The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Farmer Giles of Ham

Lalwendë · 11-24-2006, 10:41 AM

Esty, I think you've answered the question yourself! It's written as a medieval tale and as such reflects medieval life. The calendar of the time was filled with colourful Saints' Days, times of feasting and liminality/license, and based on much older rituals and festivals.

You're correct about the use of Latin being a church influence, as the language was just not used outside the church and legal system after the Romans left. In fact, there is considerable evidence that the Saxons were in many ways deeply frightened and disturbed by the Roman buildings that had been left and in many cases were stil inhabited by the Romano-British; they certainly felt that their own language was quite good enough for everyday use! Though some of the old British languages remained in use, including Cymric, or North Welsh, used in Lancashire and up into Cumbria. However, the church almost exclusively used Latin - held by academics nowadays to be a means of controlling power by restricting the hoi polloi from reading the Bible and interpreting it for themselves.

I remember a lovely Sunday School tale about the earliest Welsh Bibles in the late Victorian period and how a girl saved up all her money in order to buy one and had to walk fifty miles to Cardiff to get one...

Anyway, in keping with the medieval essence which Tolkien hoped to recapture in the story, he will have picked up on significant dates as common people at the time (who made up many of the original tales) would 'shape' their year in such a way. Instead of saying "A week on Monday" for example, they might say "10 days til Candlemass"; the Church also controlled the communal calendar!

So, yes, I think you've found the answer already, that it's a Medieval tale and as such reflects Medieval colour (bright reds and golds no doubt...) and festivals. And now you've posted this and put that list up, methinks this text could prove to be a rich mine of English folklore and folktale! Straight away I can spot a link there between Mummers' plays and this tale, as St George was a huge favourite play for Mummers - if anyone wants to see this elsewhere look in Return Of The Native by Thomas Hardy! And there's another - the dragon eating the parson? That's the tale of Black Shuck!

11-24-2006, 10:41 AM	#4
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Esty, I think you've answered the question yourself! It's written as a medieval tale and as such reflects medieval life. The calendar of the time was filled with colourful Saints' Days, times of feasting and liminality/license, and based on much older rituals and festivals. You're correct about the use of Latin being a church influence, as the language was just not used outside the church and legal system after the Romans left. In fact, there is considerable evidence that the Saxons were in many ways deeply frightened and disturbed by the Roman buildings that had been left and in many cases were stil inhabited by the Romano-British; they certainly felt that their own language was quite good enough for everyday use! Though some of the old British languages remained in use, including Cymric, or North Welsh, used in Lancashire and up into Cumbria. However, the church almost exclusively used Latin - held by academics nowadays to be a means of controlling power by restricting the hoi polloi from reading the Bible and interpreting it for themselves. I remember a lovely Sunday School tale about the earliest Welsh Bibles in the late Victorian period and how a girl saved up all her money in order to buy one and had to walk fifty miles to Cardiff to get one... Anyway, in keping with the medieval essence which Tolkien hoped to recapture in the story, he will have picked up on significant dates as common people at the time (who made up many of the original tales) would 'shape' their year in such a way. Instead of saying "A week on Monday" for example, they might say "10 days til Candlemass"; the Church also controlled the communal calendar! So, yes, I think you've found the answer already, that it's a Medieval tale and as such reflects Medieval colour (bright reds and golds no doubt...) and festivals. And now you've posted this and put that list up, methinks this text could prove to be a rich mine of English folklore and folktale! Straight away I can spot a link there between Mummers' plays and this tale, as St George was a huge favourite play for Mummers - if anyone wants to see this elsewhere look in Return Of The Native by Thomas Hardy! And there's another - the dragon eating the parson? That's the tale of Black Shuck! __________________ Gordon's alive!