The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE
Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 February 2012
  • Updates planned: 2

Blommath

A variation on ‘Blotmath’

The eleventh month of the Shire Calendar was properly known as 'Blotmath' (actually from Anglo-Saxon: 'sacrifice month' or 'blood month', since this was the time of year when livestock was slaughtered in preparation for winter). When pronouncing the name, the Shire-hobbits omitted the t sound, calling the month either 'Blodmath' or 'Blommath'.1 Some of colloquial variations in Shire month names like this found their way into writing as well as speech, but we have no direct evidence of that in the case of 'Blommath'.


Notes

1

Tolkien is quite explicit about this varied pronunciation of 'Blotmath' by the Hobbits, but this seems peculiar, because the word 'Blotmath' did not actually exist in the Shire: rather, it's an Old English term meant to represent the Hobbits' actual month name, which is not recorded. When mentioning this shift in pronunciation, Tolkien is presumably representing some change in the actual speech of the Hobbits by describing an equivalent alteration of the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 February 2012
  • Updates planned: 2

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2012. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.
Explore the benefits of using a personality profile to discover yourself and make the most of your career.
Take the Free mydiscprofile Personality Test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.

Which personality type are you?
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry

Blommath

A variation on ‘Blotmath’

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 February 2012
  • Updates planned: 2

Blommath

A variation on ‘Blotmath’

The eleventh month of the Shire Calendar was properly known as 'Blotmath' (actually from Anglo-Saxon: 'sacrifice month' or 'blood month', since this was the time of year when livestock was slaughtered in preparation for winter). When pronouncing the name, the Shire-hobbits omitted the t sound, calling the month either 'Blodmath' or 'Blommath'.1 Some of colloquial variations in Shire month names like this found their way into writing as well as speech, but we have no direct evidence of that in the case of 'Blommath'.


Notes

1

Tolkien is quite explicit about this varied pronunciation of 'Blotmath' by the Hobbits, but this seems peculiar, because the word 'Blotmath' did not actually exist in the Shire: rather, it's an Old English term meant to represent the Hobbits' actual month name, which is not recorded. When mentioning this shift in pronunciation, Tolkien is presumably representing some change in the actual speech of the Hobbits by describing an equivalent alteration of the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 February 2012
  • Updates planned: 2

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2012. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.
Explore the benefits of using a personality profile to discover yourself and make the most of your career.