The Epic Realm of Tolkien
Part One: Beren and Luthien Published by ADC Books - Ł19.99 To Order: email with delivery address requesting Pay Pal invoice to malcx@adcbooks.co.uk. Ships worldwide. Reviewed by Adam Smith The Epic Realm of Tolkien is the first in a planned three-part study of the Arthurian influence in Tolkien, and explores the many Arthurian aspects and ties in Tolkien’s “Tale of Beren and Luthien”, from its earliest incarnation in The Book of Lost Tales through the “Lay of Leithian” and the final Silmarillion version of the tale. This is a dense book. Not necessarily long at ~200 pages, but academically dense. It does not make for quick or easy reading, and the reader is expected to be at least loosely familiar with the various versions of “Beren & Luthien” that exist and much of Tolkien’s other writings. That said The Epic Realm of Tolkien is the first study that I have come across that explores the Arthurian cycles’ influence on Tolkien, and it does so in admirable depth. According to the authors, this is because “most critics and researchers base their ideas about Tolkien mainly on the published ‘Letters’ and in particular, on our only full biography, that of Humphrey Carpenter” (Pg 2). Carpenter quoted Tolkien as saying that the Arthurian myths were "too lavish, and fantastical, incoherent and repetitive" (Tolkien: A Biography, pg 168). Lewis and Currie claim these sources give a misleading account of the Arthurian influence on Tolkien. The authors point out that among Tolkien’s unpublished works is an alliterative poem entitled “The Fall of Arthur”, which “educated rumor has it…reaches the respectable total of nine thousand lines – two hundred pages, more or less (pg 3). Tolkien, they claim, would hardly have spent time and effort on such a massive undertaking if he were dismissive of the entire Arthurian oeuvre. One of the best arguments in favor of Arthurian influence occurs later in the book in support of an entirely different point. “Negative Influence” was always a major driver of Tolkien’s writings – his desire to improve what he deemed deficient in legend, myth, and popular literature. The authors’ comment that “Tolkien’s claimed deep dislike of Hans Anderson by no means rules out influence…indeed quite the opposite” applies just as well to the Arthurian themes of the book (pg 104). The Arthurian story that most parallels “Beren & Luthien” is the “Legend of Culhwch and Olwen” from the collection of Welsh tales known as the Mabinogion. Lewis and Currie draw these parallels for us in painstaking detail. The general outlines of the two stories are very similar. Culhwch is a young man who is cursed so that the only woman he can marry is Olwen, the daughter of the giant Ypsaddaden, who sets the young prince a set of seemingly impossible tasks for her hand. There is so much depth and information presented in The Epic Realm of Tolkien that it is nearly impossible to go into any real detail here without creating a review nearly as long. Suffice it to say that most of the parallels drawn are plausible, even likely, though speculative. One fascinating (and convincing) section outlines the similarities between the Silmarils and the Grail. Another explores the early name variations for Beleriand, the earliest of which was Broceliande, an obvious reference to the French haunted wood that plays such a key role in many Arthurian romances. Some others seem like a bit of a stretch. One such moment is the authors’ exploration of Beren & Luthien’s escape from Morgoth’s stronghold:
This isn’t necessarily an impossible parallel, given Tolkien’s knowledge of the Welsh language, but it doesn’t appear to me that “the idea almost certainly derives” from such an occurrence. Nearly all of the ties drawn in the book are speculative, and as such some are more likely than others. Though the theme of the book is the Arthurian influence in “Beren & Luthien”, it certainly doesn’t confine itself to those links. It discusses common strands as diverse as Homer and Hans Christian Anderson. A minor final gripe: This reader, for one, wishes more information had been given on the authors and their specific fields of study, but we are given little more than their names. In all, The Epic Realm of Tolkien is a well-written and well-researched bit of scholarship that begins to fill in the unexplored and desolate land between Arthur and Middle-earth. For those looking to explore the seemingly bottomless well of Tolkien’s knowledge and influences, this is a highly-recommended (if not indisputable) study.
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