In answer to
Child's question on the theory about Badgers in The Uncharted Realms of Tolkien.
(summary, in my own words, with scattered quotes)
Quote:
The 'Rabbit' connection has been pointed out by Shippey. Rabbits are not a native English species, but badgers are. Badgers tend to be fat, as they don't hibernate. They live in Burrows of up to 25 clan members. 'Their sociability, love of food & home comforts, communal underground dwelling & general inoffensiveness combined with great courage & tenacity at need - are they the very points at which hobbits are most like badgers?'
The name ‘badger is modern. The older name is ‘brock’ (from old Welsh).
Quote:
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What is singularly important in the present context is the names which the Scandinavian languages use for ‘badger’. Danish has has ‘graevling’, Norwegian has ‘grevling’, & Swedish has ‘gravling’. ...almost all the words are associated with holes or excavations in the f=ground - ‘grav’ is grave in Danish & Norwegian, & grave, ditch or hole in Swedish...A linguistic point which connects badgers & Hobbits is that of place-names in the Shire which contain badger words
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Brockhouses means a ‘badger-sett’ - also the ‘Brockenborings’. Another possible badger name is ‘Bagshott Row’ (deriving from Bag’s Holt - meaning Badger’s wood or thicket) - this acording to Paula Marmor in Allen: ‘An introduction to Elvish’.
The author’s then proceed to speculate on whether Tolkien began by writing a ‘beast fable’ about badgers, which grew into the story we have.
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The Badger/Hobbit link is clear - well, it is after reading the whole 12 page, closely printed chapter. But how far it can be pushed is another question. It's possible Tolkien was just playing linguistic games. Its cetainly interesting...
12-30-2004, 02:14 PM
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