A virtue, invent it if you can
 

Patience. Apparently he invented some new versions, which is good news for lovers of Solitaire even if it did hinder progress on the Silmarillion

Absolutely right, Squatter, and a delight to have you on the thread and on the forum! Pray proceed with a new one.

Collegiate Issues
 

Why thank you, Estelyn. I shall endeavour to justify your enthusiasm. ;)

Which college did Tolkien first join, and which subject was he reading?

If I recall correctly, Tolkien had a scholarship to Exeter College Oxford, to study Greats (Latin and Greek).

It was a Classics Exhibition, but that's close enough. Carry on.

Thank you, Squatter.
This is a very interesting thread!

Next question:
Mabel Tolkien and her two young sons returned to England from South Africa in 1895. What was the name of the ship they travelled in?

How might one pronounce that?
 

The SS Guelph, I believe.

You are correct in your belief, Sophia :)

*Esty pokes Sophia

Goodness! I've forgotten more threads than I've remembered
 

My apologies.

What was one of the two Catholic churces on Woodstock Road sometimes attended by the Tolkiens?

St Aloysius' would be one of them; I found that information in the "Oxford Life" chapter of Carpenter's biography. I'm not sure where to find the name of the second one, so since one is all you asked for, that's all you're getting! ;)

Your go, Esty.
 

St. Alyosius' was one of them.

The other was St. George's, which I found on an Oxford tourist-sites website. I'm not fortunate enough to own the biography, so I'm going from the letters and the web (which has proved reasonably accurate thusfar).

Whose baby received the name (among others) "Mister Tolkien"?

Anyone want to take a try at this question, or shall I ask a new one?

Drop us a hint, Esty; there's a good lass. :) (My best HI imitation to date. )

Be happy to - and a very nice imitation it is!

This person belongs to the earliest part (and place) of JRRT's life.

During the early South Africa years, Daddy Tolkien’s servant Isaak took JRRT to show to his village.

Arthur Tolkien forgave him for this and so Isaak named his first son "Isaak Mister Tolkien Victor" after him.

Unexpectedly

~R

Absolutely right, Rim, and nice to see you posting here again! Next one's yours...

Ah, but at around the same time, what happened to three of the infant Tolkien's bibs?

Now this is really digging deep into family memories. A neighbour's pet monkeys chewed up three of baby Toller's "pinafores". Is this what you mean by "bib", Mr. Ribbet?

Indeed it is, Ms Berry, and I wasn't aware that 'bib' did not translate overseas. You learn something every day.

The floor is yours, Ma'am.

Grandiosely

~R

You have done a public service, oh Perilous one. You have salvaged my view of Toller's infancy from a fate as bad as Ruskin's. Bib works here for infant neck apron, but around these parts, 'pinafore' is refers to the large aprons which young girls and teens wore over their dresses in earlier times. Oh these niceties of pond swimming.

But as to the floor: What did Tolkien do in hospital and on leave, after he survived the Battle of the Somme?

He began writing the stories that later became the Silmarillion and the Book of Lost Tales.

Well, Mz. Ghosted Princess, if you can tell us which stories, you can have all the floor. :D

Oh, so you want fussy details, eh? ;) Well, the first story was 'The Fall of Gondolin', written during convalescence in 1917; next one was 'The Children of Húrin' in the same year, followed by the story of Beren and Lúthien - enough? :)

Enough but not too much! ;)

Tell on, with hope that we shall guess your riddle.

Sorry that I forgot to carry on here! Thanks, Bb, for the gentle reminder. Here's a new question: What was the name of JRRT's aunt with whom he corresponded?

Well, Esty, I cannot find any reference in the Letters to Aunt Grace Tolkien, but I believe that this younger sister of Tolkien's father told him stories about the family's past.

Sorry, it's not as easy as that, since her name is not 'Tolkien'. However, there are several letters written to her in the published collection. She read JRRT's works and he asked her opinion on them.

I believe that would be his Aunt Jane. However, I am at a loss to remember her last name. She was a Suffield before she married.

Aunt Jane it was - well done, and welcome to this thread, elronds_daughter! Her married name was Neave, and she was interested in Tolkien's works, as he was interested in her opinion. He wrote Letters # 231, 234, 238, and 241 to her; several of those are wonderfully long, chatty letters, very enjoyable to read!

Carry on with a new question, please!

Sorry it's been a while! I've been on vacation--no computer access, alas! Now, on to the question (it's an easy one):

Who wrote these words to Tolkien: "May you say the things I have tried to say long after I am not here to say them."













<disclaimer: If I got that quote wrong, forgive me. I've not got a book available to me at the moment.>

Perhaps easy, but a sombre one as well.

It was G.B Smith, one of Tolkien's school mates, a member of the T.C.B.S. who had read Tolkien's early poetry and shared the early ideas and excitement about writing. Smith wrote those words to Tolkien shortly before he was was himself killed in World War I when a shell burst behind him while walking down a village road.

Well done, Bb. As I said, 'twas easy. Carry on!

*Esty pokes Miz Berry...

A rose by any other name
 

I wonder if this will be acceptable as a biographical tidbit.

Tolkien was not entirely happy with the surname "Gamgee." What name would he have preferred to change Gamgee to, if Christopher had let him? (And, yes, that "let him" is a quote!)

Thanks to the excellent index in Letters, this was easy to find! (Happily for me, since I've not the time and energy for a lengthy search.) Here's the answer straight from Letter #72: Now, we've seen that surname used on this site, haven't we? *Esty points in the direction of 'Cami'...

A mod by any other name
 

You're on the money, Estelyn!

And right also about our good Shire Mod, Cami Goodchild, aka Child of the 7th Age. When I saw that letter, I just had to use it to provide a small acknowledgement for her. :smokin:

To which type of building did Tolkien compare Beowulf, especially in the light of literary criticism's handling of the text?

A stone house?