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MODES OF THE
HEROIC
A THEORY
OF COURAGE
In response to World War I, countless voices asserted
that “chivalry” cannot “redeem the war’s disgrace”32 . Yet J.R.R. Tolkien never abandoned the path
of chivalry – on the contrary. This discussion will map out Tolkien’s concept
of the heroic and show how he incorporated and remodelled ancient notions
into his own mythology.
Tom Shippey, who not only attended the same school as
Tolkien, but also followed the same academic interests, taught the same syllabus
at Oxford and Leeds, once started a lecture by singing aloud the old King
Edward’s School song that he and JRRT both learned as children. The point
of this lay in the following lines: "Oftentimes defeat is splendid! Victory
may still be shame". From this quote, he went on to suggest that Tolkien
was ingrained from an early age with notions asserting “glory even in defeat”
and stressing the possibility of “victory without honour” which we later
encounter in, for example, Sil and LotR. The tales from the
Elder Days concerning elvish and human resistance to Morgoth’s growing power
are largely tales of heroic defeat – amazing feats of courage and skill among
the protagonists will not lift the cloud of impending doom which spreads
with Morgoth’s advances on the larger scale.
This concept is richly exemplified in Tolkien’s professional
fields of interest. In the following quote from the famous Anglo-Saxon poem
“The Battle of Maldon ”, Tolkien’s English “ancestors” have been attacked
by a fierce army of Viking invaders. Although the Vikings are between two
branches of the river and thus separated from launching their full strength
at the Anglo-Saxon army, Beortnoth nobly allows them free passage to do battle
on equal terms. Vastly outnumbered, Beortnoth and his brave men are slain
until only a small, unflinching band of warriors remain:
“Byorthwold spoke; he grasped his shield; he was an old
companion; he shook his ash spear; full boldly he exhorted the warriors:
'Thought shall be the harder, heart the keener, courage the greater, as
our might lessens. Here lies our leader all hewn down, the valiant man
in the dust; may he lament for ever who thinks now to turn from this war-play.
I am old in age;
I will not hence, but I purpose to lie by the side of my lord, by
the man so dearly loved.'”33 (my emphasis).
This account is a powerful record of heroism – of unwavering
loyalty and dedication. The lines “Thought shall be the harder, heart
the keener, courage the greater, as our might lessens" are one thousand
years old and considered one of the finest expressions of the pre-Christian
heroic spirit, what Tolkien himself called "Northernness". Now, Tolkien's
attitude to certain aspects of the poem was highly critical (as will be explored
below), yet this particular passage, epitomising the heroic idea of sacrifice
and unyielding dedication, is clearly echoed in his own work, especially
the dark and dense mythical account Sil. The poignancy of this heroic
ethos is used to great effect, for example, in Fingolfin’s desperate duel
with Morgoth, the Dark Lord of the First Age, or Hurin’s Last Stand, guarding
the retreat of their allies, the Elves:
Then all the hosts of Angband swarmed against them, and
they bridged the stream with their dead, and encircled the remnant of Hithlum
as a gathering tide about a rock. … all the valiant Men of Hador were slain
about him in a heap… Last of all Húrin stood alone. Then he cast aside
his shield, and wielded an axe two-handed; and it is sung that the axe smoked
in the black blood of the troll-guard of Gothmog until it withered, and each
time that he slew, Húrin cried “Aurë entuluva! Day shall come
again!” Seventy times he uttered that cry; but they took him at last alive,
by the command of Morgoth… 34
This quote vividly illustrates Tolkien's use of unflinching
will (against impossible odds) as the highest and noblest expression of heroism.
That quality is found in the ancient poem of Beowulf35 , one that Tolkien spent a lifetime
studying. Beowulf was composed at a point in time when pre-Christian
heroic literature and pagan traditions of England had encountered the Christian
world. Tolkien describes this as "a fusion that has occurred at a given point
of contact between old and new, a product of thought and deep emotion."36 Therefore, although
Beowulf is certainly the work of a Christian poet, it is also a poet
looking back on a mythic and heroic past. His themes still carry much of
its sentiment, he is still intimately familiar with its ancient nobility
and mode of expression - yet the Christian lens through which he views this
memory of native (heathen) past colours his entire portrayal. It is fair
to say that Tolkien felt closer akin to the Beowulf poet than to most
authors of later times. Part of what he admired was the unique tone of this
poem and much of his scholarship revolved around the Beowulfian legacy. In
fiction, the Northern heroism fused with Christian sentiment was an ideal
to which Tolkien aspired. As he asserts in his Beowulf lecture: "one
of the most potent elements in that fusion is the Northern courage: the theory
of courage, which is the great contribution of early Northern literature."37
Yet, sacrifice comes in many forms and Frodo's spiritual
sacrifice is by no means inferior to Húrin's physical one. Many quotes
could be given in illustration of this heroic spirit in Tolkien and their
unifying feature is the characteristic representation of the balance of power.
Rather than depicting his protagonists in a superior role, Tolkien does the
reverse and confronts them with adversity, hardship and sorrow. This is specifically
prominent in Sil, but as any attentive reading will show, the Quest
of LotR operates on the same premise. Tolkien chooses to show only
specks of joy and only greatness beset with dangers. The assertion of course
being that peace is bought dearly at the cost of sacrifices and continued
vigil and awareness of the Enemy. Furthermore, victory, however dearly bought,
can never be regarded as permanent. One evil may be defeated, but new ones
will rise and complacency will allow them to grow unchecked. And thus, while
painting images of magnificence, yet tinting them with despair, Tolkien crafts
his Secondary World as an unceasing inspiration for the protagonists to achieve
their highest potential, to constantly test their valour and loyalty. The
immediately perceptible effect of this mode is unmistakable and powerful.
It serves to imbue his characters with the authenticity of medieval Northern
temperament and it enhances their heroic qualities in the eye of the reader.
32Sassoon, Siegfried "Glory of Women"
in the "Voices from WW1" section in Abrams, M.H., The Norton Anthology
of English Literature, vol. 1, New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1993,
6th ed. back
33"Battle of Maldon, The", Anglo-Saxon
Poetry, ed. Gordon, R.K., Everyman’s Library, London, 1964, p. 334. back
34Tolkien, Sil, p. 194-195 back
35"Beowulf", Anglo-Saxon Poetry,
ed. Gordon, R.K., Everyman’s Library, London, 1964 back
36Tolkien, J.R.R., "Monsters", p. 20 back
37Ibid., p.20 back
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