Father Christmas Letters: 1936

[Estelyn Telcontar]

This Christmas letter introduces a new character - Ilbereth, FC's Elven secretary! It would be interesting to know if there was a particular reason for his addition. Within the story it is said that a number of red and green elves have come to live with Father Christmas and help with Christmas preparations. North Polar Bear invented a system of numbers for all the children, to make present delivery more efficient. (See the bottom panel of the picture.)



However, having all the work done early precipitated (pun unintentional but too nice to remove!) the catastrophe for that year - NPB fell asleep in the bath and the water inundated the room below. That prompted his pun: "I got into hot water didn't I?"

NPB also includes a sheet with the goblin alphabet in this letter - rather complex for daily use, but interesting and typically Tolkien.

Ilbereth, by the way, has his own handwriting, firmer and more flowing than that of FC. He also has a more formal style of language.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

This Christmas letter introduces a new character - Ilbereth, FC's Elven secretary! It would be interesting to know if there was a particular reason for his addition.

I am rather curious about that as well. Personally, I always got the feeling that Tolkien was slowly getting bored with the "simple good ol' Father Christmas", in the same way as his Middle-Earth was slowly evolving in his head from the "children-story" Hobbit paradigm towards the more complex and epic future: perhaps he was fed up with the old "Shirelike" persona or it was some especially "Elf-liking period" for him and he just wanted to write Silmarillion-ish stuff and put Elves wherever he could. I can very well imagine it (such things tend to happen to authors, or at least I have personal experience with that, so I can imagine such a thing happening to Tolkien).

Somebody had mentioned in one of the earlier threads the possible similarity to "Elbereth" - now that is something that had never occured to me, first and foremost, probably because connecting the idea of the glorious Star-Lady, the divine power called upon when the darkness looms, with a secretary is somehow... you know. Also, even name-wise, "Ilbereth" sounds to me much closer to, say, Imrahil (or "Ioreth") and when I hear that name, I imagine some Elf very akin to Gildor, Lindir, simply those "second-class Elves" (nothing derogatory there, these characters are among my favourite, I simply mean that they are not the "tops" like Galadriel or Elrond. Also, note that they are not "third-class", either).

NPB also includes a sheet with the goblin alphabet in this letter - rather complex for daily use, but interesting and typically Tolkien.

I really like it, even though - or also, because - it is a lot different from e.g. tengwar or the runes used in LotR (or TH, for that matter). A lot more "primitive". Anyway, I always wanted to learn this alphabet too (of course - as everything else), but it is still on my "to do" list. Maybe I could start with it now...

Ilbereth, by the way, has his own handwriting, firmer and more flowing than that of FC. He also has a more formal style of language.

Or maybe this was the reason for his introduction: purely practical. Tolkien had enough of writing in shaky handwriting. Or maybe his kids unlearned to decipher it by that time...

[Guinevere]

Well, I agree that Tolkien wanted to enhance the stories as the children grew older, he introduced new characters every now and then. And yes, certainly it must have been much easier to write in Ilbereth's handwriting than FC's elaborate, wobbly calligraphy!

But these red and green elves have really not much in common with the elves in Tolkien's legendarium.(let alone with high and lofty Elbereth) They are rather like the

Originally written in WIKIPEDIA
"diminutive creatures in American Folklore that live with Santa Claus at the North Pole. Christmas elves are often depicted as green or red clad with pointy ears, long noses, and pointy hats. Santa's elves are often said to make the toys in Santa's workshop and take care of his reindeer, among other tasks. They were first introduced by Louisa May Alcott in 1856."

Tolkien drew them with pointy shoes as well!

Is PB's Goblin Alphabet in this letter the key to the letter from 1932 ? So the children could only decipher it after 4 years ?? Did perhaps Christopher in one of his letters enquire it of FC ? Intriguing! I have to try and see if it makes some sense...if I can spare time.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

If you do translate that letter, please post the results - I'd love to see what it means and am too short on time to do it myself!

[Guinevere]

I "wasted" some time deciphering PB's 1932 letter in Goblin Alphabet.

here is the transcription:

"I wish you a lovely happy Christmas and a splendid New Year with lots of fun and good luck at school. You are getting so clever now what with Latin and French and Greek that you will easily read this and see. Much love from P.B."

In the 1932 letter F.C. had written that PB had made an alphabet from the marks in the caves and sent a short letter in this alphabet and he added " I dare say he would send you a copy of his alphabet if you wrote and asked. By the way he writes it in columns from top to bottom"
Apparently none of the children had asked for it then (Michael was 12, Christopher 8 and Priscilla only 3) and I am sure that in 1936 it was Christopher (then 12) who asked for the alphabet!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thank you, Guinevere! That's delightful! I hadn't thought about the reason for the delay, and your conjecture sounds plausible!