Historical story

From Beowulf to Bilbo

It will premiere on December 10, 2014:part three of The Hobbit. Tolkien's Middle-earth may seem magical to many, but it is largely based on reality. Tolkien drew inspiration from the language and literature of medieval England.

Eotenas ond ylfe ond orcneas :giants and elves and orcs. They are Old English words from the early medieval epic Beowulf. They describe creatures that will sound familiar to Tolkien readers. Elves and orcs also play a major role in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. This similarity between the Beowulf and Tolkien's work is no coincidence:in addition to being a celebrated author, Tolkien was also a professor of Old English.

Tolkien and Old English

In his teens, Tolkien was captivated by medieval literature. Later he specialized in Old English. In 1925 he became professor of Old English at the University of Oxford at the age of 33.

His main academic work is Beowulf:The Monsters and the Critics, the first literary critical study of the Beowulf. Outside of his academic work, Tolkien began to compose Old English poetry, such as riddles and songs.

Tolkien's interest in the early medieval texts he studied also shines through in his literary work. For example, he borrowed the word Middle-Earth from the Old English word for 'earth, world':middangeard. Tolkien also drew inspiration for other place and personal names from Old English. In addition, some of Tolkien's characters in The Lord of the Rings speak Old English. “Westu Theoden hal”, says Éomer to Théoden, in words that correspond almost entirely to a line from the Beowulf:“Wæs þu, Hroðgar, hal” (be thou, Hrothgar, healthy).

The Hobbit

In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. Tolkien wrote this first sentence of The Hobbit during a grading session, on a blank exam sheet. This phrase eventually developed into the well-known book that appeared in 1937. The book was well received and sold out after three months. Many reprints, translations and film adaptations followed. The third part of the film adaptation by Peter Jackson will premiere in the Netherlands on December 10, 2014.

In The Hobbit, the reader is introduced to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who rarely ventures outside his familiar surroundings. Wizard Gandalf persuades Bilbo to embark on a journey with some dwarfs. This journey must lead to a treasure guarded by a dragon. On the way to that treasure, Bilbo becomes acquainted with a savage outside world:a world full of early medieval elements.

Thror's map

A first look at 'the map of Thror' that leads Bilbo and the dwarves to the treasure can be surprising:north is on the left and not up. In addition, in addition to drawings of dragons, mountains and spiders, the map contains a secret message in a strange script. Someone from the Middle Ages would have a lot less trouble with Tolkien's map. Until 1600 it was common for maps to be made with the east on top and the north on the left.

Tolkien may have based his map on the only world map that has survived from early medieval England, the Cotton World Map. In addition to the geographical orientation, the map of Thror and the Cotton World Map share the use of images with accompanying texts.

Also the script in which the secret message is written would not seem strange to a medieval person. This is because it concerns the Anglo-Saxon runic script. The Anglo-Saxons did not use this script on paper or parchment, but only for short messages on wood or metal.

An example is the inscription on the Kingmoorring. This ring contains a magical spell and may have been one of the inspirations for the magical ring that plays such a major role in Tolkien's works. That ring is first mentioned in The Hobbit, when Bilbo takes it from Gollum.

Gollum and Grendel

Gollum is a remarkable creature. In The Hobbit, Tolkien reveals little about Gollum's appearance, except that a dangerous light shines from his eyes:Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum. I don't know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum – as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes.

Why did Tolkien choose such a vague description of the creature Gollum in the first place? The answer to the question can be found in the Beowulf, which describes the monster Grendel in a similar way. Like Tolkien, the Beowulf poet indicates that he does not know Grendel's true nature:sceaðona ic nat hwylc (an enemy, I don't know what kind). Further, the poet describes Grendel only in such general terms as "enemy" and "monster." As with Gollum, only his eyes are described, from which stod ligge gelicost leoht unfæger, 'a distorted light shone like a fire'.

Tolkien's description of Gollum is clearly inspired by Grendel's description in Beowulf. Like the Beowulf poet before him, Tolkien must have realized that by keeping his monster's description as vague as possible, he could engage his reader in the text. After all, the reader has to give his own interpretation to the monster.

Disturbed dragons

Smaug, the dragon Bilbo and the dwarves face in The Hobbit, looks a lot like a dragon found in the Beowulf. The nameless dragon in the Beowulf, like Smaug, is hundreds of years old, lives in a cave and guards a great treasure. In the Beowulf we read that one day this monster is disturbed by someone stealing a cup from him. The dragon then waits for nightfall and takes revenge on the surrounding areas.

Tolkien shows almost the same course of events in The Hobbit:Bilbo steals a cup from Smaug's treasure and this reacts by attacking the surrounding lands as soon as night falls. Both dragons eventually pay for their nightly forays with their deaths.

Tolkien once wrote:A story is like soup. Soup should be enjoyed without wondering what bones it was drawn from. With this metaphor, he argued that paying attention to the sources of a story could detract from the unity and originality of the author's ultimate creation. Yet insight into the sources actually enables the reader to fathom the choices made by an author. Knowledge of the Old English language and culture from which Tolkien was inspired contributes to a richer reading experience. That is why a peek behind the scenes of an author is always worthwhile.

Read more about Old English