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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 …

The Royal Astronomer And The Astronomer Royal: Tar-Meneldur And Sir Harold Spencer Jones, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Elsewhere I argued that there are parallels between Tar-Meneldur and the lives of several pre-20^th century astronomer-nobles (Ulugh Beg, Johannes Hevelius, Wilhelm IV, Tycho Brahe, and James Ludovic Lindsay) and noted several real-world astronomical events that may have informed/motivated Tolkien’s development of Tar-Meneldur’s avocation, including political controversies concerning the Radcliffe Observatory at Oxford and the Royal Observatories at Greenwich and Edinburgh. Since that publication I have continued to ponder Tolkien’s depiction of Tar-Meneldur as an astronomer (and king), and offer another possible source of inspiration for the royal astronomer in the form of the tenth Astronomer Royal, Sir Harold …

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 …

Eotenas And Hobbits: Finn And Hengest, And Tolkien’S Speculation About Origins, Nicholas Birns

Journal of Tolkien Research

This essay examines Tolkien’s Finn and Hengest, particularly concentrating on Tolkien’s interpretation of the word eotenas as meaning Jutes rather than ‘monsters’. As opposed to “Beowulf: The Monsters and The Critics,” where Tolkien emphasizes supernatural elements at the expense of history, Tolkien’s lecture on the Finnsburg episode in Beowulf and the Finnsburg fragment seems to present Hengest as an English national hero, despite the bloodiness and vengeance of his reprisals against Hnaef and the Frisian court. The use of the word 'eotenas,' which can be constructed as either 'monsters' or 'Jutes,' is at the nub of the conflict here, …

Subtle Speech And Use Of Pronouns In Tolkien's Novels And Old English Poetry, Chiara Marchetti

Journal of Tolkien Research

In human conversations, verbal exchanges follow rules. Applicable both to Old English poetry and Tolkien's fiction, rules governing speech set the right quantity and quality of information to be transmitted and provide strategies to avoid conflicts. What is too redundant or scanty in a speech might indicate more layers of meaning, which are implied or suggested.

Language can create or resolve conflicts; the careful use of words and even pronouns can make a difference between self-assertion and cooperation, unity and separation. Such refined linguistic technique is visible in Old English poetry, where dialectal ability is as important as valour, where …

Guþcwen And Ides Ellenrof – The Old English Warrior Woman As Role Model For Female Characters In Tolkien’S Works, Flora Sophie Lemburg

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper examines the connection between the motif of the Old English warrior woman and Tolkien’s female characters. It provides a critique of Leslie Donovan’s paper “The valkyrie reflex in J. R. R. Tolkien´s The Lord of the Rings: Galadriel, Shelob, Éowyn and Arwen” and contrasts previous research on Tolkien’s female characters focussed either on gender-studies or on a “Germanic” influence with a more direct and specific connection between Medieval English and his works. The motif of the Old English warrior woman is established by investigating the female characters Judith, Elene, and Juliana from the Old English poems Judith, …

“I Am No Man”: Éowyn And Game Of Thrones’ Lyanna Mormont, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

I argue that the success of the HBO television series Game of Thrones’ portrayal of the character of Lyanna Mormont (as well as fan reception of Arya Stark’s unexpected vanquishing of the dreaded Night King) was due in large part to the writers’ ability to simultaneously capitalize on fan-favorite actions of Éowyn in Tolkien’s source material while avoiding less popular aspects of Peter Jackson and company’s depictions of both Éowyn and the original character Tauriel in their film adaptations.

Middle-Earth, Or There And Back Again (2020) Edited By Łukasz Neubauer, Marjorie Burns Professor Emerita

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Marjorie Burns, of Middle-earth, or There and Back Again (2020) edited by Łukasz Neubauer.

Peril And Possibility: Wilderness As A Space Of Becoming In Tolkien's The Children Of Húrin And Whedon's Firefly And Serenity, Philip J. Vogel, Kenton L. Sena

Journal of Tolkien Research

A tension between wilderness as place of peril and as a place of purity has existed throughout the history of Western civilization. While the Puritan minister Cotton Mather described the wilderness as a habitation of “Dragons,” “Droves of Devils,” and “Fiery Flying Serpents,” Henry David Thoreau maintained that in order to draw near to God, one must draw near to nature. A spectrum of perspectives about wilderness exists within the tension between these two opposing ideas. As a refugee from civilization who makes his home in the wilderness on the borders of society, the Wild Man archetype, famously expressed in …

The Girl In The Woods: On Fairy Stories And The Virgin Horror, Brendan Anderson

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper considers the ways in which Joss Whedon and J.R.R. Tolkien subvert the classic fairy-tale motif of the "girl in the woods" to engender horror. The author examines Whedon's work (specifically Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Cabin in the Woods) through the lens of Tolkien's essay "On Fairy-Stories" to show how a sense of horror can be created by denying the consolation of a happy ending. This approach is then applied to Tolkien's story of Aredhel and Eöl from The Silmarillion to demonstrate how Tolkien subverts his own theory to highlight the horrific social customs that perpetuate …

Ofermod And Aristocratic Chivalry In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings, Amber Dunai

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper explores connections between J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1953 Essays and Studies publication The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son and representations of ofermod and aristocratic “chivalry” in The Lord of the Rings. Focusing on the motivations and leadership-related decisions of Denethor and Faramir in The Lord of the Rings, this paper argues that Faramir's behavior and motivations, despite Denethor’s implications to the contrary, cannot be described in terms of ofermod regardless of the risk that his choice to reject the Ring appears to pose to Gondor. By contrast, Denethor and his son Boromir represent the pride-motivated decision-making and rash …

"Few Have Gained Such A Victory:" A Defense Of Boromir In The Lord Of The Rings, Kayla Beebout

Journal of Tolkien Research

Boromir’s character in The Lord of the Rings is sometimes remembered chiefly for his brief defeat by the Ring. Though this is a simple way to identify his character, it does not consider his subsequent redemption and the goodness he demonstrates in other parts of the story. This article seeks to provide a more complete portrait of the Steward’s son. The first portion examines Boromir’s words and actions throughout the story, good and bad. The second portion discusses his brief fall, including the temptation of the Ring and the significance of Boromir’s redemption. Examples of other characters’ temptations and analysis …

The Return Of The Ring (2016), Edited By Lynn Forest-Hill, Dennis Wilson Wise

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review, by Dennis Wilson Wise, of The Return of the Ring (2 vols, 2016), ed. by Lynn Forest-Hill

Tolkien's Intellectual Landscape (2015) By E.L. Risden, John Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Tolkien's Intellectual Landscape (2015) by E.L. Risden, book review

Perilous And Fair: Women In The Works And Life Of J.R.R. Tolkien (2015) Ed. Janet Brennan Croft And Leslie A. Donovan, Deidre A. Dawson

Journal of Tolkien Research

Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J.R.R. Tolkien (2015), ed. by Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie A. Donovan