Abstract
Frequent criticisms of queer approaches to Tolkien’s work are that they are purely an outside artefact based on external readings and agendas, rather than with any basis in the works themselves. However, this paper contends that, while the much-vaunted “freedom of the reader” allows for such external readings, there is more in the substance of Tolkien’s language and mythology to back them up than may otherwise be assumed. Taking as a starting point Tolkien’s own statement that “the mind, the tongue, and the tale are co-eval,” the article explores the simultaneous linguistic and mythological development of Tolkien’s legendarium. Using the lens of Pryzbylo and Cooper’s idea of “asexual ‘resonances,’” Tolkien’s linguistic ideas of love, friendship, affection, and sexual attraction are explored both in their own right and alongside the development of his mythology. Tolkien’s frequent revisions to characters such as the Valar and Bilbo Baggins demonstrate an increasing separation between different concepts of attraction, such as sexual and platonic. Linguistically, the split between the √mel and √yer roots established in the “Etymologies” of 1937-8 reinforces this separation, suggesting its possibility from the very roots of the legendarium. Taking these linguistic and mythological expressions of love as asexual resonances, this article will demonstrate that the possibility of queerness, particularly asexuality, was built into Arda from its inception. Whether or not this as the result of Tolkien’s own deliberate efforts, the freedom of the reader can thus be applied to in-world concepts and relationships as well as applying their readings purely from the “outside.”
Recommended Citation
Queripel, Rory M.
(2026)
"“Mythology is Language and Language is Mythology”: Allegory, Applicability, and/or Asexuality in Tolkien’s Legendarium,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 24:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol24/iss1/2