h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Help needed.

I'm writing an entry on the Barrow-downs, a location in Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings'. Barrows are mounds that cover graves, while Downs are grassy hills.

I know there are a lot of Downs in England, and a lot of Barrows too, but is there anywhere where the two coincide, with Barrows on the tops of Downs? I'm looking for somewhere that might have inspired Tolkien.

Where did JRRT live at the time

And yes there are barrows on downs there are 2 in Old Winchester hill, and some near to Bockerley Dyke.

High country was favoured as it appears they did not like the ancestors to be flooded.

In France the chamber barrows are all on high ground in Normandy for the same reasons

Tolkien lived in Oxford while hewas writing the book.

There are close analogues to the Barrow-downs in Ireland but I've no reason to believe Tolkien visited them.

This would do the job

"Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic long barrow and chamber tomb site located near the Uffington White Horse and Uffington Castle, at Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire. ... A single crouched burial had been placed at one end and the mostly disarticulated remains of a further 14 individuals were scattered in front of it".

And there are numerous are long barrows, chambered burial mounds in the Cotswolds.

Just the inspiration he would have needed and its fame would have attracted many visitors from the collages

They're not particularly uncommon, there's the remains of over 200 round barrows on chalk downs on the Isle of Wight alone. Most of them don't look like anything and you'd walk over them without noticing.

<BB<

Thanks, bob and BB.

The place closest in spirit to the Barrow-downs that I've found so far is Loughcrew in Ireland.

Many barrows have associated folklore which may well have inspired Tolkein. Here are two such sites in the South Downs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Jumps,_Treyford

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Humps,_Stoughton

His original Beleriand was Broseliande if you read the Lost Tales - once in France I discovered that there's a forest in Brittany called 'Broseliande'.

Since he was all about creating a mythology for western europe and Breton/Welsh are strongly connected I doubt it's necessarily a good idea to restrict things to England. He did spend some time in France during WW1 - perhaps he went to Brittany on leave? (It's a LONG time since I read his biography maybe such things are mentioned there). There are a LOT of barrows in Brittany all along the south coast area and elsewhere - by far the highest concentration I've ever seen or heard of.

Just a thought.

Hmm, it appears to be a mythical or legendary forest in France from googling. I could have sword I'd seen it on a map once. Ha

Here's the entry: A87870702. It's not finished yet...

I didn't particularly want to write this entry, but Bluebottle requested it, and then when I started researching it, I got interested in it.

This a is good entry A question the title "Barrow-wight"

The title "wright", comes from the Old English word "wryhta" that means worker or maker as in wheelwright.

Any insight on why JRRT used the word wight and not wright, it is a deliberate use of the word. The only thing I can think of is that he used the Old English, Old German word "wiht" that refers to a sentient being or thing.

You're right, it's from wiht. I explain that in the entry. But Tolkien took it from Wiliam Morris.

The Isle of Wight in the UK takes its name from the same origin as far as I am aware.

Vectis the translation is A bar or bolt (for fastening a door).

I believe that this name refers to the island's position as the "door" to Portsmouth and the Roman fleet anchorage at Portchester.


Wight is in Anglo Saxon a supernatural being, as a witch or sprite.
any living being a creature.

In Norse a good fighter.

Its a good puzzle, i suspect BB has an idea or two

I believe Wight in Isle of Wight comes from a British (ie Celtic) name.

I thought it meant a man, so that it was the Anglo Saxon translation of The Isle of Man