Features a map of the locations in Farmer Giles of Ham, and discusses correspondences with actual locations

Walker, R.C.

English

SWOSU Digital Commons (Southwestern Oklahoma State University)

Volume 10 Number 3 Article 11 1984 The Little Kingdom: Some Considerations and a Map R.C. Walker Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore  Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Walker, R.C. (1984) "The Little Kingdom: Some Considerations and a Map," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 10 : No. 3 , Article 11. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol10/iss3/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico • Postponed to: July 30 – August 2, 2021 Abstract Features a map of the locations in Farmer Giles of Ham, and discusses correspondences with actual locations. Additional Keywords Tolkien, J.R.R. Farmer Giles of Ham—Maps; R.C. Walker This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol10/iss3/11 M YTHLORE 37: Winter 1984 Page 47T h e  L ittle  K in g d o m S o m e  C o n s id e r a tio n s  a n d  a  M a pR .C . W alkerFarm er G i le s  o f Ham i s  o s t e n s i b l y  a f a i r y  t a l e .  O r, r a t h e r ,  i t  i s  o s t e n s i b l y  a t a l e  f o r  c h i l d r e n ;  i t  ijs a f a i r y  t a l e .  In  o u r more s o p h i s t i c a t e d  a g e , a d u l t s  can  a t  l a s t  ad m it t h a t  th e y  f in d  l i t e r a t u r e  o f  t h i s  ty p e  re w a rd in g  and s a t i s f y i n g .T h e re  i s  so m e th in g  in e x o r a b ly  a d u l t  a b o u t Farm er G i l e s , d e s p i t e  th e  seem ing  aim a t  c h i l d r e n .  An a i r ,  o f  T o l k i e n 's  h u m a n is t icc o n c e rn  f o r  e t h i c s ,  b r e a th e s  th ro u g h  t h i s  c l e v e r  and e f f e c t i v e  m o r a l i ty  t a l e .  I t  i s  a s to r y  o f  b a d n e ss  ( " e v i l "  i s  to o  s t r o n g  a te rm ) w hich b r in g s  upon i t s e l f  i t s  own come­u p p an ce . I t  i s  a l s o  a m arv e l o f  c h a r a c t e r  d e v e lo p m e n t, in  a b r i e f  sp a c e  r e l a t i n g  one m an 's  d is c o v e ry  o f  h i s  own s t r e n g t h  o f  c h a r ­a c t e r .  And o f  c o u rs e  i t  i s  f u l l  o f  cu n n in g  good hum or.Page 48 M YTH LORE 37: Winter 1984Farm er G i le s  i s  s e t  in  E n g la n d , in  a tim e  b e fo re  th e  Saxon d e b a c le ,  when v a r io u s  B r i t i s h  k i n g l e t s  w ere s t i l l  p la y in g  a t  b e in g  Roman p o t e n t a t e s . . .  and o f c o u rs e  whend ra g o n s , g i a n t s ,  and a l l  t h a t  w ere in  f u l l  c r y .  I t  i s  s p e c i f i c a l l y  s e t  in  a p o r t io n  o f th e  Thames v a l l e y  e a s t  o f  O x fo rd . At th e  b e g in n in g  t h i s  r e g io n  i s  p a r t  o f  th e  "M idd le  K ingdom "; a t  th e  end i t  i s  an in d e p e n d e n t " L i t t l e  K ingdom ".A number o f  p l a c e s ,  a l l  o f  them  r e a l ,  a r e  m en tio n ed  in  Farm er G i l e s ; and a c u r ­s o ry  to u r  o f  th e  a r e a  shows a few more p o in ts  o f  i n t e r e s t .  The tow ns o r  p a r i s h e s  o f Ham(mo), O a k le y , W o rm in g h a ll, F a r t h i n g h o ( e ) , and O xenford  (now O x fo rd ) a r e  a l l  m e n tio n e d , a s  w e ll  a s  th e  O tm oor, an a r e a  w e s t o f Ox­f o r d .  I t  i s  i n t e r e s t i n g  to  n o te ,  s in c e  G ile s  was known a s  Lord o f  Tame, t h a t  a r i v e r  and town o f Thame l i e  n o t to o  f a r  to  th e  w e s t , th e  Thame f lo w in g  in to  th e  Tham es. In  f a c t ,  in  1938 T o lk ie n  made r e f e r e n c e  to  " th e  L i t t l e  Kingdom (w ith  i t s  c a p i t a l  a t  Tham e)" ( L e t­t e r s  , p . 3 9 ) ,  w hich le a d s  one to  w onder. H ow ever, Farm er G ile s  i t s e l f  r e f e r s  to  th eL i t t l e  Kingdom as  b e in g  in  " th e  v a l l e y  o f  th eThames^ ( p .  66 o f  th e  com bined e d i t i o n  w ithSm ith  o f  Wooton M a jo r . e m p h a s is  m in e ) .A map o f  t h i s  r e g io n  a l lo w s  u s  to  f in d  o th e r  p la c e s  w ith  l i t e r a r y  a s s o c i a t i o n s  as w e l l .  S o u th e a s t  o f  Ham i s  th e  town o f  B uck- l a n d . . . a n d  i t ' s  a good b e t  t h a t  a h ig h ly  d e t a i l e d  map w ould r e v e a l  more nam es from  th e  S h ir e  in  O x e n f o r d s h ir e . To th e  s o u th  and w e s t o f  B uck land  i s  th e  V ale  o f  th e  W hite H o rse , r e c a l l i n g  th e  emblem o f R ohan.In  th e  same a r e a  l i e s  W antage , w hereA lf re d  th e  g r e a t  was b o rn . I t s  t r u eim m o r ta l i ty ,  how ever, l i e s  in  th e  c l a s s i c  l i m e r i c k :T here  was a young la d y  o f  W antageOf whom th e  Town C le rk  to o k  a d v a n ta g e . S a id  th e  County S u rv e y o r ,"Of c o u rs e  you m ust pay h e r ;Y ou 've a l t e r e d  th e  l i n e  o f  h e r  f r o n t a g e . "F i n a l l y ,  betw een  Ham and O x fo rd , l i e s  th e  town o f  W o o tto n , p resu m ab ly  th e  s i t e  o f Sm ith  o f  Wooton Ma j o r . T h ere  i s  a l s o ,f u r t h e r  w e s t ,  a town o f Wooton Under E d g e . . .a n d  o f  c o u rs e  T o lk ie n  sp e a k s  o f  two W o o tto n s .Appended to  t h i s  s h o r t  a r t i c l e  i s  a map, done in  p a r t  from  d e s c r i p t i o n s  o f  w here p la c e s  a r e  l o c a t e d ,  r a t h e r  th a n  s e e in g  th e  a c t u a l  d o ts  on a p r in t e d  p a g e . In  t h i s  r e ­g a rd ,  I  am in d e b te d  to  Ben U r r u t i a  f o r  f i r s t  c a l l i n g  my a t t e n t i o n  to  th e  f a c t  t h a t  such  a map was p o s s i b l e .  In  a d d i t i o n ,  a l s o  used  w ere (1 )  Humphrey C a r p e n te r 's  T o lk i e n , (2 )D avid D e ttm a n 's  "A G lo s s a ry  to  Farm er G i le s  o f  Ham" ( in  M inas T i r i t h  E v e n in g - S ta r , 9 .9 ) ,(3 )  E n c y c lo p e d ia  B r i t a n n i c a , XI Ed. (1 9 1 0 ) , V o l. IX , Map o f  E ng land  and W ales ( p a r t  I I I ) ,(4 )  in  G ershon  L egm an 's The L im e r ic k  (#987) o r  i n  W illia m  S . B a r in g -G o u ld ' s The L ure  o f th e  L im e ric k  ( p .  2 2 8 ) ;  an i n t e r e s t i n g  v a r i a n t  can  be found  on p . 178 o f L o u is  U n te rm e y e r 's  L o ts  o f  L im e r ic k s .Continued from  page 468 E . M a rtin  Brow ne, I n t r o d u t i o n ,  R e l ig io u s  Drama 2 , M yste ry  and M o ra l i ty  P la y s  (New Y ork: M e rid ia n  B ooks, 1 9 5 8 ), p . 11 . C .S . Lew is w ro te  w ry ly  o f B ishop  J .A .T .  R o b in s o n 's  a t te m p ts  to  to p p le  t h i s  a n c ie n t  sy m b o lic  s t r u c t u r e :  "We have lo n g  abandoned  b e l i e f  in  a God who s i t s  on a th ro n e  in  a l o c a l i z e d  h e a v e n ."  C .S . L ew is , "M ust Our Im age o f God G o?", God in  th e  Dock (G rand R a p id s , M ich: W illiamB. E erdm ans, 1 9 7 0 ), p . 184.9 The Comedy o f D an te  A l i g h i e r i , C a n t ic a  I ,H e l l , t r a n s .  D oro thy  L . S a y e rs  (H arm onds- w o r th : P e n g u in , 1 9 4 9 ), C anto XXXIV, 11.28-2910 I b i d . , C anto  XXXIV, l l .  5 0 -5 2 .11 The O d y ssey , W.H.D. Rowse, t r a n s . ,  (New Y ork: M en to r, 1 9 6 0 ), p .  78 .12 O l iv e r  M arc, P sy ch o lo g y  o f th e  H o u se , t r a n s .  J e s i e  Wood, (L ondon: Thames and H udson, 1 9 7 7 ), p . 98 .13 Nancy M. T i s c h l e r ,  D oro thy  L . S a y e r s , _AP i lg r im  S ou l ( A t l a n t a :  John Knox P r e s s ,1 9 8 0 ) , p . 8 .14 A.H. G a rd n e r , O u tl in e  o f E n g l is h  A rc h i­t e c t u r e  (L ondon: B .T . B a s fo rd , 1 9 4 8 ),T h ird  E d i t i o n ,  p . 62 .15 S tep h en  G a r d in e r ,  E v o lu t io n  o f  th e  HouseF rogm ore , S t .  A lb a n s , H e r t s :  G ranada( P a l a d i n ) ,  1 9 7 6 ) , p . 153.16 John  K e a ts , "The Eve o f  S t .  A g n e s ,"  v . x x iv , 11 . 2 0 8 -2 1 1 .17 C .S . L ew is , T h a t H ideous S t r e n g th  (Lon­don : The B odley  H ead, 1 9 4 5 ), p . 47 6 .18 D oro thy  L. S a y e r s ,  " T a lb o y s ,"  S t r i d i n g  F o l ly  (L ondon: New E n g lis h  L ib r a r y ,  1973 [ 1 9 7 2 ] ) ,  p . 108.19 Mathew 1 2 :4 3 -4 5 . The s to r y  i s  to ld  in  Luke in  a lm o s t th e  same w o rd s.20 G aston  B a c h e la rd ,  The P o e t i c s  o f  S p ace .,t r a n s .  M aria  J o l a s ,  (B o s to n : BeaconP r e s s ,  1969 [1 9 5 8 ] ,  p . 136.PREVIEW OF THE NEXT ISSUE: Issue  38 will fea tu re  som e of the best papers  given at the 1983 Mythopoeic Conference. B esides  the wide sp ec tru m  of a r t ic le s ,  the re  will be all the re g u la r  and new fea tu re s .  Do not m iss  th is  very fine issue .

The Little Kingdom: Some Considerations and a Map

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The Little Kingdom: Some Considerations and a Map

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