Culinary traditions in Middle Earth - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Nogrod · 02-14-2006, 05:17 PM

Good point on honey!

Well, I was indeed quite sure that the Beornings would be vegetarians, not vegans, but just tried to ask.

Even though, we might do with a couple of more arguments, one way or another...

One interesting thing is, whether they were described by Tolkien as a kind of a very poor ancient nordic community (described by the roman Tacitus f.ex.), that possibly ate meat, f.ex. bear's meat, at certain festivities / rituals, anyhow, rarely - as some northern people did in the real world. And was this due to them worshipping the animals, or holding them dear just because they were so scarce? So was Tolkien of the mind of creating a totally vegetarian people (which would have been quite ahead of his time), or was it just an imitation of a northern tribes at certain historical setting, who revered meat so much, as it wasn't in their daily diet (and the other sources of nutrition were thin indeed: berries, mushroom, roots, ...)?

It's funny, anyhow, how the lore of the northern people do concentrate on the wild beasts; bears, elk etc. (and the swans here around Finland!) - like the cultures of Aurignac etc. (bisons, horses...) far south of them. Was it, that they were revered as sacred, or that they were the Big Macs' of their time?

02-14-2006, 05:17 PM	#34
Nogrod Flame of the Ainulindalë Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wearing rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves in a field behaving as the wind behaves Posts: 9,308	Good point on honey! Well, I was indeed quite sure that the Beornings would be vegetarians, not vegans, but just tried to ask. Even though, we might do with a couple of more arguments, one way or another... One interesting thing is, whether they were described by Tolkien as a kind of a very poor ancient nordic community (described by the roman Tacitus f.ex.), that possibly ate meat, f.ex. bear's meat, at certain festivities / rituals, anyhow, rarely - as some northern people did in the real world. And was this due to them worshipping the animals, or holding them dear just because they were so scarce? So was Tolkien of the mind of creating a totally vegetarian people (which would have been quite ahead of his time), or was it just an imitation of a northern tribes at certain historical setting, who revered meat so much, as it wasn't in their daily diet (and the other sources of nutrition were thin indeed: berries, mushroom, roots, ...)? It's funny, anyhow, how the lore of the northern people do concentrate on the wild beasts; bears, elk etc. (and the swans here around Finland!) - like the cultures of Aurignac etc. (bisons, horses...) far south of them. Was it, that they were revered as sacred, or that they were the Big Macs' of their time? __________________ Upon the hearth the fire is red Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet...