The Tengwar and the Angerthas: an analysis of Tolkien's Runes

The purpose of my thesis “The Tengwar and the Angerthas: an analysis of Tolkien’s Runes” is to deal with the correlation between the Germanic runes and the ones belonging to Tolkien’s works analysing historical, graphic, phonetic, and phonologic elements. The thesis is divided in three chapter. The first chapter mainly describes the evolution of Germanic runes through the centuries, the different types of runic sequence and objects on which they were carved. The second chapter is about Tolkien’s literary works, their correlation with Germanic mythology and literature and how they shaped the fantasy genre. The third chapter is focused on the comparison between the runes invented by Tolkien and the Germanic runes by showing their similarities and differences in shape, phonetic value, use and evolution. Therefore, these sections may help to better understand how the Germanic culture had a deep influence on Tolkien and the realisation of his most known works.