You say 'Faeries' & I say 'Fairies'

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Excellent topic for discussion, davem! Tolkien did change the Elves from what they were in folk tradition, but I think that is something that frequently happens in literature. Literature is the product of its author, so s/he is entitled to make changes to influences that have been adapted, in order to fulfil the author's purpose in the story.

There are numerous examples of that in connection with fairies: the Grimm brothers did not only collect fairy tales, they changed them in the process, doing more than simply recording their findings. Whether that resulted in enrichment or loss (probably some of both) is a matter of opinion, of course.

Worse in my eyes is the popular transformation of fairies to diminutive flower spirits, with no power and little or no influence on humans. I cringe when I see those little winged sprites in decoration shops - cute, but stripped of all meaning. However, like Nokes' Fairy Queen on the Great Cake,

Better a little doll, maybe, than no memory of Faery at all. For some the only glimpse. For some the awaking.

Another literary version occurs to me, written by another Oxford professor many years earlier - Sylvie and Bruno. Tolkien read and admired Lewis Carroll's story of fairy children (though I must admit I much prefer the Alice stories, which Tolkien didn't like much). These fairies are benevolent - Bruno may be mischievous, but never malicious, and it's all in a spirit of childlike innocence. Sylvie is positively angelic, though not in a lofty sense, but also with innocence. If Tolkien used the Elves to illustrate a side of humanity, Carroll showed the childlike side that exists even in grownup humans. (By the way, his comments in the preface to Sylvie and Bruno show how strong the Christian influence was for him as well.)

It's all in the leafmould, as Tolkien himself once suggested. The influences are seen and felt, fertilizing and enriching the author's work. But that does not mean that the ensuing plant must be the same kind of leaf - it will grow to be something completely new.

Whether the changes Tolkien made to the Elves, especially Galadriel, would be considered "sanctified" to a Christian or spoiled to a fan of the folk tales is a matter of interpretation - unless, of course, we want to start arguing about the canonicity of traditional fairy stories!