Tolkien and the Study of His Sources

Jason Fisher is an independent scholar specializing in J.R.R. Tolkien, the Inklings, and Medieval Germanic philology. He is also the editor of Mythprint, the monthly publication of The Mythopoeic Society, and has written for Tolkien Studies, Mythlore, Beyond Bree, North Wind, Renaissance, and other publications.

“an intriguing work that provides another angle on one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century”—Midwest Book Review; “well-written and well-edited volume...excellent...can serve as a how-to guide for both research and writing”—Beyond Bree; “the collection will be of interest to scholars and dedicated readers of Tolkien...the essays are well documented”—Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts; “This critical collection provides a solid defense of the sometime-maligned literary discipline of ‘source-hunting’ along with outstanding examples of the value of this approach in understanding the depths of Tolkien’s literary creation.”—Douglas A. Anderson, author of The Annotated Hobbit; “A valuable book for anyone serious about Tolkien. It not only adds new, confirming material to what is known about Tolkien’s sources but covers areas of influence previously denied or underplayed.”—Marjorie J. Burns, author of Perilous Realms: Celtic and Norse in Tolkien’s Middle-earth; “The most exhaustive examination yet published of demonstrable, probable, and conjectural sources for Tolkien’s legendarium.”—Verlyn Flieger, author of Splintered Light: Logos and Language in Tolkien’s World.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments      Abbreviations      PrefaceJason Fisher      Introduction: Why Source Criticism?Tom Shippey      Source Criticism: Background and ApplicationsE. L. Risden      Tolkien and Source Criticism: Remarking and RemakingJason Fisher      The Stones and the Book: Tolkien, Mesopotamia, and Biblical MythopoeiaNicholas Birns      Sea Birds and Morning Stars: Ceyx, Alcyone, and the Many Metamorphoses of Eärendil and ElwingKristine Larsen      “Byzantium, New Rome!” Goths, Langobards, and Byzantium in The Lord of the RingsMiryam Librán-Moreno      The Rohirrim: “Anglo-Saxons on Horseback”? An Inquiry into Tolkien’s Use of SourcesThomas Honegger      William Caxton’s The Golden Legend as a Source for Tolkien’s The Lord of the RingsJudy Ann Ford      She and Tolkien, RevisitedJohn D. Rateliff      Reading John Buchan in Search of TolkienMark T. Hooker      Biography as Source: Niggles and NotionsDiana Pavlac Glyer and Josh B. Long      About the Contributors      Index