Reading Tolkienâs annotated translation of Beowulf, and learning all kinds of things about LOTR and the Silm from it!
Leave here your warlike shields [from Beowulf]
[Tolkienâs commentary; bold mine:] Note the prohibition of weapons or accoutrements of battle in the hall. To walk in with spear and shield was like walking in nowadays with your hat on. The basis of these rules was of course fear and prudence among the ever-present dangers of a heroic age, but they were made part of the ritual, of good manners. Compare the prohibition against drawing a sword in the officersâ mess. Swords of course also were dangerous; but they were evidently regarded as part of a knightâs attire, and he would not in any case be willing to lay aside his sword, a thing of great cost and often an heirloom.
This gives me some perspective around Tolkienâs probable intended tone for the moment in Meduseld in The Two Towers where Aragon strongly protests against being told to leave AndĂșril (a sword of very great value and ancientry, and very much an heirloom) with the door-warden. From a contemporary perspective itâs easy to read it as Aragorn being unnecessarily prideful and combative, but this passage strongly indicates that Tolkien intends it to be ThĂ©oden who is being unreasonable in that event, an indication - along with many others in the scene, prior to Gandalf dislodging Sarumanâs influence - that ThĂ©oden is being discourteous and behaving in a manner unworthy of a king who is recieving heroes offering aid. (The fact of Meduseld being a âgolden hallâ like famous Heorot in Beowulf may be deliberate to strengthen the parallel.)
Second (immediately following the above commentary):
But against this danger [from swords] very severe laws existed protecting the âpeaceâ of a kingâs hall. It was death in Scandanavia to cause a brawl in the kingâs hall. Among the laws of the West Saxon king Ine is found: âIf any man fight in the kingâs house, he shall forfeit all his estate, and it shall be for the king to judge whether he be put to death or not.â
This adds context to the incident in the story of TĂșrin in The Silmarillion where Saeros taunts TĂșrin in Menegroth and TĂșrin responds by throwing a heavy drinking-vessel at him and injuring him (itâs indicated the injury is serious, so Iâd take it along the lines of him giving him a broken nose and knocking out some teeth.) It is stated in at least some versions of the story that death is the punishment for drawing weapons in the kingâs hall, in line with the historical customs mentioned here. This gives a further emphasis that what actually happens - TĂșrin is not punished at all and Mablung strongly reprimands Saeros for provoking him - illustrates that TĂșrin is, Saerosâ behaviour notwithstanding, in very high favour in Menegroth. (Saeros as the kingâs counsellor is also in roughly the same position as Unferth in Beowulf, who taunts the titular character - Beowulf responds heatedly but without violence. Tolkien may be setting up a deliberate contrast here.)
The word hĂĄdor is an adjective meaning âclear, brightââŠit is almost always found in reference to the sky (or the sun or stars). But that association is in description of brightnessâŠ
This was one a lightbulb moment: oh, in the name of Hador Goldenhead (the ancestor of HĂșrin, TĂșrin, and Tuor in The Silmarillion), âGoldenheadâ isnât an additional name/epessĂ« so much as itâs a glossed translation of âHadorâ! The guy with bright, golden hair.
Fourth: Going back to the Rohirrim - Edoras, the name of their capital city/royal court, is basically just the Old English for âcourtsâ:
under was very frequently used in describing position within, or movement to within, a confined space, especially of enclosures or prisons, âwithin four wallsâ. Cf. in under eoderas (eoderas being the outer fences of the courts), âin amid the courtsââŠ.âeoderâ means both âfence (protection)â and âfenced enclosure, a courtâ.
Iâm also learning a lot about Beowulf - Tolkienâs notes are clarifying a lot of tone and nuances, not to mention the political/diplomatic relationships between the different kingdoms, which were confusing me - but itâs amazing how much it reveals about ways that Tolkienâs knowledge informed his legendarium!
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