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This was full of the wry humour I have grown to love from Tolkien. This often had me smirking and giggling and I enjoyed my time with this story immensely. It was also one full of bravery and heart, again like the best of Tolkien's stories also are, and proved a joy to read on many levels.
Aber dass nebenbei noch ein ganzes Universum an Ideen von ihm die Genesis seiner Welten betreffend verarbeitet wurde, das ist nur den wenigsten bekannt. Genauso wenige wissen, dass er ursprünglich eigentlich eher als Kinderbuchautor galt - ein Ruf, den er nur schwer loswurde, ehe er der breiteren Masse durch sein Hauptwerk bekannt geworden war. Walker, R. C. (1984). "The Little Kingdom: Some Considerations and a Map". Mythlore. 10 (3). Article 11.Hargrove, Gene (2013) [2007]. "Farmer Giles". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-0-415-96942-0. It's its hero that truly carries the story. Farmer Giles is neither a bold and fearless warrior such as Aragorn or Fëanor, nor a weak and meek little guy filled more with doubts than raw skill such as the hobbits, nor even an unsympathetic coward always trying to get rid of his responsibilities like Rincewind: instead, he's just a grumpy farmer that doesn't even seem to realize the how fantastic his quest is supposed to be, treating it all as nothing more than a chore to be only taken care of when he runs out of excuses to push it to another day. That sort of a thing is rare, and Tolkien if anyone knows how to draw out every bit of its potential. Farmer Giles, or in full Ægidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo, was the eponymous hero of the story, Farmer Giles of Ham. At the beginning of the tale Giles was but a farmer living in the Middle Kingdom but by the end he had become a hero, a defender against a giant, a tamer of the dragon Chrysophylax, and finally the king of the new Little Kingdom. To me this was a great little tale, falling just short of me loving it. I think this is a cute, silly story that could so easily fall into the realm of other fairytale stories/the same popularity, if only it was more readily available. Although, it is again one of those older children’s stories where while I’m reading I’m like, “this was told to kids?!” So with that being said this could easily have been dulled down or “Disney-fied” or made even more adult in a longer version/adaptation.
Eventually even the king of the Middle Kingdom in his capital (about twenty leagues distant from Ham) heard of Giles' deed. About three months after the incident the king sent Giles a testimonial letter on the feast of St. Michael. He also sent the farmer a gift, a plain heavy sword that had been hanging in the king's armoury from a time forgotten. Farmer Giles took Chrysophylax by surprise, or rather ran into him by surprise. As the dragon tried to make lunch out of Giles the sword Caudimordax took things into its own hands (so to speak). When Giles waved the sword, trying to shoo the dragon away, the sword managed to smite the dragon upon the joint of his right wing, thus depriving him of flight. i. The Book of Lost Tales: Part One · ii. The Book of Lost Tales: Part Two · iii. The Lays of Beleriand · iv. The Shaping of Middle-earth · v. The Lost Road and Other Writings · vi. The Return of the Shadow · vii. The Treason of Isengard · viii. The War of the Ring · ix. Sauron Defeated · x. Morgoth's Ring · xi. The War of the Jewels · xii. The Peoples of Middle-earth · Index) · The Road to Middle-earth · The Keys of Middle-earth · The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion · This edition reproduces the text and illustrations of the First Edition of 1949 in facsimile, including the colour plates. It also includes: an introduction and notes by the editors, the first written (manuscript) version of the story, drafts for an unfinished sequel, and a map of 'The Little Kingdom' by Pauline Baynes.Another joke puts a question concerning the definition of blunderbuss to " the four wise clerks of Oxenford": "A short gun with a large bore firing many balls or slugs, and capable of doing execution [killing people] within a limited range without exact aim. (Now superseded, in civilised countries, by other firearms.)" [11] Tolkien had worked on the Oxford English Dictionary, and the "four wise clerks" are "undoubtedly" the four lexicographers Henry Bradley, William Craigie, James Murray, and Charles Talbut Onions. [12] Tolkien then satirises the dictionary definition by applying it to Farmer Giles's weapon: [13] It is clear, then, that in Tolkien's world, noble birth does little to prepare one for heroism. Rather, wariness, wisdom, and right conduct are the hallmarks of the heroic.
I loved this story. I had all the expectations when I started it because of Tolkien being the author, but it was not misplaced. He's the absolute G.O.A.T. Not only would kids love this, there are laugh out loud moments for adults as well. I'm paraphrasing slightly, but an example is the description of Farmer Giles's hefty wife who reportedly took shrewd care of their finances. "Nothing got past her. Unless it took a very long walk indeed." A hungry dragon, a near-sighted giant, foppish knights, a greedy king and stolen treasure. All confront Farmer Giles to give much thought to the Wide World outside his fields, the village, and the nearest market. This was a sweet little tale involving Giles the farmer, Chrysophylax the dragon, and Garm the dog (who was the star of the show for me). Farmer Giles loves the adoration with which his neighbors now view him. But his self-satisfaction is short lived: a hungry Welsh dragon named Chrysophylax Dives (Latin for “Gold-watcher the Rich”), having heard by way of the aforementioned giant that the Middle Kingdom no longer contains any pesky knights, but only biting insects, decides to investigate the Middle Kingdom. Late one night while he is out chasing delectable scents, Garm discovers the interloper. After literally stumbling upon the dragon, Garm dashes home to alert his master.Wie auch immer: Man erlebt, durch die ganze Geschichte hindurch, Tolkiens Gespür für sehr feinsinnigen Humor. Obwohl es sich bei dieser Erzählung eindeutig um ein Märchen (oder etwas, das sehr dicht dran ist) handelt, haben nicht nur Kinder etwas davon. The giant, on returning home, relates to his friends that there are no more knights in the Middle Kingdom, just stinging flies—actually the scrap metal shot from the blunderbuss—and this entices a dragon, Chrysophylax Dives, to investigate the area. The terrified neighbours all expect the accidental hero Farmer Giles to deal with him. Dopo averlo letto ed ammirato, nelle molteplici e caratteristiche illustrazioni, ne rimango discretamente soddisfatto, sinceramente leggerei quasiasi cosa scritta da Tolkien, però c'è qualcosa che non quadra... In its tone, themes, and characterization, Farmer Giles of Ham represents a return to the less complicated world of The Hobbit. For example, Farmer Giles behaves in much the same way as Bilbo Baggins, the hero of The Hobbit; the giant resembles Bert, William, and Tom, the stupid trolls in The Hobbit; and Chrysophylax the dragon is a sly, cowardly relative of Smaug, the dragon of The Hobbit. The tone is none too serious, and yet Tolkien stays close to the formula that he is most comfortable with—the perilous quest pursued by one of the least likely to succeed.
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