Who told you, and who sent you?
"Ofermod"[1] is an essay by J.R.R. Tolkien; it explores the meanings of the Old English word ofermod, which appears in the original Old English fragment The Battle of Maldon. The word is used to describe Beorhtnoth's state of mind at one point in the fragment - Tolkien took the word to mean that Beorhtnoth was a victim of overweening pride (a character flaw that would appear in several of Tolkien's later characters, Fëanor and Túrin perhaps being the best examples).
Publication history
The essay was originally published in 1953 along with Tolkien's alliterative poem The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son and another essay titled "Beorhtnoth's Death".
It has since been republished in the 2001 (and later) editions of Tree and Leaf.
External links
References
- ↑ "Ofermod", Tree and Leaf, London: HarperCollins, 2012.