Replies

Tolkien's humans are quite obviously the ordinary humans found in fairy-tales (save, again, for the Númenóreans), but his Elves are by no means the ``fairies'' commonly met in them. They are not pretty toys for Victorian children. In On Fairy-stories, Tolkien draws an authoritative, absolute distinction between the pretty sprites of Shakespeare and popular fancy, and the Elves of true folklore. Elves are not part of ``that long line of flower-fairies and fluttering sprites and antennae that I so disliked as a child'' (6). Tolkien's Elves are much more the bright beings of Norse and Celtic legend, not the impotent, helpless lace beings of conventional fairy-lore. In The Notion Club Papers (published in Sauron Defeated), he has a character of his, one Professor Lowdham, talk about Elves; when questioned about the word ``elf,'' he replies, ``I didn't mean elf in any debased post-Shakespearean sense'' (306). (A full discussion of why Tolkien found conventional ideas – especially Shakespeare's – about fairies and Elves to be so distasteful and insufficient is beyond this paper; see Shippey, esp 132-39. At any rate, it suffices to say that Tolkien's Elves are not pretty toys.) The sight of an Elf-lord in his full power is enough to cow even Nazgûl: when Frodo and company are at the outskirts of Rivendell, Glorfindel their guide unleashes his powers, terrifying the pursuing Ringwraiths. ``Caught between fire and water, and seeing an Elf-lord revealed in his wrath, they were dismayed,'' explains Gandalf (Fellowship 286, 295).

Sorry for posting this somewhat lengthy essay I found posted elsewhere.

I love it! Thank you so much for posting it.

I am beginning to wonder what it is about my character that so loves Tolkien's writings and also enamours me so to Celtic music! I always loved the music, though I admit since obtaining my whistle it has really exploded.

No one in my family is that crazy about it and my parents have thought I'm a little odd because of it. Sure, I have liked my share of other music, but it's the old Celtic tunes I come back to over and over. Just like books...I like other books, but it's Tolkien I come back to again and again.

I don't think it has anything to do with my heritage. I'm a Heinz 57!

Tolkien draws an authoritative, absolute distinction between the pretty sprites of Shakespeare and popular fancy, and the Elves of true folklore.

That's very interesting, SC! I feel the same way about the Victorian idea of fluff angels versus the idea of the Biblical Angel. When anyone in the Bible is visited by an Angel, the Angel's first words are "fear not". To me, that means that the creature before them is not some sort of wispy, romantic thing, but a awesome, powerful being of whom they would be afraid!