Jared, Oriana and Ned discuss Ned’s choice of topic: marriage. Tolkien himself was the child of an apparently happy marriage, though one that met with tragedy when first his father and then some years later his mother died while he was still a boy. His own marriage to Edith Bratt lasted for decades until her passing some years before his, bolstered in turn by his strong Catholic faith. When it comes to how he portrayed marriage in both his Middle-earth and other work, there’s a wide range of depictions of what marriage can be, but at the same time it’s fairly notable that very few seemingly happy portrayals of such partnerships exist across the board – and when it comes to his most notable protagonists, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, neither are married at any point before their journey to Valinor, raising questions about what Tolkien might have thought an ideal state of being was in the end. What does Tolkien say about elf marriages in particular in his work, especially in recent formerly unpublished material, and how does that tie in with the examples of human/elf partnerships across the legendarium? Why is the division between the Ents and the Entwives so seemingly thorough and absolute, but at the same time is it something that might seem as dramatic as portrayed? Would Bilbo and Frodo’s adventures, especially the scarring results of the latter’s, have meant that portraying potential relationships of any kind would have meant grappling with the impact of PTSD on those close to survivors? And why is it that maybe the happiest marriage shown throughout The Lord of the Rings itself may in fact be that of Farmer Maggot and his wife?

Jared’s doodle. If only the Purse had realized…

If you’re in or new New York City, take the chance to see Sight Unseen at the Chelsea Film Festival on October 16th!

The Curtis Brown Heritage/Tolkien Estate news via TheOneRing.net 

Past episodes of ours with marriage mentions or examples: Melian, Galadriel, Eowyn and Faramir, Aragorn, Sam Gamgee, Hurin and Turin, death, Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wootton Major, the Valar, Tom Bombadil, the Ents and of course Aldarion and Erendis. (Plus Niggle as an example without marriage and friendship as its own subject.)

Tolkien Gateway’s brief summary of elvish wedding customs, what we know of them.

Tolkien’s letter to his son Michael on men and women and things. It’s…a product of his time.

Our episode on The Nature of Middle-earth, where elvish relationships are discussed in more detail.

Wells for Boys, once again!

Farmer Maggot, what a guy! 

To reconfirm, Aldarion did have two sisters, so not an only kid, but an only son.

The whole Age of Scorpius thing.

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