Abstract
Elsewhere I argued that there are parallels between Tar-Meneldur and the lives of several pre-20th century astronomer-nobles (Ulugh Beg, Johannes Hevelius, Wilhelm IV, Tycho Brahe, and James Ludovic Lindsay) and noted several real-world astronomical events that may have informed/motivated Tolkien’s development of Tar-Meneldur’s avocation, including political controversies concerning the Radcliffe Observatory at Oxford and the Royal Observatories at Greenwich and Edinburgh. Since that publication I have continued to ponder Tolkien’s depiction of Tar-Meneldur as an astronomer (and king), and offer another possible source of inspiration for the royal astronomer in the form of the tenth Astronomer Royal, Sir Harold Spencer Jones.
Recommended Citation
Larsen, Kristine
(2023)
"The Royal Astronomer and the Astronomer Royal: Tar-Meneldur and Sir Harold Spencer Jones,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 18:
Iss.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol18/iss1/8