In an Unpublished Letter, JRR Tolkien Writes on His Invention and Public Proliferation of Some of the Great Names of Lord of the Rings, Including Aragorn, Gandalf, Lorien, Rivendell, and Shadowfax ("I am most honored that your Golden Retriever should be given a name I made up [Rorimac Goldfather - leader of Buckland]. Rivendell and Lorien as names now abound (with and without permission) and there is a fleet of large hounds, I believe, named Aragorn, Gandalf - with permission.?)

J. R. R. Tolkien

About this Item

A great rarity, acquired from the heirs of the recipient and never before offered for sale?He disapproves however of the use the name Shadowfax for a hydrofoil connecting England and FranceLearn more on the Inspired by History podcast?JRR Tolkien is one the most well known authors of the 20th century, the legacy of his works The Hobbit, the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, and other related books magnified exponentially by the book-inspired movies and an HBO series. Tolkien spent his life studying and inventing languages, including proper names, names that are known globally today. Among them Gandalf the wizard, Aragon, a main Lord of the Rings protagonist, and Shadowfax, Gandalf's horse, which was able to run faster than the wind. There are also place names he invented, such as Lorien and Rivendell, homes of different types of Elves. In some cases, his books featured names from elsewhere, such as Meriadoc the Hobbit.In 1963, an Englishman, Mr. Hyatt, and his wife adopted a stray cat, which they named Meriadoc ("The Magnificent"), affectionately called "Merry". They also had a pedigree Golden Retriever, that they hoped to name Rorimac Goldfather, a name from Tolkien's book, a hobbit who was the lord Buckland, the hobbit home.Hyatt wrote to Tolkien to request permission to use the name, which gave Tolkien the chance to discuss the various names in his books and their use by others. The Shadowfax hydrofoil that irritates him in this letter did exist and ran from England to France. In this letter, he mentions many of the great characters and places made famous in his books, among them Aragorn, Gandalf, Rivendell, Lorien, Meriadoc and Shadowfax.Autograph letter signed, on his letterhead, Oxford, July 29, 1964, to Hyatt. "I appreciate your interest and your courtesy. As far as I know there is no copyright in names: which I think hard as I take a lot of trouble with them. You were safe of course with Meriadoc (which I did not invent), though most of the Brandybuck (not an invention, if you can believe it!) names and titles including Rorimac Goldfather - modeled on Pennyfake 'Wiser', are invented. I am most honored that your Golden Retriever should be given a name I made up. Rivendell and Lorien as names now abound (with and without permission) and there is a fleet of large hounds, I believe, named Aragorn, Gandalf - with permission. But I feel dudgeon that that 'hydrofoil'. should have been named Shadowfax without so much as word to me. What a misnomer!."A great rarity, acquired from the heirs of the recipient and never before offered for sale. It is also our first Tolkien letter in twenty years.Learn more on the Inspired by History podcast:

Seller Inventory # 34248

Bibliographic Details

• Title: In an Unpublished Letter, JRR Tolkien Writes on His Invention and Public Proliferation of Some of the Great Names of Lord of the Rings, Including Aragorn, Gandalf, Lorien, Rivendell, and Shadowfax ("I am most honored that your Golden Retriever should be given a name I made up [Rorimac Goldfather - leader of Buckland]. Rivendell and Lorien as names now abound (with and without permission) and there is a fleet of large hounds, I believe, named Aragorn, Gandalf - with permission.?)
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)