The Influence of Old English on J.R.R. Tolkien’s TheLord of the Rings

7/30/2019 The Influence of Old English on J.R.R. Tolkiens TheLord of the Rings

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Hugo Joly Morin

Professor Elisabeth Oliver

ANG2020

April 30th 2012

The Influence of Old English on J.R.R. Tolkiens TheLord of the Rings

It is uncommon for a popular work of art to take roots in an academic context. Manypopular novels and films, possibly the two most common mediums of art we encounter

nowadays, are written by talented creative writers and aim to achieve a high level of realism to

help the reader connect with the work. An exception to this came to popularity nearly sixty years

ago. J.R.R. Tolkien, then an Anglo-Saxon professor in the University of Oxford, published his

second novel, titled The Lord of the Rings, in 1954. It is while being a full-time professor that

Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings, an uncommon fact for the third best-selling novel ever

written at more than 150 million copies sold. Reading The Lord of the Rings, however, it is clear

that the academic context in which the novel was written contributed greatly to the complexity,

depth and aesthetic prowess of the novel.Tolkien being an expert in Anglo-Saxon, nearly all of

the names employed in the novel share Old English roots. Moreover, perhaps the greatest and

best-known work written in Old English was the heroic epic poem Beowulf. Tolkien is often said

to have helped to rescue the poem for posterity1 by not only writing one of his most important

essays on the subject,Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, but by basing a lot ofThe Lord of

1Tolley, Clive. Beowulf & Other Stories: A New Introduction to Old English, Old Icelandic and Anglo-Norman

Literatures. p.48


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the Rings on the Anglo-Saxon poem. It is clear then that Old English has had an enormous

influence on the novel and greatly provided its verses with an injection of timeless beauty and

grace.

The Lord of the Rings is set in the fictional but incredibly vast and detailed universe of

Middle-Earth. Tolkien has put great effort in developing an impossibly gigantic realm peopled

by many diverse races. Of the immeasurable number of characters and locations present in

Tolkiens work, many bear a name deeply rooted in Old English. An exhaustive list would not be

adequate, since many characters only take a small part in the main story of the Ring, but some

bear a very meaningful place in Tolkiens poetic lines. First, we have the Rohirrim, the people of

realm of Rohan. They speak a language, Rohirric, rendered by Tolkien as the Mercian dialect of

Old English.2 In addition to their speech, their names also take roots in Old English. For instance,

many of them have the prefix o-, the Old English word for horse3, referring to the fact that

the Rohirrim are a race of horse riders. Important characters such as owyn ( wyn meaning joy)

and omer (derived frommaermeaning glorious or heroic), also have a suitable Old English

suffix to their name. When, in the novel, we first encounter the Rohirrim, it is Aragorn who

introduce them with an adaptation of an Old English poem from the 11 th century titled The

Wanderer. It is beautifully touching and, as Legolas observes, "laden with the sadness of Mortal

Men."4This addition of Old English verse makes Tolkiens work infinitely more poetic and adds

greatly to the deep sentimentality of most of the novels prose. Another very important character

in The Lord of the Rings with an Old English name is Saruman. Commonly named the White

Wizard, he is a major antagonist in the story. While he was sent in Middle-Earth to battle Sauron,

2Solopova, Elizabeth. Languages, Myths and History: An Introduction to the Linguistic and Literary Background of

J.R.R. Tolkien's Fiction, p.673

The Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionarys entry for o4The Two Towers, chapter 6.


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the Dark Lord and main antagonist in the novel, he was corrupted and began seeking power for

himself. His name itself is very deeply steeped in Old English. Searu means cunning,

treacherous5, but, as the lexicographers themselves explain, it is uncertain whether the word is

being used with a good or a bad meaning6. This particularity is very meaningful for the readers

comprehension of the story. By knowing what searu means, the reader can then question the

intentions of the character, even before anything happens. Saruman, the White Wizard, leader of

all Wizards of Middle-Earth and someone that begins as a positive force, will turn out to be a

vile, power-seeking, dictator of evil. He will betray the order of Wizards, as well as Gandalf his

former friend and one of the main protagonists of the novel. It is to be noted that Tolkien choseto use Saruman as opposed to Searuman. This was done deliberately by the author to give

the character a more Mercian form7, representing Sarumans position in the realm of Rohan, a

Mercian-influenced people as noted earlier. The Old English root of this characters name is

therefore a major influence in the readers perception of him and the story that revolves around

him.

Beowulf is now regarded as one of the most important pieces of Old English literature.

Tolkien is no stranger to this recognition since he was one of the foremost supporters of this epic

poem and has written one of the most important essays on the subject, Beowulf: The Monsters

and the Critics.Beowulfs influence on The Lord of the Rings is palpable and present in many

aspects of the novel. First, Aragorn, one of the main protagonists in the novel, is clearly

reminiscent of the character Beowulf. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, is an immensely skilled warrior

who, we discover, is the rightful heir of the throne of the realm of Gondor. Beowulf, son of

5The Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionarys entry for Searu


Literatures. p.567

Ibid.


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Ecgtheow, is also a legendary warrior, supposedly possessing the strength of thirty men. He is

also the future king of Geatland.8 While these characteristics could well apply to many characters

throughout literary history, the resemblance does not end there; like Beowulf, whose father

Ecgtheow is at best a violent renegade passing through one kingdom after another, Aragorn is a

man with a dubious family past.9 Furthermore, both men do not take the crown from ambition

or seeking any kind of power. They are persuaded into sitting on the throne by their companions

after harbouring doubts about [their] own suitability for the role.10Finally, a certain romantic

feeling of sadness also doom both characters. Aragorn display a certain vibe of disillusion

towards the kingdoms of men and their relationships between them. Beowulf, as depicted in thepoem, is a man, and that for him and many is sufficient tragedy.11This likeness is not

fortuitous and it is very tempting to think that Aragorn was in fact based on the epics hero, even

more so when we think that Tolkien was such an adamant defender ofBeowulfand would have

happily done anything to keep the poetic work from being forgotten. Even further evidence of

the relationship between Beowulfand The Lord of the Rings lies in lines 224-230 of the former

and chapter 6 of the third book in the latter. It is the opening paragraph of the speech a guard

tells the companions, on one part of Beowulf and on the other of Aragorn, who wish to enter the

gates of a city. InBeowulf, the guard exclaims: What kind of men are you who arrive / rigged

out for combat in coats of mail, / sailing here over the sea-lanes / in your steep-hulled boat? I

have / been stationed / as lookout on this coast for a long time. When Aragorn and his

companions want to enter Meduseld and speak to Thoden, King of Rohan, the guards speak:

Whoare you that come heedless over the plain thus strangely clad, riding horses like to our own


Literatures. p.399

Ibid.10

Ibid.11

Beowulf, 68.


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horses? Long have we kept guard here, and we have watched you from afar. 12 The difference is

strictly context-wise, horses instead of a ship. The content is the same and it is impossible to

deny the clear influenceBeowulfhas had on Tolkiens own heroic story.

It is rare for a novel written with such an academic background to achieve mass

popularity. J.R.R. Tolkien has used his extensive knowledge of Old English and, in particular,

the epic poem Beowulf to write a magnificent novel that is sure to remain in literary history

forever. Be it because of the inherent poetry of the now all but foreign language or the clear

resemblance between two now legendary characters, J.R.R. Tolkien has managed to write The

Lord of the Rings in such a fashion that he was able to open for the glad reader a boundless,

marvelous world in which history, linguistics and poetry are forever bound.


Literatures. p.43


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Works cited

Books

- North, Richard, and Joe Allard, eds. Beowulf & Other Stories: A New Introduction to OldEnglish, Old Icelandic and Anglo-Norman Literatures. London: Longman, 2007. Print.

- Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux,2000. Print.

- Tolley, Clive. "Old English Influence on The Lord of the Rings."Beowulf & Other Stories: ANew Introduction to Old English, Old Icelandic and Anglo-Norman Literatures. Ed. Richard

North and Joe Allard. London: Longman, 2007. 38-62. Print.

- Solopova, Elizabeth. Languages, Myths and History: An Introduction to the Linguistic andLiterary Background of J.R.R. Tolkien's Fiction. [S.l.]: North Landing, 2009. Print.

- Tolkien, J. R. R. The Lord of the Rings. Ed. Alan Lee. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Print.

Website

- Bosworth, Joseph, and Thomas Northcote Toller.An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary: Based on theManuscript Collections of Joseph Bosworth. London: Oxford UP, 1966. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.


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The Influence of Old English on J.R.R. Tolkien’s TheLord of the Rings