Letter 345

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
← Letter 345 →
Recipient	Mrs. Meriel Thurston
Date	30 November 1972
Subject(s)	Objections to noble names for cattle with other suggestions

Letter 345 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

As a personal opinion Tolkien objected to giving animals strictly human and noble names. Elrond and Glorfindel seemed unsuitable. He had played with the word for “bull” that he had previously given her in the form –mund and had come up with several names for bulls: Aramund ("Kingly bull"), Tarmund ("Noble bull"), Rasmund ("Horned bull"), and Turcomund ("Chief of bulls").

Arwen was not an elf but a half-elven who abandoned her elvish rights. Galadriel is the chief elvish woman mentioned in The Lord of the Rings; her daughter was Celebrían. Another elven lady was Nimrodel but Tolkien did not want these names given to heifers or cows. He suggested the name of Farmer Giles’ favourite cow – Galathea.