Abstract
Early legendarium is often called a "mythology for England," while Tolkien's later tales have been described as mythologies for Britain (by Dimitra Fimi) or Englishness (by Thomas Honegger). Later legendarium still contains fictional versions of English-like peoples, the Hobbits and the Rohirrim. Their construction leads to a re-construction of elements of English history in the subcreation, that often produces fictional analogs not only of the English but of the Welsh. How Tolkien described contacts between the English and their closest neighbors reveals his idea of Englishness (his own national identity) and its place in the narrative.
This article traces appearances and absences of the Welsh in the legendarium. I argue that initially Tolkien's "mythology" intended to produce an origin story for the English than could replace the more anti-English historical framework of Geoffrey of Monmouth and earlier Anglo-Saxon and Welsh texts. This led to decreasing the role of the Welsh in British history and direct attacks on their "garbled" tales. In later legendarium, Tolkien does not rewrite the history of the primary world but constructs idealized allusions. He sets his analogs of the English as non-imperial and culturally self-contained, confirmed by their interactions with the analogs of the Welsh. Englishness contrasts with Welshness but, paradoxically, can neither fully absorb its counterpart not separate from it.
Recommended Citation
Retakh, Alexander
(2024)
"The English and the Welsh: Tolkien’s Rewriting of History in the Legendarium,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 20:
Iss.
2, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol20/iss2/4