“The Old English word is wyrd, which most glossaries and dictionaries translate as ‘fate’. Tolkien knew that the etymologies of the two words were quite different, ‘fate’ coming from the Latin fari, ‘to speak’, so ‘that which has been spoken’, sc. by the gods. The Old English word derives from weorÞan, ‘to become’: it means ‘what has become, what’s over’, so among other things, ‘history’ – a historian is a wyrdwritere, a writer-down of wyrd.”
Quote by Tom Shippey
Work
J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
Tom Shippey
Tom Shippey is a British scholar known for his research on J.R.R. Tolkien's works. His studies encompass various aspects of Tolkien's literature, history, and mythology. more
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