J.R.R. Tolkien once envisioned creating a body of interconnected legends that would reflect the essence of England’s mythic past, saying in a letter to Melton Waldman in 1951: “But once upon a time, (my crest has long since fallen) I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic, to the level of romantic fair-story – the lesser drawing splendor form the vast backcloths – which I could dedicate simply to: to England; to my country. It should possess the tone and quality that I desired, somewhat cool and clear, be redolent of our ‘air’ (the clime and soil of the North West, meaning Britain and the hither parts of Europe: not Italy or the Aegean, still less the East), and, while possessing (if I could achieve it) the fair elusive beauty that some call Celtic (though it is rarely found in genuine ancient Celtic things), it should be ‘high’, purged of the gross, and fit for the more adult mind of a land long now steeped in poetry.” (Preface, page xii, para 3, sentences 2-3) This dream, deeply rooted in his love for mythology and his expertise in Old and Middle English, inspired him to craft stories that drew from the rich tapestry of Anglo-Saxon and Celtic traditions. Among these influences, the epic poem Beowulf stands out as a significant source of inspiration for Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.
Beowulf takes place in pagan Scandanavia sometime in the 5th or 6th century. The story follows Beowulf as he comes to the aid of King Hrothgar of the Danes, who has been plagued by the demon Grendel for the past 12 years. Beowulf successfully slays Grendel and goes on to kill Grendel’s mother and a dragon, though the latter battle claims his life. Although these parts of the story are fictional, Beowulf’s tribe, the Geats, were potentially based on a real people group. According to Wikipedia, “[…] Roy Liuzza argues that the poem is “frustratingly ambivalent”, neither myth nor folktale, but is set “against a complex background of legendary history… on a roughly recognizable map of Scandanavia,” and comments that the Geats of the poem may correspond with the Gautur (of modern Götaland); or perhaps the legendary Getae.” (para 7, sen 3) Furthermore, characters such as Hygelac, Healfdene, Hrođgar, and others were real people. The tale of Hygelac raiding Frisia that’s mentioned in Beowulf was even recorded by the historian Gregory of Tours records in The History of the Franks. This blend of myth, history, and fiction is the first similarity between The Silmarillion and Beowulf as both authors took from real-life events and similar myths to create their stories, thus making the cultures and values of their characters similar.
Beowulf draws heavily from Germanic traditions, religions, and myths, with elements such as the morality surrounding loyalty and vengeance, and even Beowulf tearing off Grendel’s arm reflecting that culture. Furthermore, Beowulf’s combination of Christian and pagan themes creates a unique dynamic, as characters are described as pagan and then thank God for their success. This Christian influence makes the story more cheerful than Icelandic sagas and presents Beowulf as a better hero than other epic poem heroes because he isn’t part of a blood feud. Instead, he fights against a hideous monster, which many critics interpret as being an allegory for good versus evil. However, Tolkien had a different view and believed that the story deals with human nature and fate. He also said that Grendel was an “eminently suitable beginning” and sets up the fight with the dragon: “Triumph over the lesser and more nearly human is cancelled by defeat before the older and more elemental.” (Paraphrase of para 4, sentence 1)
Within the Germanic traditions that form the foundation of Beowulf, morals about pride and envy that are also seen in The Silmarillion are explored. Pride and envy are fatal flaws for many characters in both works, with Grendel’s motivations being a prime example. While some consider Grendel a demon, most scholars agree his identity as a supernatural being, a giant, or something else is ambiguous. He is, however, a mockery of man through Cain’s curse, condemned to roam the world with his father’s sense of jealousy and ungratefulness. His cave symbolizes Hell and when he sees Heorot, the center of the Danes’ social life and their power he wishes to destroy it out of envy and make the inhabitants outcasts like him. Grendel’s attacks on the Danes last twelve years and never stops despite the Danes’ entreaties due to his inability to repent. This makes Heorot unhælo – a word that means unclean, unnatural, evil, or sinister (though Tolkien preferred the word unfælo for this description) – and it’s only when Beowulf kills him that Heorot is cleansed.
Meanwhile, in Tolkien’s world, Melkor parallels Grendel. Melkor’s pride led him to reject Ilúvatar’s plan and oppose the other Valar. His envy grew as he saw the Valar’s creations and manifested itself physically, taking on a form that was “dark and terrible.” (The Silmarillion, “Ainulindalë” para 3, sen 2-3). Melkor’s jealousy of Aulë was particularly notable. While Aulë remained faithful and did not envy others’ works, Melkor’s envy and hate consumed him, leading him to destroy what others created. (17) Melkor’s initial vengeance involved poisoning Arda and destroying the lamps, Illuin and Ormal, forcing the Valar to move to Aman. Melkor then continued to act like Grendel, making Arda – the Heorot of the Valar – unclean with his pride and envy.
Both stories emphasize the dangers of pride and envy. In Beowulf, King Hrothgar warns Beowulf that pride can turn a good warrior into a bad king and that fame can quickly lead to your destruction and shame. He emphasizes the importance of courage, loyalty, selflessness, and might, in both kings and warriors though they have vastly different roles in society. Similarly, The Silmarillion shows this throughout the book as the Noldor’s pride led to many atrocities after the Silmarils were stolen, ultimately leading to their downfall.
Another way that The Silmarillion shares themes with Beowulf is in the results of generosity versus greed. In Beowulf, treasure is used as a way to ensure peace, with gold representing loyalty and forging lasting alliances. The king nurtures his people through the giving of gifts and if the treasure isn’t used to create peace, it is useless. Notable examples of this include Unferth giving Beowulf his sword (Lines 1338-1454), the presents given to Beowulf after his fight with Grendel (lines 1640-1912), Beowulf’s presentation of gifts from Grendel’s mother’s hoard to Hrothgar (lines 1687-1693), and Beowulf giving his gifts from Hrothgar to Hygelac (lines 1913-2199), highlighting the ideal relationship between warrior and king. In The Silmarillion, similar exchanges of treasure, most notably rings, also show how treasure can create alliances for good or evil.
On the flip side of this coin, greed destroys in both stories. In The Silmarillion, greed affects both heroes and villains. Characters become greedy over treasure, land, power, immortality, and love, all of which when hoarded lead to evil and corruption. Melkor and Fëanor are two characters that exemplify evil stemming from greed. Melkor’s greed for power made him want kingship over Arda and the other Valar. When unsuccessful, he lusted after the Silmarils, which Fëanor guarded obsessively. The Silmarillion describes his greed as a “gnawing fire in his [Melkor’s] heart” (“Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor”) and it led him to sow discord and that jealousy in Valinor, targeting Fëanor in particular, whose greed for the Silmarils had grown tremendously. Melkor easily stole the Silmarils, though his focus on success almost gets him killed by the giant spider, Ungoliant. Fëanor and his sons then swore a disastrous oath to retrieve them, leading to many Noldor deaths, including the deaths of Fëanor’s own sons.
Another theme that runs through both tales is that of unity. In Beowulf, unity is formed primarily through family and tribe. If you are shamed, you bring shame upon the whole community, and if you’re honored, you bring honor upon the whole community. Without your family or tribe, you become an outcast, hopeless and incomplete. This is seen in Grendel, who, as Cain’s sin, inherits Cain’s curse to roam the world alone, making him hate the joy and community exemplified in Heorot. In The Silmarillion, Melkor views himself as different and better than the other Ainur, causing him to create division amongst them.
Unity also plays a crucial role in defeating evil. In Beowulf, Hrothgar is an ageing king with sons too young to rule and unable to fight Grendel. Beowulf’s aid is significant not only because he can defeat Grendel, but also because the Geats ally themselves with the Danes, who are allied with the Swedes, the Geats’ mortal enemy. Queen Wealtheow’s sharing of the mead cup further cements this partnership for generations. Similarly, in The Silmarillion, the fight between unity and division symbolizes the fight between good and evil. Melkor represents division and evil, being divisive since the beginning, causing political division among the elves and spreading evil through his disciple, Sauron. Despite this, unity always pushes back evil, even if it’s for a short time.
However, there is a dark side to unity, especially within families. Many feuds to preserve family honor become multi-generational affairs. In Beowulf, Grendel’s mother attacks Heorot to avenge him and in The Silmarillion, Fëanor’s sons continue his mission of retrieving the Silmarils from Morgoth’s crown, despite the pain and horror it brings to themselves and the innocent people around them.
The heroism in The Silmarillion is reminiscent of Beowulf. Beowulf embodies the Germanic values of a hero and their honor system. Initially, he’s virtually unknown except amongst his fellow Geats is seen as a juvenile delinquent, not expecting much of him. He seeks adventure to bring honor and fame to his name, defeating a sea monster and going to slay Grendel. Beowulf’s method of fighting Grendel and his mother with his bare hands is a trait found in Germanic literature representing confidence and extreme courage and we read the echoes of this fighting in Tolkien’s early story, Beren and Lúthien. In Beowulf, the fight with Grendel is described as a hand-to-hand struggle (lines 749-759), similar to Finrod Felagund’s fight with the werewolf in The Silmarillion (though the book Beren and Lúthien describes the fight in more detail in lines 379 –388 (Beren and Lúthien, pages 156-157, lines 379-388, “Lay of Leithian”).
Despite Beowulf’s use of Germanic values, we also see Christian aspects, most notably in the view of Beowulf’s fight with Grendel representing the fight against paganism. Grendel, being Cain’s son, is the physical and moral embodiment of evil as heathenism, abusing his power to terrorize those who haven’t been cursed. This theme is also present in The Silmarillion as Melkor fights tirelessly against Ilúvatar’s plan for the world.
Lastly, there is the shared theme of fate or doom. Tolkien argued that Beowulf is a tale of beginnings and endings showing how quickly fortune can change and disaster can come. Beowulf’s death at the hands of the dragon, a representation of time, death, and fate, foreshadows a later invasion. According to Sparknotes, “The dragon represents at least two major limitations of the heroic code. First the question of whether Beowulf should fight the dragon catches him between two conflicting rules: the rule that requires a warrior to show unyielding courage and seek fame, and the rule that requires a king to remain alive so he can protect his own people.” (para 3, sen 2-3, section 2). This is ironic given Beowulf’s believe that not fearing death would make fate favor him more.
In The Silmarillion, fate is more mysterious and is impacted by different factors that play into Ilúvatar’s plan. Fate is Ilúvatar’s knowledge of future events, determining the outcome of lives without affecting free will. It can go well or poorly based on decisions, curses, or inheritance. Fate is inescapable and ensures certain outcomes, even protecting some characters such as Beren and Lúthien However, divine intervention is rare, and everything works toward the inevitable end of the world.
Ultimately, Tolkien took a lot from Beowulf in writing his history of Middle Earth. Many of the deeper themes of The Silmarillion are repeated whether intentionally from the Anglo-Saxon tale or accidentally from sharing similar inspirations as both took from Christianity and Germanic traditions. Tolkien’s work is a rich tapestry woven from various threads of ancient lore, myth, and legend. The echoes of Beowulf in The Silmarillion are not merely coincidental but rather a testament to Tolkien’s deep appreciation and understanding of the epic. The themes of heroism, fate, and the eternal struggle between good and evil are central to both works, reflecting the timeless nature of these narratives. Tolkien’s ability to blend these elements into his own unique mythology has left an indelible mark on the world of literature, creating a legacy that continues to inspire and captivate readers around the globe.
Until next time,
M.J.
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The Tanuki Corner 