Tolkien vocabulary I (serious) - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Estelyn Telcontar · 01-18-2002, 05:47 AM

"Fey" - at first thought I would have defined it as "crazed, beside one's self". I looked it up in my English - German dictionary and was intrigued by the first definition given. "Todgeweiht", which means "doomed to die", of Scottish origin. The other definitions (high-spirited, extrasensory) I find too modern for Tolkien's context. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary confirmed that - 1. Scottish - doomed, fated to die, marked by a foreboding of death or calamity.
Now, looking at Sharku's quotes (nice list!), I find a very strong connection between "fey" and death. It seems to be a recklessness, not heeding consequences in the face of almost certain death. In some cases (Frodo, Aragorn, Theoden et al) it gives the one affected an ability to dare something that would normally be too risky, in others (Denethor, for example) it closes their minds to reason. Then, those are probably two sides of the same coin.
So, what makes the difference between being heroically or foolishly "fey"? Does it lie in the personality structure of the one affected? In the situation?

01-18-2002, 05:47 AM	#11
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	"Fey" - at first thought I would have defined it as "crazed, beside one's self". I looked it up in my English - German dictionary and was intrigued by the first definition given. "Todgeweiht", which means "doomed to die", of Scottish origin. The other definitions (high-spirited, extrasensory) I find too modern for Tolkien's context. Merriam-Webster's online dictionary confirmed that - 1. Scottish - doomed, fated to die, marked by a foreboding of death or calamity. Now, looking at Sharku's quotes (nice list!), I find a very strong connection between "fey" and death. It seems to be a recklessness, not heeding consequences in the face of almost certain death. In some cases (Frodo, Aragorn, Theoden et al) it gives the one affected an ability to dare something that would normally be too risky, in others (Denethor, for example) it closes their minds to reason. Then, those are probably two sides of the same coin. So, what makes the difference between being heroically or foolishly "fey"? Does it lie in the personality structure of the one affected? In the situation? __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'