Farmer Giles of Ham - obviously Catholic? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Estelyn Telcontar · 05-30-2007, 02:08 AM

Thanks for that clarification, Formendacil! The duplicate saints' names can be confusing!

One more thought occurred to me; the legend of St. George, who kills the dragon, is a very English tale. I'm sure it originates in Catholicism, but Wikipedia closely connects it with the Orthodox Church(es) as well. I wonder, is the fact that Giles does not kill the dragon in his tale a conscious break with tradition? As Tolkien was admittedly conservative in his faith, I would rather attribute this change to his sense of humour and whimsy.

The death of George's dragon is a punishment for his evil deeds and for the human sacrifices he has consumed. Chrysophylax also kills numerous knights, but he is not punished for this! Another example of Tolkien's idea of mercy triumphing over the law?

05-30-2007, 02:08 AM	#13
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Thanks for that clarification, Formendacil! The duplicate saints' names can be confusing! One more thought occurred to me; the legend of St. George, who kills the dragon, is a very English tale. I'm sure it originates in Catholicism, but Wikipedia closely connects it with the Orthodox Church(es) as well. I wonder, is the fact that Giles does not kill the dragon in his tale a conscious break with tradition? As Tolkien was admittedly conservative in his faith, I would rather attribute this change to his sense of humour and whimsy. The death of George's dragon is a punishment for his evil deeds and for the human sacrifices he has consumed. Chrysophylax also kills numerous knights, but he is not punished for this! Another example of Tolkien's idea of mercy triumphing over the law? __________________ '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...'