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King Elessar in Middle-earth: Strawberry fields forever?

— Aurélie Brémont, Centre d’Etudes Médiévales Anglaises (CEMA), Sorbonne Université, Paris

Paper given 9 July 2021 at Medieval climates, cosmologies, & ecosystems in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien I

In The Lord of the Rings, the first year of King Elessar’s reign is described as follows: 3020, S.R. 1420: The Great Year of Plenty’, [a year of] wonderful sunshine and delicious rain, in due times and perfect measures […] an air of richness and growth. […] The fruit was so plentiful that young hobbits very nearly bathed in strawberries and cream’ (LRC §B.TA.3020. The link between a good king and a bountiful nature is present throughout myth and literature, but where does this idea actually come from? Is there an explanation to the link between nature and human rule?

Authoritative information may be found here.

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source URL 🌐Institute for Medieval Studies - Faculty of Arts - University of Leeds
date recorded 📅2021-07-26
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