Edith Tolkien
Encyclopedia
Edith Mary Tolkien was the wife and muse
of novelist J. R. R. Tolkien
. She is best known as the inspiration for his fictional character
s Lúthien Tinúviel
and Arwen Evenstar.
, the daughter of Frances Bratt, an unmarried shoemaker's daughter. The name of Edith's father remains unknown. She was brought up in Handsworth
, a suburb of Birmingham
, by her mother and also her cousin, Jenny Grove (related to Sir George Grove
).
By 1908 Edith, a talented pianist
, had become an orphan. She first met Tolkien in that year, when he and his younger brother Hilary moved into the same boarding house. At the time, Tolkien was 16 years old and Edith was 19. According to Humphrey Carpenter,
However, before the end of the year the relationship had become known to Tolkien's guardian, Fr. Francis Xavier Morgan of the Birmingham Oratory
. Viewing Edith as a distraction from Tolkien's schoolwork and bothered by her Anglican religion, he forbade any contact between them until Tolkien became a legal adult at twenty-one.
Tolkien grudgingly obeyed this instruction to the letter while Father Morgan's guardianship lasted. However on the evening of his twenty-first birthday, Tolkien wrote a letter to Edith, who had since moved to Cheltenham
. It contained a declaration of his love and asked her to marry him. She replied saying that she was already engaged but subtly implied that she had become so out of a belief that Tolkien had forgotten her. Within a week, Tolkien had journeyed to Cheltenham where Edith met him at the railway station. That day, Edith returned her ring and announced her engagement to Tolkien instead.
at Tolkien's insistence. As she was heavily involved in her local Anglican parish, she resented Tolkien's demands. Despite her misgivings, her landlord, a staunch Protestant, was infuriated and instantly turned her out of the house. They were married in the Catholic Church of St Mary Immaculatehttp://www.stmaryimmaculate.org.uk/ in Warwick, England, on Wednesday 22 March 1916. Their week-long honeymoon was spent at Clevedon
, in North Somerset
, and included a visit to the Cheddar Caves. Edith had four children, three sons and one daughter, born in 1917, 1920, 1924 and 1929 (below).
Soon after their marriage, Tolkien commenced a course at the British Army
signals school at Otley
, and Edith moved to be as close to his military camp as possible, moving with her cousin Jennie Grove to a cottage in the village of Great Haywood
, where she lived from April 1916 to February 1917. Due to their wedding occurring during Lent
, only the Marriage Service and not the Nuptial Mass had been performed; the couple received a nuptial blessing at the Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist
, in Great Haywood.
Tolkien's service at the Battle of the Somme was very difficult for Edith, as she feared that every knock on the door might carry news of her husband's death. In order to get around the British Army
's postal censorship
, John Ronald and Edith arranged a means for his letters from the trenches to contain coded messages. By deciphering the code, Edith was able to track his movements on a map of the Front.
While Tolkien was stationed at Kingston upon Hull
, he and Edith went walking in the woods at nearby Roos
, and Edith began to dance for him in a clearing among the flowering hemlock:
This incident inspired the account of the meeting of Beren and Lúthien, and Tolkien often referred to Edith as "my Lúthien
."
, they had three more children: Michael Hilary Reuel (October 1920–1984), Christopher John Reuel
(1924–) and Priscilla Anne Reuel (1929–).
and Oxford
resulted in the family moving to these cities. According to Humphrey Carpenter, Edith was definitely not an intellectual and had a very difficult time functioning around her husband's colleagues and their families. As she often had no other companionship other than the children and the servants, Edith's loneliness frequently manifested itself as authoritarianism. Another result of her loneliness was her envy and resentment of her husband's close friendship with C.S. Lewis, whom she regarded as an intruder into her family.
According to Carpenter,
,
After his retirement during the 1960s, Ronald decided to move with Edith to a location near Bournemouth
, which was then a resort town patronized by the British upper class. Although his status as a bestselling author gave them both easy entry into local society, Tolkien was never comfortable in Bournemouth and missed the company of his fellow intellectuals. Edith, however, was at last in her element as a society matron, which had been Tolkien's intention in selecting their new residence in the first place. Their grandson Simon Tolkien
states on his website that Edith loved spending time at Bournemouth's Miramar Hotel.
Edith Tolkien died on 29 November 1971 at the age of 82, and was buried in Wolvercote Cemetery
, Oxford
. Tolkien was buried with her when he died twenty-one months later.
and Lúthien
: in Tolkien's Middle-earth
legendarium
, Lúthien was the most beautiful of all the Children of Ilúvatar
, and forsook her immortality
for her love of the mortal warrior Beren. After Beren was captured by the forces of the dark lord Morgoth
, Lúthien rode to his rescue upon the talking wolfhound
Huan. Ultimately, when Beren was slain in battle against the demonic wolf Carcharoth
, Lúthien, like Orpheus
, approached the Valar gods and persuaded them to restore her beloved to life.
Shortly after his wife's death, Tolkien wrote the following in a letter to their son Christopher.
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of novelist J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
. She is best known as the inspiration for his fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s Lúthien Tinúviel
Lúthien
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...
and Arwen Evenstar.
Early life
Edith Bratt was born in GloucestershireGloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, the daughter of Frances Bratt, an unmarried shoemaker's daughter. The name of Edith's father remains unknown. She was brought up in Handsworth
Handsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
, a suburb of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, by her mother and also her cousin, Jenny Grove (related to Sir George Grove
George Grove
Sir George Grove, CB was an English writer on music, known as the founding editor of Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians....
).
By 1908 Edith, a talented pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, had become an orphan. She first met Tolkien in that year, when he and his younger brother Hilary moved into the same boarding house. At the time, Tolkien was 16 years old and Edith was 19. According to Humphrey Carpenter,
"Edith and Ronald took to frequenting Birmingham teashops, especially one which had a balcony overlooking the pavement. There they would sit and throw sugarlumps into the hats of passers-by, moving to the next table when the sugar bowl was empty. ...With two people of their personalities and in their position, romance was bound to flourish. Both were orphans in need of affection, and they found that they could give it to each other. During the summer of 1909, they decided that they were in love."
However, before the end of the year the relationship had become known to Tolkien's guardian, Fr. Francis Xavier Morgan of the Birmingham Oratory
Birmingham Oratory
The Birmingham Oratory is a Catholic oratory and church, on the Hagley Road, in the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston in England.-History:The church was constructed between 1907 and 1910 in the Baroque style as a memorial to Cardinal Newman, founder of the English Oratory...
. Viewing Edith as a distraction from Tolkien's schoolwork and bothered by her Anglican religion, he forbade any contact between them until Tolkien became a legal adult at twenty-one.
Tolkien grudgingly obeyed this instruction to the letter while Father Morgan's guardianship lasted. However on the evening of his twenty-first birthday, Tolkien wrote a letter to Edith, who had since moved to Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
. It contained a declaration of his love and asked her to marry him. She replied saying that she was already engaged but subtly implied that she had become so out of a belief that Tolkien had forgotten her. Within a week, Tolkien had journeyed to Cheltenham where Edith met him at the railway station. That day, Edith returned her ring and announced her engagement to Tolkien instead.
Marriage
Following their engagement in January 1913, Edith announced that she was converting to the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
at Tolkien's insistence. As she was heavily involved in her local Anglican parish, she resented Tolkien's demands. Despite her misgivings, her landlord, a staunch Protestant, was infuriated and instantly turned her out of the house. They were married in the Catholic Church of St Mary Immaculatehttp://www.stmaryimmaculate.org.uk/ in Warwick, England, on Wednesday 22 March 1916. Their week-long honeymoon was spent at Clevedon
Clevedon
Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England...
, in North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
, and included a visit to the Cheddar Caves. Edith had four children, three sons and one daughter, born in 1917, 1920, 1924 and 1929 (below).
Soon after their marriage, Tolkien commenced a course at the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
signals school at Otley
Otley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
, and Edith moved to be as close to his military camp as possible, moving with her cousin Jennie Grove to a cottage in the village of Great Haywood
Great Haywood
Great Haywood is a village in central Staffordshire, England, just off the A51 about four miles from Rugeley.Great Haywood lies on the River Trent, where the Trent is met by its tributary, the River Sow...
, where she lived from April 1916 to February 1917. Due to their wedding occurring during Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
, only the Marriage Service and not the Nuptial Mass had been performed; the couple received a nuptial blessing at the Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, in Great Haywood.
World War I
Tolkien was subsequently transferred to the 11th (Service) Battalion with the British Expeditionary Force and arrived in France on 4 June 1916. He later wrote:Junior officers were being killed off, a dozen a minute. Parting from my wife then ... it was like a death.
Tolkien's service at the Battle of the Somme was very difficult for Edith, as she feared that every knock on the door might carry news of her husband's death. In order to get around the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's postal censorship
Postal censorship
Postal censorship is the inspection or examination of mail, most often by governments. It can include opening, reading and total or selective obliteration of letters and their contents, as well as covers, postcards, parcels and other postal packets. Postal censorship takes place primarily but not...
, John Ronald and Edith arranged a means for his letters from the trenches to contain coded messages. By deciphering the code, Edith was able to track his movements on a map of the Front.
Homefront
After Tolkien's return from France, their first child, John Francis Reuel (16 November 1917–22 January 2003) was born in Cheltenham.While Tolkien was stationed at Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, he and Edith went walking in the woods at nearby Roos
Roos
Roos is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated east of Kingston upon Hull city centre and north west of Withernsea on the B1242 road.The Prime Meridian crosses the coast to the east of Roos....
, and Edith began to dance for him in a clearing among the flowering hemlock:
We walked in a wood where hemlock was growing, a sea of white flowers.
This incident inspired the account of the meeting of Beren and Lúthien, and Tolkien often referred to Edith as "my Lúthien
Lúthien
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...
."
Post war
After World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, they had three more children: Michael Hilary Reuel (October 1920–1984), Christopher John Reuel
Christopher Tolkien
Christopher Reuel Tolkien is the third and youngest son of the author J. R. R. Tolkien , and is best known as the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. He drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings, which he signed C. J. R. T. The J...
(1924–) and Priscilla Anne Reuel (1929–).
Professor's wife
Tolkien's professional career at the universities of LeedsUniversity of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
resulted in the family moving to these cities. According to Humphrey Carpenter, Edith was definitely not an intellectual and had a very difficult time functioning around her husband's colleagues and their families. As she often had no other companionship other than the children and the servants, Edith's loneliness frequently manifested itself as authoritarianism. Another result of her loneliness was her envy and resentment of her husband's close friendship with C.S. Lewis, whom she regarded as an intruder into her family.
According to Carpenter,
"There was also the problem of Edith's attitude to Catholicism. Before they were married, Ronald had persuaded her to leave the Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and become a Catholic, and she had resented this a little at the time. During the subsequent years she had almost given up going to MassMass (liturgy)"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
. In the second decade of marriage her anti-Catholic feelings hardened, and by the time the family returned to Oxford in 1925 she was showing resentment of Ronald taking the children to church. In part, these feelings were due to Ronald's rigid, almost medieval, insistence upon frequent confession; and Edith had always hated confessing her sins to a priest. Nor could he discuss her feelings with her in a rational matter, certainly not with the lucidity he demonstrated in his theological arguments with Lewis: to Edith he presented only his emotional attachment to religion, of which she had little understanding. Occasionally, her smouldering anger about church going burst into a fury; but at last after one such outburst in 1940 there was true reconciliation between her and Ronald, in which she explained her feelings and even declared that she wished to resume the practice of her religion. In the event she did not return to regular church going, but for the rest of her life, she showed no resentment of Catholicism, and indeed delighted to take an interest in church affairs, so that it appeared even to friends who were Catholics that she was a regular church-goer."
Later life
According to Humphrey CarpenterHumphrey Carpenter
Humphrey William Bouverie Carpenter was an English biographer, writer, and radio broadcaster.-Biography:...
,
"Those friends who knew Ronald and Edith Tolkien over the years never doubted that there was deep affection between them. It was visible in the small things, the almost absurd degree in which each worried about the other's health, and the care in which they chose and wrapped each other's birthday presents'; and in the large matters, the way in which Ronald willingly abandoned such a large part of his life in retirement to give Edith the last years in BournemouthBournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
that he felt she deserved, and the degree in which she showed pride in his fame as an author. A principal source of happiness to them was their shared love of their family. This bound them together until the end of their lives, and it was perhaps the strongest force in the marriage. They delighted to discuss and mull over every detail of the lives of their children, and later their grandchildren."
After his retirement during the 1960s, Ronald decided to move with Edith to a location near Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, which was then a resort town patronized by the British upper class. Although his status as a bestselling author gave them both easy entry into local society, Tolkien was never comfortable in Bournemouth and missed the company of his fellow intellectuals. Edith, however, was at last in her element as a society matron, which had been Tolkien's intention in selecting their new residence in the first place. Their grandson Simon Tolkien
Simon Tolkien
Simon Mario Reuel Tolkien is a British barrister and novelist. He is the grandson of J. R. R. Tolkien, and the eldest son of Christopher Tolkien. He was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford and then Downside School. He studied modern history at Trinity College, Oxford.Since 1994, he has been a...
states on his website that Edith loved spending time at Bournemouth's Miramar Hotel.
Death
Wolvercote Cemetery
Wolvercote Cemetery is a cemetery close to the north Oxford suburb of Wolvercote, England, off the Banbury Road. Unusually, this single cemetery is divided into areas to accommodate graves of the Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as all categories of Christians. Many Russians, Poles and other...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Tolkien was buried with her when he died twenty-one months later.
Legacy
Below the names on their grave are the names of the characters of BerenBeren
Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...
and Lúthien
Lúthien
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...
: in Tolkien's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
, Lúthien was the most beautiful of all the Children of Ilúvatar
Children of Ilúvatar
The Children of Ilúvatar is the name given to the two races of Elves and Men in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium because they were created by Ilúvatar, the One God, without the help of the Ainur....
, and forsook her immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
for her love of the mortal warrior Beren. After Beren was captured by the forces of the dark lord Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
, Lúthien rode to his rescue upon the talking wolfhound
Wolfhound
Wolfhound can refer to various breeds of dogs that have been bred to hunt wolves or to established lines of wolf-dog crosses that retain significant characteristics of wolves. Wolf-dog hybrids crossed in recent generations are often referred to as wolfdogs, wolf-dog hybrids or wolf crosses, but...
Huan. Ultimately, when Beren was slain in battle against the demonic wolf Carcharoth
Carcharoth
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Carcharoth , Sindarin for "The Red Maw", was the greatest werewolf that had ever lived. He was also called Anfauglir...
, Lúthien, like Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
, approached the Valar gods and persuaded them to restore her beloved to life.
Shortly after his wife's death, Tolkien wrote the following in a letter to their son Christopher.
"I never called Edith Luthien – but she was the source of the story that in time became the chief part of the Silmarillion. It was first conceived in a small woodland glade filled with hemlocks at RoosRoosRoos is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated east of Kingston upon Hull city centre and north west of Withernsea on the B1242 road.The Prime Meridian crosses the coast to the east of Roos....
in YorkshireYorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
(where I was for a brief time in command of an outpost of the Humber Garrison in 1917, and she was able to live with me for a while). In those days her hair was raven, her skin clear, her eyes brighter than you have seen them, and she could sing – and dance. But the story has gone crooked, & I am left, and I cannot plead before the inexorable Mandos."