Connections
My brain is a stew of data, awash with little bits of information floating about my skull. Everytime I read I'm in effect pouring more ingredients into the stew. Often the result is that all the ingredients, old and new, are stirred together, and random flavors bubble to the surface in the form of odd thoughts or connections.
Yes, it's true: Obscurorant is the official home of awkward metaphors.
Anyway, as of late I've been indulging my love (read: obsessive interest) in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. I recently finished Tolkien: A Celebration (a collection of essays) and I'm currently working my way through T.A. Shippey's J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. Now anyone with more than a passing interest in Tolkien is aware that not only did he create the world of Middle-Earth and it's long history, he created whole languages to be spoken by the inhabitants, foremost among them the Elvish languages of Quenya and Sindarin. Throughout The Lord of the Rings the reader comes across passages of untranslated Elvish, such as this poem:
However, there are precious few instances of untranslated Dwarvish (Khuzdul) in Tolkien's pages. One of two exceptions* occurs during the siege of Helm's Deep. Aragorn and Eomer make a sally against the Uruk-Hai and nearly come to grief before being rescued by Gimli. As Gimli works his axe he shouts a battle cry of:
This passage translates as:
I found this to be strikingly similar to the battlecry of the Ghurkas, Nepalese mercenaries who have served in the British Army from the 19th century to the present day. The battle cry of the Ghurkas is Ayo Ghorkali, which can be translated as:
This is where the fun part of conjecture and making connections comes into play. Did Tolkien have the Ghurkas in mind when he crafted the above dialogue for Gimli? It may be far fetched, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Consider that...
Tolkien himself was a veteran of the British Army, serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers during the Battle of the Somme. Is it a reach to imagine that while in the army he learned of the Ghurkas and their traditions, perhaps from another officer who had served with the Ghurka Brigade?
During the First World War the Ghurkas saw action in many theaters, including the Western Front. I don't know if any Ghurka units were involved in the Somme offensive of 1916, but the 8th Ghurkas did serve with great distinction in the Battle of Loos in the autumn of 1915 Tolkien arrived in France in June of 1916: could he have then heard of the Ghurkas action at Loos the prior year? Another possible juncture at which Tolkien and the Ghurkas (or at least knowledge of the Ghurkas) may have crossed paths?
A final, though completely conjectural thought: the Ghurkas are a people short in stature, known for their ferocity in battle and use of a particular edged weapon (the khukri). The Dwarves are also a people short in stature, known for their ferocity in battle and use of a particular edged weapon (the axe).
All coincidence? Very likely, but it's fun to entertain such notions.
Yes, it's true: Obscurorant is the official home of awkward metaphors.
Anyway, as of late I've been indulging my love (read: obsessive interest) in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. I recently finished Tolkien: A Celebration (a collection of essays) and I'm currently working my way through T.A. Shippey's J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century. Now anyone with more than a passing interest in Tolkien is aware that not only did he create the world of Middle-Earth and it's long history, he created whole languages to be spoken by the inhabitants, foremost among them the Elvish languages of Quenya and Sindarin. Throughout The Lord of the Rings the reader comes across passages of untranslated Elvish, such as this poem:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
Silivren penna miriel
O menal aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-diriel
O galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, si nef aearon!
However, there are precious few instances of untranslated Dwarvish (Khuzdul) in Tolkien's pages. One of two exceptions* occurs during the siege of Helm's Deep. Aragorn and Eomer make a sally against the Uruk-Hai and nearly come to grief before being rescued by Gimli. As Gimli works his axe he shouts a battle cry of:
"Baruk Khazad! Khazad ai-menu!"
This passage translates as:
"Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"
I found this to be strikingly similar to the battlecry of the Ghurkas, Nepalese mercenaries who have served in the British Army from the 19th century to the present day. The battle cry of the Ghurkas is Ayo Ghorkali, which can be translated as:
"The Ghurkas are upon you!"
This is where the fun part of conjecture and making connections comes into play. Did Tolkien have the Ghurkas in mind when he crafted the above dialogue for Gimli? It may be far fetched, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Consider that...
Tolkien himself was a veteran of the British Army, serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Lancashire Fusiliers during the Battle of the Somme. Is it a reach to imagine that while in the army he learned of the Ghurkas and their traditions, perhaps from another officer who had served with the Ghurka Brigade?
During the First World War the Ghurkas saw action in many theaters, including the Western Front. I don't know if any Ghurka units were involved in the Somme offensive of 1916, but the 8th Ghurkas did serve with great distinction in the Battle of Loos in the autumn of 1915 Tolkien arrived in France in June of 1916: could he have then heard of the Ghurkas action at Loos the prior year? Another possible juncture at which Tolkien and the Ghurkas (or at least knowledge of the Ghurkas) may have crossed paths?
A final, though completely conjectural thought: the Ghurkas are a people short in stature, known for their ferocity in battle and use of a particular edged weapon (the khukri). The Dwarves are also a people short in stature, known for their ferocity in battle and use of a particular edged weapon (the axe).
All coincidence? Very likely, but it's fun to entertain such notions.
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