Tolkien wrote with admiration about Northern courage, stating that “one of the most potent elements in that fusion is the Northern courage: the theory of courage, which is the great contribution of early Northern literature” furthermore, “the fundamentally similar heroic temper of ancient England and Scandinavia cannot have been founded on (or perhaps rather, cannot have generated) mythologies divergent on this essential point” (B&C 20,21). On the contrary, he often must accept his own demise and the death of those close to him, and his heroism displays itself with decidedly greater clarity in demise than in victory” (Haferland 208).
DOOM ANIQUILATION LEGENDA CODE
In this essay, I argue that, first, Tolkien’s concept of the hero rests on a coming-to-terms with the Germanic ethos second, that the larger narrative structure is heroic and third, that this structure sustains itself in cycles of cause and effect (which start with Fëanor’s particular Germanic Original Sin) from the ethical code of Germanic heroes in Anglo-Saxon, Old High German, and Old Norse fiction, subscribers to a code that we (following Tolkien) may call “Northern courage.” This ancient code found its expression in the poetry of the Germanic world, poetry that Harald Haferland describes thus: “Germanic heroic poetry-like all heroic poetry-tells of conflict and hostility, but its hero, oddly enough, is not a victorious one. Furthermore, it is a sin that has precedents not only in Beowulf, where it is personified in the monster Grendel, but in the ancient Germanic world in general. Indeed, Fëanor’s sin sets in motion the entire Germanic narrative cycle of Tolkien’s Elder Days. It is those very negative heroic elements, such as Fëanor’s oath and the sin of the kin-slaying of the Teleri, that are critical to the structure the narrative framework. If we look closely, we may observe this conflict in his characters and in the narrative structure of his fictional works, particularly in the fiery imagery and ruthless deeds of his pivotal character, Fëanor. But Beowulf, I fancy, plays a larger part than is recognized in helping us esteem them.īut he was deeply critical of the adverse aspects of Germanic heroism such as, for example, overmastering pride.
Let us by all means esteem the old heroes: men caught in the chains of circumstance or of their own character, torn between duties equally sacred, dying with their backs to the wall. We do not deny the worth of the hero by accepting Grendel and the dragon.
Tolkien wanted to esteem the laudable aspects such as we find in Beowulf. Tolkien used Germanic heroic elements in his fiction to great effect, but he was also personally deeply conflicted about their dual nature: Germanic heroism can be noble and defiant, but it is also often cruel and gruesome.
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