The Hobbit – Language Exploration
Tolkien used Anglo-Saxon and Nordic languages to create his own language for Middle Earth. Use the
following activities to explore the world of Elves, Faeries, and Dwarfs (note the proper M.E.
spelling/pronunciation uses an “f”, not “v” for the plural form.) Complete the four activities below.
Please save this document to your h-drive and do not make changes to it here. You can complete
your work on your own paper or in a word document.
1. The Catalog of Dwarfs – Nordic Mythology/Poetry
How many of the Dwarfs present in Bilboe Baggins’ house can you find below in this ancient
Nordic poem?
Excerpt from "Voluspo,"
the first poem in the Elder Edda
There was Motsognir | the mightiest made
Of all the dwarfs, | and Durin next;
Many a likeness | of men they made,
The dwarfs in the earth, | as Durin said.
Nyi and Nithi, | Northri and Suthri,
Austri and Vestri, | Althjof, Dvalin,
Nar and Nain, | Niping, Dain,
Bifur, Bofur, | Bombur, Nori,
An and Onar, | Ai, Mjothvitnir.
Vigg and Gandalf | Vindalf, Thrain,
Thekk and Thorin, | Thror, Vit and Lit,
Nyr and Nyrath, | now have I told
Regin and Rathsvith | the list aright.
Fili, Kili, | Fundin, Nali,
Heptifili, | Hannar, Sviur,
Frar, Hornbori, | Fræg and Loni,
Aurvang, Jari, | Eikinskjaldi.
The race of the dwarfs | in Dvalin's throng
Down to Lofar | the list must I tell;
The rocks they left, | and through wet lands
They sought a home | in the fields of sand.
There were Draupnir | and Dolgthrasir,
Hor, Haugspori, | Hlevang, Gloin,
Dori, Ori, | Duf, Andvari,
Skirfir, Virfir, | Skafith, Ai.
Alf and Yngvi, | Eikinskjaldi,
Fjalar and Frosti, | Fith and Ginnar;
So for all time | shall the tale be known,
The list of all | the forbears of Lofar.
(adapted from the Henry Adams Bellows translation of the Old Norse Poetic Edda, also known as
the Elder Edda; original text in the public domain)
Translator's note: Most of the names presumably had some definite significance, such as
Northri, Suthri, Austri, and Vestri ("North," "South," "East," and "West"), Althjof ("Mighty Thief'),
Mjothvitnir ("Mead-Wolf"), Gandalf ("Magic Elf"), Vindalf ("Wind Elf'), Rathwith ("Swift in
Counsel"), and Eikinskjaldi ("Oak Shield"), but in many cases the interpretations are sheer
guesswork.
2. Write your name in Anglo-Saxon runes. The sites below will help. If you want to be extra
creative, use the rune generator to explore other M.E. languages and write a full sentence.
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/lordoftheringstrilogy/lessons/two/runes.shtml
http://derhobbit-film.de/rune_generator.shtml#rune
•
The link below takes you to a site where you can explore the Elvish alphabet and writing style.
Try your hand at learning your name here if you’re feeling ingenious (worked a vocab word in
there!)
http://www.starchamber.com/paracelsus/elvish/elvish-in-ten-minutes.html
3. The Personal Epithet. Investigate the meanings of your own name to derive personal — and
often delightfully absurd — epithets. Baby-name books are a useful resource here. If a person is
called Fred Edwards, his personal epithet would be "Peaceful-Ruling Son of the Rich Guardian."
If she is Linda Cooper, her epithet would be "Beautiful Barrel Maker." You may have difficulty
tracing your last name. If that’s the case, invent one for yourself! The following site will help:
http://www.behindthename.com/
http://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/origins
4. The Amateur Philologist (just like Syme from 1984.) Use the link below to see the 500 most used
words in the English language. Then use the second link to trace the heritage of 20 words of your choice
from the list. List the word and its heritage/origin. Look for connections between the root (prefix or
suffix) of the word to see how it has evolved into the English we use now. For example, the proto-IndoEuropean word weid, meaning to see, entered Anglo-Saxon as wis, hence our English word "wisdom."
Meanwhile, weid became videre in Latin, hence our words "video" and "vision." Finally, in its suffixed
form woid-o, weid became the familiar Sanskrit word veda.
http://www.world-english.org/english500.htm
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=house&searchmode=term