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'''''Consolatrix Afflictorum''''' or '''''Stella Vespertina''''' is a poem by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] written in September [[1916]] during his military training. It is devoted to the [[Virgin Mary]], beginning with "''O Lady Mother throned amid the stars''".<ref>[[Christina Scull]] and [[Wayne G. Hammond]] ([[2017]]), ''[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]]'' (Revised and Expanded Edition): I. Chronology, p. 30</ref> ''Consolatrix Afflictorum'' and ''Stella Vespertina'' are marian titles from the [[Litany of Loreto]], meaning "[[:Wikipedia:Our Lady of Consolation|Consoler of the Afflicted]]" and "Morning Star" respectively.
'''''Consolatrix Afflictorum''''' or '''''Stella Vespertina''''' is a poem by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] written in September [[1916]] during his military training. It is devoted to the [[Virgin Mary]] and begins with "''O Lady Mother throned amid the stars''".<ref>[[Christina Scull]] and [[Wayne G. Hammond]] ([[2017]]), ''[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]]'' (Revised and Expanded Edition): I. Chronology, p. 30</ref>  


Like most early poems, it remains [[Index:Unpublished material|unpublished]].
[[Holly Ordway]] claims that Tolkien derived both names of the poem from the [[Litany of Loreto]], a prayer that invokes the Virgin Mary. "''Consolatrix afflictorum''" is a [[Latin]] phrase that means "[[:Wikipedia:Our Lady of Consolation|consoler of the afflicted]]" and is one of the many honorifics used in the Litany to address the Virgin Mary. "''Stella vespertina''" ("[[Evenstar|evening star]]") is not a Marian title used in the Litany, but "''stella matutina''" ("morning star") is. According to Ordway, Tolkien had the latter in mind but chose to substitute "evening" for "morning" because he felt it was more applicable to his physical and spiritual struggle in the trenches.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhUKyxbR1W4&t=1938s Interview with Holly Ordway], author of ''[[Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography]]'', uploaded to YouTube channel "[https://www.youtube.com/@word-on-fire Word on Fire Institute]", minute 32:18</ref>
 
Like many other early poems by Tolkien, it remains [[Index:Unpublished material|unpublished]].


==See also==
==See also==
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{{references}}
{{references}}
 
[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Unpublished material]]
[[Category:Unpublished material]]

Latest revision as of 01:35, 28 January 2024

Consolatrix Afflictorum or Stella Vespertina is a poem by J.R.R. Tolkien written in September 1916 during his military training. It is devoted to the Virgin Mary and begins with "O Lady Mother throned amid the stars".[1]

Holly Ordway claims that Tolkien derived both names of the poem from the Litany of Loreto, a prayer that invokes the Virgin Mary. "Consolatrix afflictorum" is a Latin phrase that means "consoler of the afflicted" and is one of the many honorifics used in the Litany to address the Virgin Mary. "Stella vespertina" ("evening star") is not a Marian title used in the Litany, but "stella matutina" ("morning star") is. According to Ordway, Tolkien had the latter in mind but chose to substitute "evening" for "morning" because he felt it was more applicable to his physical and spiritual struggle in the trenches.[2]

Like many other early poems by Tolkien, it remains unpublished.

See also[edit | edit source]

References

  1. Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2017), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide (Revised and Expanded Edition): I. Chronology, p. 30
  2. Interview with Holly Ordway, author of Tolkien's Faith: A Spiritual Biography, uploaded to YouTube channel "Word on Fire Institute", minute 32:18