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This edition reproduces the text and illustrations of the First Edition of 1949 in facsimile, including the colour plates. It also includes: an introduction and notes by the editors, the first written (manuscript) version of the story, drafts for an unfinished sequel, and a map of 'The Little Kingdom' by Pauline Baynes. After his victory Giles had Chrysophylax kept in the parson's tithe-barn. This earned him the title "Dominus de Domito Serpente" (or in the vulgar Lord of the Tame Worm). A lord Giles had become, but soon he advanced to Earl, and then to Prince, and finally to King in his own right. Giles was crowned as Ægidius Draconarius of the Little Kingdom but was known more often as Old Giles Worming.
The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún · The Fall of Arthur · The Story of Kullervo · The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
Farmer Giles saves his farm and, as a consequence, the local village from a rampaging giant. This earns him a fierce reputation for heroism; thus, he is rewarded by the King with a rather glamourous sword. The King, believing this to be a mere ceremonial weapon, parts with the blade gladly. It turns out that the sword is actually Tailbiter, an ancient weapon that carries a powerful enchantment. Indeed, it cannot physically be sheathed when in close proximity to a dragon. However, Farmer Giles's blunderbuss had a wide mouth that opened like a horn, and it did not fire balls or slugs, but anything that he could spare to stuff in. And it did not do execution, because he seldom loaded it, and never let it off. The sight of it was usually enough for his purpose. And this country was not yet civilised, for the blunderbuss was not superseded: it was indeed the only kind of gun that there was, and rare at that. [11] Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien · J.R.R. Tolkien: Life and Legend · J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator · The 50th Anniversary Edition was published in 1999, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. At least they may be getting rare,' thought the older and wiser worms; `far and few and no longer to be feared.'
Tolkien was a professor at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford for almost forty years, teaching Old and Middle English, as well as Old Norse and Gothic. His illuminating lectures on works such as the Old English epic poem, Beowulf, illustrate his deep knowledge of ancient languages and at the same time provide new insights into peoples and legends from a remote past. The Road to Middle-earth · The Keys of Middle-earth · The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion ·Tolkiens Fähigkeit breite, epische Geschichten zu schreiben (zumindest, was den Herrn der Ringe anbelangt) ist ja allgemein bekannt. In vielerlei Hinsicht sieht er fast schon wie der Schöpfer des Genres aus, ist seine Trilogie doch Vorlage für eine schier endlose Menge an Werken geworden. Allenfalls weiß man noch über "Der Hobbit" bescheid - schließlich gibt es dazu auch eine Verfilmung. A hungry dragon, a near-sighted giant, foppish knights, a greedy king and stolen treasure. All confront Farmer Giles to give much thought to the Wide World outside his fields, the village, and the nearest market. Farmer Giles, or in full Ægidius Ahenobarbus Julius Agricola de Hammo, was the eponymous hero of the story, Farmer Giles of Ham. At the beginning of the tale Giles was but a farmer living in the Middle Kingdom but by the end he had become a hero, a defender against a giant, a tamer of the dragon Chrysophylax, and finally the king of the new Little Kingdom. Of course we also get the dual pleasure of something light and enjoyable as with most of Tolkien’s earlier works (ie. Roverandom or even the full length The Hobbit), mixed with the lush imagination of the king of fantasy Himself. The next day Giles learned that he was the owner of Caudimordax, the famous dragon-slaying sword. Soon, with much goading by the parson and the miller, as well as the rest of the village of Ham, Giles was off on his grey mare with his cowering dog, armed with a thrown-together suit of metal rings and Caudimordax.
The story parodies the great dragon-slaying traditions. The knights sent by the King to pursue the dragon are useless fops, more intent on "precedence and etiquette" than on the huge dragon footprints littering the landscape. The only part of a 'dragon' they know is the annual celebratory dragon-tail cake. Giles by contrast clearly recognises the danger, and resents being sent with them to face it. But hapless farmers can be forced to become heroes, and Giles shrewdly makes the best of the situation. It is said Farmer Giles of Ham was translated from a medieval manuscript, written originally in Latin. The manuscript claims that the fable gives the reasons for certain place names in England's county of Oxfordshire, which is where the “Middle Kingdom” of the story seems to take place. The fable's events are ambiguously dated to “before Arthur or the Seven Kingdoms of the English.” Dopo averlo letto ed ammirato, nelle molteplici e caratteristiche illustrazioni, ne rimango discretamente soddisfatto, sinceramente leggerei quasiasi cosa scritta da Tolkien, però c'è qualcosa che non quadra...The giant, as it turns out, is both nearly deaf and nearly blind, and he leaves a path of destruction in his wake that includes the utter flattening of Giles's favorite cow, Galathea. His lumbering approach awakens and panics Giles' dog, Garm, who can talk; Garm, at some risk to himself, and with the help of Giles's wife Agatha, inspires Giles to action. Farmer Giles is able to ward off the giant by shooting him with a very primitive form of firearm called a blunderbuss. His blunderbuss shot hits the giant in the face (mostly by accident), and while it doesn't damage the giant, it does convince him that he has entered a “nasty, unhealthy” area swarming with biting insects. The indignant giant takes his leave to healthier climes, as Garm brags to the village of his master's heroic deeds. Many miles away, the King of the Middle Kingdom comes to hear of Farmer Giles's besting of the giant, and in thanks, sends him an old, out of fashion, unwanted sword from his treasury. This was a sweet little tale involving Giles the farmer, Chrysophylax the dragon, and Garm the dog (who was the star of the show for me).
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