Letter 239

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 239
Recipient	Allen & Unwin
Date	20 July 1962
Subject(s)	Translations

Letter 239 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

Tolkien wrote to Allen & Unwin concerning the Spanish translation of The Hobbit. A point of concern for Tolkien was the use of gnomos as the translation of "Dwarves" and "Gnomes". He explained that he originally connected the word gnome to Greek wisdom, but abandoned it because of its more common use for pygmaeus ("pygmy").

Note

The Spanish translation eventually used enanos for Dwarves; it is unknown whether the second suggestion was also followed.