Correspondences Between Tolkien's Feigned History & 'Real' History - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 07-24-2012, 08:09 AM

I have been rereading Shippey's book about Tolkien being the author of the twentieth century.

Reading about how Tolkien tried to "save the evidence", using Shippey's terms, in regard to Dark Elves, Light Elves, Wood Elves, and Water Elves, which Tolkien has done by transforming the idea from a "skin color" understanding to a historical thing - that is, the Light Elves have seen the Light of the Two trees, etc. - - I became intrigued with the notion of how Tolkien's ideas of feigned history correspond to our own history (obviously, as best we understand it).

The example above is just one. Another example is that the three clans of Hobbits coming into the Shire, correspond to the three tribes of Angles, Saxon, and Jutes, who invaded the British Isles.

It got me to thinking about the First Age humans who come into Beleriand. The people of Haleth, and the others - to whom do they correspond?

Are there other correspondences that you have noticed? Are they meant by Tolkien, or are they applications read into his work?

07-24-2012, 08:09 AM	#1
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Correspondences Between Tolkien's Feigned History & 'Real' History I have been rereading Shippey's book about Tolkien being the author of the twentieth century. Reading about how Tolkien tried to "save the evidence", using Shippey's terms, in regard to Dark Elves, Light Elves, Wood Elves, and Water Elves, which Tolkien has done by transforming the idea from a "skin color" understanding to a historical thing - that is, the Light Elves have seen the Light of the Two trees, etc. - - I became intrigued with the notion of how Tolkien's ideas of feigned history correspond to our own history (obviously, as best we understand it). The example above is just one. Another example is that the three clans of Hobbits coming into the Shire, correspond to the three tribes of Angles, Saxon, and Jutes, who invaded the British Isles. It got me to thinking about the First Age humans who come into Beleriand. The people of Haleth, and the others - to whom do they correspond? Are there other correspondences that you have noticed? Are they meant by Tolkien, or are they applications read into his work? Last edited by littlemanpoet; 07-31-2012 at 10:31 AM.