Comments on Fingon's rescue of Maedhros in Old English

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Thank you! I'm glad it caught your interest.

I thought it might be helpful for readers who don't have that volume of HoME or who don't know Old English to have a glimpse.

The Old English versions seem to be quite faithful, but Tolkien needs to make small adjustments in order to be able to translate.

Looking more closely also makes you notice how many French and Latinate loan words he is using in the modern English version. I'm sure he was aware of that, but some people seem to believe that his vocabulary is more Anglo-Saxon than it could possibly be.

I did once upon a time in another Age and another world (far in my mist-shrouded past!) study Old English (I actually got graduate credit for it!). But I hardly remember any. This is fun to look at! I definitely am a sad sack and a slothful person that I never really looked at these texts carefully! Thanks so much for sharing this with us.



Thank you very much, Oshun! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I think for the work you normally do, with the bios, these texts don't yield very much, compared to what went before and comes after in the Legendarium.

But it is quite important, I think, to our understanding of Tolkien more generally, to realize that annals weren't just draft outlines to him, but a literary form in themselves (as Christopher Tolkien points out in his notes).

 

My brain usually glazes over in texts such as those you refer to, so this is both useful and interesting for me.  And also, I'm surprised by how many of the Old English words I can make out, due to their similarities to some Afrikaans words.

(And also, what a great challenge! Thanks for updating and popping it into the recents feed so I noticed those other prompt fills.)