It is believed that Tolkien's knowledge of Anglo-Saxon culture did not only inspire him to write The Lord of the Rings, but that he also reproduced the Anglo-Saxons and their warrior culture in his works. However, the heroic ethos that the characters live up to in The Lord of the Rings, and in particular oath-taking, diverges intentionally from the heroic ethos and oaths of loyalty in Anglo-Saxon warrior culture. This thesis explores Tolkien’s views on and presentation of oath-making and –breaking in his trilogy of The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien’s works and his representation of oaths are compared to sworn speech in the Old English poems Beowulf and The Battle of Maldon. This thesis shows that Tolkien created a heroic code that is different from the traditional Anglo-Saxon heroic ethos, one in which free will plays an important part. Tolkien made a conscious attempt to reshape the heroic code and attached other values to the oath of loyalty in The Lord of the Rings.
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