Abstract
This paper explores the belliphonic—the sonic dimension of warfare—in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, focusing on the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. While modern warfare studies emphasize the sounds of mechanized combat, the acoustic landscapes of ancient and medieval battles remain understudied. Drawing on recent scholarship by Clauss, Lummer, Potthoff, and Pretzer, this study situates Tolkien’s soundscapes within both historical and mythological traditions. Tolkien’s immersion in classical, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse literature, combined with his experience of World War I, enabled him to create richly layered battle sounds in which horns, cries, silence, and environmental acoustics carry narrative and psychological weight. Through close reading, the paper examines how Tolkien employs explicit, implied, and plausible sounds to shape morale, leadership, and mood. The shifting soundscape of the Rohirrim—from ritualized horns to the heavy silence before their charge—reveals how sound structures expectation and emotion. Théoden’s horn-blast and battle cry revive heroic conventions reminiscent of Exodus and the Völuspá, while Merry’s sensory disorientation under the Witch-king reflects both medieval depictions of fear and the shellshock familiar from WWI poetry. Ultimately, the study argues that Tolkien’s battles are not primarily visual spectacles but intricate auditory experiences that link medieval traditions, modern warfare, and the mythic cosmology of the Ainulindalë, transforming war into a narrative of sound and meaning. This paper was presented at Oxonmoot 2025, St. Anne's College, Oxford on September 7th, 2025.
Recommended Citation
Mirzabayati, Ali
(2025)
"Belliphonic Tolkien: Listening to the Wars in Middle-earth,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 23:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol23/iss1/3