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?
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