In answer to
Child's question on the theory about Badgers in The Uncharted Realms of Tolkien.
(summary, in my own words, with scattered quotes)
Quote:
The 'Rabbit' connection has been pointed out by Shippey. Rabbits are not a native English species, but badgers are. Badgers tend to be fat, as they don't hibernate. They live in Burrows of up to 25 clan members. 'Their sociability, love of food & home comforts, communal underground dwelling & general inoffensiveness combined with great courage & tenacity at need - are they the very points at which hobbits are most like badgers?'
The name ‘badger is modern. The older name is ‘brock’ (from old Welsh).
Quote:
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What is singularly important in the present context is the names which the Scandinavian languages use for ‘badger’. Danish has has ‘graevling’, Norwegian has ‘grevling’, & Swedish has ‘gravling’. ...almost all the words are associated with holes or excavations in the f=ground - ‘grav’ is grave in Danish & Norwegian, & grave, ditch or hole in Swedish...A linguistic point which connects badgers & Hobbits is that of place-names in the Shire which contain badger words
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Brockhouses means a ‘badger-sett’ - also the ‘Brockenborings’. Another possible badger name is ‘Bagshott Row’ (deriving from Bag’s Holt - meaning Badger’s wood or thicket) - this acording to Paula Marmor in Allen: ‘An introduction to Elvish’.
The author’s then proceed to speculate on whether Tolkien began by writing a ‘beast fable’ about badgers, which grew into the story we have.
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The Badger/Hobbit link is clear - well, it is after reading the whole 12 page, closely printed chapter. But how far it can be pushed is another question. It's possible Tolkien was just playing linguistic games. Its cetainly interesting...