Enemies

[Lalwendë]

"But these creatures of Isengard, these half-orcs and goblin-men that the foul craft of Saruman has bred, they will not quail at the sun," said Gamling. 'And neither will the wild men of the hills. Do you not hear their voices?"

"I hear them," said Eomer; 'but they are only the scream of birds and the bellowing of beasts to my ears."

'Yet there are many that cry in the Dunland tongue," said Gamling. "I know that tongue. It is an ancient speech of men, and once was spoken in many western valleys of the Mark. Hark! They hate us, and they are glad; for our doom seems certain to them. "The king, the king!" they cry. "We will take their king. Death to the Forgoil! Death to the Strawheads! Death to the robbers of the North!" Such names they have for us. Not in half a thousand years have they forgotten their grievance that the lords of Gondor gave the Mark to Eorl the Young and made alliance with him. That old hatred Saruman has inflamed. They are fierce folk when roused. They will not give way now for dusk or dawn, until Theoden is taken, or they themselves are slain."

Originally Posted by Raynor

And Gamling doesn't disagree, although he looks more familiar with this language than Eomer

Not many soldiers would openly disagree with their superior officer, especially with one like Eomer, who is not only royal but is also quite a fierce character! In fact Gamling goes as far as he can by simply explaining the linguistic history of these people and why they hate the Rohirrim so much. He very much 'puts Eomer right' in what he says. Whereas Eomer associates the Dunlendish language with animals, Gamling gives it a history and meaning; Eomer demeans it whereas Gamling acknowledges it.

One of the commonest ways of oppressing and sometimes even exterminating a culture is to denigrate the language of a people, which is what Eomer is doing.

Bethberry and davem know what I'm talking about. Tolkien knew what I'm talking about. Language and identity are deeply intertwined. This is why many people in Wales today resolutely maintain Welsh as a first language (and my great-great grandfather refused to learn English); the English and the Irish establishment tried to Anglicise place names in the Gaeltacht region of Ireland which was not popular - there's a great play by Brain Friel built around this matter. Dunlendish is given a place in the history of Arda's languages by Tolkien, and is, if I recall correctly, linked to the original language of the Hobbits before they took up (submitted to the relentless force of?) the Common Speech.

Eomer's attitude towards the language of the Dunledings is not just cultural imperialism, it verges on racism, whether intentional or not is another matter. And davem is right that Tolkien shows how the Rohirrim learn to move away from these attitudes as his story progresses. Language is a powerful aspect (the most powerful aspect? Some would say so) of Tolkien's work and we can learn a lot from his characters' realtionships with it.

The other interesting thing, which is entirely a side issue to this topic, but I had to get down is that this is a great example of how Tolkien worked characterisation not into 'interior monologue' but into speech.

Originally Posted by raynor

am not versed enough in English to nitpick on the very quote you gave. What it seems to me is that all orcs cast aside their spear or sword and ran off into the woods. If some of them didn't ran, I expect that they were very few in numbers, they kept or re-took their weapons (if they threw them in the first place) and continued to battle. But frankly, I see no proof any orc remained behind to contemplate Theoden and Gandalf.

And on language... No, it's not anything 'hidden' in the language, simply that we see Orcs laying down their weapons, and the next we know is that some run off into the trees and are 'eaten up' (or whatever horror happens there) and some lie dead. It never states what actually happens in between.