Comparative Literature Commons^™

Fallen Kingdoms And Ancient Monoliths: The Influence Of Atlantis And Egypt In Tolkien’S Númenor, Charlotte J. Brockway

Journal of Tolkien Research

In light of the recent publication of The Fall of Númenor, my essay aims to focus on Tolkien’s, somewhat underappreciated, influences on Gondor; particularly Ancient Egypt. This essay looks at Plato's Timaeus and Critias, Ignatius Donnelly's theories, and examines the Atlantean and Egyptian motifs in Tolkien’s version of Westernesse, in particular, the remnants of Atlantean civilization survived by Egyptian colonists which mirror the Realms of Exile (Gondor and Arnor).

“A Fear Of Anything Large And Alive, And Not Easily Tamed Or Destroyed”: Kaiju In The Lord Of The Rings, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

The publication of The Lord of the Rings (1954-5) coincided with the start of the so-called kaiju movement in popular culture, featuring giant, sentient, and destructive creatures. Famously originating with Godzilla (1954), kaiju films have persistently cornered a portion of the popular culture market over the past 70 years; therefore, the genre would be presumed to play a role in audience expectations for the depictions of such creatures in the Jackson adaptations of the novels. In light of the June 2024 limited run of remastered versions of Jackson’s LOTR film trilogy, I analyze four of his interpretations of …

A Medievalist Myth-Making Crisis: Tolkien's Tychonic Cosmology, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

During and after writing The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien became embroiled in a self-motivated crisis in world-building, endeavoring to ‘modernize’ his mythological cosmology to more accurately reflect the Earth as it exists as a planet orbiting the Sun in space. While Tolkien was ultimately never able to complete a ‘Copernican Revolution’ in his Secondary World, his efforts continued over twenty years through numerous drafts posthumously published in Morgoth’s Ring and The Nature of Middle-earth. This paper applies a particular vignette from our real-world cosmological crises – revisions of Tycho Brahe’s hybrid geo-heliocentric model by Jesuit astronomers …

Holding His Attention: Tolkien And "Modern" Science Fiction, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

In his letters and other venues, Tolkien singled out several works of science fiction as being able to "hold my attention" - those of Isaac Asimov, Sam Youd, Joseph O'Neill, and Brian Aldiss. This paper constructs a checklist of characteristics based on earlier works Tolkien also enjoyed (those of Wells, Lewis, Eddison, Stapledon, and Lindsay) before using it to evaluate the later works.

“The World Withers And The Wind Rises”: Apocalyptic Language In 'The Homecoming Of Beorhtnoth' And 'The Fall Of Arthur', Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

As previously explored by the author, Tolkien’s 1930’s alliterative verses published as The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún and The Fall of Arthur make direct and repeated references to the End Times, paralleling the prominence of the apocalyptic Second Prophecy of Mandos in revisions to his Middle-earth legendarium written at that time. Similar themes can be found in Tolkien’s verse-dialogue The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth. The Homecoming’s genesis dates to the same general time period, and both The Fall of Arthur and The Homecoming describe a war-tainted world in apocalyptic tones, the environment dark (literally, figuratively, and in terms of men’s …

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 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 …

Rayed Arcs And The ‘Rory Bory Aylis’: Primary World Aurorae And Tolkien’S 'Father Christmas Letters', Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Previous research has demonstrated that Tolkien was well-versed and well-practiced in the use of etiological myths in his world-building activities. But we should remember that Middle-earth was not his sole Secondary World; in fact, one of the most interesting can be found at Tolkien’s version of the North Pole, in his Father Christmas Letters. As might be expected of Tolkien the impressive collection of astronomy in the letters is largely scientifically accurate, especially concerning the aurora borealis, the northern lights. This paper explores the instances of auroral references (in text and illustration) in the Father Christmas Letters and connects …

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 …

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

Journal of Tolkien Research

Introduction to the Special Issue on Tolkien's Animals

Everything I Ever Needed To Know About The North Pole I Learned From Father Christmas (And Karhu The Polar Bear [And Ilbereth The Elf])., Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Based on a portion of a keynote address delivered at the 50th Tolkien Society Oxonmoot, this paper investigates the Father Christmas Letters through a world-building lens, and suggests areas of analysis concerning the letters where scholars may make significant additional contributions to Tolkien Studies.

“Following The Star”: Eärendil, Númenor, And The Star Of Bethlehem, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

The following argument is made:

1. There has been a widespread and persistent interest in an astronomical explanation of the Star of Bethlehem as a single, brilliant physical object (e.g., Venus) among the general public (in both England and America) for more than a century and a half. This fascination is reflected in artwork as well as questions posed to astronomers.

2. The astronomical community has frequently referenced this interest in print articles that are available to the general public.

3. Tolkien paralleled this widespread iconography in his artwork and literary texts.

4. Tolkien’s decades-long revisions for the character of …

Arda Remade (And Remade, And Remade…); Or, Entropy, Einstein’S Blackboard, And R=Cⅇ^(Α(T-T_0 )∕3) [Sin⁡〖Β/2 (T-T_0 )〗 ]^(2∕3), Being An Exploration Of Overlapping Themes In The Venn Diagram Of The History Of Middle-Earth, The History Of Middle-Earth, And The History Of Twentieth Century Cosmology, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

The concept of the "long defeat" in Tolkien's works has been widely studied, and connections drawn to the scientific idea of entropy. This paper extends those studies through the lenses of the history and popularization of science in Tolkien's lifetime, in particular drawing connections to the so-called phoenix or cyclic universe models. In addition, previously published work on cyclical time in Tolkien's works is extended to include scientific concepts of the three arrows of time.

Medieval Automata And J.R.R. Tolkien’S The Fall Of Gondolin, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

The strange metallic dragons created by Melkor with his smiths and sorcerers for the attack on Gondolin are placed into context as medieval automata.

"I Am Primarily A Scientific Philologist": J.R.R. Tolkien And The Science/Technology Divide, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Presentation on Tolkien's writings on science and technology, New York Tolkien Conference, Baruch College, New York, March 17, 2019

The Enigma Of Goldberry: Tolkien’S Narrative Braiding Of Genre- And Symbol-Related Vocabularies In The Withywindle River-Daughter, Derek Simon

Journal of Tolkien Research

The enigma of Goldberry continues to stimulate diverse readings of her narrative in the Withywindle Cottage episode. The root contention of this article is that Goldberry’s enigma is textured through Tolkien’s complex narrative braiding of multiple genre- and symbol-specific vocabularies woven together throughout her episode. The effort to interpret the enigma of Goldberry needs to be grounded in the philological, lexical, and thematic signifiers circulating in her storyline. These mythopoeic signifiers are variously conveyed by the genre- and symbol-related vocabularies influencing her enigma in the narrative. Where much of the critical commentary has justifiably considered a single strand of source …

Half-Elven And Half-Orphans: The Choices And Consequences Of “Crossing Over”, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

A conference paper delivered at the virtual Tolkien at Kalamazoo Symposium (May 7, 2022) concerning the many examples of orphans in the line of Elrond Half-elven. Connections are drawn between these characters and Tolkien's childhood.

Nailing Jell-O To The Wall: Canonicity In Middle-Earth, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

An expanded version of a contribution to the “Fandom Responses to the Amazon Rings of Power Trailers” roundtable, Northeast Popular Culture Association, October 22, 2022, that discusses the difficulty in defining 'canon' in Tolkien's legendarium.

Moons, Maths, And Middle-Earth: Misconceptions About Tolkien’S Scientific And Mathematical Prowess, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Tolkien's use of real-world science in fleshing out his secondary world of Middle-earth is well-known, including errors he made in the process. With the recent publication of The Nature of Middle-earth, additional attention has been paid to Tolkien's use of mathematics in the same vein. However, reviews of the volume tend to reflect misconceptions about the level of Tolkien's mathematical ability.

“O’Er The Moon, Below The Daylight”: Tolkien’S Blue Bee, Pliny, And The Kalevala, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

A paper presented at the International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, May 13, 2017, exploring Tolkien's use of the star Sirius in his legendarium.

“Ore-Ganisms”: The Myth And Meaning Of ‘Living Rock’ In Middle-Earth, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper, presented at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference, New Orleans, LA, April 3, 2015, surveys Tolkien's use of the term "living rock" and related language in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Topics discussed include the origins of the trolls, dwarves, orcs, and ents.

Smaug’S Hoard, Durin’S Bane, And Agricola’S De Re Metallica: Cautionary Tales Against Mining In Tolkien’S Legendarium And The Classical Tradition, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

This conference talk discussed depictions of mining in Tolkien's legendarium, drawing comparisons to Agricola’s De Re Metallica.

Who Maketh Morwinyon, And Menelmacar, And Remmirath, And The Inner Parts Of The South (Where The Stars Are Strange): Tolkien’S Astronomical Choices And The Books Of Job And Amos, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Tolkien’s use of specific stars and constellations within the legendarium has been well-studied. There remain two related questions to be tackled: firstly, why did Tolkien use these specific real-world stars and constellations, and what was behind the seemingly sudden expansion of the celestial population in the legendarium in 1951? Given his well-demonstrated interest in and knowledge of astronomy, Biblical passages that describe the heavens may have piqued his interest and may have influenced his choices of astronomical references in creating Middle-earth. Popularized works published during Tolkien’s youth on the astronomy of the Old Testament may have also played a role …

Númenor And The “Devouring Wave”: Literary, Historical, And Psychological Sources For Tolkien’S Self-Described “Atlantis Complex”, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

Invited talk delivered to the Hobbit Society at the Honors College of the University of New Mexico on February 10, 2016, expanded from a keynote address delivered at the Tolkien Conference of the University of Vermont on April 15, 2014.

Elessar Telcontar Magnus, Rex Pater Gondor, Restitutor Imperii, Richard Z. Gallant

Journal of Tolkien Research

The nature of the heroic-ethos changes in the late Third Age of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Legendarium. At the beginning of the First Age, a Germanic ethos that Tolkien called the theory of Northern courage accompanied the exile of the Noldor. However, at the dawn of the dominion of Men, a new ethos emerges. It is an ethos of hope rather than the “sad light of fatalism” of the “long defeat.” This ethos is exemplified, ad bono exemplum, in the character of Aragorn who fuses the old ethos and tradition into a new ‘pseudo-chivalry’ appropriate for the Age …

The Hobbit, Media Audiences, And The Question Of Genre, Lars Schmeink

Journal of Tolkien Research

The Hobbit (1937) by J. R. R. Tolkien is one of Britain’s, if not one of the world’s, most beloved children’s books, whereas his The Lord of the Rings (1954-55) is today considered the keystone text of the modern fantasy genre. Similarly Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings has become the defining fantasy film, setting new standards for fantasy to become a mainstream cinematic genre. Based on data collected by the largest audience study to date, the World Hobbit Project, this article argues that the success of Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy is thus linked to its …

Who Is Tom Bombadil?: Interpreting The Light In Frodo Baggins And Tom Bombadil's Role In The Healing Of Traumatic Memory In J.R.R. Tolkien's _Lord Of The Rings_, Jane Beal Phd

Journal of Tolkien Research

In Rivendell, after Frodo has been attacked by Ringwraiths and is healing from the removal of the splinter from a Morgul-blade that had been making its way toward his heart, Gandalf regards Frodo and contemplates a “clear light” that is visible through Frodo to “eyes to see that can.” Samwise Gamgee later sees this light in Frodo when Frodo is resting in Ithilien. The first half of this essay considers questions about this light: how does Frodo become transparent, and why, and what is the nature of the light that fills him? As recourse to Tolkien’s letters shows, the light …

The Flame Imperishable: Tolkien, St. Thomas, And The Metaphysics Of Faërie (2017) By Jonathan S. Mcintosh, John Wm. Houghton

Journal of Tolkien Research

Book review by John Wm. Houghton of The Flame Imperishable (2017) by Jonathan S. McIntosh

Tolkien, Eucatastrophe, And The Re-Creation Of Medieval Legend, Jane Beal Phd

Journal of Tolkien Research

Using comparative literary analysis, this essay examines three case studies from J.R.R. Tolkien’s oeuvre, in which Tolkien practiced eucatastrophic rewriting: his folk-tale, “Sellic Spell,” in which he re-creates the Old English poem Beowulf; his poem, “Princess Mee,” in which he re-envisions aspects of the myth of Narcissus and the Middle English dream vision poem, Pearl; and the character of Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings, in which he re-imagines the fate of Brynhild, a shield-maiden and valkyrie from Norse legend. In each case, Tolkien rewrites the original so that sorrow is transformed into happiness in Tolkien’s …