Letter to Dorothy
Dorothy 196? is an alleged letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to a certain miss Dorothy written "years before" 1968.
- Authenticity: Debatable
- Publication: Only one Quenya sentence known.
Comment and Excerpt
Dorothy had sent J.R.R. Tolkien a letter asking him how to say "Merry Christmas" in Elvish; Tolkien replied that the Elves did not celebrate Christmas but they had a general greeting *Merin sa haryalye alasse ""I hope that you have happiness" (adding in a case for a mortal: nó vanyalye Ambarello "before you pass from the world").
Legacy
In a letter dated October 14 1968 Dorothy mentioned Tolkien's letter to her to one Miss Dawson, with whom they shared love for Tolkien's work.
On April 1 1999, Dawson's son, Michael sent a mail to the Tolkien Mailing List mentioning that he is inquiring about Dorothy's full name and date of that letter, and for that reason he asked whether that particular letter has been published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"
External links
- An excerpt of Michael Dawson's mail in Tolklang mailing list.
- Analysis of the Quenya phrase by David Salo on Elfling mailing list
- Info on the "merin sentence"
