Case Study: Like a Fire-Bolt in a Forest
How Tolkien uses register in high drama
Great was the clash of their meeting.
The Lord of the Rings kicks ass. Tolkien can fly into a high, epic register, when the moment needs it. How does he do it?
From The Lord of the Rings, Chapter 6 in Book V, “The Battle of the Pelennor Fields”
Théoden King of the Mark had reached the road from the Gate to the River, and he turned towards the City that was now less than a mile distant. He slackened his speed a little, seeking new foes, and his knights came about him, and Dernhelm1 was with them. Ahead nearer the walls Elfhelm’s2 men were among the siege-engines, hewing, slaying, driving their foes into the fire-pits. Well nigh all the northern half of the Pelennor was overrun, and there camps were blazing, orcs were flying towards the River like herds before the hunters; and the Rohirrim went hither and thither at their will. But they had not yet overthrown the siege, nor won the Gate. Many foes stood unfought. Southward beyond the road lay the main force of the Haradrím,3 and there their horsemen were gathered about the standard of their chieftain. And he looked out, and in the growing light he saw the banner of the king, and that it was far ahead of the battle with few men about it. Then he was filled with a red wrath and shouted aloud, and displaying his standard, black serpent upon scarlet, he came against the white horse and the green with great press of men; and the drawing of the scimitars of the Southrons was like a glitter of stars.
Then Théoden was aware of him, and would not wait for his onset, but crying to Snowmane4 he charged headlong to greet him. Great was the clash of their meeting. But the white fury of the Northmen burned the hotter, and more skilled was their knighthood with long spears and bitter. Fewer were they but they clove through the Southrons like a fire-bolt in a forest. Right through the press drove Théoden Thengel’s son, and his spear was shivered as he threw down their chieftain. Out swept his sword, and he spurred to the standard, hewed staff and bearer; and the black serpent foundered. Then all that was left unslain of their cavalry turned and fled far away.
What makes this passage feel epic?
I have read, and watched, The Lord of Rings too many times. It astounds me. It is beautiful. In order for this analysis to work, you need to know two things about this work and its author.
About The Lord of the Rings
The book is mythopoeic. This means it is a self-referential text intended to create a world’s mythology. One of Tolkien’s conceits in the book’s creation is that he is merely its translator into English. The original text was written by several authors, namely characters in the book: Bilbo, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, as well as with annotations supplemented by scribes.
Tolkien was a self-proclaimed philologist. He created the languages of Middle-earth first, then the stories. He was also a respected scholar of Old and Middle English, and a professor at Oxford University.
Register
Stephen Koch writes, “Like the Milky Way, the stylistic register of English prose spans from horizon to horizon on a continuum of dazzling breadth and depth.”
It can swing to the lows of “street talk” and everyday conversation, rise to the narrative and matter-of-fact of “middle-style,” and can reach up into the courtly rhetoric of high style.
Writers move through these different styles as they like, as serves the narrative they are creating. Most of The Lord of the Rings, like most novels, is written in a middle style. Sophisticated but readable, Tolkien’s middle style naturally rests high.
The above passage is in a voice higher than the book’s average. Compare it to the opening paragraphs of the novel:
When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.
Bilbo was very rich and very peculiar, and had been the wonder of the Shire for sixty years, ever since his remarkable disappearance and unexpected return. The riches he had brought back from his travels had now become a local legend, and it was popularly believed, whatever the old folk might say, that the Hill at Bag End was full of tunnels stuffed with treasure.
So part of what makes the selection “epic” is the elevation of register. But what specifically does that look like?
Rhythm
The rhythm slides into anapestic (buh-buh-BA) for stretches. Such as:
“He slackened his speed a little, seeking new foes, and his knights came about him, and Dernhelm was with them.”
Which I would scan as:
‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘ / ‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘
This gives the passage a quasi-poetic feeling certainly in keeping with something like Beowulf (of which Tolkien made his own translation). This elevates the register, certainly.
Here is another, which ventures toward “Yoda-speak,” but it works for the epic-ness:
“Great was the clash of their meeting.”
Scan:
/ ‘ ‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘
Two strong dactyls and trochee, this heavy, downward rhythm feels very poetic. Compare against:
“The clash of their meeting was great.”
Scan:
‘ / ‘ ‘ / ‘ ‘ /
This rhythm is the exact same as the prior but in reverse. The upward (light to heavy) lowers the register, falling closer to the everyday description, unbefitting an event which certainly was not an everyday course of affairs.
And
Part of what makes the rhythm work, too, is the repetitive presence of “and.”
Southward beyond the road lay the main force of the Haradrím, and there their horsemen were gathered about the standard of their chieftain. And he looked out, and in the growing light he saw the banner of the king, and that it was far ahead of the battle with few men about it.
This word does two things. 1) it creates the rhythmic pulse of the words, the soft pulse (duh). It also creates a larger rhythm of independent clauses. And 2) it connects the independent clauses and propels the action forward. The reader races through the passage and the tension intensifies.
Name
In just this short passage, the narrator refers to Théoden by three different names.
Théoden King of the Mark
Théoden
Théoden Thengel’s son
Tolkien doesn’t structure these like appositives.5 They work like full titles. This adds to the historic feeling of the text, that the one writing it is expounding on a historical figure.
Word Choice
Certain words elevate the register to epicness. Some words which I feel accomplish this are:
slackened*
foes*
hewing,* slaying, driving*
blazing
hither and thither*
unfought
standard
with great press*
fury
skilled… bitter*
clove*
shivered*
foundered*
unslain
Many of these words feel archaic (*) and would have felt so in 1955. Other words don’t really feel archaic, but are not all that common, such as: blazing, standard (meaning a banner), and fury. Two are words my computer’s spellcheck does not recognize: unfought, and unslain; one of which (unfought) has an entry in Merriam-Webster and one of which does not. Both have apparent meanings.
Passive Voice
My Latin teacher once said, “I think the passive voice can be really quite beautiful.”6
He was speaking of English’s passive voice, too, and I remember wishing I’d asked him for examples. I have some now.
The passive voice adds to the mythopoeic feeling of the whole story, but especially this moment, which feels like a chronicle of the epic battle. In each of these instances, though, the passive shifts quickly to active.
Well nigh all the northern half of the Pelennor was overrun…
…and there camps were blazing, orcs were flying towards the River…
Many foes stood unfought.
Southward beyond the road lay the main force…
Then he was filled with a red wrath…
and shouted aloud, and displaying his standard, black serpent upon scarlet…
and his spear was shivered
as he threw down their chieftain.
Figurative Language
“orcs were flying towards the River like herds before the hunters”
“And the drawing of the scimitars of the Southrons was like a glitter of stars.”
“Fewer were they but they clove through the Southrons like a fire-bolt in a forest.”
Tolkien doesn’t overuse similes, but their appearance imposes the “narrator’s” existence on the story. The original writer of the story (i.e.: not Tolkien), is excited about this retelling. It’s a touch of storyteller panache.
Two of these narratives strike me as highly visual. I can see the flash blindness of the swords and the fire of the charging Rohirrim. These last in my brain. More importantly, the visuals sticking in my brain are the most important components of the story (the Southrons prepare to fight and the Rohirrim charge through them).
Narrative Focus
In this passage, Tolkien focuses the words on the primary action, but he also gives us a sense of place. In the first sentence, he establishes that the Rohirrim are riding toward the city. In the next sentences he tells the reader where Dernhelm is, and what other forces (“Elfhelm’s men”) are up to.
Then the narrative shifts to cover the opposition: “Southward beyond the road lay the main force of the Haradrim…” and the narrator introduces the black serpent. We get a flash of internality (“Then he was filled with a red wrath…”) and then action in response.
The narrative then shifts back to Théoden. For the remainder of the passage the narrator stays here, because this is where the action is.
Succinctly, Tolkien has told us the locations of the main players, the status of the battle, and focused us on what matters.
Conclusion
I don’t think my analysis is complete. I don’t think I have the powers to fully dissect the excellence of Tolkien. But I think this makes an effective start. A writer can create epicness by paying attention to the rhythm, small and bigger, the word choice, the judicious use of passive voice, the visual, deliberate figurative language, and the narrative attention.
Let me know what you think and share this post with a Tolkien nerd. Thanks.
Éowyn, Théoden’s niece, in disguise.
Elfhelm is a common name among the Rohirrim, the people of Rohan, who were superstitious and fearful of elf-magic. The name was meant to be protection against that elven-magic.
Haradrím, also known as Southrons, were men fighting under the banner of Sauron in the War of the Ring. Their leader was the Black Serpent. Of them, another character remarks, “The enemy? His sense of duty was no less than yours, I deem. You wonder what his name is, where he came from. And if he was really evil at heart. What lies or threats led him on this long march from home. If he would not rather have stayed there in peace. War will make corpses of us all.”
Théoden’s horse.
“Derek Jeter, the shortstop, wears number 2.”
He was in his late eighties, at least. He lived in Boston and commuted three hundred-plus every Sunday to his rented apartment in our Central New York town to teach at our public school. Every Friday, he drove back to be with his wife. He was asked to retire when it became apparent he had never bothered to get his certification in New York as a teacher. He was an excellent teacher and several moments in his classroom have remained clear in my memory, such as that one.