Miranda Boto, José María / Escritor
Table of contents
Series' Editors Preface
Foreword by Tom Shippey
Introduction
Part One: Law and Tolkien
Is there a place for Law in Tolkien's works?
Moral Law, Natural Law, and Positive Law
Common Law vs. Civil Law
Law vs. Justice
Between Law and Sin:
The Doom of the Noldor and the Ban of Men to Set Foot in Valinor
Modern Law: Leaf by Niggle'
Part Two: Law and Government in Arda
We, the Kings
The Powers of Kings: Legislators, Administrators, Judges
Thou shalt be King hereafter!':
On the Rules of Succession to the Throne
Shalt thou be Queen hereafter?': Women and the Throne
Legal Remarks on the Stewards of Gondor
All the King's Men (and One Woman)
Assemblies, Meetings and Moots
Informal Judgements and the Absence of Lawyers
Crime and Punishment
Part Three: Law and Society
Feudalism and Gondor's Nobility
Nulli secundus: About the Princes of Dol Amroth
Marriage as Key Element of Society
The Laws of Marriage
Family Matters
The Passing of Time
Economy, Trade and Money
On Property
Rank and File
Part Four: Law as a Joke in Tolkien's Works
Tolkien's Anachronistic Use of Law
Challenging Arcadia: The Enigma of the Government of the Shire
Max Weber in the Shire: On the Use of Physical Coercion by Hobbits
Farmer Giles of Ham and the Mocking Use of Law
Epilogue: The Lord of the Rings as a Tool to Teach Labour Law
Appendix: Law in Tolkien's Personal Life
a. A Hobbit in all but size: His Personal Life from a Legal Perspective
b. He had many other things to do: University and its Surroundings
c. Memorable events occured very frequently:
Contractual and Financial Issues
Bibliography
Law and government are aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien's works that have not received much scholarly attention. However, they are present in many facets of his sub-creation. In describing the various societies that populate it, Tolkien addressed aspects of their legal and governmental systems, such as the succession of kings, rules of inheritance, or the function of the Mayor of Michel Delving. In many cases, he did so to add a further thread to the rich tapestry of his descriptions.
But in other cases, law appears as an important narrative element, functioning as a test of character for the protagonists who encounter it. Thus, the trial of Beregond reveals Aragorn's justice, while Turgon's ordering the execution of Ëol shows his ruthlessness.
Law and philology appear together in several passages of Tolkien's work. It is no coincidence that the most relevant objects of his sub- creation, the One Ring and the Silmarils, are described in archaic legal terms. In parallel, law and the tools of government are used as humorous elements in other fragments.
Law and government are, in short, omnipresent in Tolkien's work. They are not a central element, but, without what is studied in this book, Arda would have been much poorer.
