Noelia Ramos-Soria
@noeliaramos96
Tolkien Studies & Celticism | PhD candidate @uvigo My latest article on Tolkien: Researchgate: Contact: noelia.ramos@uvigo.gal
Whether Goblin Feet can be read as a bridge from Victorian fairy toward a more “Celtic” mode, Princess Ní is the poem that truly reveals the shift. Details like “Elf‑fine hair,” “most slender is she,” and Ní, evokes a sidhe‑like fairy conception. #Tolkien #LOTR #Literature
On September 5 at 11:20 (online), I will be giving a talk for the #Oxonmoot Conference, organized by the @tolkiensociety.org, entitled: "Shire...Baggins...": From Nazgûl to the Sídhe in Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) Don't miss it! #Tolkien #LOTR #PhD
#Tolkien Wood‑sunshine and Goblin Feet mark his shift from Victorian whimsy to a more Celtic fairy. He blends tiny fairies with darker, otherworldly tones. This mix shows him leaving sentimental fairy behind and seeking deeper mythic sources for a more serious imaginative world.
I am delighted to share that I will be presenting a paper at the forthcoming Oxonmoot Conference at St Anne’s College, @ox.ac.uk, in which I will address Tolkien’s Nazgûl and the Celtic Irish banshee. @tolkiensociety.org @stannescollege.bsky.social #Tolkien #LOTR
One of the souvenirs I brought back from my visit to #Oxford: three volumes that hold far more than words—they capture the essence of faërie from Tolkien’s “On Fairy-Stories.” #Tolkien #LOTR #PhD @bodleian.ox.ac.uk @oxfordfantasylit.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @academic.oup.com
Thrilled to be speaking at the upcoming seminar organised by @germantolksoc.bsky.social, presenting on Fangorn and Treebeard. #LOTR #Tolkien
Delighted to share my newest #article exploring #Celtic influences on #Warcraft @blizzard.com @worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com Link: theconversation.com/druidas-natu...
Delighted to tell you that this article will also come to light soon! #Warcraft @blizzard.com @worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com
I’m delighted to share that my 📄 has reached 106 downloads in just two weeks. A must-read 📖 for supernatural enthusiasts: scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftol... #Tolkien #LOTR #literature #PhD
🔟 Bombadil and Treebeard exercise a dual function, as guides and preservers of their realms. If we consider Tolkien’s “Other-world,” these characters resemble to Celtic druids—deeply bound to nature, time, and ancient power—rather than simple fairy-tale characters.
9️⃣ The Ents, are different kinds of trees, each with its own function. Similarly, Old Man Willow stands as an ancient guardian, protecting the forest from perceived threats. When Tolkien states Faërie contains “many things besides elves and fays” (32), he alludes to its rulers.
8️⃣ With this, he highlights the importance of trees, pointing toward the Ents and Old Man Willow. These creatures are imbued with the magic of the Secondary World. The very notion of “Perilous Realms” plays a key role in shaping the experiences of outsiders who enter them.
7️⃣ This can be found in the Old Forest and Fangorn Forest. Although the atmosphere of these places may seem hostile or unsettling, Tolkien emphasizes their deeper significance. with “each leaf of oak, and ash and thorn, is a unique embodiment of the pattern” (OFS, 67).
6️⃣ A striking point in On Fairy-Stories is that while he initially alludes to Elves, he later asserts that “Faërie contains many things besides elves and fays” (OFS, 32). This is why reducing Tolkien’s Secondary World to Elves alone is a common mistake—it goes far beyond them.
5️⃣ Equally important is the effect of time and the “machinery of Dream” (OFS, 35). In Secondary, time is governed by its own rules, mixing past, present, and future. Visitors often enter a dreamlike state, becoming unaware of how much time has passed while they remain there.
4️⃣ The main reason lies in the trajectory from the ordinary to the supernatural that major characters experience. This journey is conceived not as “the road to Heaven; nor even to Hell” (OFS, 28), but rather as an entry into a realm imbued with what Tolkien defines as Magic.
3️⃣ The Secondary World Tolkien conceived operates under its own laws of time and form. This concept is essential for understanding works such as The Roverandom (1925), The Smith of Wootton Major (1967), and, of course, The Lord of the Rings. But why is this so important?
2️⃣ Published in 1947, this essay stands as a foundational pillar of modern fantasy literature, as it reveals much of Tolkien’s conception of Faërie. According to Tolkien, “Faërie is a perilous land, and in it are pitfalls for the unwary and dungeons for the overbold” (OFS, 27).
1️⃣ Despite the hardships he endured throughout his life, Tolkien revealed an extraordinary talent, leaving behind a vast literary legacy. Beyond his narrative works, Tolkien’s essay On Fairy-Stories deserves particular attention.
Today marks the birth of one of the most underrated yet brilliant authors of the twentieth century: J. R. R. Tolkien. Born in Bloemfontein—a surprising fact many people are unaware of—he suffered the loss of his father and mother at an early age. Thread 🧵 #Tolkien #LOTR #Literature #PhD
3️⃣ Strikingly the opposite, the Nightmare, is a realm reminiscent of Cailleach's realm. Conceived as 'dark' and even sometimes infused by a "nightmarish" colour, this place recalls decay and hardship. Needless to say, the harshness of fauna and flora that impedes to grow.
2️⃣ The Emerald Dream is a supernatural realm 🌀 dominated by the cosmological forces that conform Azeroth's nature 🍃. Yet, it is only accessible through portals that rarely open up their gates unless outsiders are granted invitation.
1️⃣ Whilst Celtic Otherworldly realms might spread a 'fairy-like' atmosphere, these ones are known for it's duality. To this, I contend they can be regarded beautiful and at once, terrifying and darker. And much of these, has to do with Blizzard's magical realms.