Pilgrimage to Tolkien's grave

[Mithalwen]

Since I was passing by Oxford on Saturday with a little time on my hands, I did something I never got round to when I actually lived there and paid my respects at Prof & Mrs Tolkien's grave at Wolvercote. Although it is in most respects quite unremarkable - other than by the inclusion of the names Luthien and Beren, and it being quite such an ordinary tomb for such a remarkable man- it is rendered unusual by the various items left by fans among the plants theat grow on it. I can understand the letters, the "Frodo lives" badge and even (just ) the toy eagle.... but why a toy lamb? Can anyone enlighten me or was it just random?

[ninlaith]

I don't know for sure but the first thing that popped into my mind after reading your post was maybe the person that left the lamb was trying to say he was the Shepard that lead the Flock. In which case he really was. He lead us all into a world we had only dreamed about and made the places and characters come to life with words. I'm not sure but that is what I think.

[Mithalwen]

Oh that is a nice idea..... especially since there were notes from people saying how much Tolkien's work had meant to them, that Tolkien had inspired their interest in literature and myth.......

[Tuor of Gondolin]

If someone has a bit of time they can do more. When I was in Oxford a while ago I picked up a pamphlet at the TIC that gave directions to a general Tolkenish tour, but an interesting bit was it told how to visit the gravesites of inklings JRRT, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. I did it in one day by taking buses, but you could probably also go by bike. They're interestingly different. JRRT's is in a suburban setting, CW in the heart of Oxford (near Magdalen College), the oldest burial area of the three, and C.S. Lewis in a church cemetery setting reminiscent of a small town U.S. protestant church setting. I think Warnie Lewis is also buried there.
Btw, the kilns is fairly close to CSL's church.

[Encaitare]

Awesome, I would love to go. I think the Beren/Luthien inscription is so sweet... hooray for Tolkien's romantic side!

We should all be so lucky that adoring fans will someday visit our graves and leave us toy lambs and eagles and letters. I wouldn't mind action figures adorning my tombstone! Oh wait, I'm gonna be cremated... never mind

[Mithalwen]

Well I found myself by accident by his house in Headington once .... but I was intrigued by the grave and I didn't have time to do more this time ..... The grave was nicer than I expected from the description in the biography and although you get the dull roar of traffic on the A34 Wolvercote is a charming village and the cemetery far more pleasant than most municipal ones which can be a little bleak ....there are lots of trees and the graves are very well tended. There are subtle markers by the path to point you to Tolkien's grave.

Well I intend to have a Woodland Burial (but I hope not for a very long time ).

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Since this isn't a book discussion, I'm moving the thread to the Barrow-Downs forum. You might also enjoy reading another account of a pilgrimage to Tolkien's grave that can be found there.

[Evisse the Blue]

I'd love to visit Tolkien's grave sometime, the keyword here being 'sometime' as I don't have any possibilities at the moment. Preferably in the dead of the night, like Squatter did (see Estelyn's link). Until then , does anyone have a photo of the tombstone, to appease my curiosity?

Tuor of Gondolin, what is TIC?

[piosenniel]

Here's a pic for you:

Beren and Luthien

And here it is, without the heraldry devices set up in the previous pic:

Tolkien site

[Evisse the Blue]

Thank you. It does look very non-imposing, easy to overlook. The banners were a nice touch, though I expect they're not usually there.

[Mithalwen]

The plants have grown a lot since then ... especially the rosemary.... In a way it is nice that it is not obvious... all the graves are well tended not just the "celebrity" one...