essentialism; embedded stereotypes invite a conclusion that this species possesses a definable set of attributes essential to its identity, …

Translating The Hobbit (2023) By Mark T. Hooker, Arden R. Smith

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Arden R. Smith, of Translating The Hobbit (2023) by Mark T. Hooker

Weather In Middle-Earth Or Tolkien: The Weather-Master?, Jonas Mertens

Journal of Tolkien Research

Abstract

This article attempts to shed light on the use of weather in general and meteorological expressions in The Lord of the Rings, as J. R. R. Tolkien is well known to be a writer for whom the environment and natural world is closely intertwined with his storytelling. Both a manual count and a count which a digital text analysis tool were combined to find the frequency of previously selected weather terms. In total, more than 2,000 references were found in the books, with the words ‘sun’, ‘wind’ and ‘cold’ being the most abundant. Meteorological expressions are frequently encountered in …

Twenty-First Century Receptions Of Tolkien (2022), Edited By Will Sherwood, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Kristine Larsen, of Twenty-first Century Receptions of Tolkien (2022), edited by Will Sherwood

Tolkien And Diversity (2023), Edited By Will Sherwood, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Kristine Larsen, of Tolkien and Diversity (2023) edited by Will Sherwood

“We Could Do With A Bit More Queerness In These Parts”: An Analysis Of The Queer Against The Peculiar, The Odd, And The Strange In The Lord Of The Rings, Yvette Kisor

Journal of Tolkien Research

As developed in The Lord of the Rings, “queer” is a special term, one uniquely associated with the Hobbits, and Tolkien crafts a very specific set of resonances that embed it in provincial mistrust, a sense of real outside threat, and places within the ancient natural world that appear foundationally opposed to the ordinary realm of civilization. While Tolkien cannot be said to use the word “queer” in its more modern sense of “homosexual” or nonnormative sexual and/or gender identity, he included an owning and even embracing of the term that follows a similar pattern.