The Tolkien Coming of Age Club 2

[davem]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

It could all be journalistic hyberbole, but I would hope it isn't artifacts such as the teeth and pipe Childe found earlier for sale on eBay (see her post near the top of this page). That could be a great ironic laugh, though--folly indeed.

Sorry, I know I shouldn't do this but over on the Plaza there's a thread about Tolkien's teeth. It started with a quote from Tolkien in an interview:

I"m afarid I really must go now...I have an appointment with my dentist. My mouth has shrunk, you see, so my false teeth no longer fit and are inclined to drop down unexpectedly, with a portcullis -like effect.'

& one of the posters added an anecdote:

But this bit about the portcullis finally confirms for me that my friend's older borother, who read English at Oxford, was probably telling the exact truth when he reported that on his first attendance at Tolkien's Beowulf lecture, when they were all so excited that this famous Prof was going to lecture to them, Tolkien began to read the poem but on the declamatory Hwaet! - his teeth fell out.

(Actually, I don't feel so bad about this as in an old thread over there someone linked to a post of Child's over here....)

[Mithalwen]

In the Carpenter biography htere is something about him handing shopkeepers his false teeth when they put their hand out for money....