Father Christmas Letters: 1933

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The 1933 entry includes two letters, one written at the beginning of December, the other just before Christmas. The first is just a brief acknowledgement of the children's letters, with an amusing note from NPB, calling Priscilla "chaplet" to go with the boys as "chaps"!

The main letter and accompanying picture tell a thrilling story of a battle against goblins. This continues what began the previous year and is quite likely inspired by the tales of The Hobbit. Interesting that some of the goblins rode on bats - an early version of the Fell Beasts?!



The picture story is told from the bottom of the page going up. Tolkien wasn't quite as pleased with it as with his drawings of 1932. Do you see any reason for that?

What do you think of FC's interior decorating? We're shown his bedroom. And why do you think NPB is depicted as being so very large in the top picture?

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

At least for now, just two short remarks...

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

The main letter and accompanying picture tell a thrilling story of a battle against goblins. This continues what began the previous year and is quite likely inspired by the tales of The Hobbit. Interesting that some of the goblins rode on bats - an early version of the Fell Beasts?!

I thought rather of the bats that came together with the goblins to the Battle of the Five Armies - the connection of bats and goblins seemed, at least at that time still, more or less on equal level as the connection of the goblins and the Wolves. Simply a logical conclusion: mounted goblins have Wolves, but by all logic there could just as well be mounted airborne goblins - who need to have something good to fly on, also some nightly creature, and what is better than a bat. Simple as that.

I don't see any necessary primal connection with the Fell Beast, since Fell Beasts had been, in my opinion, developed in order to make a creepy, a bit off-worldly, awful creature for the Nazgul to ride on. The reason why in LotR the goblins don't ride bats anymore is that it would perhaps feel too fairytale-like, you of course can't have normal-sized bats to do that and gigantic bats are somehow hard to imagine in larger numbers (and they'd have to fit into the caves in the first place). For the same reason the Nazgul aren't riding bats either - they need something more "noble", something more "special" - "exotic", if you wish.

And why do you think NPB is depicted as being so very large in the top picture?

I think it is in order to show him as the "most epic big fighting beast" in comparison to the myriad of small evil creatures.

Four words (and four articles/prepositions ) which have occured to me when seeing this picture: Beorn in the Battle of the Five Armies.

Originally Posted by TH, Chapter 18: The Return Journey

In that last hour Beorn himself had appeared - no one knew how or from where. He came alone, and in bear's shape; and he seemed to have grown almost to giant-size in his wrath. The roar of his voice was like drums and guns; and he tossed wolves and goblins from his path like straws and feathers.

This is what we have depicted right in front of us - what do you think?

[Bêthberry]

I must say that the more I follow along here, the more eager Iam to read all the Father Christmas letters. It is interesting that so little of the artwork for the FC letters are readily available online (or never used to be).

I think it is quite intriguing that Tolkien was "mixing" legends here, combining goblins and bats with bears and elves from the North Pole. I can't think of any other north pole/Father Christmas/Santa Claus stories that invoke goblins and bats, although my familiarity with Scandinavian legends is limited--and I absolutely support the right of any creative writer to follow his own whims.

[Guinevere]

I am hopelessly lagging behind, as usual, but still trying to follow and post some of my thoughts .

What made me chuckle is FC's remark to Priscilla in the first letter:

I send love to all of you, and a kiss for Priscilla - tell her my beard is quite nice and soft, as I have never shaved.

The goblins (and the red gnomes too) are really very small, much smaller than I imagine the goblins in The Hobbit.

two statements I found interesting:

I had to blow my golden trumpet (which I have not done for many years) to summon all my friends.

this reminds me of the silver horn Merry was given and used in The Scouring of the Shire.

originally written by Polar Bear:And Father Christmas. I wish I could draw or had time to try - you have no idea what the old man can doo! Lightning and fierworks and thunder of guns!

Sounds almost like Gandalf, doesn't it!