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Tip-toe Through the Toponymy - Page 5

© Michael Martinez

Something else which is notable but seldom (if ever) noted is that some of the Rohirric place-names, though composed of Anglo-Saxon words, are not simply given in Anglo-Saxon form. They are, for lack of a better word, "Icelandic" in form. Anglo-Saxon was a rich language, but England owes its toponymy to a variety of languages: Latin, Celtic, Danish, Norwegian, Anglo-Saxon, French. Many place-names in Iceland follow a pattern of adjective + geographical name. This style, though found in many languages, seems to me to be acute in Iceland, and it establishes a pattern we can easily identify in Tolkien's nomenclature. For that reason, I use the term "Icelandic" to describe an intentional pairing of words which convey a very unique meaning based on geography. For example, "East Falls" (Ostfoss) would be an Icelandic style name (many Norwegian place-names also follow this convention). Hence, "Underharrow" is Icelandic in form. Rohan's "Westfold" is another example of an Icelandic style name (and Tolkien compared it to Norwegian place-names Ostvold and Vestfold). "Upbourn" is English in style, meaning a riverside town far up (from the river mouth). Upbourn lay between Edoras and Underharrow. The Scandinavian influence in Tolkien is pervasive. There are many examples in Tolkien's translation of Anglo-Saxon names, and his descriptions of Rohan, where he uses modern English words derived from Norse words, even though modern English equivalents descended from Anglo-Saxon were readily available: Saruman is "man of skill", not "man of craft"; a dike instead of a ditch defend's Helm's Deep in the Deeping Coombe (and Coombe is a Celtic word, probably intended to represent the Dunlendings' language); the word "nay" occurs frequently in the dialogues. The book almost exclusively uses modern English pronouns -- which we inherited from the Vikings who settled in eastern England. Rohan thus blends several nomenclatures and idioms together skillfully (should that be craftily?), and it serves as a guide to what Tolkien did with the Shire. But there are also limits to Tolkien's reliance upon Scandinavian words, phreases, and forms. For example, you will not find anything like "Sven's Farm" in Tolkien's stories. That is, Farmer Maggot's farm is not placed on any map, or referred to as a geographical landmark, such as "three miles out from Maggot Farm, we came upon a Black Rider". Many Viking place-names do combine personal names with descriptive nouns. Tolkien's place-names seldom follow that pattern ("Tarlang's Neck" is a rare example). Understanding the limits of the place-names Tolkien used is key to understanding how he viewed Middle-earth.

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