Of Reading Ut and HoME

[Barliman Butterbur]

Re: The Lost Road

I have heard that Ronald (J.R.R.) wrote a story set in the 4th age about a man finding a lost road somewhere in England and it leads to Middle-earth. Can anyone confirm this and if possible, tell me if it is worth looking into and purchasing?

This is what I found on the Internet:

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The Lost Road and Other Writings, Volume V

"Volume V, The Lost Road and Other Writings: Language and Legend before the Lord of the Rings, includes Tolkien’s writings on the First Age up to 1937, early drafts of the Legend of the Fall of Númenor, and the beginnings of a novel, The Lost Road, an abandoned time travel story. The Lost Road attempts to connect our history with that of Middle-earth by providing links between European legends (Beowulf, Atlantis and the Irish tales of Tir-nan-og) with incidents in the history of Middle-earth. A 20th century English father and son, who are the unknowing descendents of Elendil, develop the ability to reexperience their past lives and live the history of Europe and Middle-earth backwards until they experience the fall of Númenor/Atlantis."

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Here is the source.

(What a lovely idea: that somewhere on Earth there is a hidden road leading to Middle-earth!)

Barley

 

[Walter]

I'm not sure greypilgrim's question of Jan 2002 is still unanswered, but I'm afraid you've just come across another pitfall of the "knowledge-management by Google", Barley...

The fragment of a story taking place in the 4th age is called The New Shadow and is published in HoMeXII, The Peoples of Middle-earth.

The Lost Road (published in HoMeV) is Tolkien's earlier attempt of a time-travel story (cf. Letters #252) - of which The Notion Club Papers (published in HoMeIX) are the later attempt - but The Lost Road does not, as the name seems to suggest, tell of a hidden road somewhere on Earth that leads to Middle-earth (even though the idea at one point occured to Tolkien (bear with me).

Here's a brief account of Tolkien himself:

When C. S. Lewis and I tossed up, and he was to write on space-travel and I on time-travel, I began an abortive book of time-travel of which the end was to be the presence of my hero in the drowning of Atlantis. This was to be called Númenor, the Land in the West. The thread was to be the occurrence time and again in human families (like Durin among the Dwarves) of a father and son called by names that could be interpreted as Bliss-friend and Elf-friend. These no longer understood are found in the end to refer to the Atlantid-Númenórean situation and mean 'one loyal to the Valar, content with the bliss and prosperity within the limits prescribed' and 'one loyal to friendship with the High-elves'. It started with a father-son affinity between Edwin and Elwin of the present, and was supposed to go back into legendary time by way of an Eädwine and Ælfwine of circa A.D. 918, and Audoin and Alboin of Lombardic legend, and so the traditions of the North Sea concerning the coming of corn and culture heroes, ancestors of kingly lines, in boats (and their departure in funeral ships). One such Sheaf, or Shield Sheafing, can actually be made out as one of the remote ancestors of our present Queen. In my tale we were to come at last to Amandil and Elendil leaders of the loyal party in Númenor, when it fell under the domination of Sauron. Elendil 'Elf-friend' was the founder of the Exiled kingdoms in Arnor and Gondor. But I found my real interest was only in the upper end, the Akallabêth or Atalantie ('Downfall' in Númenórean and Quenya), so I brought all the stuff I had written on the originally unrelated legends of Númenor into relation with the main mythology.

Letters #257

The mentioned glimpses of actual history, like "Lombardic legend", "corn and culture heroes", "Sheaf", etc. have given rise to a lot of speculations - and misconceptions - among Tolkien fans. What Tolkien indeed seems to have intended is to provide a link between the presence and his version of an Atlantis tale, the Akallabêth, and to lead the reader there providing several steps all of which allude to - but his fragments should not be mistaken for - actual history. And Tolkien at one point intended even more steps - or stops - in his journey into the past, than are mentioned in his letter and which can be gathered from Christopher's comment:

This is followed by a rapid jotting down of ideas for the tales that should intervene between Alboin and Audoin of the twentieth century and Elendil and Herendil in Numenor, but these are tantalisingly brief: 'Lombard story?'; 'a Norse story of ship-burial (Vinland)'; 'an English story - of the man who got onto the Straight Road?'; 'a Tuatha-de-Danaan story, or Tir-nan-Og' (on which see pp. 81 - 3); a story concerning 'painted caves'; 'the Ice Age - great figures in ice', and 'Before the Ice Age: the Galdor story'; 'post-Beleriand and the Elendil and Gil-galad story of the assault on Thu'; and finally 'the Numenor story'.

And here we find this curious "Straight Road" or "Lost Road" mentioned again and a brief explanation - that explains it all - is given too:

To one of these, the 'English story of the man who got onto the Straight Road', is attached a more extended note, written at great speed:

But this would do best of all for introduction to the Lost Tales: How Ælfwine sailed the Straight Road. They sailed on, on, on over the sea; and it became very bright and very calm, - no clouds, no wind. The water seemed thin and white below. Looking down Ælfwine suddenly saw lands and mt [i.e. mountains or a mountain] down in the water shining in the sun. Their breathing difficulties. His companions dive overboard one by one. Ælfwine falls insensible when he smells a marvellous fragrance as of land and flowers. He awakes to find the ship being drawn by people walking in the water. He is told very few men there in a thousand years can breathe air of Eressëa (which is Avallon), but none beyond. So he comes to Eressëa and is told the Lost Tales. Pencilled later against this is 'Story of Sceaf or Scyld'; and it was only here, I think, that the idea of the Anglo-Saxon episode arose (and this was the only one of all these projections that came near to getting off the ground).

HoMe V p. 78

Suddenly, everything becomes clear (?) and here we also have a parallel to the Scyld or Sheaf episodes mentioned in Letters #257, which Tolkien gave more thought lateron...

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

Thanks for that in-depth explanation, Walter! It seems I'd better start tackling HoME. I'd been avoiding it, because I thought that it was a collection of "mere" unfinished drafts, the finished product being, of course, LOTR. But it begins to appear that I've been denying myself some great pleasures!

Which volumes do you recommend I start on?

Barley

 

[Walter]

Which volumes do you recommend I start on?

That very much depends on where your chief interests lie.

HoMe indeed are only drafts and fragments of Tolkiens works, edited and commented by his son Christopher.

Vols 6-9 represent the History of the LotR
1&2 , 4&5, 10&11 (roughly) the development of the Sil from the ealiest stages, pre-LotR and post-LotR, Vol 3 deals with Tolkien's poetic approach to the Sil and Vol 12 deals mainly with the appendices...

For more details maybe see http://www.thetolkienwiki.org/wiki.cgi?The__History__of__Middle-earth

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

...For more details maybe see http://www.thetolkienwiki.org/wiki.cgi?The__History__of__Middle-earth

Thanks for that link!

Barley

 

[Arvedui]

Somebody (I think it was Grond) once adviced that HoME should be read 'backwards.'
Then it would be something like sequence:
- Vol 12,
- Vol 10 + 11,
- Vol 6-9,
- Vol 5,
- Vol 4,
- Vol 1-3.

Worked well for me, but you may have other experiences.
Good luck anyway.

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

Somebody (I think it was Grond) once adviced that HoME should be read 'backwards.'...

There's a novel (no pun intended!) idea: on the theory that the later tomes reflect the most developed writings?

Barley

 

[Amarie Veanne]

Concerning the HoME series, I've first started to read the Peoples, because taht was the only book in the store when I went shopping later I've acquired some other titles, but I still miss six titles (the books are very rare here where I live,apparently there's a couple of copies in the whole state ).
I found it quite hard to read out of order, because of the numberless references to later works, especially BoLt, and after some time it gets really frustrating... So, as for me, I advice reading by order, if possible...

 

[Illuin]

I am seeing that some find the HoME books (including Unfinished Tales) difficult to read. Back in college, I used to tutor math and folks would come to me and say; “Ya know, I just don’t understand calculus; it just doesn’t make any sense”. And I would say; “How is your algebra and trigonometry?” They would say; “Well, it could be better”. I would reply; Well, calculus is actually very simple IF you‘ve got your algebra and trig down .

The same analogy applies to the HoME series. If you have read The Silmarillion, Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, and now also The Children Of Hurin - and know these books well (not just LOTR and The Hobbit); the HoME series is almost intuitive, and barely even requires any thought. It’s just more detailed info on what you already know (or should know before you dive into HoME) - and it’s actually very enjoyable. If you expect to comprehend HoME, and you haven’t read (thoroughly read) The Silmarillion especially, you will indeed be a lost tale .

 

[Thorin]

"Morgoth's Ring" and "War of the Jewels" (HoME X and XI I believe) are a MUST read for Sil fans. Out of the 5 HoME books I've read, these two are the most informative and interesting and give TONNES of information about timelines when the Valar came to Middle Earth, the awakening of the Elves, the wars and many other juicy bits of info.

Highly recommended

And also the 'Fall of Gondolin' narrative in Book of Lost Tales II

 

[Illuin]

Yeah, I think those are the best HoME volumes by far as well; unless you consider Unfinished Tales part of that group; which is my favorite of the so-called reference material. The “Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth” in Morgoth’s Ring is really good stuff.