What Tolkien learnt from 'Beowulf': Representations of Evil

J. R. Tolkien a great writer that inspires many of us. If you were listening to this podcast, I suppose it's because, like me, you feel fascinated by The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, which are amongst the best known literary works of the 20th century. You may also know that talking was not only an author of high fantasy literature, he was so, so a critic and scholar of mediaeval

literature. I would say that many of the characteristics of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit that make us love those works are elaboration or developments or features that talking learnt from mediaeval authors. In this brief podcast, I will be focussing on one such feature. Representations of evil. Perhaps like me, you always found talking as monsters to be memorable. The round of Moldea. On the terrible smog, the golden.

Their words in the Lord of the Rings, dragline uncut ahead of endorsee Marillion, England. And the root of evil spiders. These are all remarkable characters and creatures. And I am sure that most of us would agree that without them talking as novels will not be the same, without them talking, talkings novels would not be as significant as they are. Tolkien's work is so popular and so well known and his style of fantasy has

become so influential that we may be tempted to think or we might be tempted to believe that the way talking portrayed his monsters is the only way they could have been portrayed. Well, this is actually not the case. Talkings monsters have one special characteristic in common. And that characteristic, that quality talking learnt from Bill. In these podcasts, I will explain what qualities that makes. Talkings monster so memorable. And that talking lane from Babel. But before that, I will

explain. I will need to explain briefly. Good Bill Willis' on how talking understood it. Where they will was an old English poem composed in the eighth century, around the year 700. That is many, many years ago. And yet this boy and bear will remain fascinating and powerful in many ways. The main story that he tells is very simple. Around 200 years in the sixth century, king of Denmark beginning a very successful, a military, three very successful military and political leader.

And in order to celebrate his success, he commanded a whole be built where his people partied and celebrated the glory of Denmark. Every night. Their happiness and their prosperity became famous. But one day, their fortunes changed. A monster, a powerful troll called Grendell. Who was envious of their happiness decided to put an end to that, an attack on every night during many years, Grendel attacked the whole of the Danes and killed many of them. Spreading panic.

I'm bringing the Danes bleach to an end. Cronkite's misfortune became well known, and it goes of shame and lamentation until a young man in neighbouring Sweden across the sea heard about the Danes problems. The young man, as you probably have guessed. Was Balewa. A remarkably strong human. Who decided to kill Kröger, travelled to Denmark and kill the troll Grendell with his bare hands.

The troll, unfortunately, had a mother who, as you can imagine, was not very happy about having lost her son, Grendel's mother attacks in retaliation and kills one of the Danish Kings most trusted counsellors. So I've got to thinking, is one more troubled by the new monster attack? But they will say, hey, from there, no worries. I'll take care of these new moms there

as well. And they will goes to court and those mothers, Mia and Kilcher, are there to the Danes, as you can imagine, are all very happy again. They will troubles back home across the sea and 50 years pass. After all these years, they will have become king of his people. The gates in southern Sweden. A dragon, then a taxpayer, Will Scheinblum. And they will. The famous Munster's land goes to the Dragon Slayer to

kill it. And even though he manages to kill the dragon, the dragon also manages to kill Beowulf. That is, of course, much more today, will then yes, this. But what I just said captures the fundamentals of the main story. The trolls Granda, I'm his mother, are creatures of northern folklore. And this is reflected in the tens or in the words. That the characters in the story, like their will and croggon used to refer to then. Elgon. Giant. Feuilles. Troll. Philo. Monastir.

Sugar, now Spectre's. These are some of the words in the beautiful old English language that indicate, without a doubt, that the antagonists in the poem are to be identified with the monsters of Scandinavian tales and legends. What is interesting is that the writer of the point, unlike the characters, uses completely different words to refer to these monsters. Some of these words that the narrator uses are bailable, which means the devil or demon. Harbin, which

means he even. Hospital, which means captive's of hill and ruiner. Those who know the secret of Hill. As you can see, these are obviously Christian tones. Moreover, the narrator also tells us that the monsters, these trolls of northern folklore, are the descendants of Cain, the biblical character who killed Abel, and they are also, according to the narrator, God is uncertain. The enemies are gone. So basically, as you can see, there is a mixture or a blending.

Of Northern folklore and Christian theology, a V. Representation of evil in Bill. The antagonists are both Scandinavian POWs and Christian Devils. At the same time. Endure critics thought this a weakness of the point. The 8th century, although they complained, was unable to distinguish pagan myth and fantasy from serious, sober Christian theology. But talking disagreed.

In a famous lecture that he gave in 1936, Bayer was the monsters and the critics talking said that this connexion between the Masters and Christianity was not a confusion or, to put it in his own words, an inexplicable blunder of taste. Rather, he argued that the monster's association with Christian Demons in the poem is an artistic, brilliant, functional and very intelligent combination that makes Bainwol work as poetry. But

how? We're talking says is that if the monsters had been purely spiritual, if they had been only the demons of Christianity, then the porn would read as a religious allegory or a homily, and it would not therefore be as exciting, as powerful. To put in his own words, and I quote. He debate with point was still dealing with a great temporal tragedy and not yet writing an allegorical homily in verse. Groundling, how it's the visible world and it's the flesh and blood of men. He

enters their houses by the doors. The dragon wheels, the physical fire and gold, not Sobel's, he slain with iron in his belly. End of quote. So basically, we're talking here saying is a bail, well, he's not. Spencer's fairy queen in Babel. The antagonists, because of their physicality. Precisely because of their material, the nation posed a real threat to the character of physical integrity. And this material, the nation which is contributed by northern folklore, makes the point

more thrilling, more stimulating. I'm not a mere Homi. At the same time, however, in order for the point to be meaningful, to have symbolic power, the monsters up to her spiritual dimension attached to them. Imagine that Bay will have fought against an irrational animal like a battery, Wolf, or against a normal stand, a human rather than against the forces of evil. The point then would not be as significant as it is, it is then the monster's spiritual background, which is contributed by

Christianity, by Christian theology. That makes them really powerful and meaningful. But make that makes the monster's symbolic. I can put it on, I go. In this poem, the balance is nice, but it is present. The large symbolism is near the surface, but it does not break through nor become allegory, something more significant as unstamped a hero and then faced with a full, more evil than any human entity of house or real is before us and getting ready in time, walking in great history

and treading the main lands of the north. End of quote.

So it is basically the combination between reality on the one hand and spirituality on the other. That makes the monsters will be great. And this is precisely, I would argue, what talking led from that point. That the antagonisms have to be both material and spiritual at the same time. And this is the quality that the main most 13 talkings work. Having common. Think of the backlog of media, for example. He is impressive from a physical perspective.

Tall, menacing, shouting, fire and Douglas brandishing firing weapons. Probably, but not certainly wings. But the most terrifying thing about the Mylo. Is that such a gigantic creature? Is inhabited by an evil spirit, by a naval intelligence. Intel. So the Balrog. Is one of the rebellious Miah that rose against a at that at the beginning of time, and the same, of course, could be said about Saddam Lord. America's lieutenant.

Is a spirit, and that is the most threatening, you know, Boeing and the saying we could say about the works and the Barrow whites. Material creatures inhabited or animated by evil, diabolical spirits. In a way, it could be said that the cosmological background presented in the same Mourilyan give significance or symbolic power. To the monsters of the Lord of the Rings. Yes, as the biblical background gives meaning to the monkeys of knobbing folklore in Babel.

Before finishing, there is one more point that I would like to make. It should be clear by now that talking admired the bear will put its depiction of East monsters. But there is one thing that talking didn't like. This is we're talking sad about the Portmans Dragon, and I quote. Bilbo's Dragon, in one way, she's really to criticise is not to be blamed for being a dragon, but rather for not being dragon enough plain, pure fairy story dragon. That are in the poem,

some vivid touches of the right kind. Thien. So somewhere amongst Walk Grant, was anyone strong after starting in which these dragon real world with rest your life and sort of his own, but the conception nonetheless approaches that Iconix rather than Dragoo, a person indication of malice, greed, destruction, the evil side of heroic life, and of the undiscriminating cruelty or fortune that distinguishes not good or bad the

evil side of all life. End of quote. So cocaine did not completely like or even dislike. They will drag them for being too abstract, for being a person irrigation and hence for lacking a personality. And this is something that he obviously rectified. And he's still worth. Single smile. The Terrible in the healthy, for example. On long, the problem of goodwill, which does not speak even once,

slug several dialogues. And in these, he reversed himself to be cruel, sadistic, greedy, arrogant, but also self-assured and very, very intelligent. Smile has indeed a very interesting personality. From a psychological perspective, and I would say that his personality is, in fact not very dissimilar from that of very successful people that you may know. Another remarkable sample from poking work. Is global. The heart of all dragons. Glowering is the main antagonist

in the story of touring Rumba in the Gwyneth Silmarillion. And in that chapter of the Silmarillion in the Story of Asturian. There are from the very beginning, many references to the drug. And from the beginning of the story, then, a writer vividly describes Loudon's trail of destruction, but it takes some time for the Dragon to make his first appearance. And finally, when during the hero and gload of the Dragon meet for the first time, what we quite naturally expect

is a brutal fight. But that is not what we get. Instead, Guillaume very politely greet touring with the following word. Hey, and abhorring. Well, I must say, I've always found these to be one of the most powerful moments in talkings work. Talking first makes us expect a bestial creature. And then he presents us with a cautious, polite, well-mannered and intelligent mind. And that is precisely, I would say. What makes Laurel all the more

Hogle? And in fact, as many of you will know, Glow-Worm will bring about four during a fate more dreadful and more tragic than that of a deep skin cell. And would these I finish?

I expect you to have game two ideas for lethal cost. One. That there is artistry behind talkings monsters. They present an attractive and intelligent combination of materiality and spirituality that make them work poetically. Symbolically, without becoming allegorical, and these Tolkien learnt from the bay of both. To talking found fault with the way that they will point depicted his dragon to abstract.

These mistake talking rectified in his work by providing his dragons with truly memorable personalities. I also hope to have persuaded you that if you like talking fantasy, then you love mediaeval literature and you would like to explore more this connexion between Tolkien, a mediaeval literature. I strongly recommend two books to you. The road to the left by my dear friend, I'm shooby. And the case of Miller discovering mediaeval literature through the fiction of J

are talking by my colleague Stuart Lee. And Lisa with SoloPower. Two weeks, I must say, that I always found very inspiring. And from which I can assure you, you will learn a lot. It was love of talking that made me read. That made me read and study mediaeval literature. And he was in law of mediaeval, indicated McNeilly, southern Spain, where I'm from, and come to Oxford to teach and study. And if you follow this path, if you study literature, perhaps one day you love it of talking

and a fantasy will also become a literary scholar. Which is, I think, one of the greatest joys. In a human like.