Old English: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
Line 4: Line 4:


==History==
==History==
[[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at at Pembroke College from [[1925]] to [[1945]]. He was strongly influenced by Old English literature such as [[Beowulf]] and favoured especially the Mercian dialect.  
[[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at at Pembroke College from [[1925]] to [[1945]]. He was strongly influenced by Old English literature such as [[Beowulf]].  


Tolkien wrote in Old English several texts of his legendarium, which he (fictionally) attributed to Ælfwine such as the ''[[Earliest Annals of Valinor]]'' in ''[[The Shaping of Middle-earth]]''; although they are commented and edited by [[Christopher Tolkien]], the translation is not given. In earlier notes concerning the ''[[Book of Lost Tales]]'', he commented that the Elves of [[Eressëa]] could talk Old English to Ælfwine.
Tolkien favoured especially the Mercian dialect wrote in Old English several texts of his legendarium, which he (fictionally) attributed to Ælfwine such as the ''[[Earliest Annals of Valinor]]''; they were published more recently in ''[[The Shaping of Middle-earth]]'' and although they are commented and edited by [[Christopher Tolkien]], the translation is not given.  
 
In earlier notes concerning the ''[[Book of Lost Tales]]'', he commented that Old English was the only language the Elves of [[Eressëa]] could talk to Men, and that was how they talked to Ælfwine.


Anglo-Saxon runes were used on the [[Thrór's Map]] in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' to display the [[Cirth]] as used by the [[Dwarves]].
Anglo-Saxon runes were used on the [[Thrór's Map]] in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' to display the [[Cirth]] as used by the [[Dwarves]].

Revision as of 11:30, 13 February 2009

Old English (sometimes called Anglo-Saxon, though Tolkien disliked the term) was the ancestor language of modern English. It was also the mother language of characters Ælfwine and Eriol.

Anglo-Saxon used Runes for their writing system.

History

Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at at Pembroke College from 1925 to 1945. He was strongly influenced by Old English literature such as Beowulf.

Tolkien favoured especially the Mercian dialect wrote in Old English several texts of his legendarium, which he (fictionally) attributed to Ælfwine such as the Earliest Annals of Valinor; they were published more recently in The Shaping of Middle-earth and although they are commented and edited by Christopher Tolkien, the translation is not given.

In earlier notes concerning the Book of Lost Tales, he commented that Old English was the only language the Elves of Eressëa could talk to Men, and that was how they talked to Ælfwine.

Anglo-Saxon runes were used on the Thrór's Map in The Hobbit to display the Cirth as used by the Dwarves.

Tolkien devised a Tengwar mode for Old English, for texts written by Edwin Lowdham in The Strange Case of Arundel Lowdham (DTS50 and DTS51).

Rohirric

For Lord of the Rings, Tolkien used several Anglo-Saxon names and words, which represented Rohirric, the language of the Rohirrim. This simulated the archaic sense the Hobbits (who spoke Hobbitish Westron) felt with the Rohirrim.

However the relation of Old English and English is not the same as with Rohirric and Westron, since the latter descends from Adûnaic, not Rohirric.

References