An excellent beginning! You have obviously thought a lot about your topic and you develop your ideas well. As it stands, the paper is a little short (you forgot to include a word count) and, as you point out, you need to cite a few more sources.
Get someone to proofread this for you!!!! Lydia Fish November 24, 2008, at 05:50 PM
Your topic and paper are very interesting. I found your discussion about the Ents and Tolkien’s environmental views interesting as well. Good job. Steven Wilser? November 13, 2008, at 04:30 PM
I love your topic. I bet you had no problem finding a lot of articles for your paper. You have a very strong introduction to indentifies your topic and thesis well. Your paper seems very interesting and I think that I am learning more about Tolkien’s universe from it. There are some spelling errors such as “frst” which can easily be corrected if you re-read it. Donald Turner
I can’t really say much on this paper. I know you have put forth a tremendous amount of effort and have a great understanding of the topic. The paper looks just fine and I am sure it will turn out great. I would just say try and explain why you chose the creatures you did, show their tie. Eligh Hanning
Your paper is awesome so far!! Definitely interesting and I enjoy reading about the Norse and folklore influences of Tolkien. You certainly cover multiple angles of Tolkien, including his worldview and his literary loves. Brittany Thrun? November 13, 2008, at 02:56 PM
I think that this is a really interesting topic and that it would be great to know about the origins of these creatures.Sarah Chudyk? November 13, 2008, at 08:25 AM
Very nicely done paper. It shows an awful lot of research was put into this. And it also shows how much Tolkien did draw from (whether he knew it or not) when he wrote the Lord of the Rings. Joseph Bella? November 13, 2008, at 02:01 AM
I think you picked an awesome topic! I liked how you incorporated the Ents to represent Tolkien’s environmental beliefs, I had not thought of the Ents from that perspective. You have gotten off to a great start, your paper was well written and easy to follow. Carly Lopez? November 12, 2008, at 10:42 PM
You have to work on your transitions from one parapragh to the next. You might find this a little difficiult since you are writing on different characters. Try to find linkages between the characters you writing about and that would help the paragraph transitions.Trudy Antwi November 12, 2008, at 09:57 PM
Your paper is very well written so far. Make sure that in your final, you have someone read your paper to catch the few typing mistakes that are present. You are incredibly knowledgeable in your topic and you make it nice to read something so interesting. You could probably develop your thesis a little bit better so we know specifics of what the paper will be about. Really great job so far. Keilah Bradley November 12, 2008, at 02:40 PM
I really like the introduction of your draft. It is very well written (as is the rest of your paper). I like that you discuss how Tolkien drew from more than one source when he was dreaming up the world of Middle Earth. Very informative! Good Job! Elizabeth Delano? November 12, 2008, at 01:32 PM
Definitely an interesting paper, and it’s not even done yet. My suggestion would be to maybe give a bit of a background to Surt in your discussion of the Balrog, just to relate it to something and not leave the reader wondering what Norse tale featured that being. Devon Cozad? November 11, 2008, at 08:39 PM
You are discussing a range of characters from the Balrog, to Ring-Wraiths, to Ents, and I’m sure you will be discussing even more. You should probably mention a couple of these specific creatures within your introduction to prepare the reader. Other than that, I think you have a strong start and I can’t wait to read your final paper! Lauren Brych? November 11, 2008, at 05:15 PM
I found many things interesting in your paper, specifically how Tolkien would draw from many sources rather then just one to create the proper name and meaning for a creature. In your into I would suggest you eliminate the word “some”, which sound vague, from “focus on some of the gods, monsters, and animals” perhaps say variety or handful. Other then that and a few formatting issues the paper looks to be in good order. Well Done! Sarah McNutt November 10, 2008, at 08:49 PM
This paper is both interesting and informative! I think that you should definitely go into the concept of orcs, though, as this is certainly something that is lacking. I really liked how you explained the various works in which Tolkien got his ideas for some of the creatures, as well as the etymology for their names. I was surprised by how much your topic overlaps with mine, as I am doing “nature,” and obviously this encompasses all of the creatures in Middle-earth. I am not sure whether you should state that the Ents care for the earth more than Tom Bombadil, as this is a very broad statement to make. From what I found, I think that the Ents and Tom Bombadil both care deeply for the earth, but in different ways. The Ents and Entwives care for it so much that they lose sight of what will come in the afterlife, and Tom Bombadil cares for his specific home in Middle-earth more than the affairs of men. Although this may be my opinion, I think if you look at my paper in those sections it would be helpful. Good job! Kelsey Till November 09, 2008, at 01:09 PM
I enjoyed reading this interesting paper! I liked your explanation of why the Balrog was needed in the second book, as well as other descriptions of the origins of different species in the trilogy. You need to italicize the names of the books and take out the semicolon in your thesis because the two sentences you are connecting are not complete. Make sure when you cite a quotation in your paper you do it like this:
“ (citation).
Sometimes in your paper you put the citation inside of the quotation marks, or forgot to put the period only after the citation. These are all easy corrections to make, so great job with expressing the general concepts in your paper! Emily Marvin? November 09, 2008, at 12:06 PM
I found your ideas on the eagles very interesting. I also really liked how you researched the meaning of the names of the different creatures, because the meaning of word was so important to Tolkien. Just develop your ideas a little more and make a conclusion. Nice job! Annika Laughlin? November 11, 2008, at 07:44 PM
The Creatures of Middle Earth
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most influential and important literary works of the twentieth century. One could say without question that the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien gave way to the entirety of the Fantasy genre. This is somewhat common knowledge, however most people don’t know the reason why Tolkien decided to make this remarkably complex world. He was attempting to create a mythology for England to replace the one that had been lost after the Norman Invasion. This process included creating a myriad of gods, races, monsters, and animals. Even less well known by readers of The Hobbit and the Trilogy are the Anglo Saxon influences and the direction from various other folklore that Tolkien used to shape these creations. This paper will focus on some of the gods, monsters, and animals featured in Tolkien’s works and discuss where he obtained the ideas and inspiration for them; and how they were placed in Middle Earth, their history, and their role.
The first beings to be discussed are the Balrogs. The etymology of Balrog within The Lord of the Rings is fairly straightforward:
Balrog is a Sindarin – the spoken language of the Sindar or “Western Elves” – term, a compound derived from balan and torog…We find balan defined as “one of a race of powerful spiritual beings.” Torog is the Sindarin term for “Troll.”; thus, we have the original concept of the Balrogs…as “powerful spirit trolls.” (Abbot 20)
The term Balrog shows a little into the history and origin of this particular beast. The Balrogs were originally Maiar who were corrupted by Morgoth during the fist age and the Great War. The Balrogs commanded the hosts of Orcs in Beleriand and were some of the enemy’s most powerful servants. So the title “one of a race of powerful spiritual beings” suites it well. Torog is the term that allows us to see how such a holy being as a Maiar spirit can be changed into an evil incarnation of itself.
Tolkien drew much of his inspiration from actual languages, and the etymology of the name Balrog can be traced back to Old Norse terms.
…Balrog is a compound derived from the Old Norse terms bal (Fire) and rok (wonder). The Balrogs were certainly “fire-wonders,” and they do exhibit characteristics common in Northern mythology, Specifically of Surt, the guardian giant of Muspellsheim…the world of fire and home of the fire-dwellers. (Abbot 20)
Surt is described as a “Demon of the Slain” and wields a sword of fire that shines like the sun. This description is very similar to the Balrog at Khazad-dum, whom also carries a flaming sword. Although the description of “powerful spirit trolls” does not include anything alluding to their fiery nature, we are to assume that the demon Surt played some influential role as well as the Norse term bal meaning fire (Abbot).
One cannot fail to take into account Grendel from Beowulf and its powerful influence on the nature of the Balrog. The way the Balrog is so vaguely described in the book by Gandalf and Aragorn shows how the incorporeal quality of Grendel led to the Balrog’s appearance. The Balrog is described by Aragorn as being made of “shadow and flame,” And Tolkien tells us that “…It was like a great shadow, in the middle of which was a dark form, of man shape maybe, yet greater…” Furthermore, we are later led to believe that the Balrog has hands, feet, and wings. The ill-defined descriptions given in The Fellowship of the Ring lead the reader to the conclusion that the Balrog is based on Grendel, who was physically powerful, but also not in the same state of being as those in the living world (Abbot).
Tolkien not only obtained inspiration from Norse and Anglo Saxon origins, but also Old English. He accompanied Balrog with two Old English equivalents in a list recorded in The History of Middle Earth; Bealuwearg (evil-outlaw) and Bealubroga (evil-terror). Both of these words are similar to Balrog. (Abbot) The latter being most similar from an etymological standpoint, seeing as Balrog is actually within the word and the description as an evil-terror is more accurate to the beast. However, evil-outlaw still applies seeing as Balrogs were once noble Maiar shaped by the evil of Morgoth. The Balrog’s main role during the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring was to create an evil entity as a climax to the journey from Rivendel through Moria. Considering that Sauron is a difficult image of evil to portray, especially in the first third of the story, a powerful antagonist was needed so a sense of danger could be rekindled within both the fellowship and the reader. The Ringwraiths were defeated at Weathertop and the Ford of Rivendel for the time being, so an evil force barring the fellowship’s path needed to be included in the second book. Also, allowing Gandalf to die in this epic battle between two extraordinarily powerful Maiar spirits allowed the hero role to shift to Aragorn more smoothly. The reader needs to know that Aragorn is the main protagonist in the trilogy and that Gandalf is there to push him in the right direction and guide him during the war for the ring.
The next creatures exhibiting supernatural powers to be discussed are the Nazgul. According to Tom Shippey, these ringwraiths were Tolkien’s second major generic image of evil next to the orcs.
The image is strikingly original: there is nothing like it in any early epic, not even Beowulf. Yet as with so many of Tolkien’s creations, light is shed on the “wraiths” by the exercise of looking up the meaning of the word in the Oxford English Dictionsary…The entry on “wraith” in the OED shows a rather characteristic self-contradiction. Meaning 1 offers this definition: “An apparition or specter of a dead person; a phantom or ghost…” [As for meaning 2] the OED offers, “An immaterial or spectral appearance of a living being…(Shippey 189)”
Tolkien must have found this contradiction interesting. Because of this dual meaning in the Oxford English Dictionary, he created a malevolent being, which was very ghost or phantom-like, while at the same time is capable of interacting with the physical world. According to the definition in the OED, you cannot be sure if one is alive or dead. They can’t be killed by any conventional means and they are thousands of years old. The ring wraiths are said to be unable to see anything in the living realm and are only able to view the world in the realm they are connected to. They are not described by their shape, but more by their substance. The Ringwraiths are often depicted as shadows, much like the Balrog. Although, Frodo is able to see their true forms when he puts on the ring at Weathertop, in a way looking into their dark realm. All of these examples are demonstrative of the definition given by the Oxford English Dictionary and they explain Tolkien’s reasoning behind creating such a creature in the fashion he did.
The derivation of the word “wraith” is somewhat unknown. In the Oxford English Dictionary comments only that it is of “obscure origins.” Form this lack of information Tolkien drew his own conclusions, following the etymology of the word. The Scottish word wraith is drawn back to the Anglo-Saxon word wri dan, which means “to twist” or “to writhe” (Shippey 189) One could interpret this in a few ways at this point. It is true that the Nazgul were given rings by the evil Sauron, “twisted” and corrupted by his will, and put under control of the One Ring.
While it is believed that the Ringwraith is an invention of Tolkien based off of interesting patterns in words, there is evidence to support a possible connection to a creature in northern English folklore known as the barghest or barguest. This creature was a demonic-like spirit that is depicted as quite fearsome in Yorkshire and North Country texts. The barghest is stated to have a “terrifying [shriek]…boding death to anyone who happens to hear the sound (Ryan 11)” This is very similar to the shrieks that the Ringwraiths emit. Furthermore, the barghest was said to be able to perceive the disembodied spirits of men, much like the supernatural senses of the Nazgul. It is easy to see how Tolkien may have partly obtained some inspiration for his wraiths from this folktale demon.
The next few creatures to be discussed are either against the evil of Sauron or are of a more neutral stance in Middle Earth; beginning with the Ents, Entwives, and Huorns. The Ents are large tree-like beings that predominantly inhabit Fangorn Forest. They and the Entwives originated from the thought of Yavanna, one of the Valar, with their purpose and duty being to “look after the trees of Arda (Farr 13).” Where the Ents were more interested in remaining in large forests among trees, the Entwives were more concerned with the orchards and gardens across the Great River. After the first war against Sauron, those lands turned barren and the Entwives left to unknown areas to the south, east, or west.
The origins of the Ents as giants concerning Tolkien came from an Anglo-Saxon text describing the Roman structures in Britain. The text roughly translates to, “Built by the Ents.”
Ents also played an important role in conveying Tolkien’s environmental beliefs. They care for the earth more than any other element in the books, including hobbits, elves, and Tom Bombadil. They begin war on Saruman on the basis that the fires of industry and the war machines at Isengard Tower were destroying Fangorn Forest. The Entwives cared greatly for their fields and orchards, which were also destroyed by war. This theme of environmentalism is also seen in the character Old Man Willow in The Fellowship of the Ring. Old Man Willow can be classified as a Huorn, a kind of creature similar to Ents in the respect that they are much more than just trees. He attacks the Hobbits in the Old Forest and it is later said by Tom Bombadil that over time he had become bitter and evil.
The fact that [he was] malevolent may be because in earlier ages they were more widespread across Eriador but were felled and cleared by mannish races (including Hobbits). (Farr 13)
The Eagles also played a very important role in Middle Earth throughout the ages. If one has read The Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, they will realize that the Eagles appear frequently as a mirror to the Dragons used by the Enemy.
At fisrt the origin of the eagles is to be found at the very beginning of the world, as Manwe, [one of the Valar,] used birds, mainly eagles, as messengers and spies, whereas the dragons meddled in the wars between the Elves and Morgoth for the first time during the Dagor Bragollach (Muller 17)
Morgoth created and bred Dragons to create his own air force to combat the Valar’s Eagles. Eagles are much less independent than dragons and obey the commands of Maiar spirits. For example, Gwaihir the Windlord obeys Gandalf and comes to his aid many times.
The eagles don’t play a huge role in the events in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. However the actions they participate in are essential to the plights of the protagonists. They are the deciding force in the Battle of Five Armies in the Hobbit, and save Frodo and Sam from certain doom. They never appear unless the end result would be disastrous if they didn’t. They function as a trump card to a possibly unsolvable situation. When one thinks of how the Eagles are tools of the Valar, and how the Valar’s duty from Eru is to protect Arda and Iluvatar’s children (Elves and Men), then one can see the Eagles as a kind of Divine intervention. This element of Eagles is demonstrative of Tolkien’s belief in Catholic Christianity (Muller 18).
Works Cited (So far)
Brian Nacov November 06, 2008, at 03:18 PM
