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uncle Iorlas
Nargothrond
Thu, 6:56pm
Post #1 of 2
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astronomical framing
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I’ve begun to notice before, but keep seeing more now, how often Tolkien arranges for important events in the plot to fall on dates that resembles the points of Gerald Gardner’s wheel of the year—which I’ve heard characterized as a blend of solstices and equinoxes (equinoces?) that Romans were interested in, and intermediate dates that were important holidays for Celts, but I can’t vouch for that.
But for examples: Bilbo and Frodo’s shared birthday (which is the occasion of multiple plot points between the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings) is more or less the autumn equinox. The Ring is destroyed right about the spring equinox. Elessar and Arwen are married at midsummer. The Scouring hits pretty much on All Hallows. Yule doesn’t really see plot developments or close focus, which probably makes sense because they tend to manage not to be out on the road in the deep of winter; in fact the protagonists are usually fortunate enough to be encamped with elves somewhere for the yuletide, if they aren’t at home in the Shire. There may be other instances, I haven’t actually combed through the text for them yet.
It reminds me a bit of the professor’s translation of Gawain and the Green Knight, and his notes on the same; strong protestations of the Christianity of the text are somewhat complicated by little pagan elements that won’t quite conceal themselves.
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Thu, 7:25pm
Post #2 of 2
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Shire dates are in advance of ours by about ten days. Certainly, some events align closely with the astronomical framing. Others are close, but maybe more-or-less coincidental, especially when we take into account that Middle-earth does not use the Gregorian Calendar.
Bilbo's and Frodo's birthdays come about a week or so before the autumn equinox. The Battle of Bywater looks is close to the date of All Hallow's, but it would have occurred in late October if we adjust for our modern calendar. The spring equinox in Middle-earth falls around the first of April (with the new year of the Calendar of Imladris beginning on April 6). Even so the destruction of the Ring is only a few days before that.
The departure of the Fellowship from Rivendell takes place a few days before the beginning of Yule-tide, which coincides with the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere; and of course December 25 is Christmas Day for most of the modern world. And, of course, the Shire's Free Fair takes place at mid-summer during the Lithedays, coinciding with the summer solstice.
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Thu, 7:30pm)
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