- Feb 5, 2002
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On their way to Mordor, in the Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam forcefully relied on Gollum to cross the Dead Marshes -otherwise, they would have never made it through the reeking wetlands. Could J.R.R. Tolkien have been inspired by the eskers that medieval pilgrims used to cross the bogs in northern Europe? The similarities are surely striking.
Lacking Roman roads, northern eskers were used as safe roads for pilgrims and travelers. Indeed, many modern roads have been laid out on top of them. In Europe, the 150 miles long Uppsalaåsen, and the even longer Badelundaåsen (going from Nyköping to Lake Siljan in central Sweden) are well known.
Continued below.
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An ice-made path
An esker is an accumulation of sand and gravel carried by glacial rivers, forming ridges of a certain length -oftentimes several miles long. They are found in the Scandinavian Peninsula, the British Isles, Iceland, and North America. But the word itself derives from the ancient Gaelic eiscir.Lacking Roman roads, northern eskers were used as safe roads for pilgrims and travelers. Indeed, many modern roads have been laid out on top of them. In Europe, the 150 miles long Uppsalaåsen, and the even longer Badelundaåsen (going from Nyköping to Lake Siljan in central Sweden) are well known.
Continued below.
Did this medieval pilgrimage inspire the hobbits' path to Mordor?
Could J.R.R. Tolkien have been inspired by the eskers that medieval pilgrims used to cross the bogs in northern Europe?
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