Free The War of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien Page A
Authors: J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien
Tags: Fiction, General, Fantasy, Literary Criticism, European, Epic, English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, Science Fiction & Fantasy, History and Criticism, Fantasy Fiction; English, Middle Earth (Imaginary place), Fantastic fiction; English, Tolkien; J. R. R - Criticism; Textual, Fantasy Fiction; English - Authorship
the language of the Mark - or else he was merely struck by the resemblance to the (Old English) verb hoppettan 'to hop, leap, jump for joy'.
29. Holbytla 'Hole-builder' has the consonants lt (Holbylta) reversed, as in the closely related Old English botl, bodl beside bold 'building' (see my note on Nobottle in the Shire, VII.424).
30. This name can be read either as Mugworth or as Mugwort, but the latter (a plant-name, and one of the family names in Bree) seems very unlikely as the name of a place. Mugworth is not recorded as a village name in England.
31. This passage about tobacco was dashed down in a single spurt without any corrections, and there is no indication that these sentences were spoken by Théoden; but that they were so is seen from the following draft.
32. The illegible word might possibly be 'grand'.
33. A pencilled note suggests that this should be 'a conversation at [the] feast'. See pp. 72-3.
34. Smygrave: with the first element cf. Smial (Old English smygel). The second element is probably Old English graef.
35. With the later change of Tobias to Tobold Hornblower cf. Barliman for earlier Barnabas Butterbur.
36. Cf. my father's letter to me of 6 May 1944 (Letters no. 66), referring to Faramir, then newly arrived on the scene: 'if he goes on much more a lot of him will have to be removed to the appendices - where already some fascinating material on the hobbit Tobacco industry and the Languages of the West have gone.'
37. Isengrim Took the First and the date 1050: in the Prologue to LR in the days of Isengrim Took the Second and the date 1070. See the original genealogical table of the Tooks in VI.316 - 17, according to which Isengrim the First would have been 400 years old at the time of Bilbo's Farewell Party. Since the Shire Reckoning date 1418 (as in LR) has already appeared for the year of Frodo's departure from Bag End (VII.9), Isengrim the First (afterwards Isengrim II) was born in S.R. 1001. According to the genealogical tree of the Tooks in LR Appendix C the dates of this Isengrim were S.R. 1020 - 1122. - The varieties of pipe-weed from the Southfarthing are here given as Longbottom-leaf, Old Toby, and Hornpipe Shag.
38. On the north gate of Isengard see note 23.
39. In the draft of this scene the three Ents who came out from the trees were not wholly indifferent to the company: 'Silently they stood, some twenty paces off, regarding the riders with solemn eyes.' But this was changed immediately.
In a draft for the passage that follows (TT p. 155), in which Théoden reflects on the Ents and the narrow horizons of the people of Rohan, it is Gandalf who speaks the thought that the war will bring about the disappearance of much that was beautiful in Middle-earth:
'You should be glad, Théoden King,' said Gandalf. 'For not only your little life of men is now endangered, but the life of those things also which you have deemed the matter of song and legend. Some we may save by our efforts, but however the fortune of war goes, it may soon come to pass that much that is fair and wonderful shall pass for ever out of Middle Earth. The evil that Sauron works and has worked (and has had much help of men in it) may be stayed or ended, but it cannot be wholly cured, nor made as if it had not been.'
40. The Fords of Isen in the plural appears earlier, however (pp. 10, 27 - 8,31).
41. For another proposed placing of the description of the passing of the Huorns see p. 70.
IV. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM.
The first completed manuscript of 'The Road to Isengard' was originally continuous with Chapter XXVIII 'The Battle of Helm's Deep' (the original title), but I think that the division was introduced at a fairly early stage, with a new chapter numbered XXIX beginning with the meeting of Gandalf and Théoden beside the Deeping Stream after the Battle of the Hornburg. The first completed manuscript of XXIX, of which the original title was 'To
29. Holbytla 'Hole-builder' has the consonants lt (Holbylta) reversed, as in the closely related Old English botl, bodl beside bold 'building' (see my note on Nobottle in the Shire, VII.424).
30. This name can be read either as Mugworth or as Mugwort, but the latter (a plant-name, and one of the family names in Bree) seems very unlikely as the name of a place. Mugworth is not recorded as a village name in England.
31. This passage about tobacco was dashed down in a single spurt without any corrections, and there is no indication that these sentences were spoken by Théoden; but that they were so is seen from the following draft.
32. The illegible word might possibly be 'grand'.
33. A pencilled note suggests that this should be 'a conversation at [the] feast'. See pp. 72-3.
34. Smygrave: with the first element cf. Smial (Old English smygel). The second element is probably Old English graef.
35. With the later change of Tobias to Tobold Hornblower cf. Barliman for earlier Barnabas Butterbur.
36. Cf. my father's letter to me of 6 May 1944 (Letters no. 66), referring to Faramir, then newly arrived on the scene: 'if he goes on much more a lot of him will have to be removed to the appendices - where already some fascinating material on the hobbit Tobacco industry and the Languages of the West have gone.'
37. Isengrim Took the First and the date 1050: in the Prologue to LR in the days of Isengrim Took the Second and the date 1070. See the original genealogical table of the Tooks in VI.316 - 17, according to which Isengrim the First would have been 400 years old at the time of Bilbo's Farewell Party. Since the Shire Reckoning date 1418 (as in LR) has already appeared for the year of Frodo's departure from Bag End (VII.9), Isengrim the First (afterwards Isengrim II) was born in S.R. 1001. According to the genealogical tree of the Tooks in LR Appendix C the dates of this Isengrim were S.R. 1020 - 1122. - The varieties of pipe-weed from the Southfarthing are here given as Longbottom-leaf, Old Toby, and Hornpipe Shag.
38. On the north gate of Isengard see note 23.
39. In the draft of this scene the three Ents who came out from the trees were not wholly indifferent to the company: 'Silently they stood, some twenty paces off, regarding the riders with solemn eyes.' But this was changed immediately.
In a draft for the passage that follows (TT p. 155), in which Théoden reflects on the Ents and the narrow horizons of the people of Rohan, it is Gandalf who speaks the thought that the war will bring about the disappearance of much that was beautiful in Middle-earth:
'You should be glad, Théoden King,' said Gandalf. 'For not only your little life of men is now endangered, but the life of those things also which you have deemed the matter of song and legend. Some we may save by our efforts, but however the fortune of war goes, it may soon come to pass that much that is fair and wonderful shall pass for ever out of Middle Earth. The evil that Sauron works and has worked (and has had much help of men in it) may be stayed or ended, but it cannot be wholly cured, nor made as if it had not been.'
40. The Fords of Isen in the plural appears earlier, however (pp. 10, 27 - 8,31).
41. For another proposed placing of the description of the passing of the Huorns see p. 70.
IV. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM.
The first completed manuscript of 'The Road to Isengard' was originally continuous with Chapter XXVIII 'The Battle of Helm's Deep' (the original title), but I think that the division was introduced at a fairly early stage, with a new chapter numbered XXIX beginning with the meeting of Gandalf and Théoden beside the Deeping Stream after the Battle of the Hornburg. The first completed manuscript of XXIX, of which the original title was 'To
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