Farmer Giles of Ham: Talking Tolkien

After a long week, I thought a lower pace video was in order. Throw this on while you do some chores or go for a long drive, and let me tell you one of Tolkien’s lesser known stories: Farmer Giles of Ham!
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[@oldworldmichigan705]

I have to say it, *justice for garm"

[@Thraim.]

Dude already shooed away a giant, give him some rest. Those villagers, I tell you, you give them a finger and they'll take the whole hand.

[@mjlamey1066]

Farmer Giles was the first "outside-Arda" Tolkien I ever read and I think it was the thing that really got me hooked on Tolkien as a person and his works outside of Middle Earth. I think he also put a lot of his personality into it. Honestly couldn't recommend it enough to people.

[@FathersLoveWithoutEnd]

Wow, this girl is beautiful, inside and out.

[@charlesstanford1310]

I need to read this again. So delightful: the dog (dog-Latin was the pejorative that Renaissance Humanists used to describe the corrupted language used by medieval clerics), the dialect, the pedantic scholar talk, the sly wordplay ... and that dragon! "It's hard, cruel hard." Tolkien's sense of humor is on splendid display here. (Also, "Dives" is Latin for "Rich,")

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Wow, I love those extra facts! The linguistic games that Tolkien plays are so fun. Thanks for the comment!

[@alanbudgen2672]

There's a lovely BBC radio drama of Farmer Giles. It was from a series called Tales from the Perilous Realm, and included other short stories including Tom Bombadil. The mighty Brian Blessed is Giles, Brian Sibley is the Giant and Michael Horden narrates as Tolkien. Garm's voice is lovely and raggedy.

[@krim7]

Justice for Garm.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Ring Mail, as explained in D&D does not exist historically, but here it is! Rings sewn to a leather shirt! And Gary Gygax vehemently claimed he took nothing from the the writings of JRR Tolkien....

[@ThatKenpoGuy]

I always loved the sly humor of Farmer Giles of Ham! Even the description of the blunderbuss is a subtle joke "A blunderbuss is a short gun with a large bore firing many balls or slugs, and capable of doing execution within a limited range without exact aim. (Now superseded in civilized countries by other firearms.)" It was stated to be the definition given by the "Four Wise Clerks of Oxenford" and is lifted directly from the Oxford English Dictionary of the time. The joke was that JRR Tolkien helped work on the said project under the direction of James A. H. Murray, Henry Bradley, W. A. Craigie, and C. T. Onions who were the four editors. I always got the impression that Mr. Tolkien was poking a little fun at the pedantic nature of editing dictionaries!

[@Rockstar-bq5fm]

One of my favourite books. It’s so whimsically English and Monty Python like, I’m surprised the group never had a crack at making it

[@MountainFisher]

I read this around 1970. Enjoyed it. Later my kids loved it in the 1980-90s.

[@allisongliot]

Tolkien definitely strikes me as a dog person.

[@thehiddenyogi8557]

I often wondered why there weren't dogs in LOTR, besides farmer Maggot's

[@mayalackman7581]

​@@thehiddenyogi8557well there is Huan in the Silmarillion.

[@rachelhayes3376]

Sauron was (in early writings) the lord of cats, so yes, Tolkien was dog person 😂

[@Mr.RobotHead]

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is by far my favorite Tolkien work. I read it nearly every year on Tolkien Reading Day. The humor is so brilliant, and completely rooted in tropes from the Medieval period, that it nearly feels like an old legend translated for modern audiences. I'd love to see you do a deep dive into it.

[@geraldelmore4830]

I have always loved this story, and i love your telling of it. And your commentaries on this, 'Leaf by Niggle', and ''Smirh of Wooten Major'. Your voice is so soothing, dulcet tones.

[@grokeffer6226]

She clearly understands Tolkien extremely well. 🧐🎩

[@Shadowace724]

I read this maybe 40 years ago, thank you for this :)

[@mch12311969]

I heard of this story, but I have never read it for myself. Thank you for sharing. There are very clear parallels between this story and Middle Earth.

[@andrewlim9345]

Thanks, like your reading of Farmer Giles. Tolkien certainly was a creative storyteller and world builder.

[@bethanytillerson6881]

I just got a copy of Tales From the Perilous Realm. I’ve finished Smith of Wootten Major and loved it, now on to Farmer Giles of Ham!

[@johnbayer9795]

I read Farmer Giles of Ham ("Aegidius Agricola de Hammo") 40-some years ago in the class I took on Lewis & Tolkien--but I never heard the story of his introducing it to the family while sheltering under a bridge.

[@AndrewShaifer]

This little story is, frankly, my favorite JRRT piece besides Hobbit & LotR! I had an audiobook when I was 8 y.o. and since then, I re-read/re-listen it at least once, every single year. Such a fairytale! Nb: This video of yours was released a year ago, and you telling me that you had

[@scifirocks]

I've always had a soft spot for this story as it's set in the real life area that I grew up in, and Ham (later called Tame) is based on Thame which is the town where I went to school.

[@jerrylev59]

Probably somewhat based on "The Brave Little Tailor", a Grimm Brothers faerie tale, The tailor killed seven flies in one blow, and had that engraved on his belt. That got him into many challenges well beyond that initial achievement when it was assumed that he had dispatched seven men instead. Of course, he managed to cleverly overcome each one and thus a legendary folk hero was born.

[@rooramblingon895]

First Tolkien I read as a child. I was about 8. Ham, for anyone who wants to know, is the OE for farm. So West Ham is west farm.

[@thomaskalinowski8851]

I just read this story for the first time, and what struck me was the extent to which it was the same story as The Hobbit, told in much the same sort of language. Not surprising given that both stories were created around the same time for the same purpose (to amuse Tolkien's children). The main difference is that The Hobbit was loosely attached to Tolkien's Legendarium, and also it was published first so it ended up receiving a wide audience and (especially) demands for a sequel.

[@whiteknightcat]

Oh well. So much for this channel. Good thing I hadn't subscribed yet. Moving on.

[@tubelarbelly]

It was a pleasure to just sit down and listen. Thank you very much,

[@BecauseOfDragons]

This was great stuff - very neat learning about the story and hearing how the tale came to be. I was very tempted recently to pick this and some of his other short stories up and this has now spurred me on to get it downloaded to listen to whilst out walking!

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

They're lovely walking stories. Thanks so much for watching!

[@glennwoodbury7384]

Love this story, I have it in a double paperback with Smith of Wooten Major. Have you done a video of that story? I find it very moving. Which I prefer of the two depends on my mood.

[@vodostar9134]

It was fun to hear and remember this story again. Thanks.

[@sourisvoleur4854]

Justice for Garm!

[@geralddrake3002]

This was great! I haven't gotten up to the most recent videos but I hope there are more like this.

[@mjlamey1066]

Also I knew a guy named Giles once who pronounced his name exactly as you said it, so 👍

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Oh thank goodness! I was really starting to worry while I edited, haha. Thanks for the comment!

[@kevinroche3334]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire The way you pronounce Giles is exactly how we use it in the UK - Don't you worry my dear! When you said the blunderbuss was loaded with slugs, however, I did give a little smile (slugs are homeless snails). I am actually reading Farmer Giles right now - nice summary :)

[@beowulfsrevenge4369]

@@Jess_of_the_Shire Not from the UK but that's how my dad pronounced it when he read it to me when I was a kid. It's also how Derek Jacobi pronounced it in the audio book. Which is a great production of that book!

[@Happyheretic2308]

‘Gh-eee-ell’ would be the French pronunciation, but Giles is Giles, in English 😉

[@joanelizabethhall9455]

How delightful! Thank you.

[@grokeffer6226]

It's been so long since the last time I read Farmer Giles of Ham that I'd forgotten many of the details. This was entertaining and educational. Good job!! 🐕❤ Justice for Garm!!! 👏👏👏

[@FOXCONLON]

Your videos are the best, dude. Your channel's gonna get big one day, I can feel it!

[@clarkgrayhame1250]

I enjoyed this story. Reas it about 15 years ago. It is a cool little story.

[@alanr8702]

I like the more "comfortable" venue because I am often watching your videos at night, and the lighting is more fitting.

[@gaebren9021]

I think Pauline Baynes did the illustrations for that book.

[@sawgerrera5754]

Wow. Just wow ♥️

[@MrOuest]

Tolkien was not a dog person it would seem with all the abuse of Garm in his story. Justice for Garm, indeed.

[@19mindmechanic55]

What a wonderful story! And if not for your work, I would never have heard or read it. Thank you!

[@beowulfsrevenge4369]

Farmer Giles of Ham, the Smith of Wotton Major and the Dragon or Ogg are wonderful stories! Tolkien wrote some really good stories outside of his LOTR universe. He's got a good few children stores he wrote for his kids. I'd recommend them to anyone. P.s. "A blunderbuss is a short gun with a large bore firing many balls or slugs, and capable of doing execution within a limited range without exact aim. (Now superseded in civilized countries by other firearms.)"― The Four Wise Clerks of Oxenford I love his description of things. 😁

[@blandedgear9704]

The quote comes from the Oxford dictionary, which he worked on, and essentially is a little dig at the editors (Four Wise Clerks) over a definition he disagrees with, which I find very charming.

[@Oakleaf012]

This is so lovely, your reading voice is wonderful, and this was just what I needed for a peaceful afternoon. Thank you ❤

[@robertburns2415]

I prefer Giles with a hard G sound as in guile because of it's meaning but to each his own. No harm no foul

[@dafyddthomas6897]

Chrysophylax is Greek for Gold-guard. "Dives" is Latin for "rich" ; it is pronounced "Dee-weyz" (Classic) or "Dee-veyz" (Ecclesia)

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Ah, I knew I was bound to mispronounce some things somewhere....thanks for the educational comment!

[@nathanaelheil2818]

Before watching I had no experience of Tolkien outside of Middle Earth, I'm glad to have had the opportunity.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

I'm glad I could start your journey of discovery! :)

[@kaizenborntowin]

Neat! Thank you!

[@stuartmortimer3922]

Really enjoyed this vid

[@guyr3618]

GRRM must have loved this story.

[@earlschenk4343]

I love this story and I have read it. It is a warm and wonderful story.

[@robertburns2415]

You need to make a T-shirt JUSTICE FOR GARM

[@demetrinight5924]

I really enjoyed hearing your amusement in retelling this story. There are so many things expressed as well known facts, that hearing them I accepted them to enjoy the story. But in the back of my mind I'm thinking how does anyone know dragon facts if they are nolonger common?

[@user-qu5qz6vn8n]

is that a massive jar of mushrooms behind your shoulder?

[@uptonsavoie]

Tapping into your broad study of things Tolkien and the man himself, I have a couple of points to toss at you. 1) It seems to me that "Help! Help! Help!" is supposed to imitate Garm barking. 2) As a long-time pipe smoker, as was Tolkien himself, I am surprised at the absence of any reference at all to the pleasures of the briar in this story. Did Tolkien simply not find place for the instrument, without which he claimed he could not write? 3) Finally, as a lifelong dog lover, I am pleased to find Garm portrayed as a lovable family canine, although treated rather roughly by the family. Now, authors and artists (Tolkien was both) are often very fond of dogs and cats, but I have never read that the Tolkien household included either canine or feline members. Has your research disclosed that the family welcomed such domestic creatures to membership? Please advise. Very fond of your videos. 😊

[@Pingwn]

JUSTICE FOR GARM

[@ecthelion1735]

I've got a bunch of these books on the way, and I can't wait to read them to my kids :)

[@Psycopathicus]

How about doing a video on 'Mr. Bliss'? That's about as far from 'typical' Tolkien as you can get (and was a favorite of mine as a kid), and if you liked Garm, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion of the Girabbit.

[@the_eternal_student]

This is not what I think of when I think of fantasy. I think of this more as a certain type of children's story. However, when I thought of this as the type of story the Angles might have told around a camp fire, it was a little more enjoyable.

[@johnwalters1341]

About Farmer Giles's blunderbuss: "Some may well ask what a blunderbuss was. Indeed, this very question, it is said, was put to the Four Wise Clerks of Oxenford, and after thought they replied, "A blunderbuss is a short gun with a large bore firing may balls or slugs, and capable of doing execution within a limited range without exact aim. (Now superseded in civilized countries by other firearms.)" This is the exact definition from the Oxford English Dictionary; Tolkien worked for a while under its four editors, primarily on the letter *s*.

[@somedude6161]

Yes, you pronounced his name correctly. But yes, it was an actual story. I know as he was my great great great great great (a few more greats) grand father 🐉⚔ And Garm was the best. This was the first Tolkien book I read to my son, followed by the hobbit, then the LOTR, all before he was 7.

[@MartinBrabi]

Mock dragon tail :) :) :)

[@JM-do6wc]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@davidsachs4883]

Just as the hobbit had the alternative title of “to there and back” I thought of the tales with farmer Giles as an alternative title to “Origins of the house of Wessex “ Wessex started as a small principality on the southern side of Mercia and became the last of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms after the Viking invasions. The current king’s claim to the throne goes back to Wessex Clearly fantasy but so what

[@Paredification]

❤

[@tenmark7055]

Hi PTH, Im new here so if youve reviewed this before, pls forgive. One of my favorite Tolkien stories (outside of Bombadil) is Leaf By Niggle, I wonder if you're familiar with it.

[@Jess_of_the_Shire]

Hi! Welcome! I haven't gotten to talk about that one on the channel yet but it is marvelous. Hopefully I can get to it soon!

[@guyr3618]

What does Tolkien have against dogs😭

[@dreadnaughticus]

It is Giles (with a J pronounciation), you legend

[@doctorpicardnononono7469]

Village People ;)