In one of my crabby posts below, I compared Goldberry to Grendel in that each
had a mother, but no father. I then dismissed the comparison as
“counterintuitive and unproductive anyway.” Perhaps I should take a
lesson from Treebeard and be less hasty. Here’s Tom Shippey on the
matter:
“Goldberry is ‘the River-woman’s daughter,’ beautiful and charming herseld, but
connected with the hag who lurks like grendel’s mother ‘in her deep weedy
pool.’ The folklore of hags has not been much studied, but Beowulfian
scholars [sc. “in Tolkien’s formative years as a scholar”] had at least heard
of the malignant female river-deities whom some saw as a model for the
Beowulf-poet. R.W. Chambers, a patron and supporter of Tolkien in
his early years, had pointed to beliefs about Peg Powler, in the River Tees,
and Jenny Greenteeth in the Ribble, as classic malignant water-hags.”
(Author of the Century, p. 62)
I’m not entirely sure what to make of this, but perhaps some of you may wish to
comment.
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All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
