The Nightmare World of Tolkien

[Lalwendë]

I always think the fell beats sounds quite an attractive creature myself - not in the cute and cuddly way, but in the creepy, fascinating way, like a big stinking Komodo Dragon (they really do smell of rotten meat) or maybe those fantastic Pterosaurs that they had in the 70s cartoon Valley of the Dinosaurs. With this one, its the language that gets to me - forgotten mountains cold beneath the Moon - wow, sounds like something out of the later chapters of Frankenstein.

Although having said that there is this little fear factor:

nursed it with fell meats

I really don't want to know what fell meats are. I feel sure they are not merely mystery meats (much as you get at a kebab van!), but the fact that they were nursed with these meats suggests that they are special, and I just don't want to know what meat this is!

I think Tolkien was well aware of where an unsaid word would mean much, much more than a spoken one. The suggestion of the boggart behind the door is more scary tahn seeing him.

Though to make myself laugh about it, I like to think Fell Meats could be Special Stuff from Hilary Briss's Butchers shop in Royston Vesey, or maybe processed sandwich fillings manufactured in an horrific back street enterprise somewhere in Hull.