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Tolkien’s Sources

Delve into the origins of J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic works such as "The Lord of the Rings" by examining his sources, including Old Norse sagas like The Prose Edda and The Hervarar Saga, as well as the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf. Discover the linguistic connections and character naming inspirations within Tolkien's fantasy world.

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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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