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Tolkien’s Sources

Tolkien’s Sources. Where did all of this come from?. Tolkien’s background. Professor of Old English/English Language and Literature at Oxford Knew Old English very well Studied Old Norse Studied other languages and developed his own for LOTR. The Prose Edda.

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Tolkien’s Sources

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  1. Tolkien’s Sources Where did all of this come from?

  2. Tolkien’s background • Professor of Old English/English Language and Literature at Oxford • Knew Old English very well • Studied Old Norse • Studied other languages and developed his own for LOTR.

  3. The Prose Edda • Possibly written by Snorri Sturluson around 1220 • Icelandic, written in Old Norse • Contains tales from Norse mythology

  4. The Hervarar Saga • Written in the 1200s • Gestumblindi, in Norse mythology, uses help from the Norse god Odin to escape death in a riddle contest

  5. Beowulf • Anglo-Saxon epic • Written between the 8th and 11th century • Beowulf fights three major battles: • The Monster Grendel • Grendel’s Mother • The dragon

  6. Names • Smaug, the dragon • From the Germanic verb smugan: “to squeeze through a hole” • Thorin, the dwarf • From Old Norse: “bold one” • Beorn, the shape changer • From Old Norse. Beorn: “warrior.” Bjorn: “Bear” • Gandalf, the wizard • From Old Norse: “sorcerer-elf, wand-elf, staff-elf”

  7. Names • Orcs, or goblins • From Old English: “demon” Bonus for LOTR fans: • Samwise Gamgee: Frodo’s friend • From Old English: sam = some, so “samwise” = “some wise”, or “half-wit”

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