Letter 245

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 245
Recipient	Rhona Beare
Date	25 June 1963
Subject(s)	Answers regarding Runes and dead Elves

Letter 245 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

Beare asked why the G-rune in The Lord of the Rings did not match standard Anglo-Saxon runes. Tolkien said that his Cirth or runes were invented for the story with no historical connection to the Germanic Runic alphabet (which was more developed by the English), so different values for similar shapes were to be expected. Both systems were devised for cutting or scratching on wood and had to take the grain of wood into account. Tolkien expanded on the topic of how the signs were devised by deletions or additions to a basic pattern.

What happened, inquired Beare, to Elves killed in battle? Even in the legends, replied Tolkien, Elves were seen mainly through the eyes of Men, and neither side fully knew or understood the ultimate destiny of the other. Elves were so long-lived that Men thought them "immortal." Yet Elves understood that they were not unageing or unwearying and that they were confined to the limits of this world in some form or another. After the "end of the world," they were unsure and only had theories. The Elves also did not know what "death" meant for Men, believing it to mean a desirable "liberation from the circles of the world." To envious Men, they pointed out that though remote, they still faced ultimate loss and noted that the longer one bears a burden, the heavier it may become.

Tolkien apologized for writing in pencil and for possibly being illegible. He was temporarily unable to use his right hand, so he used his left instead, which was easier with a pencil.