Palacký University in Olomouc Philosophical

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

1. Childhood

J. R. R. Tolkien was born on the 3^rd of January 1892, surprisingly not in England but in Bloemfontein, in the Orange Free State (South Africa). His father Arthur Reuel Tolkien left England because of better job and career opportunities and his mother Mabel followed him there a few years after that. She did not like Africa’s hot climate but it was the only way how to be with her beloved husband. The couple got married soon after her arrival and at the beginning of the next year she gave birth to their first son, John Ronald Reuel. The child was named John after his grandfather and Reuel after his father, but Ronald was the name he was called by his family and his future wife. Two years later Ronald’s brother was born, he was named Hilary Arthur Reuel. One year later, in 1895, Mabel and her sons had to leave for England because of Ronald’s health condition. Arthur could not leave his job to go with them at that moment, however he planned to visit them later. Unfortunately, they never saw him again – he died of rheumatic fever before he could leave Africa. Ronald was only three years old when he last saw his father and according to Carpenter, his only clear memory of him was an image of Arthur painting his suitcase, preparing himself for future journey.¹

¹ Humphrey Carpenter, J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography (London: Unwin Paperbacks, 1978), 22.
For some time Mabel and her boys lived in a small family house in Birmingham, together with her parents and siblings. Little Ronald soon almost forgot about Africa and started to make bonds with the Suffield family. His grandfather John Tolkien was much older and died shortly after Arthur and the only other member of Tolkien family was Ronald’s aunt Grace, who used to tell him stories about Tolkiens history and origins. Ronald however, felt more connected with the Suffields. As he once wrote: “Though a Tolkien by name, I am a Suffield by tastes, talents and upbringing”.²
In the summer of 1896, they moved into a small village called Sarehole, a mile away from Birmingham. Ronald and Hilary enjoyed discovering all the places around the village, Sarehole Mill, forests or the nearby sand quarry. Soon they found friends from the nearby village of Hall Green, even though they were so different at the beginning, especially in their language and manners. This place, being a perfect example of English countryside at that time, later became an inspiration for Tolkien when creating The Shire for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings stories.
The Tolkien boys were taught at home by their mother. Ronald’s favorite lessons were languages, he was able to read at the age of four and soon after that he could write. Mabel taught him some Latin and he loved it, not only learning the meaning of words, but also their sounds and forms. She soon realized he had a special gift for languages. Ronald also excelled in drawing, especially drawing trees and plants. He knew a little bit of botany as well, but he cared about the way the trees looked more than about their botanical characteristics. Thanks to his mother he could read many books as a child, but he definitely did not like all of them. He disliked Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Treasure Island, but he liked stories about Indians, some books from George Macdonald (which took place in a kingdom surrounded by mountains hiding orcs) or The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, which he learned about dragons from. He even started to write his own dragon story at the age of-seven.
In 1900, Mabel decided to join the Roman Catholic Church together with her sons and her sister May Incledon. This was significant for Mabel as she faced ostracism by much of the Suffield and Tolkien families. May’s husband Walter





² Carpenter, A Biography, 27.
Incledon used to help Mabel financially, but he stopped his support the moment he learnt this news. He even forbade his wife May from stepping in a Catholic church ever again. Even though Mabel’s decision brought many complications to the life of her family, Christianity later influenced Ronald in his work when creating the world Arda – place for his The Lord-of-the Rings stories.

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