Little-known Tolkien facts thread.

[superminer4563]

Just wanted to make this before i go away to help my friend with his depression (for those who haven't read my edit on the Going Away thread, go read it to understand.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6197169/JRR-Tolkien-trained-as-British-spy.html

Apparently, Tolkien was one of few people that were chosen to participate in the Bletchley Park program to decode the Enigma. He also went to The Government Code and Cypher School for while.

 

[Olwe]

Worked for the Oxford Dictionary.

 

[JordD04]

Just wanted to make this before i go away to help my friend with his depression (for those who haven't read my edit on the Going Away thread, go read it to understand.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/6197169/JRR-Tolkien-trained-as-British-spy.html

Apparently, Tolkien was one of few people that were chosen to participate in the Bletchley Park program to decode the Enigma. He also went to The Government Code and Cypher School for while.

Little-known Tolkien facts?
@Finrod_Amandil, @Fornad, and I don't know what you mean.
Jk.

 

[superminer4563]

Little-known Tolkien facts?
@Finrod_Amandil, @Fornad, and I don't know what you mean.
Jk.

 

[Fornad]

Tolkien began every lecture by reciting the opening lines of Beowulf:

Hwæt! We gar-dena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,
oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!
Ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone God sende
folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat,
þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
lange hwile; him þæs Liffrea,
wuldres Wealdend woroldare forgeaf,
Beowulf wæs breme --- blæd wide sprang---
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.
Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean,
fromum feohgiftumon fæder bearme,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume,
leode gelæsten; lofdædum sceal
in mægþa gehwære man geþeon.

 

[Brazen_Helm]

Tolkien began every lecture by reciting the opening lines of Beowulf:
... þæt wæs god cyning!...

Haha, the only bit of Beowulf which I know the meaning of: that was good king. Weird how English has come so far from its origins but some bits are still recognisable... sort of.

 

[wyliewylie]

Haha, the only bit of Beowulf which I know the meaning of: that was good king. Weird how English has come so far from its origins but some bits are still recognisable... sort of.

Wait... Thats old English?

 

[Glov]

Wait... Thats old English?

yarp

 

[devdog3531]

As a child, Tolkien was bitten by a spider.

Tolkien began every lecture by reciting the opening lines of Beowulf:

Hwæt! We gar-dena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,
oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!
Ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone God sende
folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat,
þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
lange hwile; him þæs Liffrea,
wuldres Wealdend woroldare forgeaf,
Beowulf wæs breme --- blæd wide sprang---
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.
Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean,
fromum feohgiftumon fæder bearme,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume,
leode gelæsten; lofdædum sceal
in mægþa gehwære man geþeon.

He would also sometimes wear period correct armor to emphasize.

 

[Portalrules333]

He would also sometimes wear period correct armor to emphasize.

That would've been fun to see

 

[MattTheLegoman]

Tolkien used the Quality Teaching Model. =D

 

[superminer4563]

Tolkien began every lecture by reciting the opening lines of Beowulf:

Hwæt! We gar-dena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,
oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!
Ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone God sende
folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat,
þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
lange hwile; him þæs Liffrea,
wuldres Wealdend woroldare forgeaf,
Beowulf wæs breme --- blæd wide sprang---
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.
Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean,
fromum feohgiftumon fæder bearme,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume,
leode gelæsten; lofdædum sceal
in mægþa gehwære man geþeon.

Didnt he only recite the 1st paragraph?
Lo! the glory of kings of the people of the Spear-Danes in the days of old we have heard tell, how those princes did deeds of valour. Oft Scyld Scefing robbed the hosts of foemen, many peoples, of the seats where they drank their mead, laid fear upon men, he who first was found forlorn; comfort for that he lived to know, mighty grew under heaven, throve in honour, until all that dwell nigh about, over the sea where the whale rides, must hearken to him and yield him tribute - a good king was he!
(Im typing this from the book and im too lazy to type the entire translation of the Anglo-Saxon text posted by @Fornad.)

That would've been fun to see

What if he used a spear as the pointing stick for his chalkboard?
He made up for it by talking so fast sometimes his students couldnt understand, like when he read "Fall of Gondolin" at a lecture.

1. Tolkien was a very sickly child, which was one reason he and his mother left South Africa.
2. He may have been a part of the Scouting program started by Baden-Powell
3. He was Catholic because his aunt and mother converted themselves and him. The Tolkiens were Baptist while the Suffields were Episcopilian (or Unitarian. i forgot.)