Tolkien: An
oliphaunt is an elephant.
Real World: An
oliphant/
olifant is a war horn or hunting horn made from an elephant tusk.
Olifant from the treasury of Aachen Cathedral
View attachment 47931
This entry for the list became a bit cumbersome. So, starting with a summary explanation: I am quite intrigued that Tolkien first uses the word
oliphaunt (cited below) shortly before we meet
Faramir and learn that he recovered
Boromir’s horn. And, Boromir’s horn and final battle bear some striking similarities to this historical Knight of Charlemagne, Roland, and his
olifant/horn and his final battle of history and epic poetry.
oliphaunt The
Black Gate is Closed: "
Sam stood up, putting his hands behind his back…and began: ‘Grey as a mouse, Big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake…Oliphaunt am I, Biggest of all, Huge, old, and tall. If ever you’d met me You wouldn’t forget me…’", [Meaning: elephant.] {
Noteworthy Similarity to
oliphant sometimes spelled
olifant: The Song of Roland, A Translation by Dorothy L. Sayers, Published 1957: “
The County Roland with pain and anguish winds His Olifant, and blows with all his might. Blood from his mouth comes spurting scarlet-bright He’s burst the veins of his temples outright. From hand and horn the call goes shrilling high: King Carlon hears it who through the passes rides, Duke Naimon hears, and all the French beside. Quoth Charles: “I hear the horn of Roland cry!...”, [Definition: a horn made from an elephant tusk sometimes used as a hunting horn or sometimes as a war horn. Sometimes used as a proper name specifically to denote Roland’s horn. Roland was a Knight under Charlemagne. He blew his
olifant/horn calling for aid at the ‘
Battle of Roncevaux Pass’ but died before aid could arrive 15 August 778 A.D. Consider the similarity with Boromir, his horn, and his final battle.]}
The death of Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux, illuminated c. 1455–1460 by Jean Fouquet
(Note the
olifant laying by Roland’s side)
View attachment 47932
As Detective Columbo might say: “Just one more thing...”: There’s an epic poem “
The Song of Roland” just like there’s Tolkien’s “
The Song of Boromir”.
From Wikipedia…
The Song of Roland (French: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century chanson de geste based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions, which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in Medieval and Renaissance literature from the 12th to the 16th centuries.
It is an epic poem written in Old French and is the first example of the chanson de geste, a literary form that flourished between the 11th and 16th centuries in Medieval Europe and celebrated legendary deeds. An early version was composed around AD 1040, with additions and alterations made up to about AD 1115. The final poem contains about 4,000 lines.
I'd love to hear from anyone who's heard this story of Roland before and/or made any connection to Boromir and his horn. Especially if you see any errors in anything I've presented above.
