https://tolkiengateway.net/w/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=DerUnterstrich&feedformat=atomTolkien Gateway - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T22:09:45ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.39.3https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Hither_Shore_(journal)&diff=376073Hither Shore (journal)2023-06-28T07:08:51Z<p>DerUnterstrich: /* External links */ add new publisher</p>
<hr />
<div>{{disambig-two|the journal on [[Tolkien studies]]|the land within the legendarium|[[Hither Shore]]}}<br />
'''''Hither Shore: Interdisciplinary Journal on Modern Fantasy Literature''''' is the title of a bilingual (German and English) peer-reviewed annual published by the [[Deutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft]] (the German [[Tolkien Societies|Tolkien Society]]). Overviews of the first five issues can be found in ''[[Tolkien Studies (journal)|Tolkien Studies]]'': [[Tolkien Studies: Volume 5|Volume 5]] (2008) pp. 221-9, and [[Tolkien Studies: Volume 8|Volume 8]] (2011) pp. 114-20.<br />
<br />
==Issues==<br />
*[[2004]]: [[Hither Shore 1|''Hither Shore'' 1: Tolkien und seine Deutungen]]<br />
*[[2005]]: [[Hither Shore 2|''Hither Shore'' 2: Tolkiens Weltbild(er)]]<br />
*[[2006]]: [[Hither Shore 3|''Hither Shore'' 3: History of Middle-earth]]<br />
*[[2007]]: [[Hither Shore 4|''Hither Shore'' 4: Tolkiens kleinere Werke]]<br />
*[[2008]]: [[Hither Shore 5|''Hither Shore'' 5: Der Hobbit]]<br />
*[[2009]]: [[Hither Shore 6|''Hither Shore'' 6: Gewalt, Konflikt und Krieg bei Tolkien]]<br />
*[[2010]]: [[Hither Shore 7|''Hither Shore'' 7: Tolkien und Romantik]]<br />
*[[2011]]: [[Hither Shore 8|''Hither Shore'' 8: Tolkien und das Mittelalter]]<br />
*[[2012]]: [[Hither Shore 9|''Hither Shore'' 9: Tolkien's Influence on Fantasy]]<br />
*[[2013]]: [[Hither Shore 10|''Hither Shore'' 10: Tolkien-Adaptionen]]<br />
*[[2014]]: [[Hither Shore 11|''Hither Shore'' 11: Natur und Landschaft in Tolkiens Werk]]<br />
*[[2015]]: [[Hither Shore 12|''Hither Shore'' 12: Tolkien's "On Fairy-stories"]]<br />
*[[2016]]: [[Hither Shore 13|''Hither Shore'' 13: Tolkiens Philosophie der Sprache]]<br />
*[[2017]]: [[Hither Shore 14|''Hither Shore'' 14: Literary Worldbuilding]]<br />
*[[2018]]: [[Hither Shore 15|''Hither Shore'' 15: 80 Years of Tolkien Criticism and Reception]] (yet to be released)<br />
*[[2019]]: [[Hither Shore 16|''Hither Shore'' 16: Macht und Autorität in Tolkiens Werk]]<br />
*[[2020]]: [[Hither Shore 17|''Hither Shore'' 17: Brücken und Grenzen]]<br />
*[[2021]]: [[Hither Shore 18|''Hither Shore'' 18: Tolkien und Politik]]<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* '''[https://www.tolkiengesellschaft.de/der-verein/vereinspublikationen/hither-shore/ Official website]'''<br />
* [http://www.scriptorium-oxoniae.de/publikationen.htm Issues at Scriptorium Oxoniae] (Until issue 15)<br />
* [https://oldib-verlag.de/hither-shore/ Oldib Verlag] (From issue 16)<br />
{{title|italics}}<br />
[[Category:German publications]]<br />
[[Category:Journals]]<br />
[[Category:Publications by title]]<br />
[[de:Hither Shore]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Hither_Shore_(journal)&diff=376072Hither Shore (journal)2023-06-28T07:06:27Z<p>DerUnterstrich: /* Issues */ Issue 16 was published last week</p>
<hr />
<div>{{disambig-two|the journal on [[Tolkien studies]]|the land within the legendarium|[[Hither Shore]]}}<br />
'''''Hither Shore: Interdisciplinary Journal on Modern Fantasy Literature''''' is the title of a bilingual (German and English) peer-reviewed annual published by the [[Deutsche Tolkien Gesellschaft]] (the German [[Tolkien Societies|Tolkien Society]]). Overviews of the first five issues can be found in ''[[Tolkien Studies (journal)|Tolkien Studies]]'': [[Tolkien Studies: Volume 5|Volume 5]] (2008) pp. 221-9, and [[Tolkien Studies: Volume 8|Volume 8]] (2011) pp. 114-20.<br />
<br />
==Issues==<br />
*[[2004]]: [[Hither Shore 1|''Hither Shore'' 1: Tolkien und seine Deutungen]]<br />
*[[2005]]: [[Hither Shore 2|''Hither Shore'' 2: Tolkiens Weltbild(er)]]<br />
*[[2006]]: [[Hither Shore 3|''Hither Shore'' 3: History of Middle-earth]]<br />
*[[2007]]: [[Hither Shore 4|''Hither Shore'' 4: Tolkiens kleinere Werke]]<br />
*[[2008]]: [[Hither Shore 5|''Hither Shore'' 5: Der Hobbit]]<br />
*[[2009]]: [[Hither Shore 6|''Hither Shore'' 6: Gewalt, Konflikt und Krieg bei Tolkien]]<br />
*[[2010]]: [[Hither Shore 7|''Hither Shore'' 7: Tolkien und Romantik]]<br />
*[[2011]]: [[Hither Shore 8|''Hither Shore'' 8: Tolkien und das Mittelalter]]<br />
*[[2012]]: [[Hither Shore 9|''Hither Shore'' 9: Tolkien's Influence on Fantasy]]<br />
*[[2013]]: [[Hither Shore 10|''Hither Shore'' 10: Tolkien-Adaptionen]]<br />
*[[2014]]: [[Hither Shore 11|''Hither Shore'' 11: Natur und Landschaft in Tolkiens Werk]]<br />
*[[2015]]: [[Hither Shore 12|''Hither Shore'' 12: Tolkien's "On Fairy-stories"]]<br />
*[[2016]]: [[Hither Shore 13|''Hither Shore'' 13: Tolkiens Philosophie der Sprache]]<br />
*[[2017]]: [[Hither Shore 14|''Hither Shore'' 14: Literary Worldbuilding]]<br />
*[[2018]]: [[Hither Shore 15|''Hither Shore'' 15: 80 Years of Tolkien Criticism and Reception]] (yet to be released)<br />
*[[2019]]: [[Hither Shore 16|''Hither Shore'' 16: Macht und Autorität in Tolkiens Werk]]<br />
*[[2020]]: [[Hither Shore 17|''Hither Shore'' 17: Brücken und Grenzen]]<br />
*[[2021]]: [[Hither Shore 18|''Hither Shore'' 18: Tolkien und Politik]]<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* '''[https://www.tolkiengesellschaft.de/der-verein/vereinspublikationen/hither-shore/ Official website]'''<br />
* [http://www.scriptorium-oxoniae.de/publikationen.htm Issues at Scriptorium Oxoniae] (outdated)<br />
{{title|italics}}<br />
[[Category:German publications]]<br />
[[Category:Journals]]<br />
[[Category:Publications by title]]<br />
[[de:Hither Shore]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_354&diff=372114Letter 3542023-04-15T13:54:04Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=354<br />
| to= [[Priscilla Tolkien]]<br />
| date=[[29 August]] [[1973]]<br />
| subject=Vacation<br />
}}{{letter|354}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien tells [[Priscilla Tolkien|Priscilla]] that he arrived in [[Bournemouth]] safely, but he found he lost his bank card when he reached the Miramar Hotel. While Dr. Martin Tolhurst, a friend of Tolkien's, was searching for his wallet, the Miramar canceled his reservation, and made him a new one, from September 4th to September 11th. He would stay with the Tolhursts for the time being, and was looking forward to the extended holiday. He would like to visit [[Christopher Wiseman]], who was in Milford at the time. Tolhurst found the wallet; Tolkien had left it at ''The Red Lion'' in Salisbury. <br />
==Notes==<br />
* Though Tolkien accepted the offer of the Miramar Hotel, he did not use it as he planned to stay there from [[4 September]]. Nor did he visit Christopher Wiseman. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien died on [[2 September]], 1973, in a private hospital. <br />
* Tolkien travelled to Bournemouth with a private driver, Mr. Causier. Since they stopped in Salisbury, they probably drove the [[Wikipedia:A420 road|A420]] and the [[Wikipedia:A338 road|A338]].<br />
* It is not specified in which Milford Wiseman was, but presumably it was [[wikipedia:Milford on Sea|Milford on Sea]], the closest town called Milford.<br />
* This is the final letter included in ''The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien''. Tolkien passed away just a few days later on [[2 September]]. It is likely this is the last letter he wrote.<br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 354]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_353&diff=372113Letter 3532023-04-15T13:54:04Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=353<br />
| to=[[wikipedia:John Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury|Lord Halsbury]]<br />
| date=[[4 August]] [[1973]]<br />
| subject=[[Galadriel]]<br />
}}{{letter|353}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien thanked [[wikipedia:John Giffard, 3rd Earl of Halsbury|Lord Halsbury]] in advance for whisky that Halsbury sent, and thought back of when Halsbury came to visit, on [[26 July|July 26]]. The fragment ended with a statement about [[Galadriel]]. She was "unstained", not part of the [[Oath of Fëanor|deeds]] of [[Fëanor]]. She longed for dwelling in [[Middle-earth]], and had the misfortune that at her time of departure, [[Manwë]] spoke his [[Doom of Mandos|ban on emigration]].<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
By stating Galadriel had no part in the crimes of Fëanor, Tolkien contradicted himself; in [[Letter 320]], he said she was a "leader in the rebellion against the [[Valar]]".<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 353]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_352&diff=372112Letter 3522023-04-15T13:54:03Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=352<br />
| to= Ungfrú Aðalsteinsdottir<br />
| date=[[5 June]] [[1973]]<br />
| subject=Translation<br />
}}{{letter|352}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Ungfrú Aðalsteinsdottir, an Icelandic reader, had informed Tolkien of an upcoming translation of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' into Icelandic. Tolkien is very pleased to know this, because he considers the language best suited for the story. <br />
==Notes==<br />
*Tolkien would not live to see the translation published. ''Hobbitinn'', translated by [[Úlfur Ragnarsson]] and [[Karl Ágúst Úlfsson]], was published by Almenna Bókafélagið in Reykjavik in [[1978]]. <br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 352]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_351&diff=372111Letter 3512023-04-15T13:54:03Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=351<br />
| to=[[Christopher Tolkien]]<br />
| date=[[29 May]] [[1973]]<br />
| subject=Comments on Christopher's travels<br />
}}{{letter|351}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien was very glad to hear from his son because he had guessed that something untoward had happened to him in France. He could deeply sympathize with the horror of his arrival for he had had similar sufferings, especially between 1917 and 1925. Christopher had left about the same time as [[Priscilla Tolkien|Prisca]] went to Crete, but her trip had been the most successful she had ever made. Tolkien felt the tug of desire to see places but feared that he must now live on travellers' tales.<br />
<br />
He had been under unending pressure: social, literary, professional, and financial. He had had a Bournemouth vacation from May 16 through 22 and had seen good friends, the Tolhursts. He mentioned several friends who had died, including [[Warren Lewis]], Tom Dunning, R.B. McCallum, and [[Rosfrith Murray]].<br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 351]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_350&diff=372110Letter 3502023-04-15T13:54:02Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=350<br />
| to=[[Christopher Wiseman]]<br />
| date=[[23 May]] [[1973]]<br />
| subject=Relaying C.V.L. Lycett's comments about the [[T.C.B.S.]], Tolkien's current status<br />
}}{{letter|350}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien wrote to [[Christopher Wiseman]] (lamenting the speed of the passing of time) to tell him of a letter discovered in a pile that he had received in ''May'' of 1972. C.V.L. Lycett had written to him from Los Angeles to reminisce about [[Wikipedia: King Edward's School, Birmingham|King Edward's School]] and Tolkien wanted Wiseman to hear part of it. Lycett told Tolkien that he had admired and envied the wit of the select coterie (which Tolkien said was never meant to be) of himself, Wiseman, [[Geoffrey Bache Smith|G.B Smith]], [[Robert Gilson|R.Q. Gilson]], [[Vincent Trought|V. Trought]], and [[Wilfrid "Whiffy" Payton|Payton]]. Lycett said he had hovered on the outskirts to gather up the gems.<br />
<br />
Tolkien reported being established in Merton, still active and lively although he had been sick for a long time after his 81st birthday (not connected events). He was now deprived of all wines and on a restricted diet but still allowed to smoke and consume alcoholic products of barley.<br />
<br />
Tolkien wished his friend kind regards and good wishes to his wife, and after his name added the letters "[[T.C.B.S.|TCBS]]".<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 350]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_349&diff=372109Letter 3492023-04-15T13:54:02Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=349<br />
| to=Mrs. E.R. Ehrardt<br />
| date=[[8 March]] [[1973]]<br />
| subject=Rejecting the association of Tolkien with TOLK<br />
}}{{letter|349}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien told Mrs. Ehrardt he did not understand her wish to associate his name with TOLK, an interpreter or spokesman. A word of Slavonic origin, adopted in Lithuanian (TULKAS), Finnish (TULKKI), and in Scandinavian languages, across Northern Germany, and finally into Dutch (TOLK). However, it had never been adopted into English.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 349]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_348&diff=372108Letter 3482023-04-15T13:54:01Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=348<br />
| to=Mrs. Catharine Findlay<br />
| date=[[6 March]] [[1973]]<br />
| subject=[[Galadriel]]<br />
}}{{letter|348}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien writes Mrs. Catharine Findlay that the name ''[[Galadriel]]'' means "Maiden crowned with gleaming hair" in [[Sindarin]], and that it was her [[epessë|secondary name]]. In her youth, she was of amazon disposition, and bound up her hair as a crown when taking part in athletic feats. <br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 348]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_347&diff=372107Letter 3472023-04-15T13:54:01Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=347<br />
| to=[[Richard Jeffery]]<br />
| date=[[17 December]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Languages<br />
}}{{letter|347}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
This letter is a reply to several questions, mostly linguistic in nature, asked by [[Richard Jeffery]]. <br />
<br />
'''Question one:''' Concerning the phrase ''Pedo mellon a minno'' on the [[Doors of Durin]]. Jeffery asked whether "friend" could mean "friendly, like a friend". Tolkien replied that [[Gandalf]]'s explanation was the correct one. <br />
<br />
'''Question two:''' Concerning the names of the [[Kings of Gondor]] and [[Kings of Arnor|Arnor]]. All the [[Quenya]] names end in a consonant, like [[Sindarin]] would do, but the names of the descendants of [[Castamir]] ([[Sangahyando]] and [[Angamaitë]]) end with a vowel. Jeffery asks whether this was a deliberate choice, to make the names sound more aggressive. Tolkien replies that Quenya names permitted consonants (especially dentals) at the end. While Sangahyando and Angamaitë might have been warrior names, names such as ''[[Rómendacil I|Rómendacil]]'', "East-victor", were no less aggressive, albeit more political. <br />
<br />
'''Question three:''' About the use of Quenya by [[Elendil]], a man, and the use of Sindarin by [[Gil-galad]], a [[Noldor|Noldo]]. Jeffery thought this odd, as Quenya was introduced to Men by the Noldor. Tolkien replies that after the [[Doom of Mandos]], the Noldor adopted Sindarin, and adapted their names. On the other hand, in [[Númenor]] Quenya was used as a language of lore and prestige, and so too in [[Gondor]]. By the end of the [[Third Age]], there were more Men than Elves, and more speakers of Quenya in [[Minas Tirith]] than anywhere else in Middle-earth. Westron was the official language, and Sindarin was used to be polite. <br />
<br />
'''Question four:''' A short question about the connection between the [[Tengwar|Tengwa]] ''[[tyelpë]]'' and the Sindarin word ''[[celeb]]''. Tolkien confirms this connection, and goes on to tell about the skill of the [[Teleri]] with silver.<br />
<br />
'''Question five:''' A question about the etymologies of ''[[Aragorn]]'' and ''[[Arathorn II|Arathorn]]''. Jeffery proposed the etymologies "Tree-king" and "Two-tree-king". Tolkien dismissed both, and explains why. <br />
* Aragorn: Despite [[Aragorn|Aragorn II]]'s obvious connection to the [[White Tree of Gondor]], this is not the case for [[Aragorn I]], after whom the former was named. Tolkien goes on that not all king-names in the line of [[Arthedain]] can be translated. He does not [[Aragorn#Etymology|translate the name]]. <br />
* Arathorn: Jeffery here proposed ''[[-ath]]'', but Tolkien clarified that it did not come from [[Quenya]] ''[[atta]]'' ("two"), but from an old dual. The [[Two Trees]] were made and owned by the [[Valar]], and there was no need to name a Man after them. Arathorn's name is translated as "Eagle-king".<br />
<br />
Tolkien concludes the letter with a lament that he cannot provide more linguistic material, nor produce more legends. He then apologizes for the late reply - Jeffery had sent his letter on [[14 August|August 14]]th, and comments that the [[Oxford University]]'s Residents' List spells his name "Jeffrey" rather than "Jeffery", and mentions he is almost always referred to as "[[Tolkein]]". <br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[fi:Kirje 347]]<br />
[[de:Brief 347]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_346&diff=372106Letter 3462023-04-15T13:54:00Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=346<br />
| to=Lyle Leach<br />
| date=[[13 December]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Academics<br />
}}{{letter|346}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Lyle Leach, a reader, had asked Tolkien for assistance in writing an academic project about his work. Tolkien declines, saying he dislikes analysis. <br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 346]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_345&diff=372105Letter 3452023-04-15T13:54:00Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=345<br />
| to=Mrs. Meriel Thurston<br />
| date=[[30 November]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Objections to noble names for cattle with other suggestions<br />
}}{{letter|345}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
As a personal opinion Tolkien objected to giving animals strictly human and noble names. [[Elrond]] and [[Glorfindel]] seemed unsuitable. He had played with the word for “bull” that he had previously given her<ref group="note">See [[Letter 342]]</ref> in the form ''[[mundo|–mund]]'' and had come up with several names for bulls: [[Aramund]] ("Kingly bull"), Tarmund ("Noble bull"), Rasmund ("Horned bull"), and Turcomund ("Chief of bulls").<br />
<br />
[[Arwen]] was not an elf but a half-elven who abandoned her elvish rights. [[Galadriel]] is the chief elvish woman mentioned in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''; her daughter was [[Celebrían]]. Another elven lady was [[Nimrodel]] but Tolkien did not want these names given to heifers or cows. He suggested the name of [[Farmer Giles of Ham|Farmer Giles’]] favourite cow – Galathea.<br />
<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 345]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_344&diff=372104Letter 3442023-04-15T13:53:59Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=344<br />
| to=[[Edmund Meskys]]<br />
| date=[[23 November]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Numerals<br />
}}{{letter|344}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien replied to [[Edmund Meskys]], president of the [[Tolkien Society of America]], who had questions about Elvish numerals. Tolkien briefly wrote about the similarities of the Elves and the Babylonians, and then mentioned that he had devised a set of both decimal and duodecimal numbers in [[Tengwar|Fëanorian script]], but that he could not find it. He only remembered that they were written with a positional system like Arabic, and started with the lowest number on the left. <br />
==Notes==<br />
* The numbers were published in ''[[Quettar]]'' in the 1980s, and now come standard on most [[fonts]]. <br />
* The Elves used a [[wikipedia:Duodecimal|duodecimal]] system, the men a [[wikipedia:Decimal|decimal]] one.<br />
* The only "mainstream" example of Fëanorian numbers is found in ''[[Sauron Defeated]]'', in the "[[King's Letter]]". As the writer of this letter was [[Aragorn|Elessar]], the numbers (6341 and 61) were decimal.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 344]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_343&diff=372103Letter 3432023-04-15T13:53:59Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=343<br />
| to=[[Wikipedia:Sterling E. Lanier|Sterling Lanier]]<br />
| date=[[21 November]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Worthless prizes<br />
}}{{letter|343}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien was glad that Lanier had received a prize but was not surprised that it proved useless. He had been similarly disappointed when a fan sent him a drinking goblet engraved with the terrible words from [[The One Ring|the Ring]]. He never drank from it but used it for tobacco ash instead.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 343]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_342&diff=372102Letter 3422023-04-15T13:53:58Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=342<br />
| to=Mrs. Meriel Thurston<br />
| date=[[9 November]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Names for a herd of cows, individual bulls, and the Elvish word for “bull”<br />
}}{{letter|342}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien said he was honoured by Thurston's letter and was willing that she should use [[Rivendell]] as a herd prefix, although he claimed he did not know if the actual valley would have been suitable for herd breeding. Tolkien expressed interest in names she would chose for the bulls and offered to chose or create names if she wished. The [[Elvish]] word for "bull" was [[Mundo|MUNDO]].<ref group="note">Tolkien supplied Mrs. Thurston with cattle names in [[Letter 345]].</ref><br />
<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 342]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_341&diff=372101Letter 3412023-04-15T13:53:58Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=341<br />
| to=Marjorie Incledon<ref group="note">She was a cousin of Tolkien's.</ref><br />
| date=[[17 September]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Lonely living and the urge to escape "community life"<br />
}}{{letter|341}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien agreed with Marjorie about the desire and necessity of escaping from "community life" at intervals. His college had treated him with kindness and generosity, providing for his needs. They had made him a residential Emeritus Fellow (he was considered, he said, "ornamental"). The Common Room had three times as many as when he was an active Fellow, their standard had risen greatly, and they were all very good companions.<br />
<br />
Nonetheless Tolkien was often lonely and longed for a change. After term he was all alone in a large house; only the caretaker and his wife were there in a basement. Troubled by intruders and nefarious persons he lived behind locked doors.<br />
<br />
Occasionally he had managed to get away. However, he did have obligations of courtesy as a Fellow. It was [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher]] who had "off his own bat" contacted the Warden of Merton College to say that his father was looking in vain for a home. The Warden had convened a special meeting of the Governing Body that had unanimously voted to invite him to be a residential Fellow. He called himself very fortunate but not yet "happily settled"; he was still in considerable confusion.<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 341]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_340&diff=372100Letter 3402023-04-15T13:53:57Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=340<br />
| to=[[Christopher Tolkien]]<br />
| date=[[11 July|11]], [[13 July|13]] & [[15 July]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Headstone for his wife, success of his stories<br />
}}{{letter|340}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien told his son what the inscription would be on [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]]'s grave: EDITH MARY TOLKIEN, 1889-1971, [[Lúthien]]. Adding the word "Lúthien" meant more to Tolkien than a multitude of words, and she had known that she was his Lúthien.<br />
<br />
Continuing the letter on 13 July, Tolkien asked Christopher what he thought of "Lúthien" on her grave. He hoped his children would not think he had put it there out of sentimental fancy. He had never called her this name but she had been the inspiration for what became the chief part of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', first conceived in a woodland glade at Roos in Yorkshire in 1917 where she sang and danced. Tolkien wished to have a long talk with Christopher since it seemed possible that he would never write an ordered biography and someone close in heart should know about things that records do not record.<br />
<br />
Continuing the letter on 15 July, Tolkien recounted a visit to the new offices and book-stores of [[Allen and Unwin]], where he felt like minor royalty. He was startled to discover that the main business of many departments was to deal with his works. He learned that sales of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' had rocketed to hitherto unreached heights and that a large single order had come in for ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Not showing the gratified surprise expected, Tolkien was gently told that a single order of 100 copies used to be pleasing (and still was for other books) but this one was for 6,000.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
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<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=339<br />
| to=The editor of ''The Daily Telegraph''<br />
| date=[[30 June]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Forests<br />
}}<br />
[[File:Beautiful Place because Trees are Loved.jpg|thumb]]<br />
'''Letter 339''', published in ''The Daily Telegraph'' on [[4 July]] as "'''Beautiful place because trees are loved'''", is a letter written by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] and published in ''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]''.<br />
<br />
==Summary==<br />
The letter was a response to the leader article of [[29 June]], where actions by the Forestry Commission had been described as giving forests a "Tolkien gloom".<ref>[[Wayne G. Hammond]] and [[Christina Scull]] (2006), ''[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]]: Chronology'', p. 764</ref> The leader, entitled "Forestry and Us", contained the following passage which arouse a reaction from Tolkien: ''"Sheepwalks where you could once ramble for miles are transformed into a kind of Tolkien gloom, where no bird sings..."''.<br />
<br />
Tolkien writes in the letter that he rejects the use of his name as an adjective to "gloom", and continues to explain the motives of his forests. [[Lothlórien]] was beautiful because the trees were loved. The [[Old Forest]] was hostile due to bad memories. [[Fangorn Forest]] was old and beautiful, but under attack by [[Saruman|a machine-loving enemy]]. [[Mirkwood]], though under the dominion of [[Necromancer|a Power]] that hated all living things, was restored to its beauty.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, Tolkien calls comparing the Forestry Commission to [[Sauron]] unfair, because it is capable of repentance. It might have done some stupid actions, but it does not weigh up to the damage to forests done by private citizens and minor official bodies.<br />
{{references}}<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[Category:Published articles by J.R.R. Tolkien]]<br />
[[de:Brief 339]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_338&diff=372098Letter 3382023-04-15T13:53:57Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=338<br />
| to=Fr. Douglas Carter<br />
| date=[[6 June|6? June]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=No reunion for the [[Ents]] and [[Entwives]]<br />
}}{{letter|338}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Carter had asked if the Ents ever found the Entwives. Tolkien said he did not know, having written nothing beyond the first few years of the [[Fourth Age]], except for the beginning of a tale set at the end of the reign of Eldaron<ref group="note">This was probably a misspelling of "[[Eldarion]]".</ref> This tale concerned the restlessness and boredom of Men in the years of the King’s Peace.<ref group="note">This unfinished tale is "The New Shadow" from ''The Peoples of Middle-earth''.</ref><ref>{{PM|Shadow}}</ref> Tolkien thought that [[Treebeard]]'s song of the Ent and the Entwife<ref>{{TT|III4}}</ref> made it plain that there would be no reunion in "history".<br />
<br />
Dealing with the Greek language made Tolkien feel like a renegade, though he once knew something about it. He preferred Latin.<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{references}}<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 338]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_337&diff=372097Letter 3372023-04-15T13:53:56Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=337<br />
| to=Mr. Wrigley<br />
| date=[[25 May]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Inspirations<br />
}}{{letter|337}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
A Mr. Wrigley had predicted that academics would be occupied with searching for sources to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' for several generations. Tolkien feared that he was right, but considered the particular use at a particular situation of any motive, whether invented, deliberately borrowed or unconsciously remembered the most interesting.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 337]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_336&diff=372096Letter 3362023-04-15T13:53:55Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=336<br />
| to=Sir Patrick Browne<br />
| date=[[23 May]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Fame<br />
}}{{letter|336}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
[[Image:Patrick Browne 23 May 1972.jpg|thumb|left]]<br />
Tolkien tells Sir Patrick Browne of the price of fame, and his views of being a cult figure: it is not at all pleasant. It makes him feel small and inadequate, though he feels flattered. <br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
* The fragment chosen was the second part of the actual letter. The [[Pieter Collier|Tolkien Library]] has a picture of the full letter, and [[Humphrey Carpenter]]'s correspondence, [http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/sdebelder/images/LotrLetter12.jpg online].<ref>{{webcite|author=|articleurl=http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/sdebelder/SDB002.htm|articlename=#SDB002 -First Edition set (4/1/2) with published Tolkien letter|dated=|website=TL|accessed=21 May 2012}}</ref><br />
* Though the "Sir Patrick Browne" is not identified in ''The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien'', it is quite probably [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-patrick-browne-1360765.html Patrick Browne], a judge, since Tolkien addresses him as such ("Dear judge") in the full copy. <br />
{{References}}<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 336]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_335&diff=372095Letter 3352023-04-15T13:53:55Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=335<br />
| to=Michael Salmon<br />
| date=[[18 May]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=''[[The Silmarillion]]''<br />
}}{{letter|335}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Michael Salmon, a reader, had sent a kind letter and expressed interest in Tolkien's work, and apparently made some inquiries as well. Tolkien told him that if he wanted to finish ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', he did not have time for answering fan-letters.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 335]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_334&diff=372094Letter 3342023-04-15T13:53:52Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=334<br />
| to=[[Rayner Unwin]]<br />
| date=[[30 March]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Thanking Rayner for his help during Tolkien's C.B.E. awarding<br />
}}{{letter|334}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien was grateful for [[Rayner Unwin|Rayner's]] assistance, for himself, [[John Tolkien]], and [[Priscilla Tolkien]].<ref group="note">Tolkien received the [[Wikipedia:Order of the British Empire|C.B.E.]] at Buckingham Palace on 28 March 1972. Rayner honoured him with a dinner at the Garrick Club and [[Allen and Unwin]] had arranged their stay at Brown's Hotel in London.</ref> He enjoyed the party, the hotel accommodation were excellent, and when it rained at 6 a.m. he knew that it would clear up later for the occasion. The ceremonies inside the Palace had been a little tedious and comic, but Tolkien had been deeply moved by his brief meeting with the Queen.<br />
<br />
Tolkien asked if Rayner would use Tolkien's Christian name since they were now very old and dear friends.<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 334]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_333&diff=372093Letter 3332023-04-15T13:53:51Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=333<br />
| to=[[Rayner Unwin]]<br />
| date=[[16 March]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=[[Oxford]]<br />
}}{{letter|333}}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien had just moved to [[21 Merton Street]], and was still in the process of moving his belongings from [[Woodridings|Poole]]. Tolkien told [[Rayner Unwin|Rayner]] he liked the house, especially the blazing bank of flowers nearby, which was owned and run by the [[University of Oxford|University]], and invited Rayner and his wife over. <br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 333]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_332&diff=372092Letter 3322023-04-15T13:53:51Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=332<br />
| to=[[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)|Michael Tolkien]]<br />
| date=[[24 January]] [[1972]]<br />
| subject=Moving to Merton, Bereavement<br />
}}{{letter|332}}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien reported to his son that [[Wikipedia: Merton College, Oxford|Merton College]] had provided him with a flat large enough to hold his surviving library. The arrangement included a merely nominal rent, free furniture, free domestic service, free lunch and dinner all year when in residence, free telephone service, gas and electricity at reduced rates, and the use of two beautiful common-rooms with free writing paper, free newspapers, and mid-morning coffee. It all depended upon his apparent good health, which did not make him feel very secure since he had just been sick from October through December.<br />
<br />
His feeling of insecurity, said Tolkien, was due to the maiming effect of bereavement.<ref group="note">Tolkien’s wife Edith had died on 29 November 1971.</ref> When he thought, "I must tell Edith about this" he suddenly felt like a castaway on a barren island under a heedless sky after the loss of a great ship. He had felt this way when his mother had died and again after the death of [[Francis Xavier Morgan|Father Francis]], but those griefs came when he was young.<br />
<br />
Tolkien called his wife the [[Lúthien|Lúthien Tinúviel]] of his own personal "romance". But now she was gone before [[Beren]] and there was no [[Dor Firn-i-Guinar|Dor Gyrth i chuinar]] in this Fallen Kingdom of Arda.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 332]]<br />
<br />
[[fi:Kirje 332]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_331&diff=372091Letter 3312023-04-15T13:53:50Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=331<br />
| to=[[William Cater]]<br />
| date=[[29 November]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=[[Edith Tolkien]]'s death<br />
}}{{letter|331}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien informed Cater that his wife had died that morning. He described her final days, saying that she showed courage and determination, which Cater had mentioned. Tolkien was utterly bereaved but his family and friends had gathered around in support. Tolkien was glad that Cater saw Edith still undimmed and said that he would treasure Cater’s 26 November letter.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
<br />
[[de:Brief 331]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_330&diff=372090Letter 3302023-04-15T13:53:50Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=330<br />
| to=[[William Cater]]<br />
| date=[[1 November]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=Apology for not writing, the value of letters<br />
}}{{letter|330}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien apologized for not replying to Cater’s 19 October letter, which he called one of the most kind and encouraging ever received. He said that letters of any length to an isolated man were like bread to a prisoner starving in a tower.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 330]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_329&diff=372089Letter 3292023-04-15T13:53:49Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=329<br />
| to=Peter Szabó Szentmihályi (draft)<br />
| date=[[1971#October|October]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=Tolkien's list of three objectionable literary criticisms <br />
}}{{Letter|329}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien stated that he had no time to provide bibliographical material, but wanted to make three points:<br />
<br />
First, one of his strongest opinions was that investigating an author's biography was a vain and false approach to his works, especially for narrative art. He wrote to be enjoyed. Some readers liked to criticize or analyze works, which they were free to do as long as they actually attentively ''read'' the work first. Tolkien did not sympathize with this attitude, quoting [[Gandalf]]: "He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom."<ref>{{FR|II2}}</ref><br />
<br />
Second, Tolkien was not interested in serial literary history or the history of the English "novel". His work was an "heroic romance", an older and quite different variety of literature.<br />
<br />
Third, he said that labeling writers is an inept procedure and a childish amusement of small minds. It was deadening, overemphasizing commonalities of a group of writers while ignoring was was unclassifiable and individual about each. He could not understand how he could be labeled "a believer in moral didacticism" since it was the exact opposite of his procedure in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<br />
{{references}} <br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 329]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_328&diff=372088Letter 3282023-04-15T13:53:49Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=328<br />
| to=Carole Batten-Phelps (draft)<br />
| date=Autumn [[1971]]<br />
| subject=The success of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', inspiration<br />
}}{{Letter|328}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien regretted that Miss Batten-Phelps' letter had been delayed as well as his delayed answer. He was harassed by business and in constant anxiety about his wife's failing health.<br />
<br />
Tolkien was interested in her references to M.R. Ridley, whom Tolkien had known well at Oxford. Her letter let Tolkien know that his old colleague had termed his works "literature", which had gained intelligent and well-equipped readers. Tolkien said that the horrors of the American scene had given him great distress and labour. Americans had an entirely different mental climate and soil, polluted and impoverished to a degree only paralleled by the lunatic destruction of the physical lands of America.<br />
<br />
Tolkien was grateful for her remarks on the critics and for her personal delight in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Her high praise was such that a mere "thank you" would seem conceited, though actually it made him wonder how he had achieved such an effect. Written slowly and carefully, it emerged as a Frameless Picture on a brief episode in History, surrounded by the glimmer of limitless extension in time and space. This may explain why so many people found it readable, but did not fully explain what had happened. It was as if an ever darkening sky had been pierced by almost forgotten sunlight.<br />
<br />
A few years ago a man whose name he had forgotten visited him. He thought that many old pictures seemed to have been designed to illustrate The Lord of the Rings and brought some reproductions. He wanted to discover if Tolkien's imagination had fed on pictures, as it had by certain kinds of literature and language. Finding that Tolkien had not seen the pictures before and was poorly acquainted with pictorial Art he had looked fixedly at Tolkien and said, "Of course you don’t suppose, do you, that you wrote all that book yourself?" Pure [[Gandalf]]! Ever since Tolkien said he was unable to suppose so. It was an alarming conclusion for what had been a private amusement.<br />
<br />
Miss Batten-Phelps had spoken of "a sanity and sanctity" in ''The Lord of the Rings'' which deeply moved Tolkien. No one had said this before, but as he began this letter another had arrived from a man who said he had created "a world in which some sort of faith seems to be everywhere without a visible source, like light from an invisible lamp." No man can judge his own sanity but if sanctity inhabits one's work then it came not from him but through him.<br />
<br />
''The Lord of the Rings'' no longer belonged to him, said Tolkien, he now took a deep interest in its fortunes, as a parent would of a child. He was comforted that it had good friends to defend it.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 328]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_327&diff=372087Letter 3272023-04-15T13:53:48Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=327<br />
| to=Robert H. Boyer<br />
| date=[[25 August]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=[[W.H. Auden]]<br />
}}{{Letter|327}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Robert H. Boyer had written to Tolkien asking him about his relation with [[W.H. Auden]]. Tolkien replied that they did not know each other that long, and most of their communication went by mail. They had only met in person a few times, though Auden had attended several of Tolkien's lectures on [[Old English]]. <br />
<br />
Tolkien did thank Auden for being an encouragement in his writing endeavour, and regarded him as one of his better friends. He also contributed a [[For W.H.A.|poem]] to the [[Shenandoah: A Tribute to Wystan Hugh Auden on his Sixtieth Birthday|festschrift in tribute of Auden's 60th birthday]].<br />
{{Letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 327]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_326&diff=372086Letter 3262023-04-15T13:53:48Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=326<br />
| to=[[Rayner Unwin]]<br />
| date=[[24 July]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=[[Allen and Unwin]]<br />
}}{{letter|326}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien lamented that, because [[Rayner Unwin]] took over [[Stanley Unwin|his father]]'s position at [[Allen and Unwin|Allen & Unwin]], they could not spend much time together anymore. <br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 326]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_325&diff=372085Letter 3252023-04-15T13:53:47Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=325<br />
| to=[[Roger Lancelyn Green]]<br />
| date=[[17 July]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=Details about going to Aman<br />
}}{{letter|325}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
"Immortals" permitted to seek [[Aman]] sailed in ships specially made and hallowed for this voyage, and steered due West towards the ancient site of [[Valinor]] and [[Tol Eressëa|Eressëa]]. They only sailed after sundown, but a keen-eyed observer watching one of these ships would never see it [[Wikipedia:Hull-down|hull-down]] but only dwindled by distance. It followed the straight road to the true west and not the bend of the earth's surface. Those who took the road could not return.<br />
<br />
The angelic immortals, the [[Valar]], and others of the same order but less in power, needed no transport unless they had become incarnated. As for [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] or other mortals, they could only dwell in Aman for a limited time. It was a peaceful and healing "purgatory" from which they would die at their own desire and free will.<br />
<br />
This general idea lay behind the events of ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. It was not put forward as geologically or astronomically "true"; it is part of the legends of "Mannish" origin blended with those of the [[Sindar]] (who had never left Middle-earth).<br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 325]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_324&diff=372084Letter 3242023-04-15T13:53:47Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=324<br />
| to=Graham Tayar<br />
| date=[[4 June|4]]-[[5 June]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=Word-origins for [[Gamgee]] and [[Gondor]]<br />
}}{{letter|324}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tayer had asked about the name "Gamgee" in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' and whether [[Wikipedia:Gondar|Gondar]] in Ethiopia had suggested the name "Gondor".<br />
<br />
Concerning ''Gondar/Gondor'', Tolkien said that this was a difficult but interesting matter involving the nature of "linguistic invention". The facts regarding ''Gondor'' were that he had no recollection of ever hearing of ''Gondar'' before Tayar’s letter and that ''Gondor'' was a name that sprang from [[Sindarin]] style and phonetics. Its sense was "Stone-land" as in "Stone (-using people's) land". People ignorant of Sindarin understood the meaning, as when [[Théoden]] and [[Ghân-buri-Ghân| Ghân]] conversed.<ref>{{RK|V5}}</ref> It was probable that the [[Númenóreans]] adopted the name from the primitive inhabitants of Gondor and turned it into Sindarin.<br />
<br />
Tolkien said that the name was a very early element of the whole story. In his linguistic construction ''Gondor'' and ''Gondar'' would be two distinct names and the latter would have no precise sense. However, the "leaf-mould" of memory contained submerged names that rose to the surface at times, and they might provide the bases of "invented" names. Ethiopia had been prominent in the [[Wikipedia:Second Italo-Abyssinian War|Italian war]] and Gondar may have entered his memory through this route, but no more than [[Wikipedia:Gondwana|Gondwana-land]] (which Tolkien called a rare venture of geology into poetry).<br />
<br />
Tolkien then recalled the reason why the element ''*gon(o), [[Gond|*gond(o)]]'' became a word-stem meaning "stone": When he was 8 year old he had read a book that stated that nothing of the language of primitive people before the Celts or Germanic invaders was known, except perhaps ''ond'' meaning "stone", which seemed fitting to Tolkien. The prefixing g- came later: in the history of the relation between Sindarin and [[Quenya]] the primitive initial g- was lost in Q so that in later Q the word was ''ondo''.<br />
<br />
In Tolkien's early days ''gamgee'' meant "cotton-wool". A recent [[Wikipedia:English Place-Names Society|English Place Names Society]] volume noted ''Gamgee'' as a variant upon the common surname ''Gamage (Gammage, Gammidge)''. The name ultimately derived from ''de Gamaches'', but early forms of ''Gamages, de Gamagis, de Gemegis'' might have provided a variant ''Gamagi > Gamgee''.<br />
<br />
Tayar's reference to a ''Samson Gamgee'' was very interesting. He was mentioned in a book on Birmingham Jewry so perhaps his family was Jewish with an altogether different origin for the name, although a French form was not impossible as a Jewish surname. Tolkien noted that this might explain why his name was so often misspelt as TOLKEIN, but it was from Saxony and not Jewish in origin, though he would consider it an honor if it were. Currently Jewish names were associated with German or Yiddish, but the common language of medieval Jewry was French.<br />
{{references}}<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 324]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_323&diff=372083Letter 3232023-04-15T13:53:45Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=323<br />
| to=[[Christopher Tolkien]]<br />
| date=[[2 June]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=A fabulous May, a bit of sickness<br />
}}{{letter|323}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien apologized to [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher]] for not writing in a while. He had gone through the entire month of May without a stroke of writing. Part of the time was spent on a brief holiday to [[Wikipedia:Sidmouth|Sidmouth]]. Tolkien delightedly described arriving in the "spring explosion" of glory, of flowers and oaks leafing out splendidly.<br />
<br />
The Belmont hotel proved a very good choice. Although grim looking, it had a perfect position and the best place for eating. Some faithful cruise-friends had moved to Sidmouth and had vetted their rooms, provided a car, and took them on drives nearly every day. Tolkien thus was able to revisit country he and Christopher had seen years ago. Sidmouth seemed practically unchanged, with shops named Frisby, Trump, and Potbury.<br />
<br />
A break in the letter occurred and on 10 June Tolkien report that he and his wife had been afflicted either with a virus or food-poisoning. The risk of the latter, he said, kept rising in this polluted country. Tolkien longed to see his son and regretted the distance between their dwellings.<br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 323]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_322&diff=372082Letter 3222023-04-15T13:53:45Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=322<br />
| to=[[William Cater]]<br />
| date=[[18 March]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=''[[The Silmarillion]]''<br />
}}{{letter|322}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien told William Cater that his work on ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' was going better than before, and he might be able to send [[Allen and Unwin|Allen & Unwin]] a part later that year. <br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 322]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_321&diff=372081Letter 3212023-04-15T13:53:44Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=321<br />
| to=P. Rorke, S.J.<br />
| date=[[4 February]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=The [[Glittering Caves]] and their inspiration<br />
}}{{letter|321}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien writes that he was most pleased by Rorke's reference to the description of the "glittering caves", which no other critic had picked out for special mention. Tolkien said he based them on the caves in [[Wikipedia:Cheddar Gorge|Cheddar Gorge]]. He had revisited them in 1940 but his main memory was from a visit during his honeymoon.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 321]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_320&diff=372080Letter 3202023-04-15T13:53:44Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=320<br />
| to=Mrs. Ruth Austin<br />
| date=[[25 January]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=[[Galadriel]]'s nature and story<br />
}}{{letter|320}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien was particularly interested in Austin’s remarks about Galadriel. He thought it was true that her character owed much to Christian and Catholic teaching and imagination about Mary, but he pointed out that Galadriel was actually a penitent. She was a rebel leader against the [[Valar]] (angelic guardians) and proudly refused forgiveness or permission to return at the end of the [[First Age]]. Eventually she was pardoned for resisting the temptation to take [[the One Ring|the Ring]] for herself.<br />
<br />
==Other versions of the legendarium==<br />
As [[Christopher Tolkien]] explained in the ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', the story of Galadriel underwent continual refashionings. The version above is but one variation.<ref>{{UT|Galadriel}}</ref><br />
<br />
{{references}}<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 320]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_319&diff=372079Letter 3192023-04-15T13:53:44Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=319<br />
| to=[[Roger Lancelyn Green]]<br />
| date=[[8 January]] [[1971]]<br />
| subject=Putting the word "hobbit" into the dictionary<br />
}}{{letter|319}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
The ''[[Wikipedia: Oxford English Dictionary|Oxford English Dictionary]]'' had proposed to put the word "hobbit" into a new supplement. Tolkien stated that he had to justify his claim to having invented the word. His claim rested upon his unsupported assertion that when he invented it he did not know ''then'' of any prior instance or near-instance. Citing words beginning with ''hob-'', Tolkien noted that his statement that ''[[hobgoblins]]'' were "a larger kind" was a reverse of the truth. The only word that had an influence was "hole"; the trolls' use of "rabbit" was merely an insult.<br />
<br />
Tolkien said that doubt on the word's origin was cast back in 1938 when a review in ''The Observer'', signed "Habit", claimed that the word had been used in an old "fairy story" 20 years earlier. Neither asking for information from the reviewer nor extensive research had uncovered this prior instance. Tolkien ended by saying, "Oh what a tangled web we weave who try a new word to conceive!"<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 319]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_318&diff=372078Letter 3182023-04-15T13:53:43Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
|#=318<br />
|to=Neil Ker<br />
|date=[[22 November]] [[1970]]<br />
|subject=Recalling professors and mentors from Tolkien's undergraduate days<br />
|}}<br />
{{letter|318}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien was most grateful to Ker for sending his article on Napier.<ref group="note">A.S. Napier (1853-1916) was the Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford during Tolkien's time as an undergraduate.</ref> Tolkien had entered the English School in 1913 at his own request, not realizing the generosity of Exeter College to allow this without depriving him of his classical exhibition. Ker's essay confirmed Tolkien's guess that Farnell<ref group="note">L.R. Farnell, Rector (or head) of Exeter College, 1913-1928</ref> was responsible. Farnell had introduced Tolkien to Napier, a meeting in a darkened room where he could hardly see the man. They never spoke again although Tolkien attended his lectures.<br />
<br />
Having missed Napier (who had advanced illness at the time) Tolkien had what he called the singular good fortune that Sisam<ref group="note">Kenneth Sisam (1887-1971) who during Tolkien's undergraduate period was a research student and assistant to Professor Napier.</ref> became his tutor. Although Sisam derived many benefits from Napier's example, his own teaching was spiced with pungency, humour, and practical wisdom. Sisam laid the foundation for Tolkien's own library.<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 318]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_317&diff=372077Letter 3172023-04-15T13:53:43Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
|#=317<br />
|to=Amy Ronald<br />
|date=[[1 November]] [[1970]]<br />
|subject=Ship-shape house, stock of liquor<br />
|}}<br />
{{letter|317}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien thanked Ronald for her gift. He felt like a wise man who stored the most useful and necessary things in his craft for a long voyage. He felt like his house was a ship and it looked like one, contented but surprised to have been dumped where it was by a wave.<br />
<br />
He had not bought any good brandy but he had burgundy, port, sherry, some liqueurs, and one bottle of champagne (for Christmas). He noted that the port was not vintage. He liked port as a mid-morning drink; it was not for after a full meal and above all not for desert.<br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 317]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_316&diff=372076Letter 3162023-04-15T13:53:42Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
|#=316<br />
|to=[[Wikipedia:Robert Burchfield|R.W. Burchfield]]<br />
|date=[[11 September]] [[1970]]<br />
|subject=The word ''hobbit''<br />
|}}<br />
{{letter|316}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
[[Image:Robert Burchfield 11 September 1970.jpg|left|thumb]]<br />
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' staff, compiling an entry for ''hobbit'' in their second supplement, asked about the origin of the word and whether it was from an earlier story. Tolkien acknowledged a personal interest in it and wanted his meaning to be clear. He did warn them that looking into things was looking for trouble.<br />
<br />
He was having the etymology "invented by J.R.R. Tolkien" investigated by experts. He knew his claim was not clear but he had not troubled about it until the Second Supplement inclusion came up. He then provided a definition, assuming that the etymology could stand:<br />
<br />
:One of an imaginary people, a small variety of the human race, that gave themselves the name (meaning "hole-dweller") but were called by others ''halflings'', since they were half the height of normal men.<ref group="note">This was the definition used, prefaced with "In the tales of J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)" in the 1976 Supplement.</ref><br />
<br />
If the etymology did not stand, they should substitute after "race":<br />
<br />
:in the tales of J.R.R. Tolkien said to have given themselves this name, though others called them…<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
*[[Letter to Robert Burchfield (6 November 1954)]]<br />
*[[Letter to Robert Burchfield (11 June 1972)]]<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 316]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_315&diff=372075Letter 3152023-04-15T13:53:42Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
|#=315<br />
|to=[[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)|Michael Tolkien]]<br />
|date=[[1 January]] [[1970]]<br />
|subject=Slow work on ''[[The Silmarillion]]''<br />
|}}<br />
{{letter|315}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien growled that he was ''not'' getting on fast with ''[[The Silmarillion]]''. His wife, though gallant, was losing the fight against age, disability, and pain. Tolkien felt his years and had many interruptions of business. He had chiefly been trying to co-ordinate the nomenclature of the parts of ''The Silmarillion'' with ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. Stories still sprouted from names but it was a very difficult and complex task. He wanted to put some of it into readable form and sketch the rest for others. He also wanted the time to record memories of his childhood and kin.<br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[fi:Kirje 315]]<br />
[[de:Brief 315]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_314&diff=372074Letter 3142023-04-15T13:53:41Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
|#=314<br />
|to=[[Christopher Tolkien]]<br />
|date=[[15 December]] [[1969]]<br />
|subject=The sorry state of students<br />
|}}<br />
{{letter|314}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien was in favour of the "dull stodges" - he had once experienced England's apparently dullest and stodgiest students: Yorkshire's young men and women of sub-public school class, of homeless backgrounds bookless and cultureless. It did not indicate actual innate mental capacity of any individual for a surprisingly large proportion proved "educable". The primary qualification was willingness to do some work to learn at any level of intelligence. Teaching, Tolkien declared, was a most exhausting task.<br />
<br />
However, Tolkien would rather work on removing the "dull" from the "stodges" than waste effort on those of apparently higher intelligence that had been corrupted, disintegrated by school, and the climate of present days (and drugs). Teaching is not the instrument for their rehabilitation. Better one stubby little root that may eventually produce some seed than a large pink root rotten with carrot fly.<br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 314]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_313&diff=372073Letter 3132023-04-15T13:53:41Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
|#=313<br />
|to=[[Michael Tolkien (b. 1920)|Michael Tolkien]]<br />
|date=[[25 November]] [[1969]]<br />
|subject=Elvish grammar and vocabulary<br />
|}}<br />
{{letter|313}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien wished he had the time to produce an elementary grammar and vocabulary for [[Quenya]] and [[Sindarin]].<ref group="note">We all wished that he had.</ref> He was working on the languages as part of adjusting ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 313]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_312&diff=372072Letter 3122023-04-15T13:53:40Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
|#=312<br />
|to=Amy Ronald<br />
|date=[[16 November]] [[1969]]<br />
|subject=Miss Ronald’s health, flowers of Middle-earth and others experienced by Tolkien<br />
|}}<br />
{{letter|312}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien was perturbed by Miss Ronald's afflictions and said that he would pray for her. It might work because it seemed like humour that God was so curiously ready to answer the prayers of the least worthy suppliants, if they prayed for others.<br />
<br />
Tolkien greatly enjoyed the Cape Flower Book.<ref group="note">Mary Maytham Kidd’s ''Wild Flower of the Cape Peninsula''</ref> Nothing immediately recalled ''[[Niphredil|niphredil]]'', ''[[Elanor (flower)|elanor]]'', or ''[[Alfirin|alfirin]]'' since they were imaginary flowers but he then described them as he imagined them: ''Niphredil'' would be a delicate kin of a snowdrop. ''Elanor'' would be a pimpernel (perhaps a little enlarged) growing sun-golden flowers and star-silver ones on the same plant, and sometimes the two combined. ''Alfirin'' ("immortal") would be an immortelle, but not dry and papery: simply a beautiful bell-like flower, running through many colours, but soft and gentle.<br />
<br />
All illustrated botany books or direct contact with unfamiliar flora especially fascinated him, said Tolkien. Not so much the rare, unusual, or unrelated specimens, but the variations and permutations of flowers that were kin to those he knew. Those aroused visions of kinship and descent through great ages. He told of seeing a beautiful fox-glove that was also a figwort, showing the kinship. He also related a story of planting daises in which one strayed into enormously rich soil and produced a flower four times the normal size with six pick-tipped little elvish daisies like an airy crown.<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 312]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_311&diff=372071Letter 3112023-04-15T13:53:40Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=311<br />
| to=[[Christopher Tolkien]]<br />
| date=[[31 July]] [[1969]]<br />
| subject=Frustration, Gall bladder attack<br />
}}{{letter|311}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien felt a bit desperate and endlessly frustrated. He had finally "released the demon of invention" but was mired in business. Then he was assailed by considerable pain and depression. Tolhurst<ref group="notes">Dr. Denis Tolhurst</ref> did a thorough checkup and took Tolkien off all fats (including butter) and alcohol. Usually cheerful, the doctor was alarmingly serious. Tolkien reflected that we know too little about the complicated machine we inhabit, such as an unassuming thing called a gall-bladder. The X-ray man had treated him with great civility and gave him the good news that his gall-bladder was in the right place, functioning, and had no gall-stones or growths. Tolhurst reduced his restrictions to butter and alcohol "in moderation". Tolkien felt quite well but life was not easy. The Parke<ref group="notes">Mrs. Parke, the Tolkiens' driver and general help.</ref> was sick. His [[Edith Tolkien|wife]] was ailing and he feared slowly "declining", while he himself felt cut off.<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references group="notes"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 311]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_310&diff=372070Letter 3102023-04-15T13:53:40Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=310<br />
| to=Camilla Unwin<br />
| date=[[20 May]] [[1969]]<br />
| subject=The purpose of life<br />
}}{{letter|310}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
[[Rayner Unwin]]'s daughter Camilla sought a response from Tolkien to the question, "What is the purpose of life?" for a school project. Tolkien took a while to reply, stating that any opinion on such a large question required an explanation of how a person arrived at the answer. He first (as might be expected of a philologist) said ''purpose'' and ''life'' both needed some definition. Was it purely a human and moral question or did it refer to the universe? Was the question how a person ought to live? Or, what purpose do living things serve by being alive? Tolkien felt that the second question had to be considered before the first.<br />
<br />
"Purpose" refers to the conscious purposes or objects of human beings or of what they make. "Other things" that exist outside of us have their value within; they would exist with or without us. But we do exist so one of their functions is our contemplation. They are deeply interesting because they are "other" and proceed from an invention richer than our own. We ask HOW, perceive patterns and ask WHY, and this implies reasons and motives and a MIND. Only a Mind can have purposes. This introduces the question of a God, a Creator-Designer, a Mind that is partly intelligible to us. This leads to religion and its moral ideas, which are bound up in the bonds we have with others. Morals then should be a guide to human purposes.<br />
<br />
This only answered the smaller question, said Tolkien. To the larger question (the purpose served by being alive) there is no answer since it required a ''complete'' knowledge of God, which was unattainable. If you do not believe in a personal God, "What is the purpose of life?" is unaskable and unanswerable, since there is no one to whom to direct the question. If the universe could answer it would say, "I am as I am. There is nothing you can do about it." If you do believe in a personal God then the Universe itself is not worshipful, although devoted study of it is one way to honour Him. For believers in God, the chief purpose of life is to increase our knowledge of God and to be moved to praise and thanks.<br />
<br />
Tolkien closed the letter by stating that his reply was much too long and much too short on such a question.<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[Category:Christianity]]<br />
[[de:Brief 310]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_309&diff=372069Letter 3092023-04-15T13:53:39Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=309<br />
| to=Amy Ronald<br />
| date=[[2 January]] [[1969]]<br />
| subject=Explaining the parts of his name<br />
}}{{letter|309}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
As to his name, it was ''John'', much loved and used by Christians, said Tolkien. He had been born on the Octave of St. John the Evangelist and took him as his patron. His parents had not thought of anything so Romish; he was called John because of family custom, in which the eldest son of the eldest son was called John.<br />
<br />
His father had favored John Benjamin Reuel. His mother, confident that she would bear a daughter, decided on Rosalind. When he arrived, prematurely and a boy, Ronald was substituted. He used John, his near kin used Ronald, friends at school used John or John Ronald or J.R-squared. As for an “Elvish” name he could invent one but he did not nor wish to be inside his invented history.<br />
<br />
As for Master: he was not one – in high uses it would be presumptuous and profane and in low uses it would be conceited. He was a "professor", now a customary social title.<br />
<br />
So it seemed that John or Ronald was not pleasing to Amy then they had to fall back on "Professor" (and he would call her Lady).<br />
<br />
Then there was ''Reuel'', which Tolkien believed was the surname of a friend of his grandfather. The family believed it to be French. Tolkien thought he would call her Aimée, which he liked better than the Anglicization.<br />
<br />
As a postscript, Tolkien added a short verse:<br />
<poem style="font-style:italic; margin-left:20px;"><br />
J.R.R. Tolkien<br />
Had a cat called Grimalkin:<br />
Once a familiar of Herr Grimm,<br />
Now he spoke the law to him.</poem><br />
<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 309]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_308&diff=372068Letter 3082023-04-15T13:53:39Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=308<br />
| to=[[Christopher Tolkien]]<br />
| date=[[2 January]] [[1969]]<br />
| subject=New Years, Joseph Wright, arthritis<br />
}}{{letter|308}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
Tolkien wished his son good fortune in 1969. He reported that his library was in order after the move<ref group="note">The move was to 19 Lakeside Road, BH13 6 in Poole.</ref> and that nearly all things thought lost (some even from before the move) had turned up.<br />
<br />
One book that remained lost was [[Joseph Wright|Joe Wright]]’s ''Gothic Grammar''. The accidental acquisition of this work had opened Tolkien's eyes to "Germanic philology". It had contributed to his poor performance in his regular studies but had led him to old Joe in person, who had become a good friend and adviser. Joe Wright had grounded Tolkien in Greek and Latin philology. Tolkien said that an "angelic examiner" had given him an α+ in Greek Philology that saved his bacon, eventually allowing him to transfer to "English" when he had no liking at all for English.<br />
<br />
Tolkien mentioned having horrible arthritis in his left hand, which did not excuse his scrawled writing since his right had not been affected.<br />
==Note==<br />
<references group="note"/><br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 308]]</div>DerUnterstrichhttps://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Letter_307&diff=372067Letter 3072023-04-15T13:53:38Z<p>DerUnterstrich: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{letter infobox<br />
| #=307<br />
| to=Amy Ronald<br />
| date=[[14 November]] [[1968]]<br />
| subject=Thank you note for Ports and Sherries<br />
}}{{letter|307}}<br />
==Summary==<br />
On this day Tolkien saw a man coming to the back door with a box and he told his wife he would deal with it. The cheery deliveryman presented him with 4 Ports and 3 Sherries, calling it "a nice present from somebody." Tolkien said it was a nice present and not just from Somebody but from youbody (he called this a nice singular which hobbits must have used, with the plural "youbodies"). Very delightful and, being from Miss Ronald, well-timed. The Tolkiens were snug in their new home, having mastered the unfamiliar central heating, but nights and days grew chill. Port and sherry were great warmers.<br />
<br />
"''Elde is me istolen on…ich am eldre than i was a winter and ek a lore''" quoth Tolkien.<ref group="note">"Old age has stolen upon me…I am older than I was both in winters (i.e. years) and in learning (i.e. wisdom)."</ref> He hoped but doubted that he was wiser.<br />
{{notes}}<br />
{{letters}}<br />
[[de:Brief 307]]</div>DerUnterstrich