Is that a text by Tolkien? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

GafferGamgee · 01-11-2010, 10:58 AM

Years ago I read an english text about a young poet, who knows war only from stories and he dreams of being "worthy to go to war" with the kings men.
One day that happens and he finds out war is different, in the first battle one of his best friends is killed and the text is about him reflecting about this.

The text is not about middleearth, but about some time on our real earth as far as I remember. Nevertheless I think the text might be written by Tolkien, but I am not sure. Do you know a text by Tolkien about this topic?

Thank you so much!

davem · 01-11-2010, 12:45 PM

What you describe is vaguely similar to The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth http://www.thetolkienwiki.org/wiki.c...of__Beorhtnoth

Lindale · 01-11-2010, 11:59 PM

Begging your pardon, but there have been too many war poets who might have felt honor-related stuff and wrote about it... Tolkien isn't the only one.

Bêthberry · 01-12-2010, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindale

Begging your pardon, but there have been too many war poets who might have felt honor-related stuff and wrote about it... Tolkien isn't the only one.

True enough that there were many war poets who wrote about their experiences in the trenches of WWI. Yet Tolkien's response to the war was somewhat different from that of most well-known war poets, and that qualitative difference could be what charactertises GafferGamgee's memory.

Perhaps GafferGamgee could explain why he thinks this memory text was by Tolkien?

01-11-2010, 10:58 AM	#1
GafferGamgee Newly Deceased Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1	Is that a text by Tolkien? Years ago I read an english text about a young poet, who knows war only from stories and he dreams of being "worthy to go to war" with the kings men. One day that happens and he finds out war is different, in the first battle one of his best friends is killed and the text is about him reflecting about this. The text is not about middleearth, but about some time on our real earth as far as I remember. Nevertheless I think the text might be written by Tolkien, but I am not sure. Do you know a text by Tolkien about this topic? Thank you so much!

01-11-2010, 12:45 PM	#2
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	What you describe is vaguely similar to The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth http://www.thetolkienwiki.org/wiki.c...of__Beorhtnoth __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."

01-11-2010, 11:59 PM	#3
Lindale Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: midway upon... in a forest dark Posts: 975	Begging your pardon, but there have been too many war poets who might have felt honor-related stuff and wrote about it... Tolkien isn't the only one. __________________ The heart does things for reasons Reason itself cannot comprehend. - Blaise Pascal Legal Madness.