Smith of Wootton Major

Product Information

Our Fairies Are Different: Discussed. Nokes has a typical modern view of fairies as fictional little sprites, which, this being Tolkien's verse, is far from the reality. However, the Faery Queen appreciates being remembered in some form. But there were things he did not forget, and “ they remained in his mind as wonders and mysteries that he often recalled”. One of such memories was an occasion when he “ came at last to a desolate shore and saw a great ship cast high upon the land, and the eleven mariners passed over him and went away into the echoing hills”. The Fair Folk: The Land of Faery is dangerous even to Smith; at one point when he ventures into forbidden territory a storm drives him out. However, the elves that he meets are basically benign. Smith of Wooton Major" is probably the best example of a faerie story in Tolkien's entire corpus. While it exists in a different universe than LOTR, it is essential reading for those seeking to understand Tolkien as a writer. I genuinely believe that “Smith” will give the reader a better understanding of LOTR. “Smith” was one of the last things the professor wrote. And, Tolkien himself described it as an "old man's tale.” At first glance the story seems like an illustrated children’s book, but the story itself is incredibly mature. You can almost feel an old man’s hiraeth for a time that no longer exists. The story explores growing up while maintaining a connection to Faerie, and delves into profound themes like grace, social hierarchies, and family responsibilities.

This is my second time wrestle-I-mean-reading! something by Tolkien. I will openly admit, I slept-read The Hobbit. *gasp*When wisdom comes the mind though enriched by imagination, having learned or seen distantly truths only perceptible in this way, must prepare to leave the world of Men and of Fayery.”* JRRT Trying to illustrate what he felt was the popular misconception of fairy stories as saccharine and for children, he began an allegory about a cook who baked an over-sweet cake for a children’s party. The allegory overpowered the introduction, and Tolkien abandoned the latter to turn the allegory into a story about a boy whose slice of cake at a village children’s feast contains the magical, ‘fay’ star that is a passport into Fairyland.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien: writer, artist, scholar, linguist. Known to millions around the world as the author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien spent most of his life teaching at the University of Oxford where he was a distinguished academic in the fields of Old and Middle English and Old Norse. His creativity, confined to his spare time, found its outlet in fantasy works, stories for children, poetry, illustration and invented languages and alphabets. There are two short stories in this slim little book, although really I think "Farmer Giles of Ham," the second of the two, is more novella-length. Both are what Tolkien himself would have called "fairy-stories", and both are very obviously written for children. People call The Hobbit a children's book, in that Tolkien created it as a bedtime story for his son Christopher, but The Hobbit has precise worldbuilding and consistently follows the in-universe rules Tolkien created for himself. It is situated in a very firm date and place. These two stories are not. If you think about either of them for too long, the worldbuilding in both makes less and less sense. Little kids don't care about that kind of thing.

Tropes included in the tale:

Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (1981). The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-31555-2. Other than his usual and original use of the term Faery, this is not linked to his middle-earth legendarium, and in my opinion, has more of the lighthearted silliness of the other novellas in it. A great cook and his apprentice (referred to as ‘prentice) make a great cake filled with 24 trinkets and coins for the children. However, this year they include a 25th item, a star from faery. The smith’s son swallows it, later spitting it out and affixing it to his forehead. This serves almost like a blessing from the faeries, and he is blessed with skills and personality. a b Flieger, Verlyn; Shippey, Tom (2001). "Allegory Versus Bounce: Tolkien's 'Smith of Wootton Major' ". Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. 12 (2 (46)): 186–200. JSTOR 43308514. This one was not really my favorite, I was a bit confused at points, which isn’t unusual for Tolkien, but it was short, so I thought it’d be easy going. Maybe it’d be an easier read than a listen. Personally a 4/5* for me.

Connected All Along: It turns out that the Master Cook who brought Alf into the town is actually Smith's grandfather.

In 2005, an extended edition of Smith of Wootton Major was published, edited by Verlyn Flieger. [2]

Brutal Honesty: Alf is diplomatic with Nokes during his apprenticeship, but after Nokes retires he tells him what a vain, lazy bastard he thinks he actually is. The time came for another Feast of Good Children. Smith had possessed his gift for most of his life, and the time had come to pass it on to some other child. So he regretfully surrendered the star to Alf, and with it his adventures into Faery. King of Faery, who had become Master Cook long before, baked it into the festive cake once again for another child to find. After the feast, Alf retired and left the village; and Smith returned to his forge to teach his craft to his now-grown son. This tale is magical and enchanting but for me it seemed incomplete. Well, a little unresolved. A young boy gets to enter the wonderful world of Fay; he is chosen especially for it, but when he gets there he doesn’t do a great deal. I mean, talk about a wasted opportunity! I would have done so much more over there. The fay-star in Smith of Wootton Major allowed its wearer to enter Faery. Eärendil’s device, featuring a Silmaril as a shining star, was painted by Tolkien around the same time. Carpenter, Humphrey (1977). J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-04-928037-3.

Because of the star upon his forehead Smith had access to the land of Faery. He went there when he could as a learner and explorer. Smith journeyed far and saw the Sea of Windless Storm, the King's Tree, the Outer and Inner Mountains, and the Vale of Evermorn where he was allowed to dance with the Elven maidens. One of the Elven maidens and the Queen of Faery called Smith " Starbrow" for the star they plainly saw upon his forehead. Flieger opposes viewing Smith of Wootton Major as an allegory, instead seeking comparisons with Tolkien's other fantasies. [8] [12] She argues that the story had sufficient "bounce" that no allegorical explanation was necessary, and indeed that such explanation detracts from the story of travels in the land of "Faery" and the element of mystery. [12] She likens the "first Cook" to a whole series of "Tolkien's far-traveled characters", namely Alboin Errol, Edwin Lowdham, Frodo Baggins, Eärendil, Ælfwine-Eriol "and of course Tolkien himself—all the Elf-friends." [11]