Elendilion - Tolkienowski Serwis Informacyjny » Biografia Tolkiena

Bloemfontein Tolkiena

Galadhorn — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 07:00:58 +0000

W zwi�zku z mistrzostwami �wiata w pi�ce no�nej, kt�re odbywaj� si� w�a�nie w RPA, m.in. na stadionie w Bloemfontein, przypominamy ten tekst z 3 stycznia 2009 r.

Dnia 3 stycznia 1892 roku, 117 lat temu, w po�udniowoafryka�skim mie�cie Bloemfontein, przy ulicy (A) Maitland Street, w Bank House narodzi� si� John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, syn Arthura i Mabel Tolkien�w. O relacji Arthura Tolkiena z dnia nast�pnego i jego opisie ma�ego potomka przeczytacie tutaj w zesz�orocznej relacji Telperiona.

Poni�szy opis kraju i miasta, w kt�rym przyszed� na �wiat J.R.R. Tolkien opracowali�my na podstawie wpis�w forumowicz�w Elendilich, w tym szczeg�lnie Micha�a Le�niewskiego oraz na podstawie dwutomowej ksi��ki Ch. Scull i W. G. Hammonda pt. The Tolkien Companion and Guide. Wiele opisanych budowli umie�cili�my na poni�szej mapie. Zaznaczyli�my je na mapie i w tek�cie kolejnymi literami alfabetu.

Wy�wietl wi�ksz� map�

Wolne Pa�stwo Orania (Oranje Vrystaat, Oranje Vrij Staat, Orange Free State) – tak nazywa� si� niepodleg�y kraj w po�udniowej Afryce, w kt�rym przyszed� na �wiat w roku 1892 ma�y John Ronald. Nale�y pami�ta�, �e nasz ulubiony pisarz przyszed� na �wiat poza Imperium Brytyjskim. Wolne Pa�stwo Orania powsta�o formalnie w 1854 roku na mocy Konwencji z Bloemfontein mi�dzy rzekami Oranje i Vaal. Jednak osadnictwo burskie (Burowie to potomkowie niderlandzkich kolonist�w w Afryce Po�udniowej) na tym terenie si�ga lat dwudziestych XIX wieku. Pa�stwo mia�o konstytucj� wzorowan� na ameryka�skiej. Proces kszta�towania jego granic trwa� do pocz�tku lat 70-tych XIX wieku. Formalnie, inaczej ni� Transwal, po konwencjach 1881 i 1884 roku, Wolne Pa�stwo Orania by�o zupe�nie suwerennym podmiotem na arenie mi�dzynarodowej. By�o krajem farmer�w, o jednolitej i ma�o zr�nicowanej ekonomice. Bez wi�kszych miast. De facto jedynym miastem by�o kilkunastotysi�czne Bloemfontein. Reszta o�rodk�w administracyjnych by�a faktycznie wsiami lub miasteczkami typu westernowego. Biali stanowili tam ok. 40% populacji.

Wolne Pa�stwo Orania u schy�ku XIX wieku uchodzi�o za wzorowo zorganizowan� ma�� republik�. Wedle brytyjskich szacunk�w z 1901 roku (Oranje Vrystaat by� szcz�liwym krajem, z minimaln� biurokracj�, bez dok�adnych statystyk) bia�a ludno�� liczy�a 90 tys. os�b, z czego 75 tys. Bur�w, 12 tys. Brytyjczyk�w, 3 tys. innych. Wbrew temu co, na przyk�ad, pisze w Tolkien and the Great War John Garth, w Oranii nie istnia� tzw. problem Uitlander�w, relacje mi�dzy r�nymi grupami ludno�ci uznawane by�y za dobre wr�cz wzorcowe. Pa�stewko mimo niepodleg�o�ci by�o bardzo mocno zwi�zane z Imperium Brytyjskim. By�o tak przede wszystkim dlatego, �e le�a�o ono na terenie kt�ry „od zawsze” budzi� zainteresowanie Brytyjczyk�w. Istot� Konwencji z Bloemfontein, o kt�rej wspomnieli�my wy�ej, by�o to, �e Anglicy zrzekli si� protektoratu nad t� prowincj� (kontrolowali j� od 1848, kiedy to interweniowali tam zapobiegaj�c wybuchowi konfliktu Bur�w z plemieniem Grikua). Ma�o tego, w 1877 kupili od Bur�w zachodni� cz�� kraju. Tu trzeba jeszcze doda�, �e po Wojnie Burskiej (1899-1902) w roku 1908 Orania sta�a si� samorz�dn� koloni�, pod zwierzchnictwem Wielkiej Brytanii. Pierwszym jej premierem by� Abraham Fischer.

Od lat 80-tych rozpocz�� si� gwa�towny nap�yw bia�ych imigrant�w po tym, jak odkryto na tym terenie zasoby diament�w. Jednym z tych, kt�rych poci�gn�y perspektywy kariery w Wolnym Pa�stwie Orania, by� Arthur Reuel Tolkien (ur. 1857), ojciec naszego pisarza (syn rodu pochodzenia niemieckiego, kt�rego najstarszym znanym przedstawicielem by� profesor muzyki George William Tolkien, ur. ok. 1784, zm. 1840. Najdawniejsze znane gniazdo rodu to Clerkenwell w Middlesex). Znalaz� si� on w Po�udniowej Afryce w roku 1889, a w roku 1890 zatrudniono go jako kierownika ora�skiego oddzia�u Banku Afryka�skiego (Bank of Africa). Mama ma�ego Ronalda, Mabel Suffield (ur. 1870) przyp�yn�a do Oranii na statku Roslin Castle w marcu 1891 r., zaledwie kilka tygodni po swoich dwudziestych pierwszych urodzinach.

16 kwietnia 1891 r., po trzech latach narzecze�stwa, Arthur poj�� za �on� Mabel w kapsztadzkiej (Cape Town, Kaapstad) katedrze anglika�skiej �w. Jerzego (Anglican Cathedral of St George). Jej zdj�cie z oko�o 1890 r. zaprezentowano w The Tolkien Family Album, str. 15 (patrz zdj�cie poni�ej). Miesi�c miodowy pa�stwo m�odzi sp�dzili w po�o�onym niedaleko Kapsztadu Sea Point. Tam zapewne pocz�� si� John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

Miasto Bloemfontein (czyt. blumfantejn), stolic� Wolnego Pa�stwa Oranii i miejsce narodzin Tolkiena, za�o�ono w roku 1852. Bloemfontein z perspektywy europejskiej by�o niewielk�, zakurzon� mie�cin�, zamieszkan� w du�ej mierze przez ludno�� angloj�zyczn�. To zreszt� do�� typowe dla �wczesnej po�udniowej Afryki: miasta by�y g��wnie angloj�zyczne, wie� za� m�wi�a taal, czyli dialektem j�zyka niderlandzkiego, z kt�rego rozwin�� si� dzisiejszy afrikaans. Gwoli ciekawo�ci taal by� te� pierwszym j�zykiem dla znacznej cz�ci zamieszkuj�cych Orani� czarnosk�rych Afrykan�w. Miejscowo�� otrzyma�a prawa miejskie w 1880. W roku 1892 populacja bia�ych w Bloemfontein wynosi�a oko�o 3,5 do 4 tys. os�b. W roku 1902 – dziesi�� lat po narodzinach Tolkiena – miasto opisywano w nast�puj�cy spos�b:

(…) bardziej jak wiejska osada ni� siedziba w�adz wa�nego pa�stwa (…), przyjemne miasto na wysokim p�askowy�u, 4,5 tys. st�p (1,4 tys. metr�w) nad poziomem morza, otoczone przez niskie wzg�rza. Klimat jest tu suchy i zdrowy, zalecany dla os�b cierpi�cych na choroby p�uc. Miasto dobrze zaplanowane; wi�kszo�� budowli publicznych zbudowano z czerwonej ceg�y i bia�ego kamienia, kt�ry pochodzi z s�siednich kamienio�om�w. Domy otaczaj� mi�e ogrody [Harry Quilter, What's What (1902), str. 246-247].

Najwa�niejszymi budowlami w mie�cie by�y: (B) katedra anglika�ska �w. �w. Andrzeja i Micha�a , (C) Parlament (Parliament House), (D) Niderlandzki Ko�ci� Reformowany (Dutch Reformed Church) oraz (E) szpital. Wszystkie budowle by�y skupione wok� centralnego (F) placu targowego. W Bloemfontein w owym czasie istnia�y sklepy, kluby i wiele innych udogodnie�. Jednak niewiele by�o zieleni, brakowa�o drzew, a niedaleko od miasta zaczyna� si� otwarty veldt, z wiej�cymi suchymi wiatrami i dzikimi zwierz�tami. W ogr�dkach przy domach cz�sto spotka� mo�na by�o w�e i tarantule. Klimat by� nieprzyjazny – suchy z upalnymi latami i ch�odnymi zimami.

W ksi��kach biograficznych o Tolkienie zaprezentowano zdj�cia zrobione w czasie, gdy Bloemfontein sta�o si� „tolkienowskim Betlejem”. W Biografii Carpentera przedstawiono ulic� Maitland Street z budynkiem banku, w kt�rym urodzi� si� John Ronald. Budynek ten niestety nie dotrwa� do naszych czas�w. Widzimy go za sklepem sprzedawcy tkanin oraz za salonem fotograficznym po lewej stronie spowitej py�em ulicy. Bank House w Bloemfontein mie�ci� te� mieszkanie dla kierownika banku oraz jego rodziny. Znajdowa�o si� ono na pi�trze, ponad w�a�ciwymi pomieszczeniami bankowymi. Na ty�ach budynku znajdowa� si� obszerny ogr�d, w kt�rym Arthur zasadzi� cyprysy, jod�y i cedry. Ogr�d znamy z dw�ch zdj��. Na jednym widzimy pracownik�w banku (patrz wy�ej), a na drugim rodzic�w, ma�ego Ronalda, opiekunk� do dziecka, s�u��c� i pracuj�cego w domu Tolkien�w afryka�skiego ch�opaka Izaaka (patrz zdj�cie na samej g�rze). W tym samym domu urodzi� si� w 1894 r. brat J.R.R. Tolkiena, Hilary.

Z ko�cem stycznia 1892 r. J.R.R. Tolkien zosta� ochrzczony w (B) katedrze anglika�skiej �w. Andrzeja i �w. Micha�a w Bloemfontein (Anglican Cathedral of St Andrew and St Michael). Dopiero w Anglii Mabel i jej synowie zostan� katolikami. �wi�tynia ta zosta�a zbudowana w roku 1866 z naw� neogotyck� dodan� w roku 1885.

Ch�opcy �le znosili po�udniowoafryka�ski klimat. W listopadzie 1894 r. Mabel z Ronaldem i Hilarym wyjechali na wakacje nad morze, do Kapsztadu, gdzie powietrze by�o ch�odniejsze i klimat bardziej zno�ny. W kwietniu 1895 r. mama z synami opu�ci�a na zawsze Wolne Pa�stwo Orani� i powr�ci�a do Anglii. Ojciec, kt�ry coraz bardziej lubi� swoj� prac� w Afryce, pozosta� w Bloemfontein. Jednak w lutym 1896 r. zmar� na gor�czk� reumatyczn� i pochowano go na (G) cmentarzu President Brand w tej samej miejscowo�ci.

J.R.R. Tolkien nigdy nie powr�ci� do Afryki Po�udniowej, cho� mia� tak� mo�liwo��. W roku 1921 zaproponowano mu stanowisko De Beersa w katedrze j�zyka angielskiego na Uniwersytecie Kapsztadzkim (De Beers Chair in English Language at the University of Cape Town). Tolkien odm�wi�, bo nie chcia� pozostawia� samej swojej �ony i ma�ych dzieci. Czu� jednak nostalgi� za po�udniow� Afryk�. O nieokre�lonej t�sknocie pisa� w czasie II wojny �wiatowej do swojego syna, Christophera, kt�ry stacjonowa� tam jako lotnik.

“Ta szczeg�lna Wojna zawsze trwa” – Tolkien na Dzie� Zwyci�stwa

Galadhorn — Sun, 09 May 2010 07:49:29 +0000

Tolkien nazwa� II wojn� �wiatow� “Pierwsz� Wojn� Maszyn”. Mocno prze�ywa� militarny udzia� w tej wojnie swoich dw�ch syn�w – Michaela i Christophera. Ich s�u�b� w lotnictwie RAF skomentowa� takim por�wnaniem:

Moje odczucia s� mniej wi�cej takie, jak gdyby Frodo odkry�, �e niekt�rzy Hobbici ucz� si� lot�w na bestiach Nazgûl�w aby “wyzwoli� Shire” (list z 29 maja 1945 r.)

VE-Day, czyli Victory in Europe Day to Dzie� Zwyci�stwa obchodzony przez Aliant�w zachodnich dnia 8 maja (Rosjanie swoje �wi�to obchodz� 9 maja w zwi�zku z r�nic� czasu). Dnia 8 maja 1945 w Oksfordzie, gdzie mieszka� profesor Tolkien ze swoj� rodzin�,� wzniecono �wi�teczne ogniska, by�a parada z pochodniami oraz spalenie kuk�y Hitlera przy Martyrs’ Memorial.

Tolkien nie wyra�a� wielkich nadziei w zwi�zku z ko�cem wojny. Ju� w swoich listach z listopada i grudnia 1943 r. do s�u��cego w RAF Christophera obawia� si� unifikacji i mechanizacji �wiata pod rz�dami zwyci�skich Stan�w Zjednoczonych i Zwi�zku Sowieckiego. Nigdy nie da� si� omami� sztuczkom Stalina. W 1943 r. pisa� o jego “bajkach na dobranoc” na temat demokracji i z�ych Niemc�w, “zjadaj�cych dzieci”, kt�re s�cz� si� w umys�y obywateli ZSRS przez wiejskie radiow�z�y. W grudniu 1943 r. Tolkien pisa�:

(…) musz� przyzna�, �e u�miechn��em si� krzywo i “prawie zwin��em si� na pod�odze, a dalszy rozw�j wypadk�w ju� mnie nie interesowa�”, kiedy us�ysza�em jak ten krwio�erczy stary morderca J�zef Stalin zaprosi� wszystkie narody do w��czenia si� w szcz�liw� rodzin� ludzk�, d��c� do zniesienia tyranii i nietolerancji.

Tolkien pisa� te� bardzo krytycznie o Churchilu wchodz�cym w uk�ady z Rosjanami i Amerykanami. Nazywa go “naszym cherubinkiem”, kt�ry “wygl�da� na najwi�kszego �otra z obecnych”. Gdy 3 czerwca 1945 r. Tolkien mia� wzi�� udzia� w paradzie Obrony Cywilnej, napisa� do Christophera te gorzkie s�owa:

Po po�udniu w Parku b�dzie defilada os�b odchodz�cych z Obrony Cywilnej, na kt�r� prawdopodobnie b�d� musia� si� zawlec. Obawiam si� jednak, �e to wszystko wydaje mi si� raczej fars�: ta Wojna jeszcze trwa (a ta, kt�ra ju� si� sko�czy�a, czy te� jej cz��, w du�ej mierze zosta�a przegrana). Oczywi�cie nie nale�y wpada� w taki nastr�j, bo wojny zawsze si� przegrywa, a ta szczeg�lna Wojna zawsze trwa. Niedobrze jest traci� si�y (…).

I domy�lamy si�, o jak� Wojn� chodzi�o Tolkienowi…

“Nie braknie Ci nigdy s��w rado�ci…”

Galadhorn — Sat, 08 May 2010 22:32:42 +0000

Prezentujemy dzi� pierwszy majowy tekst o t�umaczeniu modlitw maryjnych na j�zyki �r�dziemia. Autorem tych elfickich t�umacze� by� sam J.R.R. Tolkien

W ciemnych dniach wojny (kt�rej zako�czenie wspominaj� �wcze�ni Alianci 8 i 9 maja), dnia 8 stycznia 1944 r., J.R.R. Tolkien napisa� do swojego syna Christophera (pogrubienie moje):

Pami�taj o swoim Aniele Str�u. To nie jest pulchna pani o �ab�dzich skrzyd�ach! Poza tym (przynajmniej w moim poj�ciu i odczuciach): wszytkie stworzenia obdarzone woln� wol� zosta�y (jak to powiedzie�?) postawione w takiej pozycji, by patrze� (lub potencjalnie mie� mo�liwo�� spojrzenia) Bogu w twarz. Lecz B�g (o ile mo�na tak powiedzie�) stoi tak�e za nami. Wspiera i karmi nas, swoje stworzenia. A w cudownym miejscu mocy, gdzie dotyka nas owa lina ratownicza, p�powina duchowa, stoi nasz Anio�, zwr�cony twarz� ku Bogu w obie strony: za nami, czyli tam, gdzie my Go nie widzimy, i przed nami. Oczywi�cie nie znaczy to, �e powiniene� si� m�czy� spogl�daniem Bogu w twarz z w�asnej wolnej woli i w�asnymi si�ami (i wola, i si�a s�, jak m�wi�em, darem “z ty�u”). Je�li nie potrafisz odnale�� wewn�trznego pokoju (a niewielu otrzymuje ten dar i na pewno ja si� do nich nie zaliczam) w�r�d niepokoj�w i cierpie�, nie zapominaj mimo to, �e d��enie do pokoju nie jest pr�nym dzia�aniem, lecz dzia�aniem bardzo konkretnym. Przepraszam, �e Ci o tym pisz� i to w takich urywanych zdaniach. Wi�cej nic nie mog� zrobi� dla Ciebie, najdro�szy… Je�li nie robisz tak jeszcze, uczy� swoim zwyczajem odmawianie pochwalnych modlitw. Odmawiam ich du�o (po �acinie): Gloria Patri, Gloria in excelsis, Laudate Dominum; Laudate pueri Dominum, jeden z niedzielnych psalm�w (do kt�rego jestem bardzo przywi�zany); i Magnificat; tak�e Litania Loreta�ska (wraz z modlitw� Sub tuum praesidium). Je�li znasz je na pami��, nie braknie Ci nigdy s��w rado�ci. Dobr� i godn� podziwu rzecz� jest tak�e zna� na pami�� Kanon Mszy.

Zacz�� si� maj, w Ko�ciele miesi�c szczeg�lnie po�wi�cony Matce Jezusa Chrystusa, Maryi z Nazaretu. Wspomnijmy zatem pewne ciekawe t�umaczenie Tolkiena na j�zyk quenya, mow� Elf�w Wysokiego Rodu…

R�kopis Tolkiena z quenejskim t�umaczeniem fragmentu Litanii Loreta�skiej zosta� opublikowany w 44. numerze czasopisma Vinyar Tengwar (z czerwca 2002 r.). Jest to spersonalizowana karta pocztowa z nadrukowanym napisem “From Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, Merton College, Oxford” i z zapisanymi r�cznie w quenya modlitwami: Ojcze nasz, Zdrowa� Maryjo, Pod Twoj� obron�, Litani� Loreta�sk�. Analiza tekstu i kontekstu wskazuje, �e przek�ad powsta� gdzie� w latach 50. XX wieku. Sama Litania zosta�a przet�umaczona przez Tolkiena tylko w ma�ym fragmencie. My pozwalamy sobie przedstawi� pr�b� pe�nego t�umaczenia, kt�rego autorem jest Beren Mablost z Elendilich (tutaj wpis �r�d�owy; w poni�szym “przedruku” pogrubiamy oryginalny tekst Tolkiena):

“Arcand� Loreto” (’B�aganie/Litania z Loreto’)

Heru, �rava omess�.
A Hr�sto, �rava omess�.

H�ru, �rava omess�.
A Hr�sto, �m� hlar�.
A Hr�sto, �m� etehlar�.

Atar meneld�a, Eru,
�rava omess�.
A Eruion, Mardorunando, Eru,
�rava omess�.
A Airef�a Eru,
�rava omess�.
A Air� Neldi�, Eru Er,
�rava omess�.

A Air� Mar�a, – arca atarm� -
Air� Eruontari�,
Air� Wend� mi Wenderon,
Amill� Hr�sto,
Amill� Eruva Hostal�, (‘Bo�ego Zgromadzenia’)
Amill� Eruva liss�o,
Amill� ampoica,
Amill� v�n�a,
Amill� alappina, (‘nietkni�ta’)
Amill� arta, (‘szlachetna’)
Amill� *il�car�a, (adj. ‘ il-�car�-a’ – ‘*niewinna’)
Amill� amman�, (‘najlepsza’)
Amill� M�ra Quetto, (‘dobrego s�owa’)
Amill� Ontaro,
Amill� Etelehtaro,
Wend� Assaila,
Wend� Alcarin, (‘chwalebna’)
Wend� Istaina, (‘znana – s�awna’)
Wend� Vala, (‘mo�na – pot�na’)
Wend� Apsenena,
Wend� Voronda,
Ceniehyell� Faili�o, (‘cen-i�-hyell�’)
Mahalma Ingol�o, (‘ingol�’ – archaizm)
Tyari� Alasselmo,
Mirroanw� fair�a,
Mirroanw� hantal�o,
Mirroanw� Er�a *erunduri�o, (‘eru-ndur-i�’)
Losill� Muina,
Mindon Navindova,
Mindon Axollo Andamundava,
Coa Laur�a,
Marcirya Eruva Nilm�o,
Ando Erumano,
�l arinya, (‘�l’ – archaizm)
Envinyati� laiwo,
Ort�ri� �carindoron,
Alass� harninaron, (‘szcz�cie zranionych’)
S�m� Hr�stova li�o, (‘ludu Chrystusa’)
T�ri Valaron, ( w sensie ‘anio��w’)
T�ri *Valataron, (lub: Minyataron, Nosseheruron – patriarcha – ‘praojciec’> ‘w�dz klan�w’)
T�ri Terc�noron, (‘terc�no’ – ‘herold’, mo�e: Apac�noron?)
T�ri *Mentamoron, [pl. gen. ‘Aposto�’, gr ‘ap�stolos’ – ‘wys�aniec’ (‘menta’ +’mo’)]
T�ri Nwalyainaron, (‘nwalya-ina’ – ‘um�czony’)
T�ri Voronwion, (‘wiernych’)
T�ri Wendion,
T�ri Ilyo Aimoron,
T�ri � Minya �car�o nostaina,
T�ri Erumanenna tultaina, (tulta-)
T�ri Anair� *Olosilli�o, ['losille' - 'r�a', jak w: lass�>olassi� (*Losilleono?)]
T�ri noss�o,
T�ri s�r�o,
T�ri Pellen�r�o. (tylko w polskiej litanii)

Eul� Eruva, i aumapaly� �cari ambaro,
�men apsen�, Heru.
Eul� Eruva, i aumapaly� �cari ambaro,
�m� etehlar�, Heru.
Eul� Eruva, i aumapaly� �cari ambaro,
�rava omess�.

Arca atarm�, Air� Eruontari�,
Polien nalm� vald� vandaron Hr�sto.

�men arc�
Anta men n�rorelyan, Heru Eru, n� alya as vorima alw� f�o ar hravo: ar ter� alcarinqua arcand� Anair�o Mar�o, voro Wend�o, �m� eteleht� ny�rerello ar anta vorima alass�.
Ter� Hr�sto Herulmo.
N�si�.

Litaniæ Lauretanæ

Kyrie, eleison.
R. Christe, eleison.
Kyrie, eleison.
Christe, audi nos.
R. Christe, exaudi nos.
Pater de cælis, Deus,
R. miserere nobis.
Fili, Redemptor mundi, Deus,
R. miserere nobis.
Spiritus Sancte Deus,
R. miserere nobis.
Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus,
R. miserere nobis.
Sancta Maria, — R. ora pro nobis. —
Sancta Dei Genetrix,
Sancta Virgo virginum,
Mater Christi,
Mater Ecclesiæ,
Mater Divinae gratiae,
Mater purissima,
Mater castissima,
Mater inviolata,
Mater intemerata,
Mater amabilis,
Mater admirabilis,
Mater boni Consilii,
Mater Creatoris,
Mater Salvatoris,
Virgo prudentissima,
Virgo veneranda,
Virgo prædicanda,
Virgo potens,
Virgo clemens,
Virgo fidelis,
Speculum iustitiæ,
Sedes sapientiæ,
Causa nostrae laetitiæ,
Vas spirituale,
Vas honorabile,
Vas insigne devotionis,
Rosa mystica,
Turris Davidica,
Turris eburnea,
Domus aurea,
Foederis arca,
Ianua cæli,
Stella matutina,
Salus infirmorum,
Refugium peccatorum,
Consolatrix afflictorum,
Auxilium Christianorum,
Regina Angelorum,
Regina Patriarcharum,
Regina Prophetarum,
Regina Apostolorum,
Regina Martyrum,
Regina Confessorum,
Regina Virginum,
Regina Sanctorum omnium,
Regina sine labe originali concepta,
Regina in cælum assumpta,
Regina Sanctissimi Rosarii,
Regina familiæ,
Regina pacis,

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
R. parce nobis, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
R. exaudi nobis, Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
R. miserere nobis.

V. Ora pro nobis, Sancta Dei Genetrix,
R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus
Concede nos famulos tuos, quæsumus, Domine Deus, perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere: et gloriosa beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis intercessione, a præsenti liberari tristitia, et æterna perfrui lætitia. Per Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.

Litania loreta�ska

Kyrie elejson, Chryste elejson, Kyrie elejson.
Chryste, us�ysz nas, Chryste, wys�uchaj nas.
Ojcze z nieba, Bo�e, — zmi�uj si� nad nami.—
Synu, Odkupicielu �wiata, Bo�e,
Duchu �wi�ty, Bo�e,
�wi�ta Tr�jco, Jedyny Bo�e,
�wi�ta Maryjo, — m�dl si� za nami.—
�wi�ta Bo�a Rodzicielko,
�wi�ta Panno nad pannami,
Matko Chrystusowa,
Matko Ko�cio�a,
Matko �aski Bo�ej,
Matko nieskalana,
Matko najczystsza,
Matko dziewicza,
Matko nienaruszona,
Matko najmilsza,
Matko przedziwna,
Matko dobrej rady,
Matko Stworzyciela,
Matko Zbawiciela,
Panno roztropna,
Panno czcigodna,
Panno ws�awiona,
Panno mo�na,
Panno �askawa,
Panno wierna,
Zwierciad�o sprawiedliwo�ci,
Stolico m�dro�ci,
Przyczyno naszej rado�ci,
Przybytku Ducha �wi�tego,
Przybytku chwalebny,
Przybytku s�awny pobo�no�ci,
R�o Duchowna,
Wie�o Dawidowa,
Wie�o z ko�ci s�oniowej,
domu z�oty,
Arko przymierza,
Bramo niebieska,
Gwiazdo zaranna,
Uzdrowienie chorych,
Ucieczko grzesznych,
Pocieszycielko strapionych,
Wspomo�enie wiernych,
Kr�lowo Anio��w,
Kr�lowo Patriarch�w,
Kr�lowo Prorok�w,
Kr�lowo Aposto��w,
Kr�lowo M�czennik�w,
Kr�lowo Wyznawc�w,
Kr�lowo Dziewic,
Kr�lowo wszystkich �wi�tych,
Kr�lowo bez zmazy pierworodnej pocz�ta,
Kr�lowo wniebowzi�ta,
Kr�lowo R�a�ca �wi�tego,
Kr�lowo rodziny
Kr�lowo pokoju,
Kr�lowo Polski,

Baranku Bo�y, kt�ry g�adzisz grzechy �wiata, przepu�� nam, Panie.
Baranku Bo�y, kt�ry g�adzisz grzechy �wiata, wys�uchaj nas, Panie.
Baranku Bo�y, kt�ry g�adzisz grzechy �wiata, zmi�uj si� nad nami.

K.: M�dl si� za nami, �wi�ta Bo�a Rodzicielko.
W.: Aby�my si� stali godnymi obietnic Chrystusowych.

M�dlmy si�
Panie, nasz Bo�e, daj nam, s�ugom swoim, cieszy� si� trwa�ym zdrowiem duszy i cia�a i za wstawiennictwem Naj�wi�tszej Maryi, zawsze Dziewicy, uwolnij nas od doczesnych utrapie� i obdarz wieczn� rado�ci�. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego.
W.: Amen.

�lub Berena i L�thien z Warwick…

Galadhorn — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:45:46 +0000

Mijaj� w�a�nie 94 lata od wiosennego poranka 22 marca 1916 r., gdy w pi�knym Warwick (patrz tutaj i tutaj), w ko�ciele katolickim Naj�wi�tszej Maryi Panny Niepokalanej miejscowy proboszcz, ks. William J. Murphy udzieli� �lubu 24-letniemu Johnowi Ronaldowi Reuelowi Tolkienowi i 27-letniej Edith Mary Bratt. O �lubie pa�stwa Tolkien�w pisali�my ju� kilkakrotnie w naszym serwisie. Opisywali�my sam� ceremoni� �lubn� i ko�ci� (tutaj) oraz relacjonowali�my odkrycie dokumentu z zawarcia �lubu (tutaj). Zastanawiali�my si� te� nad to�samo�ci� tajemniczego �wiadka tego �lubu (tutaj). Z przyjemno�ci� przypominamy o tej rocznicy. Zapraszamy te� z tej okazji do przejrzenia tematu z Forum Elendilich o ceremoniach �lubnych w �r�dziemiu (tutaj).

Jako grafik u�yli�my powy�ej elfickich herb�w Berena i L�thien, kt�re zaprojektowa� J.R.R. Tolkien. Profesor i jego �ona uto�samiali si� z t� ludzko-elfi� par�. Imiona Berena i L�thien widniej� na nagrobku pa�stwa Tolkien�w

Film dokumentalny The Real Middle-earth

Galadhorn — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:51:34 +0000

Zapraszamy Was w godzinn� filmow� podr� do �r�dziemia. Sir Ian Holm, radiowy Frodo (w adaptacji BBC) i filmowy Bilbo (w ekranizacji Sir Petera Jacksona) opowie nam o miejscach, kt�re zainspirowa�y Tolkienowskie �r�dziemie. Film pt. The Real Middle-earth (’Rzeczywiste �r�dziemie’) znalaz� si� na YouTube (i nie wiemy jak d�ugo tam pozostanie, wi�c warto obejrze� jak najszybciej…).� Ten fascynuj�cy dokument przenosi nas do Anglii, do krajobraz�w i budowli, kt�re pomog�y ukszta�towa� w wyobra�ni Tolkiena jego fantastyczny �wiat. Wi�cej o filmie mo�na dowiedzie� si� na tej stronie. Niechaj b�dzie on dzi� naszym prezentem z okazji rocznicy Upadku Saurona.

Oto dane na jego temat:

D�ugo��: 105 minut
Cena: 24,95 USD
ISBN: 1-56839-234-6
Data produkcji: 2006
Producent: Mullti Media Arts Limited

What do we know about the ancestors of J.R.R. Tolkien? (monograph)

TAO — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:49:40 +0000

Polska wersja tego artyku�u znajduje si� tutaj.

Before we see the end of the research Richard “Galadhorn” Derdzinski has been doing on the subject (with the results already presented on our news site as Part I and Part II), I have decided to express my view and what I have managed to learn about the origin of the Tolkien family.

For reasons of legibility, I will not quote the sources of information here, but generally speaking my text is based on J.R.R. Tolkien. Companion and Guide as well as online genealogical records, which especially refers to what I have found on the FamilySearch website and in discussion topics on TheOneRing forum. The second part of this article contains information on Tolkien’s direct male ancestors; I have compiled this part from various sources.

The analysis of many of the existing fragments of information shows that the Tolkien family’s legend is (contrary to what I wrote last time) not very credible, yet the German origin of the family itself – more than probable. For Tolkien (along with all of its alternations) is a very common surname in Germany whereas it is relatively rare in England. Two Tolkiens are mentioned in the known records; both were born in Germany, and lived in England, although neither of them was a close relative of the English ancestors of J.R.R. Tolkien (George Henry Tolkien or Tolkin, b. in 1817 in Bremen, and Daniel Tolkien, b. in 1746 in Danzig). It follows that the Tolkien families migrated to England several times in the past.

New data indicate that the German spelling of the name Tolkien could be the original one, and the form Tollkuehn (Tollk�hn) appeared later. We also know that the name used to appear (and still appears) in many forms: Tolkien, Tolkin, Tolkyn, Tollkien, Tollkiehn, Tolkuehn etc. Actually, it is obvious that on the one hand, such alternations came into existence as a result of lack of one well-established convention of putting local pronunciation differences in writing, and on the other hand – as a consequence of mistakes made while copying original manuscripts. But we will never get to know how these names were pronounced in East Prussia in the 15th, 17th or even 19th centuries, or whether any of the above-mentioned word forms may have come from a typographical error. It would be worth finding out about changes that have recently taken place in German spelling (all the more so because the ‘official’ German spelling is based on High German, which differs markedly from Low German), since the alternations Tolkien/Tolkin/Tolkyn seem to have come from the changes in the notation system, and not in the pronunciation of words (cf. the Polish forms: ojciec/oyciec/oiciec ‘father’ or Maria/Marja/Marya ‘Mary’). And similarly, words that we may treat as different forms of the same notation system are: Tolkemtt, Tolmitt, Tolcomith, Tolkemit, Tolkemythe, Tolkemite.

Such alternations can be said to have taken place not only in German-speaking countries, but also in England. In the ninetieth-century census records we can find the following forms: Tolkien, Tolkins, Tolkin or even Tonkien (as was the case in 1901 with the surname of Mabel Tolkien and her sons, whose first names were written down as John and Hilaiy). There is, however, no doubt that the name Tolkien comes from East Prussia (though not necessarily from Warmia/Ermeland). To the premisses I have already mentioned I will add one more: 24 people named Tolkien and born (or baptized) between 1684 and 1874 in Sch�nwalde (in present-day Yaroslavskoye, northeast of Kaliningrad) and 25 more living at a similar time in different villages and towns of Prussia (not including the ones with the root tolk). That doesn’t mean, however, that the ancestors of J.R.R. Tolkien lived in East Prussia before they moved to England; they might as well live in Leipzig, Stralsund, or Berlin.

What could the origin and original meaning of the name/surname Tolk(ien/iny) be? I find the hypothesis about its connection with the Prussian word *tulki (‘interpreter’) bold, all the more so because the word itself cannot be proved to have come from Prussian (as indicated by an asterisk), and we know very little about this language. Even if such a word had existed (although I cannot imagine how Vasmer would come to provide a historical justification for the presence of a Russian borrowing in Dutch, and in Old Norse in particular), this is no proof that any names preserved a few centuries later can be derived from it. This is – and will always be – a mere hypothesis.

The earliest known male ancestor of J.R.R. Tolkien was his great-grandfather, George William Tolkien (1784-1840). That he might have been born in the Parish of St Bartholomew in London is just a guess, yet he did live and die in Islington, a district in London. His date of birth is also doubtful – it seems to have been based on the information about his age at the moment of death. We don’t know whether it was George William or his father that came from Germany. As far as further inquiries are concerned, an important clue is that the Tolkien family members were connected with music for generations – they were upright and grand piano manufacturers; they busied themselves with the tuning of the instruments and with the printing and teaching of music etc. We can therefore guess that it was their occupation in Germany (so they were townsmen) and that the then growing interest of the English middle class in performing music at home resulted in their moving to London.

In 1805, G.W. Tolkien married Elisa Lydia Murell, who bore him at least seven children (or maybe even more, judging by the fact that their sixth child was named Septimus, i.e. the Seventh). His first child, born in 1805, was named George William. His son was born in 1832 and was also named George William Lowe. This recurrence of names of (by the way) typically German origin is a significant fact – if we managed to find a Tolkien with these names, living in the first half of the 18th century in Germany, there’s a real chance that he also was the ancestor of “our” Tolkiens.

The second son of G.W. Tolkien was John Benjamin Tolkien, the grandfather of J.R.R. Tolkien. His fourth son was Henry Tolkien (1816-1885), a well-known piano manufacturer, who probably continued to run the family business, as he lived in Islington. His company’s upright and grand pianos are of average quality, but they have come up for auction to this day, and seem to be highly valued. (By the way, in the middle of the 19th century there were around 600 piano manufacturers in England.)

John Benjamin Tolkien (1807-1896) was twice married. In 1836, he married Jane Holmwood, and they had four children, including John Benjamin Jr. (1845-1853), who may have been buried in the Bunhill Fields Cemetery, in Islington. We don’t know when Jane Tolkien died, nor when J.B. Tolkien moved with his daughters to Birmingham. In 1856, he married Mary Jane Stowe; the couple had eight or nine children. The oldest of them was Arthur Reuel Tolkien.

At that time there lived in Birmingham another John Benjamin Tolkien (1846-1883). He was a journalist and lived there with his wife Agnes and daughter Beatrice. The British census records of the time contain two more J.B. Tolkiens, who lived between 1753 and 1819, and between 1788 and 1859. The recurrence of the names shows that the two men were related: could the latter of them have been G.W. Tolkien’s brother, and the former – their father or paternal uncle? This, however, cannot even be thought to be a hypothesis; it is a mere guess.

There arises an interesting question about the origin of the name Reuel, which appears in the Tolkien family. It is never found in the earlier records; J.R.R. Tolkien’s father was the first to have received this name. It is a biblical name and means “friend of God”. J.B. Tolkien was a Nonconformist (possibly a Baptist), one of the group of people who often named their children after biblical figures, including some unpopular names. We can only guess why the name Reuel was chosen by Arthur Tolkien’s father. Maybe following the death of his first-born he wanted for God to provide special care for his next son (similarly, there is a tradition in Poland of giving the second or third name Maria to males). By giving this name to both of his sons, Arthur Reuel Tolkien made it function as a nickname.

Warsaw, January 2010

Tadeusz A. Olsza�ski
Translated by Jaros�aw “Noatar” Schramel

The Symbolic Grave

TAO — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:23:37 +0000

Wiadomo�� ta w wersji polskoj�zycznej znajduje si� tutaj.

This is an article about a symbolic grave of Arthur Reuel Tolkien in Birmingham; it also includes remarks about the family of his father, John Benjamin Tolkien. Concerning the grave of A. Tolkien, there is an article on the Elendilion news site (in Eastron/Polish).

During my search for information on the ancestors of J.R.R. Tolkien, I came across a reference to his grandfather, John Benjamin Tolkien, who was buried at Key Hill Cemetery in Birmingham, and also a photo of the gravestone itself, which was featured in September 2009 on the Find a Grave website by a pair of English sightseers, Julia and Keld Smedegaard. Later on I received from Dick Empson of the Friends of Key Hill Cemetery additional information and photos, now made available to you.

The inscription on the stone says:

Frank Tolkien
born July 28th 1864
died April 24th 1867
Howard Charles Tolkien
born December 27th 1866
died October 27th 1867
The beloved children of
John Benjamin and Mary Jane Tolkien
of Handsworth

Also
Arthur Reuel Tolkien
their son
who died at Bloemfontien, South Africa
February 15th 1896
aged 38 years

Also the above named
John Benjamin Tolkien
who died August 1th 1896
aged 89 years

Also of
Mary Jane Tolkien
who died February 13th 1915
aged 81 years
Nearer my God to Thee

Also
Wilfrid Henry Tolkien
who died August 8th 1938
aged 68 years.

All the indications are that the family of J.R.R Tolkien and his biographers know nothing about the existence of this grave, if in the genealogical tree of the descendants of J.B. Tolkien (which can be found in J.R.R. Tolkien. Companion and Guide) there is no mention of the date of death of Wilfred Tolkien, whereas the dates of birth and death of Frank and Howard Tolkien are written with a question mark and in part incorrectly. Moreover, they are in ignorance of the fact that Arthur Reuel Tolkien’s gravestone can be found in England (and that it looks seriously neglected).

Key Hill Cemetery is located near the Jewellery Quarter, in the south of the Hockley area of Birmingham. It is – together with the nearby Warstone Lane Cemetery – the oldest ‘independent’ cemetery in the city (earlier, there were only churchyards there). Key Hill opened in 1936. It was a so-called Nonconformist cemetery: only non-Anglicans were buried there (members of the Church of England found their resting place in Warstone Lane). The tombstone of J.B. Tolkien’s family is situated near the main entrance on Icknield Street, just before the second intersection and the corner with the catacombs.

Tadeusz A. Olsza�ski
Translated by Jaros�aw “Noatar” Schramel

To�kiny in Warmia: a nest of the Tolkien family? (Part II)

Galadhorn — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:14:54 +0000

Polska wersja tego artyku�u znajduje si� tutaj.

Please read also the first part of our inquiry entitled “Does the Tolkien family come from Warmia?”. In it, we write about an alternative but very likely etymology of the name Tolkien, and about the Tolkien family, who may be said to come from East Prussia, more specifically, from Warmia, and a small village called To�kiny (Tolksdorf), lying in present-day Poland.

He was a citizen of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1883, he graduated from the once famous Collegium Fridericianum in what is now Kaliningrad (German: K�nigsberg; more about that college, which was also called Friedrichs-Kollegium in German, can be read here). One of the graduates of the college was the famous Immanuel Kant, and one of its teachers was a Polish activist, K.C. Mrongowiusz. As a classicist, who worked in Leipzig, Johannes Tolkiehn wrote, among other things, Homer und die r�mische Poesie (1900), Philologische Streifz�ge (1916), Ars grammatica (1913, 1928). He bore almost exactly the same name as John Tolkien, an Oxford philologist.

Professor Johannes Tolkiehn belonged to (one of the branches of) an East Prussian family, whose members had over the centuries written down their last name as Tolkien or Tolkiehn (but also: Tolken, Tolkihn, Tolkin, Tollkiehn, Tollkien, Tollkuehn, Tollk�hn; see a web page with all the German surnames). Nowadays, one of the members of this family, Prof Dr G�nther-Ulrich Tolkiehn, a German scientist from Wildau (in Brandenburg), when asked in 2003 about his genealogy by a Tolkien fan nicknamed “Almacundo”, explained the origin and etymology of his surname in the following way (a thread in TheOneRing forum). Dr Tolkien had himself conducted a preliminary survey of the library holdings, as well as genealogical research with the aim of learning about his family’s possible connections with the Tolkien family from England. What he established (as based mostly on the work of one of his distant relatives, the Reverend Heinrich Tolkiehn) is as follows:

Relatives of the Tolkiehn family lived in East Prussia (German: Ostpreu�en), which after 1945 was divided in such a way that part of it forms present-day Warmian-Masurian Province, and the rest belongs to the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia;
Linguistically, that historic land once inhabited by the Baltic* Prussians had since the beginning of the 13th century been part of the Low German language area (where Low Saxon and Low Franconian dialects were spoken; in the Middle Ages, their users were settlers brought to this area by the Teutonic Knights. Dutch also emerged from Low German). In East Prussia, Old Prussian and Polish dialects of Masovia were spoken. All of those language layers had an influence on personal and place names of East Prussia;
Prof Tolkiehn claims that according to his family’s tradition, his surname was changed from Tolkien to Tolkiehn around 1800 (he holds that in his family archives there exist notes made by a member of his family, who Germanised the name, together with an exact date);
According to Tolkiehn, the name Tolkien is typical only of the area of East Prussia, as it comes from the language of the Baltic Prussians. Many of the families living in this area bear last names ending with the suffix -ien (e.g. Leptien, Monien), but the meaning of this suffix is – in the Professor’s view – not thoroughly examined. What is clear, however, is the first part of the name – Tolk. It is believed – as we have already established in the first part of our inquiry – to derive from Prussian, and is translated as “interpreter”, that is a person, who in the Middle Ages was able to do trade and talk in various languages of Teutonic Prussia (and who, in particular, spoke Prutzisch/Prūsiskai, i.e. Old Prussian, and Middle Low German);
Nowadays, a whole range of surnames already referred to (from Tolkien through different forms of Tolkiehn) includes names that are rarely met with, and are especially popular in the vicinity of Berlin, Hamburg and other cities of northern Germany, where after WWII the so-called Expellees were sent to live (those were Germans expelled from the territories that Germany lost after 1945);
Prof Dr G�nther-Ulrich Tolkiehn failed, however, to find any genealogical links between his relatives and the Tolkiehn families from Lower and Upper Saxony, from whom comes the family of J.R.R. Tolkien.

It would certainly be vital for our research to establish in which archive sources, period of German history, federated states, and in which form the surname Tolkien appeared for the first time. If the “Prussian theory” was proved true, we would have to examine a form/forms of the proper name (and then of the surname), which started to appear in Prussia as early as the 14th century. According to linguists like Max Mechov, it is from the Prussian *tulki (‘interpreter’) that such proper names can be derived as Tuleke (1344, so�tys [mayor] of Klonowken/Klon�wki near Starogard Gda�ski), Tolleke (1350, komtur [commander] of Elbl�g), Tulicke (Sambia), Tullike (Wehlau/Welawa District in the present-day Kaliningrad Oblast), Tulke (an official of the Crown Treasury in Nehmen), Tolike (Sambia), Tolicke (1401, Warmia), Tolk (1419, Warmia),� Tolck (Sambia, a Prussian peasant), T�lke (Schalwe/S�awno), as well as the surnames Tolk, Tolck, Tolks, Tollkien, Tollkiehn, Tolckien, Tolkin, Tollk�hn, Tolket, Tolkemitt, Tolkmitt, Tolkemitz, Tolcomith, Tolksdorfer, Tolksdorff, Tulke, Tulkini.

With all of these proper names are connected place names of Prussian (or, more specifically, Warmian-Masurian) origin: Tulkin/Tolken (1315, Crown Treasury Office in Nehmen, Mohrungen/Mr�gowo District), Tolkynen (1415, Rastenburg/K�trzyn District; contrary to the post-war sources in Poland, the name Tolkynen, used with reference to the village Tolksdorf/To�kiny, appeared only in the 15th century, and not until 1938, the name itself proving the post-war “baptism” of the village, which had been called Tolksdorf for most of its history), Tolksdorf, Tolkemite (1337, Elbing/Elbl�g District; Tolkmicko in Polish), Tolkemit, Tholkemyte (1425, Osterode/Ostr�da District).

The group of surnames being of great interest to us was still known in Prussia just before World War Two. For instance, Fischhausen address book of East Prussia (present-day Primorsk in the Kaliningrad Oblast) mentions the names: Tolk, Tolkiehn, Tolkien, Tolkmit, Tolksdorf, Toll, Tollkiehn, Tollk�hn. Nowadays, these names are especially found in the North of the Federal Republic of Germany (e.g. in the vicinity of Hamburg), where the Germans expelled from the territory of the former East Prussia migrated after WWII.

According to our findings, the earliest etymology of the name Tolkien refers us to the Prussian language (of the extinct Baltic languages). Below, you will find the way in which, I believe, the name has evolved:

Prussian: Tulki ‘interpreter’
↓
Old Low German Tolk(e)
↓
German (with Slavic suffix?) Tolkin, Tolkien
↓
Germanized Tolkiehn
or
Secondary etymology (”folk etymology”): Tollk�hn (related to the German adjective tollk�hn, meaning ‘daring, foolhardy, madly bold’)

What we need is a comprehensive survey of the library holdings. There are many interesting German dictionaries, onomastic and topomastic studies and atlases. Their contents, however, sometimes stands in contradiction to one another; for example, in Die deutschen Familiennamen geschichtlich, geographisch, sprachlich (Halle, Berlin 1933) the authors, Albert Heintze and Paul Cascorbi, derive the surname Tolkien from the adjective tollk�hn (being the theory proved by J.R.R. Tolkien), and in Max Mechow’s Deutsche Familiennamen als prussischer Herkunft (Dieburg/Darmstadt, 1987), it is derived from the Prussian word *tulki (the theory refuted by the Professor in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, no. 349). The Online Dictionary of Middle High German (i.e. of the language of medieval Germany) contains two word-forms that illustrate this dilemma:

tolke, tolc ‘translator/dolmetsch, interpreter/interpres’; it contains examples of the language used in Prussia:�der hemelesce tolke Hans; Virgilius der ist ein tolc; di dritte rede ist ein tolk.
tol-k�ene adjective which means ‘imprudent/temerarius’

Young Ronald Tolkien was already interested in the etymology of his last name as a student of King Edward’s School in Birmingham and of Oxford University. It was in those times that he worked on the theory of “mad boldness”� (and it is obvious that he was more inspired by the word tollk�hn than by the less exciting Dolmetsch) which resulted in his creation of the following pseudonyms (more can be found in the topic “Pseudonimy J.R.R. Tolkiena” in the Elendili Forum): Ragnald Hrædm�ding (an Old-English word hrædm�d means ‘rash, impulsive, quick-tempered’), Ruginwaldus Dwalakōneis (from the Gothic *dwalakōneis = German: toll-k�hn), Arcastar in Quenya (the same meaning) or the English Rashbold (being a synonym of the name).

In the next part of our inquiry, we will try to answer the question about the earliest ancestors of J.R.R. Tolkien; we will trace the history of the Tolkien/Tolkiehn/Tollk�hn families in Saxony (and determine whether it refers to Lower or Upper Saxony) and try to find the oldest document with the name of the Tolkien family written in it. One day we will surely visit To�kiny in Warmian-Masurian Province with cameras in our hands and see the land the Tolkien family may come from…

To be continued…

Translated by Jaros�aw “Noatar” Schramel

__________________________

* The Baltic languages are a group of related languages belonging to the Indo-European language family: Old Prussian, Sudovian (also known as Jatvingian), Lithuanian, Latvian, and their dialects. They are also referred to as the Aestian languages (derived from the name of an ancient people – the Aestii).

Does the Tolkien family come from Warmia? (Part I)

Galadhorn — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:05:23 +0000

Polska wersja tego artyku�u znajduje si� tutaj.

Max Mechow, a German linguist, suggests in his book Deutsche Familiennamen als prussischer Herkunft (’German surnames of Prussian origin’; Dieburg 1994, p. 99) that in spite of what Tolkien said on the matter, his family name may be of East Prussian origin, and the Poles may be said to have a Tolkien family nest in their own country!

J.R.R. Tolkien said many times that his ancestors had come to England in the middle of the 18th century from present-day Saxony. According to his family’s oral traditions (or, maybe, to Tolkien’s own theory), they had supposedly fled the Prussian invasion of Saxony in 1756. The name Saxony meant a lot for Tolkien, and was dear to him, for it stems from the name of the Saxons, an early medieval people, who migrating from the Continent during the Migration period created – together with the Angles, Jutes and Frisians – an Old English culture of the British Isles, being an object of admiration, and material of research of the Professor. In the Dark Ages, the Angles sent many Christian missionaries to visit the lands inhabited by the pagan tribes of Old Saxons (one of those was Saint Boniface, born Wynfreth).

In an autobiographical note made in 1955, Tolkien demonstrated that the name Tolkien is an anglicized form of the German nickname/surname Tollkiehn, derived from the adjective tollk�hn, which means “daring”, “rash”, “foolhardy” (literal translation is “madly bold”). He accepted no other arguments concerning this issue, though there were some. In a letter of March 8, 1973, addressed to Mrs E. R. Ehrardt (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, no. 349), Tolkien wrote that no other etymology of the name was convincing to him. The letter concerned the deriving of his last name from the Slavonic word *tъlkъ, which can be rendered as “meaning, translation, interpretation, explanation”. Vasmer, a Russian etymologist, wrote that directly from the Old Russian form тълкъ are derived the following loan words: the Lithuanian tùlkas (“interpreter”), the Latvian tul̃ks, the Estonian tulk, the Old Low German tolk, the Old Icelandic tulkr (“translator”), the Dutch (Low German) tolk. In his letter, Tolkien also mentioned the Finnish tulkki; more about the related words can be read in the appropriate topic (in Polish) in the “Elendili” internet forum: “Nazwisko “Tolkien” a s�owia�skie *to�k/*t�ok” (’The name “Tolkien” and the Slavonic *to�k/*t�ok‘).

In Germany, we meet people with the last names “Tolkien”, “Tolkiehn”, and “Tollkiehn”. The map below shows a distribution of the name “Tolkien” all over the Federal Republic of Germany (click on the map to enlarge it):

LINK

However, German linguists and genealogists propose other explanation for the origin of the writer’s last name, and locate its beginnings in the Prussian (Baltic) linguistic area. It is described both by Georg Gerullis in his work Die altpreu�ischen Ortsnamen (’The Old Prussian place names’; o.V., Berlin/Leipzig 1922, p. 184) and by Max Mechow in his Deutsche Familiennamen als prussischer Herkunft (Tolkemita, Dieburg 1994, p. 99). Today, the above-mentioned area is situated in Poland, and it is represented by a small village in Masuria. Since 1945, the village has been known by the Polish name of To�kiny.

To�kiny is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Korsze, within K�trzyn County, Warmian-Masurian Province. (Before the World War Two, the village was called Tolksdorf and lay within Rastenburg County in� Ostpreu�en, i.e. East Prussia.) The village lies approximately 10 km (6 m) northwest of K�trzyn (before the War called Rastenburg in German, and Rastembork in Polish), not far from the Regional Road 592 (from K�trzyn to Bartoszyce). The former name of the village, Tolksdorf, had been created from the last name of a noble family of Prussian origin – the Tolk family. It had been written down in the existing documents as Tolksdorf (1410), Tolkynen (1440), or Dolksdorf (1528). In the earliest period, To�kiny are believed to have been a Prussian village, lying on the edge of the Krakotin Forest; that area had previously been inhabited by the Prussian tribe of Barts (in the former Diocese of Warmia – to learn more about Bartia, click here). Remains of the Forest have stood the test of time, and are situated south of the village, near a hamlet� Krakocin (previously called Krakotin) and round the To�kiny Lake. As for the location of the village itself, little can be said for sure; for a nearby village of Starynia (Altendorf in German) was known in the Middle Ages as Alt-Tolksdorf (and Neu-Tolksdorf in 1698). One can therefore presume that the first residence of the Tolk family was located somewhere around present-day Starynia, whereas To�kiny was not established until the foundation of the new village on the Prussian or Kulm Law. In the foundation document issued on February 10, 1344, by the Commander of Balga, Gottfried von Linden, there appears, among others, the name of Mathes (Matheus) Tolc. (More about the history of To�kiny can be read here.)

The analysis of the names from before 1945 shows that already in the 15th century there functioned in Masuria the name *Tolkyn (the German form Tolkynen being the plural of this name). It is from this word that German historians derive the name Tolkien.

To be continued…

Translated by Jaros�aw “Noatar” Schramel

Below a photo from the� To�kiny/Tolksdorf area.

Autentyk czy fa�szerstwo?

Galadhorn — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:32:35 +0000

W om�wionym tu niedawno artykule pa�stwa Ch. Scull i W. G. Hammonda (odno�nik) znani badacze biografii i bibliografii Tolkiena pisali o podr�bkach list�w Profesora. Czy�by�my mieli tu do czynienia z takim w�a�nie zjawiskiem? Oto dwa nieznane listy J.R.R. Tolkiena (kliknij obrazki), kt�re wygl�daj� do�� podejrzanie, cho� ich tre�� zgodna jest z tym, co wiemy o �yciu pisarza.

Pierwszy list zosta� sprzedany na aukcji w 2008 r za prawie 1200 dolar�w. Nie wiemy, z jakiego roku pochodzi. Tutaj znajdziecie wi�cej szczeg��w. Tolkien pisze w nim:

(…) may interest you to know it is impossible to patent names (unfair as it may seem). I did not invent the name Bag-end. Its origin is the local name of a house an aunt of mine lived in in Worcestershire:� an old tumbledown manor at the end of an untidy lane that led nowhere else. It always fascinated me as a child, and, I suppose, became ingrained upon my mind as so many memories from childhood do.

Many thanks for your extreme generosity as per the catholic matter. My indebtness will remain timeless.

Frodo, as always, continues to shine and will no doubt end up in some frittering: a weakness.

Now you must not come to Oxford without seeing me, I insist.

Yours sincerely

J.R.R. Tolkien

Po polsku (moje t�umaczenie):

(…) mo�e Ci� zainteresowa� to, �e nie da si� opatentowa� nazw (wydaje si� to niesprawiedliwe). Nie wymy�li�em nazwy Bag-end. Pochodzi ona od nazwy miejscowej pewnego domu, w kt�rym mieszka�a moja ciotka z hrabstwa Worcester: starej niszczej�cej posiad�o�ci na ko�cu zaniedbanej �cie�ki, kt�ra nie prowadzi�a nigdzie dalej. Zawsze mnie ta nazwa fascynowa�a w dzieci�stwie i – jak przypuszczam – zakie�kowa�a w mojej wyobra�ni jak wiele wspomnie�, kt�re pochodz� z dzieci�stwa.

Wielkie dzi�ki za niewymiern� hojno�� w sprawach katolickich. Moje zad�u�enie b�dzie wieczne.

Frodo, jak zawsze, wci�� wieci i bez w�tpienia sko�czy si� to roztrwonieniem: s�abo�ci�.

Teraz nie b�dzie Ci wolno by� w Oksfordzie bez spotkania ze mn�. Nalegam.

Z wyrazami szacunku,

J.R.R. Tolkien

Drugi z omawianych list�w pochodzi� ma z 11 grudnia 1966 r. Tolkien skar�y si� w nim emocjonalnie na osob�, kt�ra zdaje si� kopiowa� pomys�y autora.� Chodzi prawdopodobnie o m�odego autora, kt�ry chcia� napisa� “dalszy ci�g” W�adcy Pier�cieni (por. z listem nr 292 do wydawnictwa Allen & Unwin). List napisany jest na maszynie, podpisany w�asnor�cznie (sam podpis wygl�da jednak do�� podejrzanie). Papier listowy jest t�oczony. Wida� tam adres: 76 Sandfield Road, Headington, Oxford. Sprzedano go w ubieg�ym miesi�cu za 1200 dolar�w. Wi�cej szczeg��w mo�na znale�� tutaj. Tre�� listu jest nast�puj�ca:

Dear Chris,

I am furious at the astounding impertience of this young ass, and his propositions.� I know one cannot claim legal sway over the invention of proper names, but surely no publisher would touch such a tome, if indeed it were to see light of day.

Why are my days sometimes vexed by vagabonds masquerading as Crown Princes.

With best wishes,

J.R.R. Tolkien

W moim t�umaczeniu:

Drogi Krzy�ku!

Jestem w�ciek�y na zadziwiaj�c� bezczelno�� tego m�odego os�a i na jego propozycje. Wiem, �e nie mo�na ob�o�y� ochron� prawn� wymy�lania nazw w�asnych, ale na pewno �aden wydawca nie powinien tyka� sie takiego tomu, je�eli ujrzy on rzeczywi�cie kiedykolwiek �wiat�o dzienne.

Czemu moje dni musi wype�nia� irytacja w��cz�gami przebranymi w ksi��ta?

Z najlepszymi �yczeniami

J.R.R. Tolkien