… continued from my previous post
As a sign of his authority Mercury carries a Caduceus; a rod which is wrapped in a double helix and topped off with wings. Was this symbolized in the novel by Tom and Goldberry weaving themselves around a long* table, setting it with winged speed?
“… in some fashion they seemed to weave a single dance, neither hindering the other, … round about the table; and with great speed food and vessels and lights were set in order.”
–
The Fellowship of the Ring, In the House of Tom Bombadil
The Caduceus of Mercury
Caesar also noted that before the introduction of the cult of Mercury to England, the Gauls venerated the deity above all other gods. Confusingly there are allusions to Mercury being ranked even above Jupiter:
“ ‘Amongst the gods, they worship Mercury above all …’ ”.
–
Bellum Gallicum 6.17.1, Julius Caesar’s firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, 58–49 BC
“He stole Jupiter’s sceptre, Neptune’s trident, the tools of Vulcan, the sword of Mars … altho the gods were all powerful or omnipotent they could do nothing except on the advice of Mercury.”
–
The Rod of Mercury, Chapter IV – pg. 15, H.B. Stein, 1996
After his popular spread to Gaul, Mercury gained a foothold in Britain. But perhaps most intriguingly, one should not forget Hengist and Horsa the legendary Saxon ‘founders’ of England** after whom several scholars have noted the hobbits Marcho and Blanco were modeled***. Because according to ancient records (translated from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s
Historian regum Britanniae) Hengist and Horsa found their way and settled into England:
“… under the good guidance of Mercury.”
–
Old English Chronicles, Chapter X – pg. 184, J.A. Giles, 1906
Was it really Tom Bombadil who steered Marcho and Blanco safely into the Shire? Was this part of a planned parody?****
“ ‘… He … saw the little People arriving. …’ ”.
–
The Fellowship of the Ring, In the House of Tom Bombadil
In any case – I’m sure these ideas catalyzed over some time before Tolkien finally united them and set the wheels in motion for
The Lord of the Rings. Yes, I can’t help but believe some of what made it into the Bombadil chapters had strong ties back to ‘life’ at his beloved University of Oxford!
“I take my models like anyone else – from such ‘life’ as I know.”
–
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter #181 – c. January 1956, Edited by H. Carpenter, 1981 **(Tolkien’s emphasis)
* The table had ‘sides’ and ‘ends’ – from which we can infer it was rectangular.
** Christopher Tolkien notes:
“… the tradition of the invasion of Britain by Hengest and Horsa in the fifth century A.D. This was a matter to which my father gave much time and thought; he lectured on it at Oxford and developed certain original theories, …”.
–
The Book of Lost Tales I, The Cottage of Lost Play – pg. 23, 1984
Thus, it*would be unlikely that Tolkien was unaware of the historical account in which Mercury played a part.
*** For example:
“The names of the Fallohide brothers considered the founders of The Shire (Marcho and Blanco) are calque-translations of the names of the Anglo-Saxon founders of England: Hengist and Horsa.”
–
The Hobbitonian Anthology, The Stoors – pg. 61, M.T. Hooker, 2009
***** In the scholar Mark Hooker’s opinion:
“… Tolkien created a parody of the Anglo-Saxons Hengist and Horsa with the Fallohide brothers Marcho and Blanco, …”.
-
The Hobbitonian Anthology, The Stoors – pg. 62, M.T. Hooker, 2009